The Lost Spring : MP Board Question Banks Question Answer

Q1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?

Ans. Saheb is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. He is in the neighbourhood of the author. Saheb has come from Bangladesh. He Came with his mother in 1971. His house was set amidst the green fields of Dhaka. Storms swept away their fields and homes. So they left the country.

Q2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?

Ans. The ragpickers were poor children. They didn't wear shoes, and they had become used to it. Even if they had shoes, they made excuses not to wear them. Some even said that going barefoot was a tradition among them.

Q3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.

Ans. No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. He is no longer his own master. His face has lost the carefree look. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulder. The bag was his. The canister belongs to the man who owns the tea-shop.

Q. 4 What is the meaning of Saheb's full name ? Does he know it? How does he conduct himself?

Ans. His full name is "Saheb-e-Alam". It means the lord of the universe. He doesn't know it. He is a ragpicker and roams barefoot with other ragpickers.

Q5 Who was Saheb? What was he doing and why?

Ans. Saheb was a young boy of school-going age. He was looking for gold in the garbage dumps of the big city. He had left his home in Dhaka, Bangladesh and came to the big city in search of living. He has nothing else to do but pick rags.

Q6. Explain: “For children, garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their parents. ”

Ans. Small children scrounge heaps of garbage. They expect to get some coin, note or valuable thing in it. Sometimes they find a rupee or even a ten rupee note. This gives the hope of finding more. They search it excitedly. For children, garbage is wrapped in wonder. For the elders it is a means of survival. Thus, garbage has two different meanings.

Q7. What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy ?

Ans. Saheb took up the job at a tea-stall. But he was not happy with it. He was no longer his own master. His face had lost the carefree look. Although he earned ? 800, even then he was not satisfied.

Q8. How has “a dream come true” for Saheb but what is “out of his reach?”

Ans. Saheb is wearing discarded tennis shoes. One of them has a hole. Saheb does not bother about the hole. For one who has walked barefoot, even shoes with a hole is a dream come true. But tennis, the game he is watching so intently, is out of his reach

Q9. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Ans. The city of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. Families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for the women in the land.

Q10. Who is Mukesh? What is his dream? Why does it look like “a mirage amidst the dust?”

Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad, where every other family is engaged in making bangles. His poor father has failed to renovate his house or send his two sons to school. Mukesh insists on being his own master. His dream is to be a motor mechanic. He wants to drive a car. Given the conditions of existence, his dream looks like a mirage amidst the dust.

Q11. “Savita is a symbol of innocence and efficiency.” Comment.

Ans. Savita is a young girl. She has put on drab pink dress. She is soldering pieces of glass. Her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine. She is innocent as she is ignorant about the sanctity of the bangles she helps to make.

Q12. How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad?

Ans. Mukesh is quite different from other bangle makers of Firozabad because he has the courage to take initiative and break from the traditional family occupation. He has strong will power also. He insists on being his own master by becoming a motor mechanic.

Q13. What do you think is the theme of ‘Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen Childhood’?

Ans. The theme of the chapter is the grinding poverty and the traditions which condemn poor children to a life of exploitation. The two stories taken together depict the plight of street children forced into labour early in life and denied the opportunity of schooling. The callousness of the society and the political class only adds to the sufferings of these poor people.

Q 14 What does Anees Jung want to reveal in her story ‘Lost Spring: stories of stolen childhood' ?

Ans. Anees Jung has presented two stories in her story 'Lost Spring'. Between these two stories one depicts the extreme poverty and pitiable condition of life and the other tradition that condemn the children to a life of exploitation. The ragpickers of Seemapuri area, bangle makers of Firozabad all live in slum areas. Even after much toil, they do not get full meal.

Q 15 . What does the writer mean when she says, 'Saheb is no longer his own master'?

Ans- Since Saheb now works in a tea-stall, he is now bound to his master and feels burdened. The steel canister he carries is very heavy as compared to his light plastic bag. The bag was his own and the canister belongs to his master whose orders he now has to follow. So he is no longer his own master.

Q 16. What does the title, 'Lost Spring' convey?

Ans. The title ‘Lost Spring conveys the message that childhood is like the spring. As everything blooms in this season, in the same way the childhood should also bloom. But in this chapter we came across about the poverty of Saheb and Mukesh. They have lost their childhood. Their childhood is destroyed and dumped in the web of poverty, dirt and dust. So this title is suitable.

Q 17 . Mention any two problems faced by the bangle makers,sellers.

