The Last Lesson class 12 MCQs CBSE Term 1 exam

THE LAST LESSON

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow. 

(A) Whenever I looked up from my writing, I saw M. Hamel sitting motionless in his chair and gazing first at one thing, 

then at another, as if he wanted to fix in his mind just how everything looked in that little school-room. Fancy! For 

forty years he had been there in the same place, with his garden outside the window and his class in front of him, just 

like that. Only the desks and benches had been worn smooth; the walnut-trees in the garden were taller, and the 

hopvine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to the roof. How it must have broken his heart to 

leave it all, poor man; to hear his sister moving about in the room above, packing their trunks! For they must leave the 

country next day. 

(i) "For they must leave the country next day." Who does 'they' stand for? 

(a) the students 

(b) the Germans 

(c) M. Hamel and his family 

(d) Franz and his family 

(ii) What is the figure of speech used in the sentence "Fancy! For forty years he had been there in the same place..."? 

(a) Alliteration

(b) Personification 

(c) Simile 

(d) Synecdoche 

(iii) Choose the term that best matches the phrase 'sitting motionless'. 

(a) Floating 

(b) Stationary 

(c) Gazing 

(d) Twined 

(iv) Give the most appropriate reason why M. Hamel was "gazing first at one thing, then at another"? 

(a) He was concerned about the garden. 

(b) He wanted to register how his classroom looked like. 

(c) He couldn't speak much and could only look. 

(d) He was upset and tired.

(B) M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles, and I did not know the first word about them. For a 

moment I thought of running away and spending the day out of doors. It was so warm, so bright! The birds were 

chirping at the edge of the woods; and in the open field back of the sawmill the Prussian soldiers were drilling. 

(i) The phrase "So warm, so bright" refers to the feeling of 

(a) Mr Hamel. 

(b) the soldiers. 

(c) Franz. 

(d) The villagers. 

(ii) Identify why Franz thought "running away and spending the day outdoors." 

(a) Birds were chirping. 

(b) He was not prepared for the lesson. 

(c) Weather was warm and bright. 

(d) All of the above 

(iii) Choose the term which best matches the statement "The birds were chirping at the edge of the woods." 

(a) He ran away from school. 

(b) Enjoying the beauty of nature 

(c) Not willing to go to school 

(d) Observing the drill of the Prussian soldiers

(C) Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the street, the opening and 

closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison, very loud, with our hands over our ears to understand better, and the 

teacher's great ruler rapping on the table. But now it was all so still! I had counted on the commotion to get to my 

desk without being seen; but, of course, that day everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning. Through the 

window I saw my classmates, already in their places, and M. Hamel walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler

under his arm. I had to open the door and go in before everybody. You can imagine how I blushed and how frightened 

I was. 

(I) Choose the option that best demonstrates the relevant traits of Franz based on the extract provided. 

(a) dutiful and responsible 

(b) reddened and afraid 

(c) disciplined and intelligent 

(d) careless but disciplined 

(ii) The expression "to get to my desk without being seen" means that Franz 

(a) didn't want to get noticed. 

(b) didn't want to see his teacher. 

(c) didn't want to go to his desk. 

(d) was walking fast to get to his seat. 

(iii) The phrase 'teacher's great ruler' indicated Franz was feeling. Pick the option that correctly states these 

conditions. 

I. approval 

2. terror 

3. ignorance 

4. devoted 

5. surprised 

6. scared 

(a) 1 and 3 

(b) 2 and 4 

(c) 3 and 6 

(d) 4 and 5 

(iv) The phrase 'great bustle' reveals 

(a) the location of the school is in a noisy, crowded place. 

(b) that a huge crowd is gathered. 

(c) obtrusive activities outside. 

(d) the disapproval for the entry to school.

(D) Besides, the whole school seemed so strange and solemn. But the thing that surprised me most was to see, on the 

back benches that were always empty, the village people sitting quietly like ourselves; old Hauser, with his three-

cornered hat, the former mayor, the former postmaster, and several others besides. 

(i) The underlying mood of the above paragraph is 

(a) sombre. 

(b) confusing. 

(c) threatening. 

(d) ominous. 

(ii) "But the thing that surprised me most..." Franz was surprised to see 

(a) the villagers who wanted to give M. Hamel a tribute for his forty years of service. 

(b) the villagers who wanted to help M. Hamel on the last day of school. 

(c) the villagers who wanted to see what the children were taught in the school. 

(d) the villagers who wanted to revise all that they had learnt earlier. 

(iii) Choose the word which best describes the atmosphere like in the classroom. 

(a) Bustling 

(b) Busy 

(c) Happy 

(d) Quiet 

(iv) "...the whole school seemed so strange and solemn." The reason behind it was 

(a) he could hear the sound of M. Hamel's ruler. 

(b) everyone was busy fishing. 

(c) M. Hamel was wearing his special clothes. 

(d) no one was studying that day.

(E) "But now it was all so still! I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen; but, of course, 

that day, everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning. Through the window, I saw my classmates, already in their 

places, and M. Hamel walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm."

(i) There was a lot of stillness all around because 

(a) everyone was meditating. 

(b) everyone was thinking about the Germans. 

(c) everyone was shocked to hear the news about the French language being discontinued. 

(d) everyone was scared of M. Hamel. 

(ii) What does the word 'commotion' in the above lines refer to? 

(a) the noise of the students talking. 

(b) the opening and closing of desks and the sound of M. Hamel's ruler rapping on the table. 

(c) the sound of the pigeons. 

(d) the sound of the drilling of the German soldiers. 

(iii) What did Franz hope to do because of the 'commotion'? 

(a) to get to his desk without being noticed 

(b) to talk to his friends 

(c) to discuss some prank 

(d) to go back home without being seen 

(iv) What made M. Hamel walking up and down with his ruler? 

(a) He was tired of sitting. 

(b) He was thinking of the way to defeat the Germans. 

(c) He was disturbed at the order of discontinuation of the French language. 

(d) He was waiting for the day to get over.

(F) What a thunderclap these words were to me! Oh, the wretches; that was what they had put up at the town-hall! 

My last French lesson! Why, I hardly knew how to write! I should never learn any more! I must stop there, then! Oh, 

how sorry I was for not learning my lessons, for seeking birds' eggs, or going sliding on the Saar! My books, that had 

seemed such a nuisance a while ago, so heavy to carry, my grammar, and my history of the saints, were old friends 

now that I couldn't give up. And M. Hamel, too; the idea that he was going away, that I should never see him again, 

made me forget all about his ruler and how cranky he was. 

(i) The phrase "seemed such a nuisance" refers to books that seemed 

(a) nonsense. 

(b) an inconvenience. 

(c) very heavy. 

(d) rubbish. 

(ii) Identify the figure of speech in the sentence, "What a thunderclap these words were to me!" 

(a) hyperbole 

(b) onomatopoeia 

(c) oxymoron 

(d) metaphor 

(iii) Choose the term which best matches the statement, "Oh, how sorry I was for not learning my lessons..." 

(a) obligation 

(b) regret 

(c) guilt 

(d) diligence 

(iv) What does the expression 'were old friends now that I couldn't give up' mean? 

(a) The books suddenly seemed very dear to Franz and he did not want to let go of them. 

(b) M. Hamel and the classmates seemed very dear to Franz and he did not let go of them.

(c) Franz did not want to let go of the friends he had made in his French lessons.

(d) The French language suddenly seemed very dear to Franz and he did not want to let go of it.