THE LAST LESSON - Chapter 8 English Class VIII

(Anundoram Borooah Academy)

English - Class VIII
Chapter 8
THE LAST LESSON

EXERCISE (অনুশীলনী) :

1. Look at the follwoing sentences and note the italicised phrase (তলৰ দিয়া বাক্যবোৰ চোৱা আৰু বেঁকাকৈ লিখা খণ্ডবাক্যবোৰ লক্ষ্য কৰা) :

Everything had to be as quiet as a Sunday morning.
Now complete these phrases by filling in the blanks with a word from the box given below :

a church mouse, an ox, ice, snow, the night, the grove, a panther.

1. as white as _____
2. as black as _____
3. as fast as _____
4. as strong as _____
5. as cold as _____
6. as poor as _____
7. as silent as _____
Answer :
1. as white as snow.
2. as black as the night.
3. as fast as a panther.
4. as strong as an ox.
5. as cold as ice.
6. as poor as a church mouse.
7. as silent as the grave.

2. Match the words from the text in column "A" with their meaning in column "B". There is a few extra items in column B.
(4 স্তম্ভত থকা শব্দবোৰ B স্তম্ভত থকা অৰ্থবোৰৰ লগত মিলোৱা। B স্তম্ভত কিছুমান অতিৰিক্তি শব্দ আছে।)

"A" "B"

dread    → enlisting in the army.
drilling    → a person who sells meat
tempting    → to be terribly frightened
draft    → a person who makes knives
bustle    → to rebuke someone
blacksmith    → attracting
reproach    → doing exercise to burst quick and excited movement

Answer :

"A" "B"

dread → to be terribly frightened

drilling → doing exercise to burst quick and excited movement

tempting → attracting

draft → enlisting in the army.

bustle → a person who sells meat

blacksmith → a person who makes knives

reproach → to rebuke someone

3. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with words from the list given after each sentence.
(প্ৰতিটো বাক্যৰ শেষত দিয়া শব্দ ব্যৱহাৰ কৰি তলত দিয়া বাক্যবোৰৰ খালীঠাই পূৰণ কৰা।) :
(a) The principal has _____ a notice for the coming examination.
A. put down
B. put out
C. put up
D. put by
Answer : C. put up

(b) After a week in hospital, I _____ my illness.
A. got after
B. got over.
C. got down
D. got to
Answer : B. got over.

(c) He spends a lot of time _____ the stars.
A. staring at
B. Peeping at
C. gazing at
D. eying at
Answer : C. gazing at

(d) An honest man _____ his principles.
A. holds fast to
B. holds against
C. holds by
D. holds in
Answer : A. holds fast to

(e) Can you _____
A. say
B. Tell
C. Speak
D. State
Answer : B. Tell

(f) We must not _____ our work for tomorrow. We must do it today.
A. put on
B. put in
C. put by
D. put off
Answer : D. put off

4. Put the verbs in brackets in correct tense and rewrite the passage.
(বন্ধনীৰ ভিতৰত দিয়া ক্রিয়াপদবোৰ শুদ্ধ কালত ব্যৱহাৰ কৰি দফাটো পুনৰ লিখা।) :
(a) I started for school very late that morning and _____ (be) in great dread of a scolding especialy because Mr Hamel _____ (say) that he _____ (question) us on participles and I _____ (not know) the first word about them. For a moment I _____ (think) of running away.
Answer : (a) I started for school very late that morning and was in great dread of a scolding, especialy because Mr 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.

(b) I _____ (walk) down the street some minutes
ago when I _____ (see) a curiously dressed man.
He _____ (wear) a sports-coat and the other _____ (be) brown. He _____ (hold) his tie in his hand too.
Answer : (b) I walked down the street some minutes ago when I saw a curiously dressed man. He wore a sports-coat and the other was brown. He held his tie in his hand too.

5. Below are some sentences in simple present tense, for each of these say why the tense has been used.
(তলত কিছুমান বাক্য simple present tense ত দিয়া আছে, সেইবোৰৰ বাবে কিয় simple present tense ব্যৱহাৰ কৰা হৈছে কোৱা) :
Example: The sun rises in the East.
Answer : Always true.

