Worksheet- Class- XII Lost Spring Malobika Banerjee

1. What is the irony in the name ‘Saheb-e-Alam’?

Ans. 'Saheb-e-Alam' means the 'Lord of the Universe' but Saheb is a rag picker, a profession
which his parents never thought while naming him. Saheb was oblivious of what it meant.
Contrary to what his name represented, he roamed the streets with his friends, an army of
barefooted boys scrounging in the garbage heaps to make both ends meet.

2. Why have the ragpickers settled in Seemapuri?

Ans. Several families like Saheb have been the victims of nature's fury. They left Dhaka after
storms swept away their fields and houses and settled in Seemapuri.

3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Explain.

Ans. Saheb is not happy working at the tea stall. Even though he is paid more and given his
meals, but he is no longer his own master. The steel canister which belonged to the tea stall
owner seems to be heavier than the plastic bag which belonged to him but he has surrendered
to his poverty and become a child labourer. He has lost his carefree look.

4. Explain the significance of the title 'Lost Spring’. (long answer)

Ans • Spring is the season of optimism and hope. It symbolises life.
• unfortunately, millions of children in our country waste their childhood in rag picking and
other hazardous industries.
• the joys of childhood, the vibrance of spring is lost either in the garbage or in dingy cells
with furnaces.
• the grinding poverty and traditions condemn these children to a life of exploitation.
• they see very little hope of escaping from their impoverished life of misery & deprivation.
• moreover, years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream.
• they are entangled in a spiral that moves from poverty to apathy to greed and injustice.

5. Unaware of what his name represents, he roams the streets with his friends, an army of
barefoot boys who appear like the morning birds and disappear at noon. Over the months, I
have come to recognize each of them.
“Why aren’t you wearing chappals?” I ask one.
“My mother did not bring them down from the shelf,” he answers simply.
“Even if she did, he will throw them off,” adds another who is wearing shoes that do not
match. When I comment on it, he shuffles his feet and says nothing. “I want shoes,” says a
third boy who has never owned a pair all his life. Travelling across the country I have seen
children walking barefoot, in cities, on village roads. It is not lack of money but a tradition to
stay barefoot, is one explanation.

5.1 What is the writer’s purpose in allowing the boys to speak for themselves via dialogue, as
opposed to only a writer’s commentary?
Ans. (Any one)
▪ To give voice to their hopes, dreams, and struggles in a way that is immediate and relatable
▪ To add a sense of authenticity and realism to the story
▪ To make the experience more engaging and memorable for the reader

5.2 The line, "It is not lack of money but a tradition to stay barefoot" can be best classified as:
A. A fact B. An opinion C. A theme D. A plot point
5.3 Explain any one possible inference that can be drawn from the line, "an army of barefoot
boys who appear like the morning birds and disappear at noon”.
Ans. (Any one)
▪ The boys are barefoot, which suggests that they may come from poor or marginalized
backgrounds and do not have access to proper footwear.
▪ The phrase "an army of barefoot boys" implies that the boys are a unified group, and that
they have a sense of solidarity or shared identity.
▪ The comparison to "morning birds" suggests that the boys are lively and
energetic, and that they move around quickly and unpredictably.
▪ The fact that the boys "disappear at noon" suggests that their time is limited or constrained
in some way, and that they may need to return to
their homes or other responsibilities.
▪ The use of the word "disappear" may also imply that the boys are
overlooked or ignored by the wider society, and that they are not given
the recognition or support that they need.
▪ The phrase "like the morning birds" could also imply that the boys are
vulnerable, and that their carefree lifestyle may be disrupted by external factors such as
poverty, exploitation, or violence.

5.4 Identify the line from the text that bears evidence to the fact that the writer's association
with the boys is not a recent one.
Ans. The line from the text: "Over the months, I have come to recognize each of them."
[This suggests that the writer has been observing and interacting with the boys for a
prolonged period of time, and that she has developed a deeper understanding of their lives
and circumstances. The phrase "over the months" indicates that the writer's relationship with
the boys is ongoing and has developed gradually, rather than being a one-time encounter.]

