NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 The Last Lesson
Summary for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 The Last Lesson: The NCERT Summary for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 "The Last Lesson" encapsulates the poignant story set in the backdrop of the Franco-Prussian War. The narrative follows a young boy, Franz, who attends his final French lesson taught by M. Hamel. Through this lesson, Franz realizes the importance of his native language and the sense of loss associated with its suppression under the new Prussian rule. M. Hamel's emotional farewell highlights themes of patriotism, the value of education, and the inevitable changes brought by political upheaval. This chapter serves as a powerful reminder of the cultural and personal impacts of war.
NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 PDF
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NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 The Last Lesson
Page Number: 9
Understanding The Text:
1. The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Answer: In the story, Alsace and Lorraine, which were French regions, came under control of Prussia. They got a rule from Berlin that said only German should be taught in schools there. This made everyone realize how important their own language was. The school became very quiet, like a church on a peaceful Sunday. Students worked quietly, and the only noise was the sound of pens writing. Even villagers came and quietly sat with the students in class. Everyone seemed sad.
M. Hamel, the teacher whom the students didn’t usually like, made them feel sorry. Franz wished he had listened more to him. M. Hamel was also sad about leaving, but he explained things patiently that day like never before. It was like he wanted to share everything he knew before leaving. His words captured the mood well when he said, “We all have a lot of things to be ashamed of.’
Read more: NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 2
2. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What could this mean?
Answer: Franz’s question about pigeons singing in German shows that while humans can control some things, like rules and laws, they can’t control everything, especially nature. It means that people have limits to their power and can’t have total control over everything in the world. Just like the Prussians can make rules about schools and learning, they can’t take away people’s pride in their country and language.
Check out: CBSE Class 12th Books
Talking About The Text:
1. “When a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their prison.” Can you think of examples in history where a conquered people had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them?
Answer: “When people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language, it is as if they had the key to their prison.” This quote speaks volumes about how language is not just a means of communication but also a symbol of identity and resistance. Throughout history, there have been numerous instances where conquered people had their language suppressed or replaced, illustrating the power dynamics at play:
Imposition of English in India: During British colonization, English was imposed as the dominant language, suppressing native languages and cultures.
Imposition of Chinese in Tibet: The Chinese government has enforced Mandarin Chinese in Tibet, attempting to diminish Tibetan language and culture.
Arabization in North Africa: The spread of Islam in North Africa led to the imposition of Arabic language and culture, often at the expense of indigenous languages.
Francization in Britain: France attempted to impose French language and culture in Britain, particularly during periods of conflict and occupation.
Turkish imposed on Kurds: The Turkish government has imposed Turkish language and culture on Kurds, suppressing Kurdish language and identity.
Read More: NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Flamingo English Chapter 3
2. What happens to a linguistic minority in a state? How do you think they can keep their language alive? For example:
Punjabis in Bangalore
Tamilians in Mumbai
Kannadigas in Delhi
Gujaratis in Kolkata
Answer: In any region, linguistic minorities often face discrimination similar to religious, social, or ethnic minorities. However, the treatment and acceptance from the majority community can vary greatly depending on the area. Some cities, like Delhi and Mumbai, have a diverse and inclusive atmosphere.
Linguistic minorities work hard to maintain their identity by using their language in social gatherings, family events, and regional festivals. They also uphold their customs and traditions, which helps strengthen unity among members of the linguistic minority. In essence, they create pockets of their culture within cities, such as a “mini-Punjab” in Bangalore, a “mini-Chennai” in Mumbai, a “mini-Bangalore” in Delhi, and a “mini-Surat” in Kolkata.
Read More: NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Flamingo English Chapter 4
3. Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? Do you know what ‘linguistic chauvinism’ means?
Answer: People often take quite enough pride in their native tongues and repress others. This is incorrect as we should treat all languages and cultures equally.
Linguistic chauvinism refers to a person’s excessive pride in their native language. Being overly aggressive and fanatical about one’s language is referred to as carrying pride.
Check out: Class 12th Question Banks
Working with words:
1. English is a language that contains words from many other languages. This inclusiveness is one of the reasons it is now a world language, For example:
petite – French
kindergarten – German
capital – Latin
democracy – Greek
bazaar – Hindi
Find out the origins of the following words.
tycoon barbecue zero
tulip veranda ski
logo robot trek
bandicoot
Answer:
Tycoon – It originated from the Japanese word “taikun”, which means great lord.
Barbecue – It originated from the Caribbean word “barbacoa”, which refers to a wooden structure used to cook.
