Class 6 Communicative English
The Lost Child
I. Answer each question briefly:
1. Who was the little boy going with to the fair?
Ans. The little boy was going with his parents to the fair.
2. How sad or happy did the little boy look?
Ans. The little boy looked to be full of life and laughter.
3. What was the first place where the little boy stopped?
Ans. The first place where the little boy stopped was at one of the toy shops.
4. What did father do when the boy asked for a toy?
Ans. When the boy asked for a toy his father looked at him in his familiar cruel manner.
5. What did the mustard-fields look like?
Ans. The mustard-fields looked like a sea of yellow light.
6. What did the child do while going through the mustard-fields?
Ans. Pulled by the mustard flowers beauty the child left the path and ran into the field. He was jumping like a young colt. He stopped there to watch The little insects and worms.
7. Why was the child left behind again and again?
Ans. The child was attracted by the sight of coloured balloons of balloon seller, sweet meat seller, garlands and the snake charmers flute that he kept moving without waiting for his parents reply. Finally he was left behind again and again.
8. Why did the child’s parents stop near a grove?
Ans. The child’s parents stopped for some rest in a grove.
9. What happened as the child entered the grove?
Ans. As the child entered the grove a shower of lovely flowers fell upon him. Forgetting his parents,he began to gather the raining petals in his hands.
10. The child wanted to have balloons; then why did he not ask his father for them?
Ans. The child wanted to have balloons but he did not ask his father for them because he knew that his parents would say that he was too old to play with them.
11. Why did the child not stop to watch the snake charmer tricks?
Ans. The child did not stop to watch the snake charmer tricks as he remember what his parents had said. They had forbidden him to watch the silly tricks of the snake charmer.
12. Describe the scene at the roundabout.
Ans. The roundabout was in full swing. Men,women and children were laughing and shrieking madly as they went round and round in it. The child watched them intendly.
13. Where was the child lost and how?
Ans. The child was lost at the roundabout where he felt himself was being carried round and round. When the roundabout came to a complete stop the child couldn’t suppress his desire and made a bold request to his parents that he wanted to go on the roundabout but there was no reply. He turned to look at his parents and they were not there.
14. Describe the scene at the temple.
Ans. Near the entrance of the temple the crowd becomes very thick. Men jostled each other. The poor child was knocked to and fro. He fell down and was going to be trampled underfoot.
15. How was the child saved from being trampled underfoot?
Ans. When the child was going to be trampled underfoot a man in the crowd heard his cry. With great difficulty he lifted him up in his arms. He carried him away from the crowd.
16. How did the man who picked up the lost child try to soothe him?
Ans. To divert the mind of the Lost child the man took the child to the roundabout to ride on the horses,then he came to the snake charmer, to the balloon seller,to the meat seller shop to humour the child. Through these different ways the man tried to soothe the lost child.
II. Answer each question in detail:
1. When did the child come to know that he had been separated from his parents? What did he do then?
Ans. When the child was at the roundabout he couldn’t resist, made a bold request to go on the roundabout. But there was no reply. So he turned back but they were not there. At this point he realised that he had been separated from his parents. A deep cry arose from his dry throat. Tears rolled down from his cheeks. He ran from where he stood in all directions. Not knowing where to go and what to do, he cried for his parents. He is afraid and feels unsafe.
2. Why did the child go towards the temple? What happened there?
Ans. The Lost child went towards the temple as all people seemed to be crowding towards it. Near the entrance the crowd became very thick. Men jostled each other. He struggled to push his way but was knocked down. He might have trampled if he had not shouted. A man in the crowd lifted him up in his arms.
3. This story doesn’t tell what happened to the child in the end. Which of these two things do you wish should have happened?
a. The man found the child’s parents and handed him over to them.
b. The man was not able to find the child’s parents and he took the child home where he brought him up with his own children. Give your reasons why you wish so.
Ans. The Lost child was fortunate enough to have been picked up by a kind man. This man must have found the child’s parents and handed him over to them. I wish so, as the strange man was affectionate. He took the child to all the places which once attracted the child and offered balloons,horse ride and sweets. But the child only wanted his parents back. So he must have tried his best to find his parents. On the other hand the parents of the child must tried hard to find their lost child.