Lost Spring (Anees Jung)

Mcq questions
Question 1.
He is content to dream of cars. Who is ‘he’ being talked about?
(a) Mukesh
(b) Saheb
(c) Sahukar
(d) Politician

Question 2.
The sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of the law, the bureaucrats and the
politicians. Together these people
(a) worked for the benefit or bangle makers
(b) imposed the baggage on the child that he cannot put down
(c) worked for the upliftment of women
(d) abolished child labour

3. Who will be hauled up by the police if they try to get organized?

(a) the old citizens
(b) the owners of the factories
(c) the group of young men
(d) Mukesh’s family

4.‘She has not enjoyed a full meal in her entire lifetime’. Who is ‘she’ in the given sentence?
(a) the elderly woman sitting close to Savita
(b) Mukesh’s sister-in-law
(c) Mukesh’s mother
(d) Mukesh’s grandmother

[Link], a young girl is seen by the author,

(a) stitching clothes
(b) washing clothes
(c) soldering pieces of glass
(d) embroidering a sheet

6. ‘Can a god-given lineage ever be broken?’ These words were spoken by

(a) Mukesh
(b) Mukesh’s grandfather
(c) Mukesh’s grandmother
(d) the author

7. Mukesh’s father is a
(a) car-driver
(b) bangle-maker
(c) cracker-maker
(d) mechanic

8. Mukesh’s house is covered with

(a) stones
(b) bricks
(c) tiles
(d) thatch

9. The families of the bangle-makers live in

(a) comfortable environment
(b) big houses
(c) very small houses
(d) factories

10. What did Mukesh want to become, on growing up?

(a) a motor mechanic
(b) a shopkeeper
(c) a bangle maker
(d) a carpenter

11. Saheb did not like to work in the tea-stall because

(a) he was getting only rs 800
(b) he hated the steel canister
(c) he was no longer his own master
(d) he had to carry heavy bags now

12. Garbage to the rag pickers is

(a) money
(b) daily bread, a roof over their heads
(c) gold
(d) silver

13. For the rag pickers, food is more important than

(a) clothes
(b) shoes
(c) identity
(d) shelter

14. The squatters in Seemapuri arrived as refugees from Bangladesh in

(a) 1965
(b) 1971
(c) 1982
(d) 1986
 15. The author visited the town and temple of Udipi after
(a) ten years
(b) five years
(c) thirty years
(d) fifteen years

16. The man from Udipi was the son of an

(a) doctor
(b) teacher
(c) priest
(d) engineer

17. Saheb’s full name was

(a) Mughal-e-Azam
(b) Saheb-e-Alam
(c) Shahenshah-e-Alam
(d) Shah Jahan

18. The author advised Saheb to go to

(a) school
(b) college
(c) club
(d) playground

19. Why did Saheb and his family move to Delhi?

(a) because storms had swept away their fields and homes
(b) their village was flooded
(c) there were landslides
(d) there was a deadly epidemic in the village

20. Saheb’s profession was that of a

(a) cook
(b) rag-picker
(c) bangle seller
(d) driver

21. What change did Anees Jung see in Saheb when she saw him standing by the gate of the
neighbourhood club?
(a) As if lost his freedom
(b) Lost ownership
(c) Lost joy
(d) All of these
 [Link] is the metaphorical symbol of Seemapuri in the lesson?
(a) Poverty
(b) Exploitation
(c) Enjoyment
(d) A little hell

23. How is Mukesh’s attitude different from that of his family?

(a) Being daring, firm and clear
(b) Being a fighter
(c) Being a coward
(d) Not clear

24. The city of Firozabad is famous for what?

(a) For casteism
(b) For ragpickers
(c) For poverty
(d) For bangles

25. What are the reasons for the migration of people from villages to city in the lesson?
(a) Sweeping of houses and fields by storms
(b) No money
(c) Education and unemployment
(d) Safety

26. What excuse do the rag pickers give for not wearing chappals?
(a) Mothers don’t give
(b) No interest
(c) A tradition
(d) All these

[Link] is the function of glass blowing industry?

