Lost spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood Question Answers (Important)| Class 12 English Flamingo Book

Flamingo Book Chap 2 - Lost Spring-Stories of Stolen Important Question Answers

CBSE Class 12 English Lesson 2 Lost spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood Question Answers (Important) from Flamingo Book

Class 12 English Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood Question Answers – Looking for Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood question answers (NCERT solutions) for CBSE Class 12 English Flamingo Book Chapter 2? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 12 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the board exam. Our solutions provide a clear idea of how to write the answers effectively. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Chapter 2: Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood question answers now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given NCERT solutions to the chapter’s extract based questions, short answer questions, and long answer questions. 

 Also, practising with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams.

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Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood NCERT Solution

Think as you read
1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?

Ans. Saheb is looking for any precious thing which he cannot afford to buy. Things like a rupee, silver coin or a pair of shoes. He has come to the garbage dump in the writer’s neighborhood. He lives in Seemapuri in Delhi and has come from Dhaka.

2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?

Ans. The author says that they do not wear footwear because it is a tradition in their families to remain barefoot.

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

Ans. Saheb is happy that he has got work at the tea stall. He will get eight hundred rupees every month and his meals too.

4. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Ans. Firozabad is famous for glass blowing industry.

5. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Ans. People who work in the glass bangle industry lose their eyesight.

6. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Ans.  Mukesh dares to dream and has a way out of his situation. He aspires to become a motor mechanic. On the other hand, his family does not dare to dream. They are too tired and scared to do something to come out of their grim situation.

Understanding the text
Q1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
Ans. People migrate from villages to cities in search of a better life. They want to earn money so that they can lead a good life and rear their children in a better way. As cities have more opportunities for work, this makes them migrate from the villages to these big cities.

Q2. Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?
Ans. Yes, I agree that the promises made to poor children are rarely fulfilled. In the story the writer jokingly offers the rag picker boy to join a school that she would open. In fact, she does not intend to open a school. She speaks mindlessly but the boy takes it to be true and later asks her if the school has opened. There are many such hollow promises in the boy’s life because the person who makes the promise never intends to fulfil it.

Q3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
Ans. The writer tells us that the bangle – makers of Firozabad are poverty – stricken. They are burdened by the fact of the particular caste in which they are born – bangle – makers. They have to continue the traditional profession. Further, the society has formed a harsh circle around them. The money – lenders, middlemen, policemen, law – keepers, officers and politicians altogether form a barrier around them and tie them in the grip of poverty. They cannot escape from it.

Q4. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Ans. Mukesh dared to dream and wanted to become a motor mechanic. He wanted to drive cars too. He took the initial step by aspiring to do something different from the family business. I think that Mukesh can realize his dream with determination and hard work.

Q5. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
Ans. The poor bangle makers in Firozabad work in dangerous conditions. The furnaces have very high temperatures and no ventilation. Hence, they are prone to ailments like lung cancer. While polishing the bangles, the dust harms their eyes and many lose their vision. They remain in dark for long hours and so are unable to see during the daytime.

Q6. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Ans. Forcing a child to work is a crime. This is so in order to prevent exploitation of children. If forced to work, Children cannot enjoy their childhood. They cannot get proper education. Also, when they are forced into hazardous works, they get ailments at a young age. This destroys their future. Their parents overlook all these facts as they need money. So, the government has to become proactive and take measures to check child labour and enforce the law strictly.

Class 12 English Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood Question Answers Lesson 2 – Extract Based Questions

Extract-based questions are of the multiple-choice variety, and students must select the correct option for each question by carefully reading the passage.

 

A. “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.

 

1. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE with reference to the extract?
A. Children work in badly lit and inadequately ventilated furnaces.
B. The children are not aware that it is forbidden by law to work..
C. Children work in the furnaces for hours which poorly affects their eyesight.
D. Firozabad has emerged as a budding producer of bangles in the country.
Ans: D

2. 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.
Ans: C

3. ‘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
Ans: A

4. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles indicates that
A. bangle making is the only industry that thrives in Firozabad.
B. Everyone in Firozabad works in the bangle industry.
C. majority of the population in Firozabad is involved in bangle making.
D. bangle making is the most favoured occupation in Firozabad.
Ans: C

 

Class 12 Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood Important Question Answers Video

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B. 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.

 

1. 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
Ans: C

2. ‘Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream’. This shows that
A. Although the bangle manufacturers are tired and exhausted, they are ambitious and have dreams.
B. The drudgery of work has destroyed their willingness to improve their lot.
C. The grind of daily life has darkened and stolen the dreams of the bangle manufacturers.
D. There is no time for dreaming because the bangle manufacturers are working so hard.
Ans: B

3. ‘She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes.’ This implies that
A. She is married, but the charm in her eyes has faded.
B. She is a married woman who has aged poorly and lost her grace.
C. Though she is married, her eyes are devoid of happiness.
D. She is a married woman with visual impairment.
Ans: C

4. ‘He has a roof over his head!’ The tone of the author is
A. pessimistic.
B. empathetic.
C. sympathetic.
D. optimistic.
Ans: D

C. “Why do you do this?” I ask Saheb whom I encounter every morning scrounging for gold in the garbage dumps of my neighbourhood. Saheb left his home long ago. Set amidst the green fields of Dhaka, his home is not even a distant memory. There were many storms that swept away their fields and homes, his mother tells him. That’s why they left, looking for gold in the big city where he now lives.

