Advertisements
Advertisements
प्रश्न
“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 conquered people had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them?
उत्तर
Some examples of the native language taken away from its people and/or imposition of the language of the conqueror are:-
(a) Portuguese becoming the lingua franca of Angola.
(b) English imposed on the various Celtic peoples.
(c) Spanish imposed on the Basques and the Catalans.
(d) Turkish imposed on the Kurds.
Notes
A few examples have been provided for students' reference. It is strongly recommended that students develop the answer on their own.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
The entire classroom, M. Hamel as well as those present in the class, is full of regret. For what and why?
The Last Lesson shows that people suddenly realised how precious their language was to them.
Comment.
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
Have you ever changed your opinion about someone or something that you had earlier liked or disliked? Narrate what led you to change your mind.
“You realise the true value of a thing only on losing it.” Comment on this statement in the light of the story, The Last Lesson.
Read the given extract and answer the questions.
| 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. |
- List any two sensory details present in this extract. (1)
- Why does the protagonist feel anxious about entering the classroom on this particular day? (1)
- The classmates have started the lesson
- The teacher is in a bad mood
- The classroom is too quiet
- The protagonist is running late
- Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)
The phrase "as quiet as Sunday morning" suggests that ______. - Pick evidence from the extract that helps one infer that this was not the protagonist’s first time being late to school. (1)
- What does the term 'terrible iron ruler' indicate about M. Hamel? (1)
- Which of the following headlines best suggests the central idea of the extract? (1)
- The Fears of a Latecomer
- The Importance of Punctuality
- The Rigidity of the School System
- The Anxiety of a Young Student
Answer the following question in about 40-50 words.
What were Franz's feelings as he set out for school and why?
Form groups of three. Write three sentences of three words each.
Try to write phrases with each word beginning with the same letter.
Who is M. Hamel?
In what region does the story take place?
In what time period does the story take place?
Why is the iron ruler said to be ‘terrible’?
How did M. Hamel dress up on special occasions?
Think and answer:
Is the school closing down?
Think and answer:
Why were the old men of the village attending school that day?
According to M. Hamel, who are the people that did not take education seriously? What examples does he give to support his view?
Why does Franz understand his lesson well?
With the coming of the Prussians, will language be the only thing that will change? What other changes may take place?
What is the meaning of the following word and phrase in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
______ was in great dread of
What is the meaning of the following word and phrase in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
______ did not know the first word about them
What is the meaning of the following word and phrase in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
Terrible iron ruler
What is the meaning of the following word and phrase in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
______ She put off learning tomorrow
Continue to write as many sentences as the number of students in the group, till you reach the number 10.
After that, go on forming bigger groups and writing sentences with as many words as the number of students in the group. However, you may write only one or two sentences at each step after 10.
See if you can make a sentence with as many words in it as there are students in your classroom.
Write the sentence in big letters on chart paper and display it in the classroom.
