The Last Lesson NCERT Solutions Class 12 English

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 “The Last Lesson” offer complete and easy-to-understand answers to all textbook questions, including Think as You Read, Understanding the Text, grammar, and writing tasks. Designed according to the latest CBSE syllabus, this complete guide helps students master the key themes of language, identity, and freedom to score top marks in their board exams. Be sure to read The Last Lesson Summary to grasp the core concepts and answer these questions more effectively!

The Last Lesson Class 12 Questions and Answers

Think as you read (page 7)

Q.1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Ans. Franz was expected to know the rules for participles, because M. Hamel had said he would question the class on them. Franz had not learned them.

Q.2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Ans.

• It was unusually quiet, “as quiet as Sunday morning”, instead of the usual bustle.
• M. Hamel wore his green coat, frilled shirt and embroidered black silk cap, which he wore only on inspection and prize days.
• The village elders (old Hauser, the former mayor and postmaster) sat quietly on the back benches, which were usually empty.

Q.3. What had been put up on the bulletin-board?
Ans. An order from Berlin said that only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new German master would arrive the next day.

Think as you read (page 8)

Q.1. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Ans.

• It was M. Hamel’s last day, and French lessons were over for good.
• The school was calm and solemn instead of noisy.
• The pupils listened with unusual attention, and M. Hamel taught with extra patience.
• The villagers came to attend the last lesson.
• M. Hamel wore his best clothes in honour of the occasion.

Q.2. How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Ans. Earlier Franz disliked school, found his books a nuisance and feared M. Hamel’s iron ruler. After hearing the news, he regretted wasting his time and his books became “old friends”. He forgot M. Hamel’s ruler and crankiness, felt sorry for him, and began to respect and admire him.

The Last Lesson Understanding the Text Answers

Q.1. The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Ans. What shows it:

• Franz regrets not learning his lessons and now values his grammar and history books.
• M. Hamel calls French the most beautiful, clearest and most logical language in the world, and asks the pupils to guard it.
• The villagers sit in the class and Hauser spells out the letters, crying.
• The copies are headed “France, Alsace, France, Alsace”, like little flags.
• M. Hamel writes “Vive La France!” on the blackboard.

Why it happens: The people had taken French for granted and put off learning it (“I’ll learn it tomorrow”). Only when the order from Berlin threatened to take it away did they realise that language is their identity and pride. We often value something only when we are about to lose it.

Q.2. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What could this mean?
Ans. It could mean any of these:

• The Prussians are so determined to impose German that they might force even the birds to coo in it. This is an exaggeration that shows how total the imposition feels.
• Franz is a child, and he innocently wonders how far the conquerors’ control will go.
• Pigeons cannot be forced to change their natural voice, so the thought is also ironic. A language cannot truly be forced out of living things, and a people’s spirit cannot be completely controlled.
• The line expresses Franz’s sadness and helplessness over the loss of freedom.

Talking about the text

(These are discussion questions, so here are points you can use.)

Q.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?
Ans. Examples of conquered people having a language taken away or imposed:

• The British introduced English education in India (Macaulay’s Minute, 1835), pushing out local languages in administration and higher education.
• The Irish language declined under English rule.
• Native American and Aboriginal Australian children were sent to boarding schools and punished for speaking their own languages.
• Urdu was imposed on Bengali speakers in East Pakistan, which led to the Language Movement of 1952.
• Catalan and Basque were suppressed in Spain under Franco.
• Tamil speakers in Sri Lanka protested the “Sinhala Only” Act (1956).

Q.2. What happens to a linguistic minority, and how can it keep its language alive?
Ans. What happens: Minorities often face pressure to adopt the majority language for jobs and education. Their children gradually shift away from the mother tongue, and the language and culture may slowly die.

How to keep it alive:

• Speak the mother tongue at home and teach it to children.
• Form cultural associations, and celebrate festivals and literary events in the language.
• Publish and read newspapers, books and magazines, and use films, music, theatre and social media in it.
• Run mother-tongue classes and use constitutional safeguards (Articles 29, 30, 350A).

Examples:

• Punjabis in Bangalore can use gurdwaras, Punjabi sabhas, and Punjabi classes, songs and festivals like Baisakhi and Lohri.
• Tamilians in Mumbai can use Tamil sangams, temples, Tamil schools and theatre.
• Kannadigas in Delhi can use Kannada sanghas, Rajyotsava celebrations and Kannada books.
• Gujaratis in Kolkata can use Gujarati samaj and mandal groups, Navratri/Garba events and Gujarati-medium schools.