Ans- The bangle makers in the glass bangles industry in Firozabad faced many problems. They had to work in the dingy cells without air and light in the high temperatures of the furnace. The dust particles from the bangles injured their eyes. They often lost their eyesight before they became adults. They were also quite prone to ailments such as lung cancer.

Q- 18. Why did Saheb's parents leave Dhaka and migrate to India?

Ans- Saheb’s parents belonged to Dhaka in Bangladesh, where they lived amidst green fields. They and the other ragpickers left their homes many years ago and migrated to India in search of a livelihood, as their homes and fields were destroyed in storms. This forced them to come to India, where they settled in the slums of Seemapuri.

Q19. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?

Ans. People migrate from villages to cities in search of livelihood. Their fields fail to provide them means of survival. Cities provide employment, jobs or other means of getting food. The problem in case of the poor is to feed the hungry members. Survival is of primary concern.

Q20 . “But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world.” What promise does the author recall? In what context was it made? Was it fulfilled?

Ans. The author asked Saheb about going to school. Saheb explained that there was no school in his neighbourhood. He promised to go to school when they built one. Half joking, the author asked whether he would come in case she started one. Saheb smiled broadly and agreed to come. After a few days, he ran upto the author and asked if the school was ready. The author felt embarrassed. She had made a promise that was not meant.

Q 21 Why should child labour be eliminated and how?

Answer: Children are the future of the nation and, if brought up properly, can serve as strong pillars in a country’s development. Child labor robs the children of the very essence of childhood, and often leaves them overburdened, undernourished, uneducated and diseased. Increased awareness and strict enforcement of laws can help in eliminating child labor.

Q. 21. What promise had the writer made with Saheb? What was it that embarrassed her ?

Ans. The writer made a promise to Saheb if she would open a school, would he come. Saheb answered positively. But the writer had to feel small when, after a few days, Saheb asked her if her school was started.

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context:

i. looking for

Ans: try to locate or discover

ii. slog their daylight hours

Ans: struggle persistently during the daytime

iii. roof over his head

Ans: a place to live

iv. perpetual state of poverty

Ans: endless impoverishment

v. dark hutments

Ans: encampment of huts devoid of any light

vi. imposed the baggage on the child

Ans: force the profession on the child

identify the literary device in each example?

Web of poverty.

Ans: Metaphor has been used in the sentence. It compares two ideas or things that are not remarkably similar. Poverty does not from a physical web but is still compared with it to show its networking and density.

Scrounging for gold.

Ans: Metaphor has been used in the sentence. It compares two ideas or things that are not remarkably similar. Gold is a precious metal and cannot be begged for and hence the ideas are not related.

The Lost Spring Long Question Answer

Q. 1. Do the poor have the right to dream ? Why then does the author call Mukesh's dream 'a mirage' ?

Ans. Yes, the poor have the right to dream. Not only the poor, but also everyone has the right to dream. Nothing can be achieved without dream. In this story the narrator told about Mukesh's dream a futile and a mirage the extreme poverty and orthodox views of the family created the situations. But the boy was determined to become a motor- mechanic. he knew the ups-and-down of his dream and he has got enough courage to move away from the traditional work.

Mukesh took the narrator to his home. She found the area very dirty. The lanes were stinking and drains were choked with garbages. She saw that all were living in miserable conditions. Mukesh realised that his parents couldn't provide them the basic needs of the life. But with determination he told the narrator that he wanted to be a motor mechanic. He would learn to drive a car and would not hesitate to go to the far off garage. In the true sense he dreamed of the cars that rattle down in the dingy streets of Firozabad. He knew that nothing can be done without taking risk and dare in life and the same was flashing on his face. In this way we can say that the dream of Mukesh is not like a mirage, he will cherish it very soon.

Q1. How is Mukesh's attitude towards his situation different from that of Saheb ? Why ?

Ans. Mukesh had resolution power and he had a daring attitude to drive a car. His family's profession was to make bangles. But his dreams seem a mirage. His parents believed in "Karma". Mukesh wanted to be a motor mechanic. He wanted to go to the garage and learn. He didn't bother how far it was.

On the other hand, Saheb was a ragpicker. He got a job to work at the tea-stall. He was paid 800 there with all his meals. But his face lost his carefree look. He was no longer his own master. He felt that his life under his master was not a life of happiness. So, he was no longer his own master. Hence, Mukesh wanted to be his own master while it was opposite with Saheb.

Q3. Child abuse is a very serious problem in our country. Chidren are forced by circumstances to work in various factories. Write the values points of statement.

