Short Questions (2 Marks)
Question 1 : The child notices may things on his way to the fair. Mention any three of them.
Or, Parents were in a hurry to reach the fair but the child was delaying them. How?
Answer : The child notices the flowering mustard – field, a group of dragonflies, little insects and worms along the footpath, cooing of doves and a shower of flower petals on the way to the fair.
Thus, the child straggled (left) behind his parents delaying them. Parents were in hurry but the child was not.
Question 2 : What were the things which fascinated the child as he entered the fair?
Answer : As he entered the fair, the child was fascinated by the hustle and bustle of the fair, the sweetmeat seller selling burfi, the flower seller selling garlands of gulmohar, a balloon seller, the snake-charmer’s enchanting music and people on the roundabout.
Question 3 : How did the mother distract the child’s mind from the toy seller?
Answer : The child’s mother distracted the mind of the child from the toy seller by pointing towards a flowering mustard field, pale like melting gold as it swept across a large area of flat land. The parents even gave a piece of their mind to distract the mind of child.
Question 4 : What happened when the ‘lost child’ entered the grove? How did he enjoy there?
Answer : When the ‘lost child’ entered the grove, a shower of young flowers fell upon him. Forgetting his parents, he began to gather the raining petals in his hands.
Then, he heard the cooing of doves and ran towards his parents , the petals dropping from his hands. Then, he went running in wild capers around the banyan tree before the parents picked him up.
Question 5 : Why didn’t the boy wait for an answer after he had pleaded for sweets?
Answer : The boy didn’t wait for an answer after he had pleaded for sweets because he knew, from his past experience with them, that his parents would say he was greedy and refuse his request. They would never allow him to have any of the things he wanted there.
Question 6 : Why did the child make no request for the garland, balloons and burfi?
Answer : He made no request for the garland because he knew his parents would call them cheap stuff.
He made no request for balloons because he would be told that he had outgrown playing with balloons. Burfi was his favourite sweet but he did not request for it because he knew that he would be called greedy.
Question 7 : How was the child lost in the fair?
Answer : The child, attracted by the various items in the fair, stopped at every one of them, always lagging behind his parents.
The boy was fascinated by the roundabout but when he made a bold request for a ride on it, he got no reply because he had got separated from his parents and was lost. Only then, the child realised that he had been lost.
Question 8 : What was the condition of the child when he lost his parents?
Answer : When the child realised that he had lost his parents, he ran here and there to search for his parents. He had lost all his happiness and excitement. He had lost all his happiness and excitement. There was no joy left for him in the fair. He wanted nothing but his parents only. He was inconsolable.
Question 9 : What happened when the lost child reached the temple door?
Answer : When the lost child reached the temple door, men were jostling (pushing) each other. The child struggled to thrust his way through but was knocked down. He might have been trampled (causing damage or injury) if he had not shouted at the highest pitch of his voice for his parents.
Question 10 : Who rescued the lost child?
Answer : A kind-hearted man near the shrine lifted him up in his arms and tried to soothe (comfort) him. He offered to take him to the roundabout and offered to buy him flowers, balloons and sweets. He did his best to make the child happy but the child was just refusing for all those things.
Question 11 : How did the kind man try to humor the child and with what effect?
Answer : The kind man tried to humor the child by offering him sweets, balloons, a garland and a ride on the roundabout. But, nothing interested the child; he only wanted his parents. This was because he was panic stricken (shocked) on losing contact with his parents.
Long Questions (2 Marks)
Question 1 : What all things did the child get attracted to, once he entered the fair? Was he able to get all the things he desired? What happened when he made a bold request to his parents?
Answer : It is natural for a child to get attracted towards things of his interest. He would listen to no excuses if he desired a thing. But, it is not necessary that the child would get all the things that he wished for because the condition of the parents mattered a lot. If the economic condition of the parents is not well then they can’t provide the child the desired thing. But, the parents should try to listen to the genuine demands of the child.
The child got attracted to almost all the things once he entered the fair. With wide mouth, he stared at the sight of the burfi, then he got attracted towards a garland of gulmohar flowers and then got carried away by the rainbow glory of coloured balloons. He wanted them all but knew his parents will refuse, so he did not ask for any one of them.