(a) To make windows
(b) To make doors
(c) To mould glass
(d) To mould glass and make colorful bangles

28. What are the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?
(a) Poor health
(b) Impaired vision
(c) Miserable life
(d) All of these

29. Who are responsible for the poor condition of bangle makers in Firozabad?
(a) Parents
(b) Society
(c) Bureaucrats
(d) All of these

30. Where is Seemapuri?

(a) In Noida
(b) South Delhi
(c) North Delhi
(d) East Delhi

31. Why did Saheb leave his house?

(a) Because the storm swept away his house and field
(b) To enjoy a life of leisure
(c) To find friends
(d) To go to college

32. Saheb hailed from which place?

(a) Delhi
(b) Seemapuri
(c) Greenfields of Dhaka
(d) None

33. Name the birthplace of the author.

(a) U.S.A
(b) California
(c) Koch
(d) Rourkela

34. Why is the author calling garbage as ‘gold’ in the story?

(a) Because of jewels in it
(b) Because of gems in it
(c) Because of gold in it
(d) Because of its encashment value

35. What is the meaning of Saheb -e- Alam?

(a) Owner
(b) Rich man
(c) Poor man
(d) Lord of the Universe
 36. Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall?
(a) Yes
(b) Yes, he earns money
(c) No earning
(d) No, earning but no freedom

Question 37.
Who was Saheb?
(a) A shopkeeper
(b) A servant
(c) A ragpicker
(d) All

38. According to the author what was garbage for the parents?
(a) Means of entertainment
(b) Means of joy
(c) Means of sorrow
(d) Means of survival

39. What is the central theme of the story Lost Spring?

(a) Pitiable Poor children and their lost childhood
(b) Garbage
(c) Saheb and Mukesh
(d) Spring Season

40. This story is an excerpt from which book of the author?

(a) Lost Spring – Stories of Stolen Childhood
(b) Unveiling India
(c) Breaking the Silence
(d) The Song of India

Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)

1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come
from? Why?
Or
What had led Saheb and his family to move to the city? What is the gold that they seek?
Saheb is looking for a rupee or a coin in the garbage dumps of authoress Anees Jung’s
neighbourhood. He lives in Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi. The gold that they seek
is the rupee or more that they may sometimes find in the heap of garbage dumps all over the city.
He has come from Dhaka, Bangladesh. His home was amidst the green fields in Dhaka. There
were continuously many storms that completely destroyed and washed away the fields and
homes. They were left undone so they moved away from there in 1971.
2. The author points out the irony in Saheb’s name. What was it?
Or
How is Saheb’s name full of irony?
Saheb’s full name is Saheb-e-Alam meaning ‘Lord of the Universe’. But Saheb is a poverty
stricken, barefoot, homeless ragpicker who scrounges (picks) the garbage dumps of Delhi to earn
his living. His name is full of irony as it is in total contrast to his existence.

3. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Or
The author has seen children walking barefoot in cities and villagers. Why does she think
they do?
The author has seen several other children besides ragpickers like Saheb walking barefoot during
her travel across India. She is told that staying barefoot is an ancient tradition. However, she
herself believes that it is due to the utter state of continuing poverty in India.

[Link] does the author say about Seemapuri ‘a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles
away from it’?
Or
Point out some of the problems faced by the squatters in the area of Seemapuri.
Seemapuri might be lying on the periphery of Delhi, but it is quite unlike the rich city and the
city dwellers. The rag pickers there are migrants from Bangladesh who lost their everything.
They live here in structures of mud with tin roofs, which have no drainage, no sewage and no
drinking water in spite of being so close to a big city. The animals and humans coexist in a
primeval state in its narrow stinking lanes.

5. How do elders and children look at garbage differently?

Or
Why does garbage have a different meaning for ragpicker children?
Or
‘Garbage to them is gold’. What does it mean for the parents and the children?
Garbage dumps are the heaps where gold can be found by the starving migrants. For the adults
i.e. the parents, the rag-picking is a necessary evil – the only means of survival that fetches them
their daily bread and a roof, even if it is leaking. For the children, it is a heap of wonder where
they might at times find a rupee or even a ten rupee note.