Ans. Child abuse is common and serious problem in our country. It is seen that many children work at dhabas, factories and hotels etc. These are those unfortunate children who work there for the sake of money. They are constrainted to do the work there due to their extreme poverty. It is the duty the government to check this problem, and moreover the government and NGOs should make some arrange- ments of education for these children. When the children are working there, there are no set working hours for them. They are given low wages. In this way the golden period of their childhood is snatched. The same thing is depicted by Anees Jung in her story "Lost Spring". These children never feel happy and devoid of human emotions. Sometimes they adopt illegal ways to earn their livelihood. It gives rise to violence and corruption. Child labour should be stopped. For this the government should make some policies to educate these chidren free of cost.

Q.4. 'Lost Spring' explains the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn thousands of people to a life of object poverty. Do you agree ? Why / Why not ?

Ans. The writer, Anees Jung has well depicted the grinding poverty and traditions which condemn thousands of people especially children to live in misery and exploitation, in ‘Lost Spring'. This evil practice is common in our country. The same thing is depicted in whether it would be Seemapuri in Delhi or Firozabad in U.P.

Seemapuri is a place on the outskirts of Delhi. Here mostly the people are migrated from Bangladesh in 1971. Since then they have been living there. Due to extreme poverty they are constrained to live in mud houses with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. They have no identity but to have ration cards to buy grains. All they are the ragpickers. Garbage to them is gold. Sometimes they find a rupee or even a ten rupee note in it.

Nearly 20,000 children are working illegally in the glass furnace of Firozabad. Though it is highly risky, still they do this work because of their extreme poverty. They live in huts with crumbling walls, woobly doors and no windows. They become blind after sometime due to the dirt and dust while polishing the glasses. They profoundly stick to their profession as they value their tradition more. Hence, their traditions make their life more miserable. The others of the society who are money lenders, middlemen, police, politicians make their lives more miserable and unhappy. They can not form their own co- operative due to threat of the police.

The Lost Spring Extra Questions

Would you agree that promises made to the poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?

Ans. The promises made to the poor are rarely kept. The author asks Saheb half-joking, whether he will come to her school if she starts one. Saheb agrees to do so. A few days later he asks if the school is ready. The writer feels embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant. Promises like hers abound in every comer of their bleak world.

What forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?

Ans. Certain forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty. These include the moneylenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians. Together they impose a heavy burden on the child.

How does the author focus on the ‘perpetual state of poverty’ of the children not wearing footwear?

Ans. The author notices that most of the young children engaged in rag picking are not wearing footwear. Some of them do not have chappals. Others want to wear shoes. Some say it is tradition to stay barefoot. To the author it seems lack of money. Poverty forces them to walk without footwear.

Where does the author find Saheb one winter morning? What explanation does Saheb offer?

Ans. The author finds Saheb standing by the fenced gate of a neighbourhood club. He is watching two young men, dressed in white, playing tennis. Saheb says that he likes the game, but he is content to watch it standing behind the fence. He goes inside when no one is around. He uses the swing there.

How does Saheb’s life change when he starts working at the tea-stall?

Ans. 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.

Who is Mukesh? What is his dream? Why does it look like “a mirage amidst the dust?”

What do you learn about Firozabad from this chapter ?

Ans. Firozabad is famous for its glass bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. Families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for all the women in the land. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles.

Born in the caste of bangle-makers they have seen nothing but bangles.” Where do they ‘see’ bangles?

Ans. Children like Mukesh are bpm in the caste of bangle-makers. They know no other work. They see bangles in the house, in the yard, in every other house, every other yard, every street in Firozabad. The spirals of bangles lie in mounds in unkempt yards. They are piled on four wheeled hand carts.

What contrast do you notice between the colours of the bangles and the atmosphere of the place where these bangles are made?

Ans. The bangles are of every colour bom out of the seven colours of the rainbow. These are sunny gold, paddy green, royal blue, pink and purple. Boys and girls work in dark hutments, next to the flickering flames of oil lamps around furnaces, blowing glass, welding and soldering it to make bangles.

What are most of the bangle-makers ignorant of? What would happen if law were enforced strictly?

Ans. Most of the bangle-makers are ignorant of the fact that employing children in bangle making is illegal. This is a hazardous industry. Many children become blind before reaching tHeir adulthood. If the law were enforced strictly, 20,000 children would be released from working hard throughout the day at hot furnaces with high temperatures.

Where is Mukesh’s house located? What is he proud of?

