That
\(\partial_n(1)=[\varphi_n]_*[S^{n-1}]\) is the standard description of the connecting homomorphism for a pair
\((X,A)\) obtained by attaching an
\(n\)-cell along
\(\varphi\text{:}\) the boundary of the relative
\(n\)-cycle (a singular simplex parameterizing the cell) is the image of the
\((n-1)\)-sphere under the attaching map.
Case \(n\) odd. By induction (the case
\(n-1\) of this very theorem, treating the base case
\(n=1\) directly:
\(\mathbb{RP}^1=S^1\)),
\(H_{n-1}(\mathbb{RP}^{n-1})=0\) when
\(n-1\) is even and
\(n-1\ge 2\text{.}\) For
\(n=1\) the connecting map lands in
\(H_0(\mathbb{RP}^0)\cong\mathbb{Z}\) and is zero because
\(\varphi_1\colon S^0\to\mathrm{pt}\) is constant. In all cases
\(\partial_n=0\text{.}\)
Case \(n\) even. By induction,
\(H_{n-1}(\mathbb{RP}^{n-1})\cong\mathbb{Z}\) (with
\(n-1\) odd), and the quotient map
\(q\colon\mathbb{RP}^{n-1}\to\mathbb{RP}^{n-1}/\mathbb{RP}^{n-2}\cong S^{n-1}\) induces an isomorphism on
\(H_{n-1}\) — this is itself a special case of the same long exact sequence, applied one dimension down: in the analogue of (
\(*\)) for
\((\mathbb{RP}^{n-1},\mathbb{RP}^{n-2})\text{,}\) both
\(H_{n-1}(\mathbb{RP}^{n-2})\) and
\(H_{n-2}(\mathbb{RP}^{n-2})\to H_{n-2}(\mathbb{RP}^{n-1})\) are constrained so that
\(q_*\colon H_{n-1}(\mathbb{RP}^{n-1})\to\widetilde{H}_{n-1}(S^{n-1})\cong\mathbb{Z}\) is an isomorphism (see the case
\(n-1\) odd of the inductive hypothesis).
Pre-composing with \(q\) reduces the calculation to a self-map of \(S^{n-1}\text{:}\)
\begin{equation*}
q\circ\varphi_n \colon S^{n-1}\to\mathbb{RP}^{n-1}\to S^{n-1}.
\end{equation*}
This composite has degree \(1+(-1)^n=2\) (for \(n\) even) — geometrically, a generic point \(p\in S^{n-1}\) has two preimages in \(S^{n-1}\) under \(\varphi_n\) (namely \(p\) and its antipode), and the antipodal map on \(S^{n-1}\) has degree \((-1)^n=+1\text{,}\) so both preimages contribute with the same sign and the local degrees add. Therefore \((q\circ\varphi_n)_*=2\cdot\mathrm{id}_\mathbb{Z}\text{,}\) and applying \(q_*^{-1}\) shows \((\varphi_n)_*[S^{n-1}]=\pm 2\cdot\text{generator}\) of \(H_{n-1}(\mathbb{RP}^{n-1})\text{.}\)