NCERT Solutions Class 12th English Flamingo Chapter – 1 The Last Lesson Question & Answer

Question 1.The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What illustrates this? Why does this happen?
Answer –  In the story, the people of Alsace and Lorraine receive an order from Berlin that only German was to be taught in the schools from that day. They realized the value of their language when they were faced with the command to give it up completely. The usual noisy scene at the school was replaced by the quietness of a Sunday church.

The earnestness of the students was evident from the fact that each one set to work very quietly. The only sound in the class was the scratching of pens on paper. Even the village people came and sat quietly in the class, like students. Everybody looked sad. M Hamel, the French teacher, evoked a feeling of regret in the students. Franz regretted not having listened carefully during his lessons.

M Hamel, who felt heartbroken at the thought of leaving, explained everything with a rare lucidity and with patience. It seemed almost as if he wanted to share all his learning before going away.

Question 2.Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What could this mean? (There could be more than one answer.)
Answer –

• When Franz wondered whether they would even make the pigeons sing in German, he uses it as a metaphor to mean that the French language was as natural to them as cooing was to the pigeons. Robbing them of their right to speak in their own tongue and forcing the German language on them would call for unnatural practice.
• It is difficult for people to accept a language which is imposed on them. French was their mother tongue and they were comfortable using it as their own. It would not be easy to switch to a different language.

Question 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 race of people had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them?
Answer –  During colonisation, colonisers usually imposed their language on the colonised people, forbidding natives to speak in their mother tongue. Many writers, educated while their countries were under colonisation, recount how students were demoted, humiliated, or even beaten for speaking in their native language in colonial schools.

(a) The Germanic tribes (Anglos, Saxons) over the course of six centuries, conquered the native Brythonic people of what is now England and south-east Scotland, and imposed their culture and language upon them.

(b) When Puerto Rico came to be the territory of the United States, as a consequence of the Spanish-American War, its population at that point consisted almost entirely of Spanish and people of mixed Afro-Caribbean Spanish descent. Though they retained the Spanish language, bequeathed to them as the mother tongue, the Americans imposed English as the co-official language.

(c) Written in the Latin alphabet, Estonian is the language of the Estonian people and the official language of the country. The oldest known examples of written Estonian originate in the thirteenth century chronicles. During the Soviet era, Russian was imposed upon Estonians as the language to be used for official purpose.

(d) The conquests of territories by Napoleon led to an imposition of the French language on the people of the conquered areas as the official language in the entire territory’. As the influence of French (and in the Channel Islands, English) spread among sectors of provincial populations, cultural movements arose to study and standardise the vernacular languages.

(e) A language was imposed more than 500 years ago on the indigenous people of Brazil by their conquerors. The native language has made a comeback in recent years.

(f) As a literary language, Venetian was overshadowed by the Tuscan ‘dialect’ and by the French languages. After the demise of the Republic, Venetian gradually ceased to be used for administrative purposes; and when Italy was unified in the nineteenth century the Tuscan language was imposed as the national language of Italy. Since that time, Venetian, deprived of any official status, has steadily lost ground to Italian. At present, virtually all its speakers are bilingual and use Venetian only in an informal context.

Question 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 –  Preserving Language Preserves Identity!
Language is an important marker of identity. Even while speaking the same language, social groups differentiate themselves by the way they talk. Thus, language offers a way of stating resistance to cultural uniformity. A native language goes beyond simple differentiation.

It represents a whole cultural history. Most people recognise the importance and value of indigenous culture and linguistic tradition and thus create opportunities where the languages can be used for a wider range of purposes than simply conversing with grandparents.

First, they often form social clubs and publish their own newsletters that bind them together. They encourage popular entertainment through their mother tongue. They encourage viewing of TV programmes and movies that are subtitled in their mother tongue. They often assume an active role in language and cultural preservation.

Although children of minorities are no longer subjected to corporal punishment for using their home language, they are often the target of other, more subtle forms of rejection and ostracism. Thus, these children begin ignoring their native language. Often, overt put- downs come from peer groups belonging to other linguistic belts. To prevent this, elders of the community try to send children where there are others like them who show greater respect and appreciation for their culture.