(a) I don't scold you little Franz.
Answer : an action in present time.

(b) We say everyday to ourselves, "Bah! I have plenty of time?"
Answer : an action done off and on.

(c) Ah how well I remember it the last lesson.
Answer : past action presented vividly.

(d) M. Hamel and his sister leave the country next day.
Answer : a action which is near and definite.

(e) He lives in the house near the school.
Answer : A true action.

Comprehension and Apprehension :

1. Why did Franz start for school very late that morning?
(ফ্রেঞ্জে কিয় সিদিনা বিদ্যালয়লৈ পলমকৈ যাত্ৰা আৰম্ভ কৰিছিল?)
Answer : Franz started very late that morning because he was in great dread of a scolding for not learing the rules of participles.

2. What did M. Hamel say he would ask his students that morning?
(সিদিনাখন ৰাতি পুৱা মহাশয় হেমেলে ছাত্র-ছাত্রীসকলক কি সুধিব বুলি কৈছিল ?)
Answer : M. Hamel said that he would ask questions on the rule of participles that morning.

3. Why did Franz think of running away and spending the day out of doors?
(ফ্রেঞ্জে সিদিনা কিয় পলাই গৈ ঘৰৰ বাহিৰত কটাব বুলি
ভাবিছিল?)
Answer : That day the teacher, M. Hamel said that he would ask question on participles. But Franz did not read even the first word about them. So he was afraid of being scolded by the teacher. To get rid of the punishment, Franz thought of running away and spending the day out of doors.

4. Why was the crowd gathered near the town hall?
(নগৰৰ হলঘৰটোৰ ওচৰত মানুহবোৰে কিয় গোট খাইছিল?)
Answer : The crowd gathered near the town hall to read the latest news put up in the bulletin board.

5. What was the bulletin board?
(বুলেটিন বোর্ড কি আছিল ?)
Answer : The bulletin board was the board on which the latest news about the war between France and Germany was displayed.

6. What were the news that came from the bulletin board?
(বুলেটিন বোৰ্ডৰ পৰা অহা বাতৰিবোৰ কি আছিল?)
Answer : The news that came from the bulletin borad were -
the news of losing battles, the news of drafting, the orders of the commanding officers etc.

7. What did the blacksmith say to Franz?
(কমাৰ্জনে ফ্ৰেঞ্জেক কি কৈছিল?)
Answer : The balcksmith Watcher said to Franz that he should not walk so fast to school. He would reach school in time.

8. What kind of bustle was heard out in the street when school began?
(যেতিয়া বিদ্যালয় বহিছিল তেতিয়া কি ধৰণৰ হাই-উৰুমি শুনা গৈছিল?)
Answer : The bustle heard out in the street when
school began were the bustle of the opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison and the sound of the teacher's great ruler rapping on the table.

9. What were the things that tempted Franz more?
(কোনবোৰ বস্তুই ফ্ৰেঞ্জক অধিক প্রলোভিত কৰিছিল?)
Answer : The scene of the chirping of birds at the edge of the woods and the drilling of the Prussian soldiers were more tempting than the rule of participles for Franz.

10. What kind of commotion did Franz anticipate?
(ফ্ৰেঞ্জকোন ধৰণৰ হাই-উৰুমিৰ কথা আগতীয়াকৈ ভাবিছিল?)
Answer : The commotion that Franz anticipated washe sound of the opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison and the sound of the teacher's great ruler rapping on the table.

11. What were the unsual things noticed by Franz on the day of the last lesson?
(সর্বশেষ পাঠৰ দিনাখন ফ্রেঞ্জ কি অসাধাৰণ বস্তু দেখা পাইছিল?)
Answer : Franz noticed something unsual at the school that day. He saw that the school was as quiet as a Sunday morning. The students were sitting quietly on their seats. The teacher M. Hamel wore special dress. Besides, some village people had come to the school and were sitting at the back benches like the students. All looked sad and gloomy.

12. What did Franz see through the window?
(খিৰিকীৰ মাজেদি ফ্রেঞ্জে কি দেখিবলৈ পাইছিল ?)
Answer : Franz saw through the window that his classmates were sitting quietly on their seats and the teacher was walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm.