5.5 Based on the context provided in the extract, select the most likely comment that the
writer would have made, based on the boy's reaction to the mismatched shoes.
A. "Why are your shoes mismatched? That's not a good look."
B. "Don't worry about your shoes, you can wear a matching pair later."
C. "I like your shoes. What matters is that they protect your feet."
D. "Have you chosen to mismatch your shoes?

5.6 Complete the sentence with ONE word.

The phrase "he answers simply", suggests that the boy's response to the writer's question
about why he wasn't wearing chappals was straightforward / uncomplicated / direct/ clear.

6. What does the description of Mukesh's family in Lost Spring reveal about gender roles?
Ans. • reveals patriarchy and inequality in the treatment of men and women
• that women are still assigned stereotypical gender roles such as being in charge of
household chores and care-giving, as seen with Mukesh's sister-in-law
• that women need to respect the older men in the family by covering their faces

7. “I will learn to drive a car,” he answers, looking straight into my eyes. His dream looms
like a mirage amidst the dust of streets that fill his town Firozabad, famous for its bangles.
Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s
glass-blowing industry where families have spent generations working around furnaces,
wielding glass, making bangles for all the women in the land it seems. Mukesh’s family is
among them. None of them know that it is illegal for children like him to work in the glass
furnaces 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. Mukesh’s eyes beam as he volunteers
to take me home, which he proudly says is being rebuilt.

7.1 The simile ‘dream looms like a mirage amidst the dust of streets’ indicates that his dream
was-
a) a reality, yet seemed distant. b) lost in the sea of dust.
c) illusory and indistinct. d) hanging in the dusty air.

7.2 ‘I will learn to drive a car,’ he answers, looking straight into my eyes. This sentence
highlights Mukesh was
1. determined 2. Fearless 3. hopeful
4. valiant 5. ambitious 6. stern
A) 1&5 B) 2&4 C) 2&5 D) 3&6

7.3 Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE with reference to the extract?
a) Children work in badly lit and poorly ventilated furnaces.
b) The children are unaware that it is forbidden by law to work in the furnaces.
c) Children toil in the furnaces for hours which affects their eyesight.
d) Firozabad has emerged as a nascent producer of bangles in the country.

7.4 Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles indicates that-
a) bangle making is the only industry that flourishes in Firozabad.
b) the entire population of Firozabad is involved in bangle making.
c) majority of the population in Firozabad is involved in bangle making.
d) bangle making is the most loved occupation in Firozabad.

8. She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes. “Ek waqt ser bhar khana bhi
nahin khaya.” she says, in a voice drained of joy. She has not enjoyed even one full meal in
her entire lifetime-that’s what she has reaped! Her husband, an old man with a flowing beard
says, “I know nothing except bangles. All I have done is make a house for the family to live
in.” Hearing him one wonders if he has achieved what many have failed in their lifetime. He
has a roof over his head! The cry of not having money to do anything except carry on the
business of making bangles, not even enough to eat, rings in every home. The young men
echo the lament of the elders. Little has moved with time, it seems in Firozabad, years of
mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream.

8.1 ‘She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes.’ This implies that-
a) she is married but has lost the charm in her eyes.
b) she is a married woman who has lost her grace and beauty.
c) though she is married, her eyes are devoid of happiness.
d) she is a married woman who has lost her eyesight.

8.2 ‘He has a roof over his head!’ The tone of the author is-
a) pessimistic. b) empathetic. c) sympathetic. d) sarcastic.

8.3 Choose the term which best matches the statement ‘The young men echo the lament of
their elders.’
a) acceptance b) reflection c) reiteration d) doubtfulness
8.4 ‘Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream’. This
shows that-
a) the bangle makers are exhausted yet they are enterprising and have dreams.
b) the drudgery of work has destroyed their willingness to take initiatives or dream.
c) the daily grind has stolen the dreams of the bangle makers and made them dull.
d) the bangle makers have been working so hard that there’s no time to dream.

9. ‘But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world’. This suggests that-
a) there is no dearth of promises which remain unfulfilled.
b) there is a scarcity of people promising things for betterment.
c) people make a lot of promises which are often fulfilled.
d) promises made, live up to the expectations of people.