However, we must all contribute to keeping native languages alive. To do this, it is essential to practise communicating in it. If the use of a language is declining, it is necessary to identify special occasions and designate special times and places to use the language. The community must provide direction, but unless the school system participates in the effort, it may lack credibility in the eyes of the youth.

Question 3.Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? Do you know what ‘linguistic chauvinism’ means?
Answer –  ‘Linguistic chauvinism’ means an unreasonable, overenthusiastic and aggressively loyal attitude towards one’s own language. Language is much more than a means of communication it is a vehicle to propagate one’s own culture and customs, etc. Hence, its importance is immeasurable. But, in an era of globalisation, one needs to have a more practical and realistic view of the situation.

For example, BPO and IT industries today employ people who are conversant with the English language. The salary differences between equally qualified persons who can and cannot speak English can be as high as 400 to 500 per cent. In fact, the best jobs with the upmarket sectors are reserved for those who can speak English.

Consequently, there is already a serious shortage of employable human resources in the service sector. The Chinese are hiring football stadiums to teach the English language and enhance employment opportunities. In India, language chauvinism bars a frank discussion or an acknowledgement that English is now the global language of commerce.

In his Independence Day address in August 2004, President APJ Abdul Kalam talked about the need to achieve 100 per cent literacy. The bigger challenge in the coming years will be to adapt our school and college curriculum to meet the demands of a changing society, job market, and individual aspirations. This signifies the inclusion of language skills.

Question 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:
Answer – Tycoon – It is borrowed from the Japanese word taikun, meaning ‘great lord’.

Barbecue – It is borrowed from the Spanish barbacoa, a framework used for storing meat or fish that was to be dried or smoked. It was also used to mean a framework on which one could sleep. The Spanish word came from the Arawak barbacoa, meaning ‘a framework of sticks on posts’ referring to the framework of such a structure.

Zero – The word zero comes through the Arabic literal translation of the Sanskrit shunya meaning void or empty, into cifr meaning empty or vacant. Through transliteration, this became zephyr or zephyrus in Latin. The word zephyrus already meant ‘west wind’ in Latin; the proper noun Zephyrus was the Roman god of the West Wind (after the Greek god Zephyros). With its new use for the concept of zero, zephyr came to mean a light

breeze –  an almost nothing.

Tulip – The word originated in Turkey. It was derived from dulband which meant turban and somewhat described the shape of the flower.

Veranda – The word originated in India where it is found in several native languages. However, it may have been an adaptation of the Portuguese and Spanish word baranda referring to a railing, balustrade, or balcony.

Ski – The word ‘ski’ (pronounced ‘shee’ in Norwegian) is derived from the old Norsk word skith meaning to split a piece of firewood.

Logo – A logo (from the Greek word logotipos) is a graphic element, symbol, or icon of a trademark or brand and together with its logotype, set in a unique typeface or arranged in a particular way.

Robot – Robot comes from the Czech word robot, which means worker.

Trek – It is borrowed from the Dutch word trekken which means to draw, pull, or travel.

Bandicoot – Bandicoot, a large rat, derives its name from Pandhikoku in Telugu, which meant pig-like.

Question 2.Notice the underlined words in these sentences and tick the option that best 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.
(iv) startling and unexpected.

(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 had 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.
(iv) do not lose their 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.
(iv) early enough.

(d) I never saw him look so tall.
M Hamel
(i) had grown physically taller.
(ii) seemed very confident.
(iii) stood on the chair.
(ii) seemed very confident

Answer – (a) (ii) startling and unexpected.
(b) (ii) are attached to their language.
(c)(iii) early enough.
(d)(ii) seemed very confident.

The readers leam to love the French language as the most beautiful language and also share Franz’s childlike fascination with the new copies given by M Hamel. Franz’s concerns worry the readers; they keenly feel his disappointment of losing his French lessons.

Our teacher ended the class by writing the bold message of “Long live France” on the blackboard, instilling in us an undying pride in our nation and language.