13. How M. Hamel dressed on the day of the last lesson?
(সর্বশেষ পাঠৰ দিনাখন এম. হেমেলে কেনে পোছাক পিন্ধিছিল ?)
Answer : On the day of the last lesson M. Hamel wore special dress as beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and little black silk cap. All were embroidered.

14. Who were the other persons sitting on the back benches in the classroom?
(শ্ৰেণীকোঠাটোৰ পিছৰ বেঞ্চবোৰত কোনসকল ব্যক্তি বহি
আছিল ?)
Answer : The persons that were sitting on the back benches in the classroom were old Hauser, the former mayor, the fomer postmaster and several others.

15. What was the order that had come from Berlin?
(বাৰ্লিনৰ পৰা কি আদেশ আহিছিল ?)
Answer : The order that came from Berlin was that not French but only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

16, How did Franz spend his time instead of learning his lesson?
(নিজৰ পাঠ শিকাৰ পৰিৱৰ্তে ফ্রেঞ্জ কিদৰে সময় কটাইছিল?)
Answer : Franz spent his time with seeking bird's eggs and sliding on the river Saar instead of learning his lesson.

17. How long did M Hamel work in the school?
(হেমেলে কিমান বছৰ বিদ্যালয়খনত কাম কৰিছিল?)
Answer : Mr. Hamel worked forty years in the school.

18. Why did M. Hamel put on his Sunday clothes on the day of the last lesson ?
(সর্বশেষ পাঠৰ দিনাখন এম হেমেলে কিয় দেওবাৰৰ পোছাক পৰিধান কৰিছিল?)
Answer : M. Hamel put on his Sunday dress in honour of the last lesson.

19. "What a thunderclap these words were to me." What were the words that were a thunderclap?
(“সেই কথাকেইষাৰ মোৰ বাবে কিমান বজ্ৰপাত পৰাৰ দৰে
লাগিছিল।” বজ্রপাত পৰাৰ দৰে লগা কথাকেইষাৰ কি আছিল?)
Answer : The words that were thunderclap to Franz were the words of M. Hamel who said that he was going to teach the students his last lesson. An order had come from Berlin that only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

20. What was M. Hamel's opinion on the French language?
(ফ্রান্স ভাষাৰ ওপৰত এম হেমেলৰ মতামত কি আছিল?)
Answer : M. Hamel's opinion on the French language was that French was the most clear, most beautiful and most logical language of the world.

21. Who, according to M. Hamel, were responsible for Franz's inability to read and write his own language?
(এম. হেমেলৰ মতে ফ্রেঞ্জ নিজৰ ভাষা পঢ়িবলৈ আৰু লিখিবলৈ নোৱাৰাৰ বাবে কোন কোন দায়ী আছিল ?)
Answer : According to M. Hamel, the following people were responsible for the students' inability to read and write their language correctly as :
First, the parents of the students were not anxious to have their children learn more. They preferred their children to work in the farm or in the mills to earn some extra money.
Secondly, the teacher himself was responsible
beacuse he just gave a holiday when he went for fishing and he sometimes put the students to water his flower-plants instead of making them learn their lesons.

22. What, according to M. Hamel, was the great fault of Alsace? Whom did he blame for this.
(এম. হেমেলৰ মতে, আলচাচৰ প্ৰধান দোষটো কি আছিল? ইয়াৰবাবে তেওঁ কাক জগৰীয়া কৰিছে?)
Answer : According to M. Hamel, the great fault of Alsace was that this province of France was not thier own but was conquered by the Germans. For this he blamed the students and teachers of the schools of Alsace because they always delayed in learing.

23. Why were the village people also sitting in the class room?
(গাঁৱলীয়া ব্যক্তিসকলে কিয় শ্রেণীকোঠাটোত বহি আছিল?)
Answer : The village people were sitting at the back benches of the class room to show thier honour to the teacher M. Hamel and to their country which was theirs no more.

24. Why was it the last lesson given by M.Hamel?
(এম হেমেলে শিকোৱা পাঠটো কিয় সর্বশেষ পাঠ আছিল?)
Answer : It was the last lesson because it was the last day that he taught to the students in the school.