10. Choose the statement that is NOT TRUE about ragpickers in Seemapuri.
a) Children are equally involved in rag picking as their parents.
b) The rag pickers settle down in a place permanently.
c)Rag picking has accomplished itself as a skill and form of art.
d) Ragpickers live in unsteady shanties on the outskirts of Delhi.

11. ‘That’s why they left, looking for gold in the big city.’ Here ‘gold’ indicates
a) misfortune of circumstances. b) ample wealth.
c) means of survival. d) a sign of luxury.

12. Comment on the hardships of the bangle makers of Firozabad with special emphasis on
the forces that conspire against them and obstruct their progress.
Ans. Life and poverty are synonymous for the bangle makers of Firozabad. For generations
these people have been engaged in this trade working around hot furnaces with high
temperatures. In spite of hard labour throughout the day, some of them have to sleep with
empty and aching stomachs Poverty and hunger, social customs and traditions stigma of caste
and the intrigues of powerful lobby that thrive on their labours combine to keep them poor,
uneducated and hungry. The money lenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of
law, the bureaucrats and the politicians all are responsible for their abject poverty. They fail
to organize themselves into cooperative due to lack of a leader. They can talk but not act to
improve their lot.

13. 'Saheb is no longer his own master Mukesh insists on being his own master'. Discuss with
reference to 'Lost Spring'.
Ans. (i) Saheb a young rag-picker from Seemapuri.
(ii) looking for gold in garbage dumps for survival
(iii) Roams the streets with his friends an army of barefoot soldiers.
(iv) Poor, hungry but free like morning birds.
(v) Gets a job at a tea stall and has a regular income food no problem.
(vi) But no longer his own master. lost the carefree look.
(vii) Works for longer hours - exploitation makes him sad.
(viii) Mukesh, son of poor bangle maker of Firozabad.
(ix) No school education due to poverty.
(x) Dreams of being a motor mechanic.
(xi) Wants to drive a car.
(xii) Insists on being his own master in-spite of unfavourable conditions.
14. Describe the plight of child workers of Firozabad, who are exposed to the worst health
hazards.
Ans. (i) Firozabad - bangle making town.
(ii) Besides the grownups, over 20,000 children illegally engaged in bangle making.
(iii) Nobody cares for the law in Firozabad.
(iv) Employment of children in glass and bangle industry continuous unabated.
(v) Children working in exceptionally high temperatures in dingy dark rooms.
(vi) Eyes adjusted more to dark than the light outside.
(vii) Many losing eyesight before becoming adults.
(viii) Mind numbing toil killing all dreams and hopes of child workers.

15. After months of knowing him, I ask him his name. ―Saheb-e-Alam, he announces. He
does not know what it means. If he knew its meaning — lord of the universe — he would
have a hard time believing it. Unaware of what his name represents, he roams the streets with
his friends, an army of barefoot boys who appear like the morning birds and disappear at
noon. Over the months, I have come to recognize each of them.

15.1 The author asks the name of Saheb after months of knowing him. This suggests that ....
a. She does not care about barefoot rag-pickers who live in a slum dwelling
b. She has been waiting for the right opportunity
c. Names are insignificant for her as she is more interested in their problems & their solutions
d. It is difficult for her to remember so many names together

15.2 Which of the following is not rightly matched?

a. Name of Saheb-e-Alam: irony
b. An army of barefoot boys: Anaphora
c. Boys who appear like morning birds: Simile
d. I ask him his name: Alliteration

15.3 Why is the author interested in these barefoot rag-pickers?

a. She will write a book about such children & earn money
b. She will gain popularity by publishing their story in a newspaper
c. She will attract the attention of the authorities towards their problems
d. She is moved by the plight of these unfortunate children

15.4 The author’s interaction with these children reflects her ....
(i) Empathy (ii) Professionalism (iii) Cleverness (iv) Compassion
a. Only 2 b. Only 1&3 c. Only 1&4 d. Only 2, 3 & 4

16. My acquaintance with the barefoot rag-pickers leads me to Seemapuri, a place on the
periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically. Those who live here are squatters
who came from Bangladesh back in 1971. Saheb’s family is among them. Seemapuri was
then a wilderness. It still is, but it is no longer empty. In structures of mud, with roofs of tin
and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water, live 10,000 rag-pickers. They
have lived here for more than thirty years without an identity, without permits but with ration
cards that get their names on voters’ lists and enable them to buy grain. Food is more
important for survival than an identity.