Thus, he was not able to get anything that he desired. Finally he made a bold request for going on the roundabout but when he got no reply, turned round and found that they were nowhere to be seen.
Question 2 : How do you know that the ‘lost child’ was a nature-lover?
Answer : We can know that the ‘lost child’ was a nature-lover because he was initially fascinated (attracted) by the flowering mustard-field, the dragonflies, little insects and worms, bees and butterflies on the way to the fair. Nature has the power to attract everyone towards it. Be it a child or an adult, nature appeals to all. In the story, the child was a lover of the nature. On the way to the fair, there was so much to be seen that was offered by nature. With so many things to see, the child was just struck to them and the parents had to wait for them.
When he entered the fair, he forgot his parents and began to gather flower petals. Then, he ran around the banyan tree. From the flower seller, he wanted to purchase a garland of gulmohar. All this shows that he was a nature lover.
Question 3 : How did the child realise that he had lost the company of his father and mother?
Answer : The child left his home with his parents for the fair. He was happy and cheerful at that time. He was aware of the fact that he would get nothing from his parents but still there was happiness in his mind. He was overjoyed at the idea of going there. Everything at the fair was a thing of attraction for the child. He would go to each of the pleasantries (different stalls) and feel what it had to offer. His joys had no bounds at all. On passing the snake-charmer and the balloon seller, the child did not ask for anything, knowing that he would be refused.
But, when he came to the roundabout, on seeing children and adults laughing, shrieking (shouting) and enjoying the ride, he made a bold request to his parents. However, on receiving no reply, he turned to look but did not find his parents.
Then, he desperately (seriously) looked everywhere in all directions but they were not visible. That is when he realised that he had lost he company of his father and mother. He started to cry with fear.
Question 4 : What did the child do when he realised that he got separated from his parents?
Answer : Losing one’s parents is the utmost grief. And, if the loser is a child, then this grief if so grave that can’t be described in words. The moment before, he was happy and the moment later, he was burdened with grief. Definitely the child would have felt the highest amount of grief. When the child realised that he had got separated from his parents, he was panic-stricken and a deep cry came from within his dry throat. He must have realised what does it mean to get separated from the parents. His mind was full of the fear and the apprehension (fear) of separation and its after effects in his life.
He started running frantically (in a desperate way owing to fear and anxiety), here and there, with tears rolling down his cheeks. His yellow turban came united and his clothes became muddy. Ultimately, he rushed towards a temple where crowd was thronging, thrusting his saw through the the crowd, crying loudly for his father and mother. Ultimately, he was rescued (saved) by a kind man who tried to soothe (comfort) him.
Question 5 : How did the man try to soothe the lost child?
Answer : The child came to the fair with his parents to enjoy the beauty and pleasantries that it offered. He was always lagging behind his parents for he made himself busy at the sight of the things he saw in between. He was fascinated at the things and his parents had to call him so that he could go with him. Soon, he would lag behind again. And, with this continuation, he lost his parents when he was standing near a roundabout and wanted his parents to allow him to have a ride on the roundabout. A man found him crying and lost. The man who found the ‘lost child’ tried to soothe and amuse him by taking him to the roundabout and then to the snake – charmer. On seeing a negative response, he took the child near the balloons to distract the child’s attention. He even took him to the gate where the flower seller sat. He also took him to the sweetmeat seller. But, all this soothing was useless as the child was panic-stricken on losing contact with his parents. He wanted nothing but his parents.
Question 6 : Compare the attitude of the child before and after his separation from his parents.
Answer : Parents are the most lovable to a child. It is of no worth how they are but they are the one who matter the most. Be they kind or strict, disciplinarian or liberal; but they are just valuable. When parents are with the child, he feels secured and safe. He has a sense of protection and he knows that with them non can harm him. There remains no fear and no apprehension at all with the parents. Before separation from his parents, the child was happy and excited, fascinated with what he saw in the fair. He wanted to have toys, balloons, sweets, flowers and a ride on the roundabout. But, after separation from his parents, he was panic-stricken (full of fear) and his mood changed completely. He started crying, full of fear of what would happen now. When a kind-hearted man offered all the things that he liked, he refused everything. He only wanted his parents, as in their absence, all things had become useless to him. He just wanted his parents with him. He didn’t want anything eatable or any joy whatsoever. His sole demand was his parents whom he was continuously missing.