Meat – It has Germanic origins.
Zero – The word zero has French origins but it originated from Arabic ‘cipher’.
Tulip – It originated from French but has its origins in Persian dulband means flower shaped turban.
Veranda – It originated from Hindi ‘baranda’ which means railing.
Ski – Norwegian ‘snowshoe’
Logo – It has its origins in Greek logos means ‘imprint’
Robot – It originated from Czech word ‘forced labour’
Trek – South African word means to travel in Dutch
Bandicoot – Telugu word pandikokku, means pig-rat
Read More: NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 5
2. Notice the underlined words in these sentences and tick the option that explains their meaning.
(a) “What a thunderclap these words were to me!”
The words were
(i) loud and clear.
(ii) startling and unexpected.
(iii) pleasant and welcome.
(b) “When a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their prison”
It is as if they have the key to the prison as long as they
(i) do not lose their language.
(ii) are attached to their language.
(iii) quickly learn the conqueror’s language.
(c) Don’t go so fast, you will get to your school in plenty of time.
You will get to your school
(i) very late.
(ii) too early.
(iii) early enough.
(d) I never saw him look so tall.
M. Hamel
(a) had grown physically taller
(b) seemed very confident
(c) stood on the chair
Answer:
(a) (ii) unexpected and quite startling.
(b) (ii) are attached to their language.
(c) (iii) early enough.
(d) (b) seemed very confident.
Check out: Class 12th Sample Papers
Noticing Form:
Read this sentence
M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles. In the sentence above, the verb form “had said” in the first part is used to indicate an “earlier past”. The whole story is narrated in the past. M. Hamel’s “saying” happened earlier than the events in this story. This form of the verb is called the past perfect.
Pick out five sentences from the story with this form of the verb and say why this form has been used.
Answer:
Five sentences in the past perfect tense:
1. For the last two years, all our bad news had come from there- the lost battles, the draft, the orders of the commanding officer, I thought to myself. In this sentence, first the information had come and then Franz thought to himself.
2. I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen.
In this sentence, first he got scared and then he tried to get to the desk without being seen.
3. I had to open the door and go in before everybody.
In this sentence, he had to open the door before getting in.
4. When people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language, it is as if they had key to their prison.
In this sentence, they had their key to prison before they were enslaved.
5. But he had the courage to hear every lesson to the very last.
This tense has been used because in the story, the incidents are happening at two different points of time. In this sentence, he had the courage and so, he listened to the lesson to the end.
Writing:
1. Write a notice for your school bulletin board. Your notice could be an announcement of a forthcoming event, or a requirement to be fulfilled, or a rule to be followed.
Answer:
NOTICE
ABC Public School
Essay Competition
On 05 – 09 – 2017, the school will host an essay competition. “The Qualities I Admire in My Favorite Teacher” is the topic. All interested students should contact the undersigned by September 2, 2017.
Secretary,
School Literary Club,
Your name
Read More: NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 6
2. Write a paragraph of about 100 words arguing for or against having to study three languages at school.
Answer:
Write your own answer.
3. Have you ever changed your opinion about someone or something that you had earlier liked or disliked? Narrate what led you to change your mind.
Answer:
Do it by yourself.
Read More: NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Flamingo English Chapter 7
Benefits of NCERT solutions Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1
Clarity of Concepts: The solutions offer clear explanations that help students understand complex concepts and literary techniques employed in the chapter.
Enhanced Understanding: By studying the solutions, students gain a deeper understanding of the text, enabling them to analyze and interpret the chapter effectively.
Exam Preparation: NCERT solutions help students prepare for exams by providing answers to questions that are likely to appear in the exams. This helps students improve their exam performance.
Practice Questions: The solutions include practice questions and answers that enable students to test their understanding of the chapter and assess their learning progress.
NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 The Last Lesson FAQs
Q1. Why are NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 important?
Ans. These solutions play a important role in aiding students comprehension of the chapter and preparing them for exams. They provide clear explanations, analysis of literary devices, and help students develop critical thinking skills.
Q2. How can NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 help in exam preparation?
Ans. By studying these solutions, students can gain a deeper understanding of the chapter's content, improve their analytical skills, and enhance their ability to answer exam questions effectively.
Q3. Is the Class 12 English Chapter 1 NCERT Solutions sufficient to score well in the annual exam?
Ans. NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 is the reference guide for CBSE board students. The solutions strictly adhere to the most recent syllabus and guidelines to provide the learning experience for Class 12 students.