6. Why is food more important than an identity for the rag pickers of Seemapuri?
The rag pickers of Seemapuri are migrants from Bangladesh who left their land after the storms
had swept away their green fields, their only means of livelihood. They left their homes to escape
abject poverty and exploitation, opting for food against identity.

[Link] does the author describe children of slums as partners in survival?

Or
Describe the condition of children in slums considering the author’s perception of them as
partners in survival?
Children living in slums are unfortunate. They are born to homeless rag pickers parents. They
grow up in makeshift shacks with tin and tarpaulin roofs without sewage, drainage or even
drinking water. Deprived of education they take to picking rags at an early age for their survival
and as support to their families.

8. Why did the advice that Annes Jung offers to Saheb-e-Alam ring false even to her?
Or
Why did Anees Jung feel that her advice to Saheb about going to school sounded hollow?
Anees realized her advice to Saheb to go to school was hollow as there was no school in the
neighbourhood for these unfortunate children of the slums. Moreover, survival and earning a
day’s meal was of prime and immediate importance to them in comparison to education.

[Link] promise had the writer made with Saheb? What was it that embarrasses him?
Or
What did the author promise to do for him? Did she mean it?
Or
Explain: “But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world”.
The author Anees Jung had half-jokingly promised Saheb that she would start a school which he
could attend. She felt embarrassed when Saheb asked her about her promise which was not
meant to be. Children like Saheb live in a very deprived and poor condition, and often people
promise them a better life. They live in the hope of the promises being fulfilled, though that
never happens.

10. What changes occur in Saheb’s life? Is it a change for the better or the worse? Give
reasons.
Or
Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.
Or
How does Saheb lose his carefree life?
Or
‘Saheb is no longer his own master.’ What does Anees Jung mean by his statement?
One morning while going on his way to the milk booth, Saheb meets the authoress Anees Jung.
He tells her very proudly that he works at a tea-stall down the road and is paid 800 rupees and all
his meals. But when he is asked whether he liked the job, his face loses the carefree look he
always had. Now he is no longer his own master. He works according to his master’s wish. Now
for him the steel milk canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over
his shoulder.

11. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

The city of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh is famous for its bangles – the symbol of suhag. Every
other family here is engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass blowing industry
where families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles
to adorn the wrists of women.
12. Describe the atmosphere in glass furnaces. How can working there affect the young
children?
Or
Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?
Around 20,000 children are working in the glass furnaces of Firozabad. They work in very hot
temperatures. They work in dingy cells without air and light. They work all day as a result of
which they lose the brightness of their eyes before they are old.

13. What has put a stop to all initiative and ability to see dreams?
Or
Why do bangle makers lack initiative and an ability to dream?
Or
Why has bangle making not been a profitable business?

Acute poverty, lack of education and hand to mouth existence has sucked away people’s energy
and will power. For generations the same situation has continued. The mind numbing hard work
has killed all initiative and the ability to dream. Young men have fallen into the vicious circle of
middlemen who have trapped their fathers and grandfathers. They find it difficult to get out of
the circle of poverty, apathy, greed & injustice.

[Link] are the people of Firozabad averse to the cooperative movement?

Or
Why can’t the bangle makers organize themselves into a cooperative?
Generations of families are trapped in the vicious circle of Sahukars, middlemen & policemen.
They fear that they would have to bear the wrath of police for organizing co-operative societies.
Moreover, they lack leadership.

15. The bangle makers of Firozabad live in a state of ignorance. What are they unaware
of?
Or
What are the general woes of energy household of bangle makers?
The people of Firozabad are fatalist. They believe they are born in the caste of bangle makers
and are destined to be the same. They are not willing to do other work. They are trapped in the
vicious circle of Sahukars, the middlemen and the policemen. They are unaware of their rights.

16. What two distinct worlds does Anees Jung speak of with respect to bangle makers?
Or
What, according to the author, is the child worker weighed down under?
According to the author, a child bangle maker is weighed down under two distinct worlds. The
first is the world of poverty-ridden family and caste stigma which forces them to accept their
destiny as bangle-makers. Second is the world of Sahukars, middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats
and politicians who have trapped their families and dictated oppression.