16.1 In which of the following sentences can the word ‘squatters’ replace the highlighted
words?
a. The police have been ordered to help the refugees from the flooded districts.
b. The court has refused to stay the eviction of illegal occupants from the Public Park.
c. Tourists without a valid Visa are being ordered to leave immediately.
d. People who defecate in open have been heavily penalized

16.2 How is Seemapuri miles away from Delhi?

a. It is indeed many miles away from Delhi geographically
b. Delhi has ultra-modern infrastructure & state-of-the-art facilities while Seemapuri lacks
even the basic amenities like sewage & potable water
c. Delhi is a hugely populated city while Seemapuri is a small wilderness
d. Delhi is very dirty & diseased while Seemapuri is clean & green

16.3 Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below:
Statement 1: Name on voter list enables the rag-pickers to buy grain
Statement 2: Rag-pickers do not mind the lack of facilities & dirt as long as they get food
a. Statement 1 is true but Statement 2 is false.
b. Statement 1 is false but Statement 2 is true.
c. Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred.
d. Both Statement1 and Statement 2 can be inferred.

16.4 For the people of Seemapuri, rag-picking is their source of livelihood. Which of the
following phrases can’t replace the underlined words?
a. Sweat, blood & tears b. Staff of life
c. Bread & butter d. Walk of life

17. She is the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother. Not much older in years, she has begun to
command respect as the ‘bahu’, the daughter-in-law of the house, already in charge of three
men — her husband, Mukesh and their father. When the older man enters, she gently
withdraws behind the broken wall and brings her veil closer to her face. As custom demands,
daughters-in-law must veil their faces before male elders. In this case the elder is an
impoverished bangle maker. Despite long years of hard labour, first as a tailor, then a bangle
maker, he has failed to renovate a house, send his two sons to school. All he has managed to
do is teach them what he knows — the art of making bangles.

17.1 Daughters-in-law must veil their faces before male elders. This custom reflects-
a. Prejudice b. Stereotype c. Logic d. Necessity

17.2 Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below:
Assertion: Mukesh’s father has been a successful professional
Reason: He has been able to renovate his house & send his sons to school.
a. Both A & R are correct. R is the correct explanation of A
b. Both A & R are correct. R is not the correct explanation of A
c. A is correct, R is wrong
d. Neither A nor R is correct

17.3 The wife of Mukesh’s elder brother is-

a. Submissive & servile b. Magnanimous & prudent
c. Respectful & courteous d. Defiant & rebellious
17.4 In which of the following sentences can the underlined words not be replaced by
‘impoverished’?
a. She is the leader of the ritzy women in her plush locality.
b. He has become bankrupt after heavy losses in business.
c. This Diwali, we are making some provisions for pauperized people.
d. She has married a skint man but she is perfectly happy.

18. “Why not organize yourselves into a cooperative?” I ask a group of young men who have
fallen into the vicious circle of middlemen who trapped their fathers and forefathers. “Even if
we get organized, we are the ones who will be hauled up by the police, beaten and dragged to
jail for doing something illegal,” they say. There is no leader among them, no one who could
help them see things differently. Their fathers are as tired as they are. They talk endlessly in a
spiral that moves from poverty to apathy to greed and to injustice.

