The Last Lesson

What was much more tempting than the rule for participles?

• Starting late to school

• Enjoying nature and her beauty

• Running away from school

• The warm, bright sun

I started for school very late that morning and was in great dread of a scolding, especially because M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles, and I did not know the first word about them.

What does Franz mean by he “did not know the first word about them”?

• That he did not understand the meaning of the word ‘participle’.

• That everything about participles was Greek and Latin to him.

• That he did not know the spelling of the word ‘participle’.

• That he was well-versed in the rules of participles.

When I passed the town hall there was a crowd in front of the bulletin-board. For the last two years all our bad news had come from there — the lost battles, the draft, the orders of the commanding officer — and I thought to myself, without stopping, “What can be the matter now?”

What do you think the matter could be?

• Prussia won over France.

• Marching of the Prussian Army into the French province of Alsace

• German language to be implemented in the province of Alsace.

• M. Hamel leaving the school after his 40 years of service.

Then, as I hurried by as fast as I could go, the blacksmith, Wachter, who was there, with his apprentice, reading the bulletin, called after me, “Don’t go so fast, bub; you’ll get to your school in plenty of time!”

What could Wachter have meant by this?

• There’s a long way to reach school.

• There a lot of time left to reach school.

• It won’t matter even if he reaches late to school.

• He may reach school at any time he wishes.

What did Franz use as a cover to enter the class unnoticed?

• M. Hamel’s great ruler.

• The dead silence in the class.

• The lessons repeated in unison.

• The din that prevailed in the class.

I jumped over the bench and sat down at my desk. Not till then, when I had got a little over my fright, did I see that our teacher had on his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt, and the little black silk cap, all embroidered, that he never wore except on inspection and prize days.

“Got a little over my fright” means that Franz

• was very frightened

• became little

• overcame his fright completely

• had a tad bit of fright remaining in him.

“…..and Hauser had brought an old primer, thumbed at the edges, and he held it open on his knees with his great spectacles lying across the pages.”

What could be the synonym of “thumbed at the edges”?

• Unblemished

• In tact

• Dilapidated

• Trim

Oh, the wretches; that was what they had put up at the town-hall! – What did Franz regret about?

• Not reading the bulletin-board at the town hall.

• Not attending M. Hamel’s classes.

• Not learning participles.

• Not learning French all these days.

“It was their way of thanking our master for his forty years of faithful service and of showing their respect for the country that was theirs no more.” How did they show their respect to their master?

• They stood up to greet him.

• They were seated in the class to attend the last lesson.

• One of them brought the old primer to the class.

• They repeated ‘Vive La France’ after him.

But I got mixed up on the first words and stood there, holding on to my desk, my heart beating, and not daring to look up. What followed this?

• “My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you.”

• “Go to your place quickly, little Franz. We were beginning without you.”

• “I won’t scold you, little Franz; you must feel bad enough.”

• “You’ll get to your school in plenty of time!”