Chapter- 1          The Last Lesson    


Question 1: Who wrote The Last Lesson?
Answer: The Last Lesson was written by Alphonse Daudet.

Question 2: When was Alphonse Daudet born and when did he die?
Answer: He was born in 1840 and died in 1897.

Question 3: What was Alphonse Daudet’s profession?
Answer: He was a French novelist and short-story writer.

Question 4: During which war is The Last Lesson set?
Answer: It is set during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871).

Question 5: Who led Prussia in the war against France?
Answer: Bismarck led Prussia.

Question 6: What happened to France after the war?
Answer: France was defeated by Prussia.

Question 7: Which regions of France passed into Prussian hands?
Answer: The French districts of Alsace and Lorraine passed into Prussian hands.

Question 8: What is the story mainly about?
Answer: The story shows the effect of Prussian control on school life in France.

Question 9: Why was the narrator in great dread that morning?
Answer: The narrator feared a scolding because M. Hamel had said he would question them on participles.

Question 10: What did the narrator consider doing instead of going to school?
Answer: He considered running away and spending the day outdoors.

Question 11: What tempted the narrator to stay out of school?
Answer: The warm, bright day and the chirping birds tempted him.

Question 12: Did the narrator finally go to school?
Answer: Yes, he had the strength to resist temptation and hurried off to school.

Question 13: What did the narrator see at the edge of the woods?
Answer: He saw birds chirping at the edge of the woods.

Question 14: Who was drilling in the open field back of the sawmill?
Answer: Prussian soldiers were drilling there.

Question 15: How did the narrator describe the day?
Answer: He described it as warm, bright, and more tempting than learning participles.

Question 16: Where did the narrator pass on his way to school?
Answer: He passed the town hall.

Question 17: What did the narrator notice in front of the town hall?
Answer: There was a crowd in front of the bulletin board.

Question 18: Why had people been gathering at the bulletin board for the past two years?
Answer: It was where they got all the bad news, including lost battles, drafts, and orders of the commanding officer.

Question 19: What thought crossed the narrator’s mind when he saw the crowd?
Answer: He wondered, “What can be the matter now?”

Question 20: What are some expressions mentioned in the text for students to learn?
Answer: Expressions include “in great dread of,” “counted on,” “thumbed at the edges,” “in unison,” “a great bustle,” and “reproach ourselves with.”

Question 21: Why did the narrator feel unprepared for school?
Answer: He did not know the first word about participles.

Question 22: How did the narrator feel about M. Hamel’s warning?
Answer: He was in great dread because of it.

Question 23: What kind of war was the Franco-Prussian War?
Answer: It was a war in which Prussia defeated France.

Question 24: Which nations now make up what was then Prussia?
Answer: Germany, Poland, and parts of Austria.

Question 25: What effect did the war have on French school life?
Answer: French districts passed into Prussian hands, affecting schools and teaching.

Question 26: How is the narrator tempted to skip school?
Answer: By the bright weather, the birds, and the open fields.

Question 27: What does the narrator see at the bulletin board that surprises him?
Answer: A crowd gathered, indicating some important news.

Question 28: How does the narrator describe the Prussian soldiers?
Answer: They are drilling in the open field near the sawmill.

Question 29: What does the text suggest about the narrator’s discipline?
Answer: Despite temptations, he shows discipline by hurrying to school.

Question 30: Why is The Last Lesson an important story?
Answer: It highlights the impact of war and foreign control on education, patriotism, and the value of one’s mother tongue.

Answer by Dimpee Bora