Ans. Mukesh’s house is built in a slum-area. The lanes stink with garbage. The homes there are hovels with crumbling walls, wobbly doors and no windows. These are crowded with families of humans and animals. Most of these houses are shacks or huts. Mukesh is proud that his house is being rebuilt. His eyes shine as he volunteers to take the author to his home,

What impression do you form about Mukesh ‘s family on having a glimpse of their ‘house?’

Ans. Mukesh’s house is a half built shack with a wobbly door. One part of it is thatched with dead grass. There is a firewood stove. Spinach leaves are sizzling in a large vessel. More chopped vegetables lie on aluminium platters. The eyes of the frail young woman are filled with smoke, but she smiles. The scene depicts their grinding poverty but contentment with their lot.

Give a thumb-nail sketch of the “frail young woman” in the chapter ‘Lost Spring’.

Ans. The young woman is the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother. Her eyes are filled with the smoke of firewood. Though not much older in years, she commands respect as the daughter- in-law of the house. She adheres to customs and traditions. She veils her face before male elders. She gently withdraws behind the broken wall to do so.

How would you regard Mukesh’s father’s life and achievement?

Ans. Mukesh’s father was bom in the caste of bangle-makers. His father went blind with the dust from polishing the glass of bangles. He is an old and poor bangle-maker. He has worked hard for long years, first as a tailor and then as a bangle-maker. He has failed to renovate a house or send his two sons to school.

What do bangles symbolise? When, according to the author, will Savita know “the sanctity of the bangles she helps make?” How is the Indian bride dressed?

Ans. Bangles symbolise auspiciousness in marriage for an Indian woman. Savita will come to know “the sanctity” of the bangles when she becomes a bride. The head of a bride is draped with a red veil. Her hands are dyed with red henna. Red bangles are rolled on to her wrists.

“She still has bangles on her wrist but no light in her eyes.” What exactly does the author want to convey through this?

Ans. ‘She’ is an elderly woman who became a bride long ago. Since her husband, an old man with a flowing beard is still alive, she still has bangles on her wrist. She has, however, not enjoyed even one full nteal in her entire lifetime. So, there is no light in her eyes. This is just a comment on the abject poverty and helplessness of the bangle-makers.

“The young men echo the lament of their elders. ” What do you think is the common complain t ? How has it affected their lives?

Ans. The bangle-makers of Firozabad are quite poor. They do not have enough money to do anything except carry on the business of making bangles. Some even do not have enough to pacify their hunger. Building a house for the family is an achievement for them. Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream.

Q23. Why do the bangle-makers not organise themselves into a cooperative?

Ans. Most of the young bangle-makers have fallen into the traps of the middlemen. They are also afraid of the police. They know that the police will haul them up, beat them and drag to jail for doing something illegal. There is no leader among them to help them see things differently. Their fathers are equally tired. They can do nothing except carrying on their i inherited business.

Which two distinct worlds does the author notice among the bangle-making industry ?

Ans. The families of the bangle-makers belong to one of these worlds. These workers are caught in the web of poverty. They are also burdened by the stigma of the caste in which they are bom. They know no other work. The other world is the vicious circle of the moneylenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of the law, the bureaucrats and the politicians.

How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad?

What do you think is the plight of the children born in the families of bangle-makers?

Ans. The vicious circle of the middlemen and their allies have entrapped the poor bangle- makers in their nets. The stronghold is suffocating. They have imposed a heavy burden on little children. They can’t put it down. Before they are able to think, they accept the baggages as naturally as their fathers.

What do you think is the theme of ‘Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen Childhood’?

What are the dreams of the poor like ‘Saheb-e-Alam’ and Mukesh? Could these be realised? What is the reality of the situation?

Ans. Poor rag-pickers like Saheb spend the early years of their lives looking for gold in garbage dumps. The parents of these street children have no fixed income. They wage war against poverty and hunger. They have no dreams except finding the means of survival. Garbage to them is gold. It is the source of their daily bread and provides a roof over their heads. He ends up as a servant at a tea-stall and loses his freedom.

Mukesh, the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad, has a dream of becoming a motor mechanic. He wants to learn to drive a car. He thinks of joining a garage to fulfil his dream. He knows that the garage is far away, yet he has decided to walk. He realises the reality and is willing to overcome the obstacles. His daring to rise and decision to get free from the trap laid by vicious moneylenders and middle men arouse a sense of hope.Deprived of education, proper food and upbringing, these children are forced into labour early in life.

Firozabad presents a strange paradox. Contrast the beauty of the glass bangles of Firozabad with the misery of the people who produce them.