18.1 Which of the following pairs of word-meaning is not rightly matched?

a. Apathy: lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern
b. Vicious: deliberately cruel or violent
c. Hauled up: To Push away
d. Greed: avarice

18.2 Their fathers are as tired as they are. This suggest that-
a. The youth have surrendered before their oppressors & accepted their fate
b. The youth have followed the footsteps of their parents & resigned to their destiny
c. The youth have no energy & enthusiasm to struggle against their oppressors
d. Youth do not get proper nutrition due to poverty which exhausts them easily

18.3 Which of the following pictures describes the situation of the bangle makers the best?

A. Picture-1 B. Picture-2 C. Picture-3 D. Picture-4

18.4 Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below:
Assertion: The police haul up the youth if they make a union.
Reason: The policemen are very efficient & arrest the wrong-doers promptly.
a. Both A & R are correct. R is the correct explanation of A
b. Both A & R are correct. R is not the correct explanation of A
c. A is correct, R is wrong
d. Neither A nor R is correct

19. Lost Spring raises voice against-

a. brutal religious rules b. useless education system
c. environment pollution d. poverty and exploitation of children

Q.20 Select the option that shows the correct relationship between (1) and (2).
(1) Bangle-makers are not able to escape the web of poverty.
(2) Bangle makers lose their vision in their youth due to bad working conditions.
A. (1) is false and (2) is true. B. (2) explains a reason for (1).
C. (1) is an assumption made from (2). D. (2) is a fact whereas (1) is an opinion.

Q.21 ‘’Family, caught in a web of poverty, burdened by the stigma of caste in which they are
born......’’ identify the poetic device used in the line from ‘Lost Spring’.
a) Irony b) Metaphor c) Simile d) Personification
Q.22 The phrase “transit home” in ‘Lost Spring’ refers to the dwellings that are-
a. Unhygienic b. Inadequate c. Fragile d. Temporary

Q.23 Why did ragpickers stay barefoot according to Anees Jung?

a. Because of perpetual state of poverty
b. It was tradition for them to stay barefoot
c. Because of the nexus between politicians, bureaucrats, policeman
d. It was easy for them to do rag picking when they are barefoot

Q.24 Savita, a young girl in a drab pink dress, sits alongside an elderly woman soldering
pieces of glass. As her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she
knows the sanctity of the bangles she helps make. It symbolizes an Indian woman’s suhaag,
auspiciousness in marriage. It will dawn on her suddenly one day when her head is draped
with a red veil, her hands dyed red with henna, and red bangles rolled onto her wrists. She
will then become a bride. Like the old woman beside her who become one many years ago.

24.1 Pick out the option that best describes Savita.

(a) Young and innocent (b) Old and patient
(c) Young and irritable (d) Old and confused

24.2 “Savita, a young girl ..., sits alongside an elderly woman, soldering pieces of glass.”
This means that Savita was _____.
(a) trying to make the bangles all by herself
(b) trying to help the old woman
(c) hungry and disturbing the old woman in doing the work
(d) getting anxious and thus scolding the old woman

24.3 The line, “As her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, ...” is an
example of
(a) hyperbole (b) parody (c) simile (d)
symbolism

24.4 Choose the option that best demonstrates the significance of red colour in Indian Hindu
culture.
(a) Aridity and boredom (b) Energetic and vibrant
(c) Auspiciousness and purity (d) Calmness and caution
24.5 What makes the working conditions of the children worst in the glass industry?
a) Dark dingy cells without light and air b) Dazzling and sparking of welding light
c) High temperature d) All of these

24.6 In the lesson ‘The Lost Spring’ the two parts depict the:
(a) hard work of the people living in slums
(b) plight of the street children being forced into labour at such an early age
(c) the process of bangle making and rag picking
(d) the bad luck of the ragpickers and bangle makers

25. Wherever they find food, they pitch their tents that become transit homes. Children grow
up in them, becoming partners in survival. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking.
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, even if it is a leaking roof. But for a child it is even
more. “I sometimes find a rupee, even a ten-rupee note,” Saheb says, his eyes lighting up.
When you can find a silver coin in a heap of garbage, you don’t stop scrounging, for there is
hope of finding more. It seems that for children, garbage has a meaning different from what it
means to their parents. For the children it is wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of
survival.

