M.Hamel had been a devoted French teacher for 40 years. He was a strict disciplinarian and his students were terrified of him and his 'great ruler'. However, he was a respectable man. On the last day of school, many villagers, who had been taught by him at some point of time, had come to attend his lecture and pay homage to him. He give great importance to learning. French and considered it to be the most beautiful language of the world. However, he was melancholy and depressed that French had been banned from being taught, after France was overtaken by Prussia. His sorrow was evident in the gloomy way he sat in the class while his students were completing their writing assignment. He became nostalgic looking at the classroom and the adjoining garden. Before leaving the class, he broke down and so, could not speak any parting words.

The young trees are personified in the poem. They seem to be running in the opposite direction when seen through the window of the moving car. The movement is juxtaposed with the expression on the mother’s face i.e. ashen like a corpse. The movement of the children and the trees is in stark contrast with the stillness associated with the mother.

M. Hamel was a true French man. Teaching at Alsace for forty years, he had become a part of its people. He was an honest teacher. He did not blame his students alone for poor learning. He also held himself responsible for the same. He was very patriotic as he appealed to his countrymen to hold fast to their mother tongue to be free from the Prussians. According to him the French language was the most beautiful, the clearest and the most logical language in the world. He urged on his countrymen to guard it and never forget it. He was deeply attached to the school and all his students. However, he was very brave and strong. He was really regretful for not making sincere efforts to teach French to his countrymen. At the end, he became so emotional that he could not speak.

Franz entered the school. He noticed many unusual things in the school. It was all so still, calm and quiet like Sunday morning. The whole school looked strange and solemn. There was no hustle and bustle. The rapping of the teacher’s ruler on the table was not heard. The voice of the students repeating the lessons and the opening and closing of the desks was not heard. It was quite unusual and surprising.

When the poet sees the pale and corpse-like face of her mother, her old familiar pain or the ache returns. Perhaps she has entertained this fear since her childhood. Ageing is a natural process. Time and ageing spare none. Time and ageing have not spared the poet’s mother and may not spare her as well. With this ageing, separation and death become inevitable.

Roger Skunk was very happy on having the rose smell. His mother got perplexed at that awful smell. She asked who had done that. Roger told about the wizard. She grew angry on both Roger Skunk and the wizard. She finally told him to go back to the wizard and ask him to convert him to his original smell. She told him that she would hit the wizard with an umbrella.

Edla was a clever judge of human character. The moment she saw the rattrap seller whom her father had mistaken for an old acquaintance, she read him rightly. Her kindness and caring nature transformed the unscrupulous vagabond into a good human being.

In the short story 'Deep Water,' Douglas chose the Y.M.C.A pool to learn swimming because it was much safer as compared to the Yakima River in which many people had drowned. It had a shallow end that was only two or three feet deep was thus suitable for him to learn swimming.

The following lines from the story provide the answer :

'I had  decided to learn to swim. There was a pool at the Y.M.C.A.  in Yakima that offered exactly the opportunity. The Yakima  River was treacherous. Mother continually warned against  it, and kept fresh in my mind the details of each drowning  in the river. But the Y.M.C.A. pool was safe. It was only  two or three feet deep at the shallow end; and while it was  nine feet deep at the other, the drop was gradual.'

William Douglas had been a hydrophobic after meeting with two misadventures in his life especially the latter one wherein he was thrown into the deep end of the YMCA pool by a big bully. In order to overcome his fear of water, he hired a personal instructor who put a belt around his waist that was connected to rope and ran on an overhead cable through a pulley straight into the hands of instructor. When Douglas was about to drown, instructor would pull the rope which made Douglas come to the surface of the water. When he swam confidently, he would loosen the rope to let him free. This went on for few months and Douglas got to learn a lot with the help of his instructor. Besides, he learnt side stroke, breast stroke, paddling, inhaling and exhaling which made him more confident in water.

Douglas first became afraid of water when he was three years old and had gone to the California beach with his father. He went under a wave for a few seconds and though he was not in any kind of danger, yet he developed a fear of water.

William Douglas was only 3 years old when he and his father had gone to California beach. He along with his father were standing on the surfs. The large waves knocked him down and swept over him. Although he hung to his father, he was being buried in the water. His breaths were going and was frightened.

Saheb now has a regular income. He is paid 800 rupees and all his meals. Thus, food is no problem. But his face has lost the carefree look. The steel canister in his hand now seems a burden. He is no longer his own master. He may have to work for longer hours. The helplessness of doing things at his own will makes him sad.

There are many factors that cause migration of people from villages to cities. Some villagers voluntarily move to the cities in search for jobs and better civic and health facilities, etc. Others are forced to migrate when natural disasters like flood, storm, drought, famine, etc. destroy their houses and properties. History has records of large scale migrations caused by wars. Also, many villagers who are better off than others manage to send their children to study in the cities. In the lesson 'Lost Spring', Saheb and his family migrates to Seemapuri from Dhaka after their houses were destroyed in the storms.
(A model answer has been provided for students' reference. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer based on their own experience and understanding.)

The fear of dying, which struck William Douglas while going down the Y.M.C.A pool intensified his urge to live and thus, he tried all the ways possible to come up and save himself.

Franz was shocked when M. Hamel told the students about the order from Berlin and that it was their last French lesson. ... He realised with pain how much French meant to him and regretted not being attentive in his classes earlier. Suddenly, he felt that the 'difficult concepts' had never actually been difficult. He immediately felt sorry for not being sincere in the school and for not learning the French language and other lessons properly. His books, which seemed a nuisance and a burden earlier to him, were now his old friends. The school also became very important for him.