Q.3. Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? What is “linguistic chauvinism”?
Ans. Yes. Linguistic chauvinism is an extreme, aggressive belief that one’s own language is superior to others, along with hostility or intolerance towards speakers of other languages. It can lead to forcing one language on others, discrimination against “outsiders”, and conflict between communities. Healthy pride means loving and preserving your language while respecting everyone else’s. India’s multilingual society depends on that balance.

Working with words

1. Origins of the words

2. Tick the correct option

• (a) (ii) startling and unexpected.
• (b) (ii) are attached to their language. “Hold fast to” means to cling firmly to something.
• (c) (iii) early enough.
• (d) (b) seemed very confident. Hamel did not grow physically taller. He stood up straight and seemed full of courage and dignity.

Noticing form

Five sentences from the story using the past perfect:

1. “M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles.” The saying happened before Franz started for school.
2. “I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen.” The counting on happened before he reached school and found it silent.
3. “Hauser had brought an old primer.” He brought it before the lesson began, so it is already there when Franz notices it.
4. “It was in honour of this last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday clothes.” M. Hamel dressed up before the class began.
5. “My books, that had seemed such a nuisance a while ago…” This was Franz’s earlier feeling, before he learned of the order.

Why it is used: The story is narrated in the simple past. The past perfect shows an action that happened earlier than the main events being narrated.

Writing

1. Notice for the school bulletin board (sample)

ST. MARY’S SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
NOTICE
12 October 2026

Inter-House Debate Competition

All students of classes IX to XII are informed that an Inter-House Debate Competition will be held on 20 October 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in the school auditorium. The topic is “Mother tongue should be the medium of instruction in schools.” Interested students may give their names to the English Department by 16 October.

Rahul Mehta
Head Boy

2. Paragraph (about 100 words): for or against studying three languages

In favour (sample):
Studying three languages at school is beneficial. Language learning sharpens the mind and improves memory and communication skills. In a country as diverse as India, knowing the regional language, Hindi and English helps students connect with people across states and improves their job opportunities. It also builds respect for other cultures and encourages national unity. Though it may seem a burden, early exposure makes learning easier, because children pick up languages quickly. Moreover, knowing one’s mother tongue keeps one rooted in culture, while knowing other languages opens windows to the world. Hence, a three-language formula enriches both the individual and society.

Against (alternative): You can argue that it overburdens students, reduces time for other subjects, leads to rote learning, and that quality in one or two languages is better than superficial knowledge of three.

3. Narrative: a change of opinion (sample)

I used to dislike my Maths teacher, Mr. Verma. He seemed strict, and I thought he enjoyed scolding us for small mistakes. I dreaded his class and avoided him. Before the half-yearly exams, I failed a test badly and expected a harsh lecture. To my surprise, he called me after class and said quietly, “You are not weak, you only need practice.” He then stayed back every day for a week to explain my problem areas patiently. Slowly, I understood that his strictness came from his concern for us. My marks improved, and so did my respect for him. I realised I had judged him too quickly, and now he is my favourite teacher.

(You can write about any person or thing, such as a subject, a place or a food. The structure is: earlier opinion → incident → change of mind.)

Things to do

1(a). Linguistic human rights
These are the rights of individuals and communities to use, learn and preserve their own language in private and public life, including in education, administration, courts and media. Key documents are the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (1992) and the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (Barcelona, 1996). They include the right to learn one’s mother tongue, to be educated in it, and to freedom from discrimination on the basis of language.

1(b). Constitutional guarantees for linguistic minorities in India

• Article 29(1): Any section of citizens with a distinct language, script or culture has the right to conserve it.
• Article 29(2): No citizen can be denied admission to state-aided educational institutions on grounds of language (among others).
• Article 30(1): Minorities, whether religious or linguistic, have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
• Article 347: The President may direct that a language spoken by a substantial part of a state’s population be officially recognised in that state.
• Article 350: Every person may submit a representation in any language used in the Union or State to redress a grievance.
• Article 350A: States should provide facilities for primary education in the mother tongue for linguistic minority children.
• Article 350B: There is a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities, appointed by the President.

2. Survey form
Talk to five classmates and fill in one row per classmate. A sample row:

Fill in the other rows with your classmates’ real answers. You may notice that many students know more than one language and use different ones in different places.