25.1 Why is garbage equivalent to gold for the people of Seemapuri?

A. because they can find food only through rag-picking
B. because they can become wealthy only through rag-picking
C. because rag-picking helps them earn money for their basic needs
D. because rag-picking helps them use garbage to build their houses

25.2 Why is garbage 'wrapped in wonder' for the children?

A. because the children don't find it demeaning to be rag-pickers
B. because the children only go through the garbage to look for notes
C. because the children find the possibility of finding treasure in the garbage exciting
D. because the children don't get disappointed if they can't find money in the garbage

25.3 And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking.

Which of the following assumptions can you make from the above sentence?
A. Rag-picking is the only easily available job option in Seemapuri.
B. People from places like Dhaka come to Seemapuri to collect garbage.
C. People in Seemapuri enjoy rag-picking as a way of earning their livelihood.
D. No one in Seemapuri is interested in learning skills other than collecting garbage.

25.4 When you can find a silver coin in a heap of garbage, you don’t stop scrounging, for
there is hope of finding more.
Which of these can replace the underlined word without changing its meaning?
A. loitering B. grappling C. searching D. wondering

26. Which of these options best captures the author's point of view in the following lines from
'Lost Spring'?
“I will learn to drive a car,” he answers, looking straight into my eyes. His dream looms like
a mirage amidst the dust of streets that fill his town Firozabad, famous for its bangles.
A. Saheb's understanding of the world is limited to what he has seen in his hometown.
B. Saheb's determination is in contrast to how indifferent the adults of Firozabad are.
C. Saheb's dismal situation makes it unlikely that his fantasy will ever come true.
D. Saheb's sense of hope despite his reality shows how courageous he is.

27. Why does Anees Jung spend a significant portion of 'Lost Spring' talking about shoes?
Explain any one reason with relevant examples from the story.
Ans. The rich take their shoes for granted but poor people have to come up with justifications
for not having shoes. Anees Jung tries to highlight the difference between the rich and the
poor by showing how shoes are a luxury to Saheb and his friends who either don't own them
or wear them only occasionally.

28. Despite the difficulties that Mukesh's family goes through, his grandmother believes that
their occupation is their destiny. What could be a reason behind this belief? State your
response with evidence from the text 'Lost Spring'.
Ans. Most bangle makers like Mukesh's family are convinced that they are not capable of
doing anything else because of their lack of awareness about any other occupation. They are
not allowed to imagine another way of life because of their poverty. This is one of the reasons
behind Mukesh's grandmother's belief, who also belongs to this community.

29. How does the following line from 'Lost Spring' tie into its theme of being 'stories of
stolen childhood'? Explain your answer in 40–50 words.
The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he (Saheb) would carry so lightly over
his shoulder.
Ans. This line shows how quickly children from poor backgrounds have to grow up for
financial reasons. They don't have the luxury of having a carefree childhood, free of
responsibilities. Thus, it ties into the 'stories of stolen childhood' theme.

Q.30) What is the narrator’s query from Saheb? What is his reply? What is the significance of
the reply? Does it evoke pathos (pity)? How?
A) Query – Why does Saheb do rag picking? Reply – As he has nothing else to do. The reply
shows the pathetic condition of children like Saheb who have no money to go to school &
hence are partners in survival with parents. So they spend the day picking rags to earn
something. This evokes pathos/pity as we realize that nothing is being done for such children.

Q.31) Where was Saheb’s original home? Explain the reason given by Saheb’s mother for
their homelessness. Explain ‘His home is not even a distant memory’.
A) It was set amidst the green fields of Dhaka. There were many storms that swept away their
fields and homes & so according to his mother they left their homeland to earn in the big city.
Saheb says that his home is not even a distant memory which shows that he left it long ago &
feels bad about having left the beautiful life for the pathetic condition here.

Q.32) What is the narrator’s half-hearted promise? What was his immediate reaction? Why
did it sound hollow? What generalization does he make about such promises and what does
this show about the world?
A) She says that he would start a school for children like Saheb in the neighbourhood & then
these children can make use of the opportunity. When she is reminded by the boy again after
a few days about it, she feels ashamed at the hollowness of her advice & she generalizes that
such promises are found in plenty in every corner of the bleak/hollow world. It shows how
the society & political class make such hollow false promises to the poor people never to
fulfil them in future.
Q.33) Comment on the title ‘Lost Spring’. (short answer)
A) The title has a tinge of irony. Spring is symbolic of freshness, colour, fragrance, renewal,
birth, hope, happiness and growth. Childhood is symbolic of the same & is full of pleasure &
play. But ironically children like Saheb have no spring in their lives as it is wasted for earning
a living to support their families. It shows the depravity of child labour.

