Class: XII
Chapter/Topic: Lost Spring (Flamingo)
I. Choose the correct answers from the clues given below to complete the answers to the
following questions: -
Note: All the following questions have to be answered in your notebook. Remember
to leave a line and draw a line after each answer.
1. What did the author mean when she said, ‘But promises like mine abound in every
corner of his bleak world’?
The author had said jokingly to Saheb that she, where he could study.
The boy took her words seriously, without realising that she . Promises like
these are often made to , who have to face when these
are not kept.
Clues: would send him to a good school/ would open a school/ had lied to him/ had not
meant them/was trying to deceive him/ such underprivileged children/young boys/violence/
anxiety/ disappointment.
2. How is Seemapuri both ‘near and far away’ from Delhi?
Seemapuri is on the periphery of Delhi. it is
very close to Delhi, whereas given to the people
living there are far below the standards enjoyed by the citizens of Delhi
Clues: a backward area/ a posh colony/ a well-developed area/ Historically/ Geographically/
the standard of living and facilities/ privileges
3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.
No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall, even though_____________that pays 800 rupees
and he is given . This is because he has lost the________that he enjoyed when he was a rag
picker. Now he is no longer his own master.
Clues: it is a well-paid job/ it is a steady job/ free transport/
all his meals/a new wardrobe/ food/ fun/freedom
4. What is the condition of the children working in the glass factories of Firozabad?
More than children are illegally working in
factories in Firozabad. They work
around , in high temperatures, to .
They work in dingy cells without light and air. Their eyes are adjusted to
the darkness rather than to the light outside. Many of them lose
before they become adults.
Clues: 15,000/20,000 / 10,000/ cigarette/ glass blowing / chemical/ toxic
waste/ furnaces / to create artifacts/weld glass / their eye-sight/their sanity/ good health.
5. Why are the bangle makers of Firozabad unable to organise themselves into a
cooperative?
The bangle makers are trapped in the vicious circle
of______, bureaucrats, politicians, and the police. If they
organise themselves into a , they will
be hauled up, beaten, and dragged to jail by the police for
doing . There is no to
save them from their misery. They are victims of greed, apathy,
and injustice. They are so burdened with that they
have lost their ability to or to take any
initiative to fight for justice.
Clues: middlemen / gangsters/the mafia/ political party / cooperative /something unethical/
something illegal / something risky/ leader /law/ organisation/worries/ poverty/hunger/
dream/work/think rationally.
[Link] you think Mukesh will reach his goal of becoming a motor mechanic? Give
reasons.
Yes, it is possible that Mukesh will one day become a motor mechanic.
He is among the bangle makers of Firozabad who have
dared to dream of . He is aware of the he
has to face. His dream is very reasonable and not , if he
could break free from the shackles of that bind his
family and the others of his community.
Clues: one of the many / one of the few/the only one/ a different life/a different
profession/living in a different city/dangers/hurdles/opposition/ far from his reach/at all
challenging/ poverty and illiteracy/ tradition and apathy/poverty and superstitions.
EXTRA QUESTIONS (NOT TO BE DONE IN THE NOTEBOOK)
_________________________________________________________________________
a. What does the author mean by the statement, ‘Garbage to them is gold’?
The rag pickers of Seemapuri feel that their occupation of garbage
provides them with . Children like Saheb, find this occupation
because at times they find useful things in the garbage
like shoes , a ten-rupee note etc.
Clues: selling/ collecting and sorting / food and shelter/a good lifestyle/a comfortable
income/frightening/repulsive/ exciting/ that have been discarded/that are brand new/with
holes in them.
b. ‘Food is more important for survival than an identity.’ How is this statement true
in the lives of the Seemapuri rag pickers?
Thousands of rag pickers live in Seemapuri. They do not have in the society
or in the country, as they are from Bangladesh. Yet they are happy
as they have that enable them to buy cheap food grains. Hence, they do not
as they used to in their own country.
Clues: any identity/ any rights/ any standing/ refugees/beggars/Aadhar cards/ ration cards/
have to beg/ have to starve/ have to steal.
c. Who is Saheb? Why did he have to leave his country?
Saheb is a young . He was forced to leave
his country, , along with
his family due to the that struck his
village there.
Clues: rag picker/ bangle maker/ Nepal/ China/Bangladesh/
frequent wars/ frequent natural calamities
d. What explanations does the author offer for children not wearing footwear?
The explanation offered for poor children across the country remaining barefooted is that it
is . The author that this is the true reason. She feels that
is the real reason why children remain barefooted and that tradition is
just an excuse to explain away their lack .
Clues: healthier for them to not wear shoes/part of their tradition/understands/believes/
doubts/ laziness/ poverty/lack of personal hygiene /of economic
development/education/knowledge.
e.'It seems that for children, garbage has a meaning different from what it means to
their parents.' Explain.
In Seemapuri means rag picking. The elders have made it their profession
to earn their living, whereas for the children rag picking is a game of . They
work through the garbage with a hope that one day they would get a gold coin, or
from the garbage heap.
Clues: survival/life/ hide and seek/ treasure-hunt/ a rupee note/ valuables/new shoes.
[Link] is Mukesh? What is his dream?
Mukesh belongs to a family of in Firozabad He wants to become
a . He wants to learn to drive a car and he wants to be .
Clues: rag pickers/ bangle makers / garbage collectors/ motor mechanic / a race car
driver/ pilot/ his own master/famous/ rich.
g. In what sense is Mukesh’s father a failure?
Mukesh’s father was a before he became a bangle maker.
Despite long years of hard labour, he has failed to or send his sons
to . He is a failure as he could not teach his two sons anything other
than the art of .
Clues: mechanic/ carpenter/tailor/ build a new house/ save any money/renovate his house/
school/college/the army/rag picking/ bangle making/tailoring
h. Describe the living conditions of the bangle makers of Firozabad.
The bangle makers of Firozabad live in with crumbling walls, wobbly
doors, and no . Their homes are located in stinking lanes, choked
with .
Clues: old buildings /overcrowded huts/tents/ windows / terrace/kitchen/ toxic fumes/
garbage /slag from industries
Answer the following question in 125-150 words. Use the given clues to complete your
answers.
a. Explain the significance of title ‘Lost Spring’.
In this lesson, the author Anees Jung examines and analyses the and
traditions that condemn children to a life of .
She first writes about a young boy, Saheb, who is a rag picker. His parents have left behind a
life of in . His family, like the many other families of rag
pickers lives in a slum in Seemapuri. He has to eventually work in tea stall in order
to .
She then writes about Mukesh who wants to be his own master. Hailing from Firozabad, the
centre of India’s bangle making industry, he has always been engaged in
like the rest of his family. They, like many others, do not know that it is
for children to work so close to furnaces with
such .
These children are exposed to various health hazards like
as they work in dark and dingy cells.
The title is meaningful as it refers to the of these young children, who are
forced to earn their living at such a tender age. The writer has narrated the story of stolen
childhood in order to sensitise us to the of these poor unfortunate children
Clues: grinding poverty /exploitation/ abject poverty/ Bangladesh/Kolkata/ supplement his
income /earn his living/ repairing cars/ making bangles/ a sin / illegal/ unhygienic/ high
temperatures/little protection/epidemics/ losing their eyesight/becoming crippled/ lost
childhood/trauma/plight/ tragedy.
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