The Lost Child | NCERT Solution | English | CBSE | Class IX

NCERT Solution

Lesson Architecture

1. NCERT Solution

2. Biography

3. Theme

4. Story At a Glance

5. Recapitulation

6. Short Extra Questions

7. HOTS/Value Based Questions

1. What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?

Ans. The child was attracted to the toys and sweets which were displayed at the various stalls. He was further lured by balloons of different colours, garland of gulmohur, a swing and a snakecharmer playing a flute.

The child moved forward but once again lagged behind because his eyes were caught by one thing or the other every now and then.

2. In the fair he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an answer?

Ans. The child wants to have toys, garland, balloons of different colours, taste a variety of sweets, and wants to have a ride at the roundabout.

He moves on because he knows that his parents will not grant his wishes of buying these things for him.

3. When does he realise that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and insecurity been described?

Ans. He saw a roundabout swing. It was full of men, women and children who were enjoying the ride. Being attracted by it he expressed his desire to have a ride on it. But as he looked around and behind,his parents were nowhere to be seen.

The boy cried loudly, jerked his body and ran here and there calling out for his parents. He was full of fear and tears started rolling down his cheeks.

4. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?

Ans. The lost child loses interest in the things he had wanted earlier because he is emotionally drained owing to the loss of his parents. His only priority is to find out his parents. Therefore, all other things of attraction paled into insignificance for the boy.

5. What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?

Ans. I think the stranger who found the boy was compassionate enough to take care of the child. He must have met the management of the fare and asked them to make announcement about the loss of the child. His parents also might have made a frantic search to find their child.

TALK ABOUT IT

Q. How to ensure not to get lost.

Ans. The following are the suggestions to the parents

• The parents should ensure that the child is always with them. One of the parents must hold the hand of a child while passing through the crowded place.

• The child should be made to remember the emergency contact number of parents for any adverse situation of separation.

• The address of the parents with contact numbers should be pinned up on the pocket of the child.

• The child should be instructed not to eat anything given by a stranger in this situation.

• The helpline numbers of the police should be available with the parents.

• Parents should always be vigilant towards their children in a crowded place.

BIOGRAPHY

• Mulk Raj Anand was an author with hundreds of novels, short stories and essays to his name.

• From an early age, Mulk Raj was pained by the problems of Indian society that stemmed from the issues of religion and caste.

• Considered a pioneer of the anglo-Indian fiction, he is best remembered for his depiction of the poorer classes of people in India and their plight.

• He was honored with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award in 1967 for his vast contributions towards the field of Literature & Education.

• He won the Sahitya Academy Award for his novel ‘The Morning Face’ (1968).

• His famous books include Untouchables ( 1935), Coolie ( 1936) , Two Leaves and a Bud ( 1937), The Private Life of an Indian Prince ( 1953), The Road ( 1961) etc.

THEME

• The Lost Child is the story of a small child who is lost in a fair while getting engrossed in looking at a roundabout swing.

• The boy accompanied the fair with his parents and demanded things like sweets, balloons, flowers, swings, etc.

• Although his father got angry, his mother distracted him towards other things.

• The story focusses on the filial love and affection that the child shares with his parents.

• A stranger picks the boy up and hands him over to his parents.

STORY- AT- A -GLANCE

• The story is set in the spring season. A little child was accompanied by his parents to the fair.

• The child was attracted to the toys which were displayed at the various stalls. As he would be left behind, his parents would call him to come with them.

• He was attracted to the stalls of toys and sweets.

• The child moved forward but once again lagged behind because his eyes were caught by one thing or the other every now and then.

• His mouth watered seeing sweets decorated with gold and silver leaves. He wanted his favourite burfi

• A group pf dragonflies, black bees and butterflies buzzed around, sucking the nectar from the flowers. The child looked at them as they flew around.

• A shower of young flowers fell upon the child as he entered the grove, and, forgetting his parents, he began to gather the raining petals in his hands.

• As the child entered the shady forested area, he was welcomed by a shower of flowers. He forgot his parents and started collecting the petals that had fallen.

• Just then he heard the cooing of doves and was excited to see them. He started chasing the birds and in the process, the petals fell from his hand.

• As they neared the village the child could see many other footpaths full of throngs, converging to the whirlpool of the fair, and felt at once repelled and fascinated by the confusion of the world he was entering.

• As they were about to reach the fair, the child saw huge crowds of people walking from all directions towards the fair.

• The dense crowd scared him and he stepped back for a while but the next moment, he got attracted to the mind - boggling crowd of humanity.

• At the entrance of the fair, to one corner, a sweetmeat seller had set up a shop. He was selling various sweets like gulab jamun, rasgulla, burfi and jalebi. As he did not expect that his demand would be fulfilled, he walked further.

• The next thing that the child came across was a balloon seller selling balloons of different colours of the rainbow. The boy was attracted to the shiny colours of the balloons and wanted to have them all.

• Then he paused at a snake charmer who was playing a flute and the snake was twisting it’s neck to the music. The boy walked towards the snake charmer but as his parents had warned him to remain away from the unpleasant music played by such men, he walked further.

• Then he saw the roundabout swing. It was full of men, women and children who were enjoying the ride. The boy watched the people on the roundabout and then with a lot of courage, expressed his desire to go on the roundabout.

• He looked around and behind but his parents were nowhere to be seen.

• The boy cried loudly, jerked his body and ran here and there calling out for his parents. He was full of fear and tears started rolling down his cheeks.

• He saw some people standing and talking and tried to find if his parents were among them.

• The boy ran towards a temple which was crowded with people. He ran through the legs of men, calling out for his parents. The crowd was pushing each other as he neared the entrance of the temple.

• As a man got the child out of the crowd, he asked him how he had reached there and what were his parents’ names. The boy cried even more and repeated that he wanted to go to his parents.

• The man tried to relax the child by taking him to the roundabout swing. He offered him a ride but the child screamed and wept loudly that he wanted his parents.

• The man took the child to the bright coloured balloons, hoping that he might get cheered by seeing them. He offered a balloon to the child but he turned away and wept for father.

• The child refused to smell the flowers that he wanted to buy earlier because now, his priority was to get his parents.

• Finally, the man took him to the sweet meat seller and offered to buy sweets for him. Still, the child did not want his favourite sweet but wanted his parents.

• The man tried to relax the child by taking him to the roundabout swing. He offered him a ride but the child screamed and wept loudly that he wanted his parents.

Recapitulation

• A child in the company of his parents went to a fair and was attracted to the stalls of toys and sweets in the fair.

• He wanted burfi ,beautiful garlands of gulmohur , balloons.

• Then he saw a snake charmer and a roundabout swing. When he asked for his parents’ permission for a ride to the swing, he could discover that his parents were not around.

• suddenly a stranger took him up in his arms and consoled the weeping child.

• The man offered him sweets, balloons and garland but the child kept repeating with tears in his eyes, “I want my father, I want my mother.”

EXTRA QUESTIONS AND HOTS/VALUE BASED QUESTIONS COMING UP SOON.