Q.34) ‘The garb of tradition is to conceal the plight of poverty’. Explain.

A) When on her query the children explain the lack of footwear not to be poverty but
tradition to stay barefoot, it seems unconvincing. It shows a sense of self-respect due to
which these children don’t want to expose their pathetic condition in front of the narrator. It
is an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty.

Q.35) What story did she remember by a man from Udipi? What did she remember looking at
the new priest’s son? What is the difference of attitude highlighted between the sons of the
old & the new priest? How has the Goddess granted the old priest’s son’s wish?
A) Story – As a young boy, he would go past an old temple (where his father was a priest) to
school. He would stop briefly at the temple & pray for a pair of shoes. 30 years later the
narrator visited the town & temple which was in a desolated state & saw the young boy who
was the new priest’s son, dressed in a grey uniform, wearing socks & shoes, throwing his
school bag carelessly over a folding bed. Looking at him he remembered the prayer of the old
priest’s son for shoes & when he got them he prayed never to lose them. The Goddess has
granted his prayer as now young boys like the new priest’s son wore shoes. The old priest’s
son didn’t have basic things & so knew their worth but the new priest’s son had got
everything & so was careless about them.

Q.36) What is the significance of the plastic chairs in the new priest’s house?
A) It shows that he had all commonly used items at home for a comfortable living in contrast
with the old priest whose son didn’t have shoes even to wear. The temple had a desolate look
showing the rising hypocrisy/falsehood & declining faith in God due to which the priest was
flourishing but the temple was neglected.

Q.37) How does the narrator depict the plight/pain of the squatters dwelling in Seemapuri?
Explain “Seemapuri was then a wilderness. It still is, but it is no longer empty.” What
problems do the refugees from Bangladesh face in India?
A) People like Saheb survive here. 10,000 rag pickers like him live in structures of mud with
roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water. They have lived here
for more than 30 years without identity. Wherever they find food, they pitch their tents that
become transit homes. Survival for them is through rag-picking which earns daily bread & a
roof over their heads.

Q.38) How is identity not a necessary requisite always? Show how it becomes a secondary
concern. Why is it a paradox? What justification do women in Seemapuri give for coming to
Delhi from Bangladesh? What is more important for survival & how? ‘Open field can’t give
solace to hunger’. Comment.
A) The refugees from Bangladesh have been living in Seemapuri for the last 30 years as
squatters in a pathetic condition without an identity, without permits but with ration cards that
get their names on voters’ lists and enable them to buy grain. Hence food is more important
for survival than identity. Hence it is a paradox because people from Bangladesh have left
their beautiful land & identity there to live in a pathetic condition without identity here as
food is available at least & identity doesn’t fill their stomachs.
Q.39) How do children become partners in survival? What does survival in Seemapuri mean?
A) Survival means rag picking & children do it to be a helping hand to the family & hence
are deprived of all the basic rights of children & thus become partners in survival with
parents.

Q.40) What has acquired the proportions of a fine art & how? How important is garbage for a
child facing scarcity? Explain ‘Garbage is gold for the rag pickers.’
A) Garbage is as precious as gold as it provides their daily bread & a roof over their heads.
The children have been picking rags for so many years that they have mastered in the art &
have learnt how to earn their bread from it. So rag picking has acquired the proportions of a
fine art.

Q.41) Garbage has a different meaning for children & parents. How?
A) It is a source of wonder for children as when they find a coin & even 10 rupee notes in
them, they don’t stop scrounging with a hope of finding more. For the elders it is a means of
survival, as it provides them food & shelter.