Ans. Firozabad, the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry, is famous for its bangles. Spirals of bangles of various colours can be seen lying in mounds in yards or piled on four wheeled push carts. These bangles have shining bright colours: sunny gold, paddy

green, royal blue, pink, purple-in fact, every colour bom out of the seven colours of the rainbow.

The banglemakers lead a miserable life. They know no other work than bangle making. They have neither courage nor money to start another trade or job. they have spent generations in the clutches of middle men and moneylenders. Extreme poverty forces them to remain hungry and yet work all day. The elderly woman,who works with Savita, has not enjoyed even one full meal in her entire lifetime. Her husband has made a house for the family to live in. He has achieved what many have failed in their lifetime. Mukesh’s father has failed to renovate a house or send his two sons to school. Young boys are as tired as their fathers. Their work at hot furnaces makes them blind prematurely.

Give a brief account of the life and activities of the Bangladeshi squatters like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri.

Ans. Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it metaphorically. Squatters who came from Bangladesh way back in 1971 live here. Saheb’s family is one of them. Seemapuri was then a wilderness. It still is, but it is no longer empty. Nearly 10,000 ragpickers live there in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. These shanties are devoid of sewage, drainage or running water. These people have lived there for more than thirty years without an identity or permit. They have got ration cards that enable them to buy grains and get their names on voters’ lists. For them food is more important for survival than an identity. The women put on tattered saris. They left their fields as they gave them no grain. They pitch their tents wherever they find food. Ragpicking is the sole means of their survival.

It has acquired the proportions of a fine art for them. Garbage to them is gold. It provides them their daily bread and a roof over the heads. Most of the barefoot ragpickers roam the streets early in the morning and finish their activities by noon. They seem to carry the plastic bag lightly over their shoulders. They are clothed in discoloured shirts and shorts and denied the opportunity of schooling.

What is Child abuse explain it ?

Child abuse is a very serious problem in our country. Children are forced by circumstances to work in various factories. Write an article, on the topic ‘Child Abuse’. Take ideas from the following lines:

“None of them knows that it is illegal for children like him to work in the glass furnaces 1 with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light; that the law, if enforced, could get him and all those 20,000 children out of the hot furnaces where they slog their daylight /hours, often losing the brightness of their eyes.”

Ans. Child Abuse

Child abuse is a grave problem in India. Many children work for dhabas, factories and tea stall owners. These are those unfortunate children of this country who don’t get even . meals three times a day. It is a blemish on our nation. It is the duty of the governments to make arrangements of education for these children. Child labour is common in the fields of agriculture, domestic service, sex industry, carpet and textile industries, quarrying, bangle making and brick making. These children are forced to work in horrible conditions. There are no set working hours for these children. They are given low wages.

In some cases poverty of the household and low level of parental education are responsible , for child labour. Employing children in factories implies that the nation’s future is in dark. These children never feel happy. They become devoid of human emotions. They adoptillegal ways to earn their bread and butter when they become able-bodied. It gives rise to .violence and corruption. Child labour should be stopped and the governments should educate these children free of cost. At least elementary education should be given to all children.

.Hunger knows no friend but its feeder. The downtrodden lead a miserable life. Elucidate the dictum keeping in mind the following lines:

“survival in Seemapuri means ragpicking. Through the years, it has acquired the proportions of a fine art. Garbage to them is gold. It is their daily bread a roof over their heads, “

Ans. Poverty: A Vicious Circle

It is a well known saying that poverty is the root cause of all evils. Corruption, loot, begging and incidents of theft are the offspring of abject poverty. The destitute lead a pitiable and miserable life. They do not get sufficient food. Lack of funds constrain them to take recourse to illegal activities. Slum dwellers always feel themselves dejected. They recognise only those beings who help them and feed them. Political leaders take undue advantages of their poverty. They are misused to win elections. Humanity, mankind, honesty, trust and love become significant when an individual succeeds in satisfying his hunger. Hungry people need only food. There is a dearth of people who are capable of converting obstacles into opportunities. These poor people are exploited ruthlessly by industrialists, politicians and other middlemen. They scrounge for gold in the garbage dumps to earn their livelihood. The hiatus between the rich and the poor seems difficult to be bridged. It is increasing day by day. The poor are becoming poorer and the rich richer. There is no human being who would like to work for their welfare. Their plight is pitiable and horrible. The residential areas of these people are packed with filth. They become habitual of foul smell. Poverty is a vicious circle. It never comes to an end. The unemployed youth are heading towards destruction. They do not remember anything except the help they receive from the opportunistic people who feed them to materialise their vested interests.

The Lost Spring : MP Board Question Banks Question Answer

The Lost Spring : MP Board Question Banks Question Answer