Class 9th Eng. Ch-1“ The Lost Child by Mulk Raj Anand Summary, Theme, Message NCERT/CBSE Based Question and answers,

Ch-1

The Lost Child-Mulk Raj Anand

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. What fascinated the boy in the mustard fields and what did he do?

Ans. The mother showed the child the mustard fields to divert his attention from toys. The child was happy to roam in the field. There he saw a group of dragon-flies that were bustling about in the field. They fascinated the boy. He ran behind one of them and made an attempt to catch it.

Q2. Why did the child stop to watch the insects?

Ans. The child was truly a lover of nature. Along the footpath, he saw some little insects and worms coming out of their hidings to enjoy the warmth of the sun. He was so attracted towards the movements of these little creatures that he stopped there and gazed at them. Meanwhile, his parents were taking rest under the shade of trees.

Q3. How did the child enjoy in the grove?

Ans. When the little child entered the grove, a shower of young flowers fell upon him. Mesmerised by this scene, he forgot all about his parents and began to gather the fallen petals. Then, he heard the cooing of doves and ran towards his parents shouting in excitement.

Q4.How did the child react at the sight of the sweetmeat shop?

Ans. At the sweatmeat shop, the child saw sweets of many colours. His mouth began to water at their sight. He longed to have his favourite burfi. He softly murmured his wish to his parents. But he knew that his parents would reject any such demand. So, he moved on.

Q5. Why was the child attracted towards balloons? Did he get any balloons?

Ans. The sight of many coloured balloons flying in the air hypnotised the child. This produced an overwhelming desire in his heart to possess all those balloons. But he did not ask his parents to buy him balloons. He knew that his demand would be rejected on the pretext that he was too old to play with balloons. So, he did not get any balloons.

Q6. Why didn't the child stop to see the snake charmer's act?

Ans. The child was attracted to the music of the snake charmer and wanted to see his show. But he did not ask his parents to fulfill his demand because he knew that in the opinion of his parents, the music of snake charmer was too coarse to be heard, and therefore his demand would be turned down.

Q7. What did the child see that made him seek his parents' permission?

Ans. The child saw a roundabout in full motion. It carried men, women and children in a uniform motion, and they were shouting and laughing excitedly. He could not stop himself from getting tempted, and made a request to his parents to let him enjoy a ride on the roundabout.

Q8. Was the final plea of the child heard? If not, why?

Ans. The child finally pleaded to his parents to allow him to ride on the roundabout. Sadly, this plea was not heard because by that time his parents had already walked ahead. He had lost them and hence, they could not hear him.

Q9. Why did the child go towards the temple? What happened there?

Ans. The child was panic-stricken as he had lost his parents. He ran towards a crowded temple in the hope of finding his parents there. He began to cry loudly for his parents. At the entrance of temple, there was a huge crowd. He was about to be crushed when a man heard his cry and lifted him up in his arms.

Q10. What happened to the child at the temple door?

Ans. When the child reached the temple door, he saw a huge rush of devotees. He wanted to go inside but got entrapped between the legs of people who were trying to enter the shrine. He started crying loudly. The child could have been trampled if a kind man had not lifted him in his arms after hearing his cry.

Q11. Who helped the child when he was left alone? How did he make an attempt to pacify him?

Ans. The child was weeping bitterly after he was lost. He was about to be crushed by the crowd of devotees when a man heard his cry and lifted him up in his arms. He asked him about the whereabouts of his parents. The child could not speak anything but cry. To pacify the child, he offered to buy him a garland, colourful balloons and some sweets, which he refused.

Q12. How did the child respond to the offers made by the man?

Ans. The child was weeping bitterly. The kind man asked him about the whereabouts of his parents. Being panic-stricken, he couldn't answer anything. In between his sobs, he merely expressed his desire to be with his mother and father. He refused to even look at the various things which the man offered to him to pacify him.

Q13. Was the fair popular among people in general? Give reasons.

Ans. It seems that the fair was very popular as a great crowd of rural people used to visit it. People from different villages came there with their families to enjoy the festivities. The idea of the extent of the crowd can be taken from the fact that the child was about to be trampled down due to heavy rush.

Q14. What was the reaction of the child's father on his demand for a toy?

ans. From the story, it can be understood that the father of the child refused to acknowledge every wish of the child. It is a clear indication that he was a poor man who could not afford to fulfill his son's desires. So, when the child demanded a toy father stared at him like a tyrant. It indicates that apart from being poor, he was also very stern.

Message

The child did not understood the value of his parents till he lost them. The message that this story conveys is the importance of relationships overs materialistic goods. children love their parents unconditionally.

After the child lost his parents, he did not want any of those goods that he demanded from his parents before

Theme -The story is based on the theme of the close bond that children communicate with their parents. The lost child ignores all his desires and yearns greatly for his parents when he fails to find them. Everything else loses its value and the only thing that matters is his wish to be reunited with his parents.

Questions and answers

Q1.What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?

Ans. On his way to the fair, the child sees the flowering mustard fields, dragon-flies, little insects, worms and doves. He is attracted towards these natural objects and gets busy in looking at them and enjoying the company of these creatures. So, he lags behind.

Q2.In the fair he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an answer?

Ans. The child observes many things in the fair which he wants to have. These are: gulab- jamun, rasgulla, burfi, jalebi, a garland of gulmohur and balloons. He also wants to ride a merry-go-round, and to listen to the music of the snake-charmer. He moves on without waiting for an answer because he knows that his parents won't buy any of these for him. So, he doesn't press for any of his demand.

Q3. When does he realise that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and insecurity been described?

Ans. He requests his parents to let him enjoy a ride on the merry-go-round. He looks around for a reply. But he is shocked to find that his parents were not there. He realises that he is lost, and feels nervous and confused. He doesn't know what to do and where to look for his parents. So, he starts crying and running here and there. Now, he doesn't care for anything but his parents. He falls down and his clothes get muddy

Q4. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?

Ans. When the child was with his parents, he was very happy. He was interested in many things, likes toys, balloons, sweets, etc. But now when he is without his parents, he feels nervous and confused. With his parents, he was safe but without them, he is a lost one. When the kind man tries to buy the same things for him that he wanted earlier, he doesn't take interest in any of them. He only wants his parents.

Q5. What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?

Ans. The writer has not given any hint or clue about what happens in the end. It is possible that the kind man takes the lost child to the priest of the shrine and makes an announcement about him. The parents of the child must have been searching for the child. When they listen to the announcement, they go to the shrine and take their child.

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