Q.42) What is the significance of Saheb standing by the fenced gate of a club & his comment
“The gate keeper lets me use the swing”?
A) The missing childhood of children like Saheb is highlighted to see him standing by the
fenced gate of the neighbourhood club watching two young men dressed in white, playing
tennis. He likes the game but is content to watch it from there as he is not allowed to play or
doesn’t have the means to fulfil his wish. The gatekeeper takes pity on him & allows him to
use the swing when no one is there. It evokes pathos for such children who are deprived of
childhood joy & freedom.

Q.43) What is a dream come true for Saheb & what is out of his reach? How can discarded
shoes work wonders for a poor child?
A) Getting to wear tennis shoes (even though one of them has a hole & they are discarded by
a rich boy) is a dream & he doesn’t bother that they are old as he has walked barefoot till
now. But the game is out of his reach. He can only enjoy watching it from a distance.

Q.44) ‘The steel canister clouded the stars in Saheb’s eyes that the dark plastic bags could
not’. Explain.
A) The e.g. shows the dark side of child labour & shows that inspite of having a fixed salary
of Rs 800/- & his free meals Saheb isn’t happy with the job as his freedom is lost. The bag
belonged to him & he led a carefree life but the canister belongs to the tea stall owner & it
reminds Saheb that he is no longer his own master.

Q.45) How does Mukesh sound much more clear about his dream? What is it compared to &
why?
A) Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic by breaking away from his family trade of bangle
making. He insists on being his own master & dares to be different from his parental
profession. So he is different in his attitude from Saheb who has accepted his fate where he is
no longer his own master. His dream seems so unreal that it is compared to a mirage, as it
would not be allowed by parental pressure & pressure from society.
Q.46) How have families spent generations in Firozabad? How do the bangle factories &
rainbow coloured bangles snatch away the brightness from many eyes? ‘Rainbow colours
come out of narrow lanes where many suffocate’. Explain.
A) Firozabad is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry where families have spent
generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for the women of the
entire land. Most of them are unaware that it is illegal for children to work in these dingy
cells. The glass furnaces are with high temperatures, without air & light & most of the
workers slog their daylight hours, losing the brightness of their eyes very early in life.

Q.47) When & why do Mukesh’s eyes beam & what is he proud of? Describe Mukesh’s
shack & area of living.
A) His eyes beam to take the narrator to his house & he proudly says that it is being rebuilt.
The lanes are stinking, choked with garbage. Homes remain hovels with crumbling walls,
wobbly door, no windows, crowded with families of humans & animals existing together in a
primeval state. Mukesh’s house has a wobbly iron door. It is a half-built shack. In one part of
it thatched with dead grass is a firewood stove & a lot of aluminum utensils.

Q.48) How does poverty not mar the customs of our society?
A) As custom demands, daughters-in-law must veil their faces before male elders. Mukesh’s
family is very poor but still when the narrator enters his house, the elder brother’s wife gently
withdraws behind the broken wall & brings her veil closer to her face.

Q.49) What is the significance of ‘the law, if enforced’ in the glass- blowing industry?
A) It shows the ironical state of affairs where it is illegal to send children to work there but
still 20,000 children work there & the law is never enforced. It shows the hollowness of law
& order in the country.

Q.50) ‘Hard labour hasn’t helped Mukesh’s father to realize his dreams’. How? How is the
father’s teaching the art of Bangle- making ironical? ‘Bangle-making may be an art, but
hazardous to health’. Comment.
A) The father is an impoverished bangle maker who has failed to renovate their house or send
his two sons to school inspite of long years of hard labour, first as a tailor & then as a bangle
maker. He has only taught the art of Bangle- making to his children to earn a living but
ironically has forced them into a hazardous life where they can lose their eyesight or even
life, to earn a living.

Q.51) How are Mukesh’s grandmother’s views paradoxical? ‘Disabilities in the bangle
industry don’t hamper people from working there’. Comment. ‘Blind superstition can
sometimes be hazardous’. Comment. ‘Tradition nurtures crime due to ignorance’. Comment.
A) The grandmother has watched her own husband go blind with the dust from polishing the
glass of bangles. Yet blindly she believes that it is a God given lineage & their destiny &
hence her son & grandson can’t do anything else as they would be cursed by God.
Paradoxically it is itself causing much harm to them already.