16.‘Together they have imposed a baggage on the child.’ Who are ‘they’ and what
‘baggage’ is referred to here?
‘They’ here refers to the families of these children and the sahukars, the middlemen, the
policemen, the keepers of the law, the politicians and the bureaucrats who are responsible for
their endless miseries. These children are born into poverty and inherit the debts of their
forefathers. They find it difficult to get rid of the ‘baggage’ of debt.
[Link] does Mukesh’s grandmother view the family occupation of bangle making and its
poverty?
Mukesh’s grandmother views bangle making as the destiny of her family. Her husband’s
blindness, their pitiable condition and misfortunes are ordained by destiny. They accept
everything as Karam after the years of sufferings.

[Link] do Mukesh’s dreams look like a mirage amidst the dust of the streets of
Firozabad?
A mirage is a phenomenon when something appears real or possible, but is not in fact so. In the
story Mukesh is a young poor bangle-maker who dreams of becoming a garage mechanic, but
he is burdened under poverty and caste-stigma. He is caught in vicious circle of the sahukars,
the middlemen, the policemen, the bureaucrats and politicians. So his dreams look like a mirage
amidst the dust of the streets of Firozabad.

[Link] is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Or
“Mukesh is a rebel.” Do you agree? Give reasons.
Or
How is Mukesh different from his peers?
Mukesh like his peers is born in a poor family in a caste of bangle makers. Like others he has
become a child-labourer and works in glass furnaces. He has received no education. But he is a
rebel as he dares to dream of a different life and wishes to become a motor mechanic while his
own family and other bangle-makers are fatalists.

Long Answer Questions (6 Marks)

Anees Jung analyses what condemns children to a life of exploitation. Does she offer a
silver lining also? Discuss.
Or
This story is about stolen childhood, forfeited innocence. Comment.
Or
What are the issues that the author wishes to address through the excerpt ‘Lost Spring’?
How does she highlight them?
Or
There are some commonalities between the bangle makers of Firozabad and the
ragpickers of Seemapuri to an equal degree. Discuss with reference to the extract ‘Lost
Spring’ by Anees Jung?
Or
‘Lost Spring’ throws light on the poverty and problems of children and people by
depicting two stories constructed differently. Relate the facts that sanctify the truth
of losing their spring.
Or
What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
Or
Anees Jung comments about the lives of bangle makers that ‘little has moved with time.’
Explain.
In this story, the writer depicts the miserable and pathetic condition of the children who are
forced to do labour at an early age. Owing to poverty, they don’t get an opportunity to get
education. In order to illustrate this theme, the writer describes the miserable conditions of a
ragpicker named Saheb-e-Alam, and a bangle-maker named Mukesh. She also analyzes what
condemns them to a life of exploitation.

The stigma of caste and traditions plunges them into grinding poverty. The ‘god-given lineage’
can’t be broken and so generations continue to accept the fate of their forefathers and echo the
same lament. Nothing moves with time. Rather, all initiative and ability to dream get killed. As
young men, they fall into the vicious and cruel clutches of the middlemen who trapped their
fathers and forefathers. They find it difficult to get out of the spiral of poverty, apathy, greed
and injustice.

The writer criticizes the authorities concerned and the society for their apathy towards the
miserable condition of these children.

But she ends on a note of hope with the introduction of Mukesh. He is bold and dares to dream.
He is determined to break from the family tradition and become a motor mechanic. There is a
silver lining to their dark lives if more children become as resolute and live their dreams.

Explain the significance of the title of the lesson ‘Lost Spring’?

The childhood of human life is the spring period of one’s life. It is full of fun, frolic, play and
pleasure. It is known for its innocent pranks. During this period, children are not aware of the
tensions and stresses of life. But many children like Saheb, a rag picker and Mukesh, a bangle-
maker lead a miserable and pathetic life as they are forced to do labour at an early age to earn a
living and to support their family. Their parents who are poverty-stricken cannot afford to send
them to schools. So thousands of them are engaged in rag-picking in the streets. A large number
of the children spend their daylight hours in bangle industry in Firozabad. Owing to poverty and
destitution, they are deprived of the normal pleasures of childhood. Consequently, they lose
their spring i.e. their childhood. Hence the title Lost Spring is appropriate.