 

1. Saheb’s home, before Delhi, was in|
A. Bengal
B. Orissa
C. Dhaka
D. Bihar
Ans: C

2. Why did Saheb and his family move to Delhi?
A. because storms had swept away their fields and homes
B. their village was flooded
C. there were landslides
D. there was a deadly virus in the village
Ans: A

3. ‘Why do you do this?’ This question was asked by the author to
A. the bangle sellers
B. Mahesh
C. Saheb
D. Saheb’s mother
Ans: C

4. Saheb’s profession was that of a
A. cook
B. rag-picker
C. bangle seller
D. driver
Ans: B

 

D. “If I start a school, will you come?” I ask, half-joking.
“Yes,” he says, smiling broadly. A few days later I see him running up to me. “Is your school ready?”
It takes longer to build a school”. I say, embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant. But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world.”

 

Q1.Where does the line occur?
Ans: These lines occur in the prose “Lost Spring” written by Anees Jung.

Q2. Who is referred to as ‘I’?
Ans: Here in this extract from “Lost Spring”, the writer Anees Jung is referred to as ‘I’.

Q3. Why is the speaker embarrassed?
Ans: The speaker is embarrassed because she promised Saheb to enrol in her school after she built it. But as she did not do it and Saheb enquired about her school, she was embarrassed.

Q4. Find out the word from the passage which means ‘plenty’?
Ans:The word ‘plenty’ means abound.

 

E. “Saheb left his home long ago. Set amidst the green fields of Dhaka, his home is not even a distant memory. There were many storms that swept away their fields and homes, his mother tells him.” That’s why they left, looking for gold in the big city where he now lives.
“I have nothing else to do,” he mutters, looking away. “Go to school,” I say glibly, realising immediately how hollow the advice must sound.

 

Q1. Who is the speaker here?
Ans: Anne’s Jung,the author of ‘Lost Spring’ is the speaker here.

Q2. Who are ‘they’?
Ans: Here ‘they’ refers to the family of Saheb.

Q3. From where did ‘they’ come?
Ans: They came from Dhaka in Bangladesh.

Q4. What do they do now?
Ans: Now they pick rags in the dustbins in Delhi.

Q5. What has been swept away by storms?
Ans: The homes and fields of Saheb’s family were washed away by storms.

 

F. Food is more important for survival than an identity. “If at the end of the day we can feed
our families and go to bed without an aching stomach, we would rather live here than in
the fields that gave us no grain,” say a group of women in tattered saris when I ask them
why they left their beautiful land of green fields and rivers. 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. (SQP 2020-21)

Q1. The phrase ‘transit homes’ refer to the dwellings that are
A. unhygienic.
B. inadequate.
C. fragile.
D. temporary.
Ans: D. temporary.

Q2. Identify the figure of speech used in the sentence “Garbage to them is gold”.
A. hyperbole
B. simile
C. synecdoche
D. personification
Ans: A. hyperbole

Q3. Choose the term which best matches the statement ‘Food is more important for survival than an identity.”?
A. immorality
B. necessity
C. obligation
D. ambition
Ans: B. necessity

Q4. What does ‘acquired the proportions of a fine art’ mean?
A. Rag-picking has regained its lost status.
B. A segment of ragpickers are skilled in fine arts.
C. Rag-picking has attained the position of a skill.
D. Only a few people are experts in rag-picking.
Ans: C. Rag-picking has attained the position of a skill.

 

G. “I have nothing else to do,” he mutters, looking away. “Go to school,” I say glibly, realising immediately how hollow the advice must sound. “There is no school in my neighbourhood. When they build one, I will go.” “If I start a school, will you come?” I ask, half-joking. “Yes,” he says, smiling broadly. A few days later I see him running up to me. “Is your school ready?” “It takes longer to build a school,” I say, embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant. But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world.  (SQP 2021-22)

 

Q1. Saheb’s muttering and ‘looking away’ suggests his
A. anger
B. shyness
C. embarrassment
D. Anxiety
Ans: C. embarrassment

Q2. Of the four meanings of ‘glibly’, select the option that matches in meaning with its usage in the extract.
A. showing a degree of informality
B. lacking depth and substance
C. being insincere and deceitful
D. speaking with fluency
Ans: B. lacking depth and substance

Q3. Who do you think Saheb is referring to as ‘they’, in the given sentence? “When they build one, I will go”
A. The officials
B. The inhabitants
C. The teachers
D. The journalists
Ans: A. The officials

Q4. Select the option that lists the feelings and attitudes corresponding to the following: (1) I ask half-joking (2) …he says, smiling broadly

A.  1. Part arrogance, part seriousness  B.  1. Part amusement, part irritation 
2. hesitation 2. submissiveness
C. 1. Part concern, part hurt D.  1. Part humour, part earnestness 
2. pride 2. Self belief

Answer: D

Q5. Select the option that lists reasons why Saheb’s world has been called ‘bleak’.
(1) The absence of parental presence
(2) The poor socio-economic conditions
(3) His inability to address problems
(4) His lack of life-skills
(5) The denied opportunities of schooling
A. (1) and (4)
B. (2) and (5)
C. (3) and (5)
D. (2) and (4)
Ans: B. (2) and (5)

 

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Class 12 English Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood Short Question Answers (including questions from Previous Years Question Papers)

In this post we are also providing important short answer questions from the Chapter Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood for CBSE Class 12 Boards in the coming session. These questions have been taken from previous years class 12 Board exams and the year is mentioned in the bracket along with the question.


Q1. In what sense is garbage gold to the ragpickers?
Ans:  For the ragpickers, garbage is equivalent to gold in that it provides them with a livelihood. Garbage provides them with their daily rations and a place to live.

Q2. What did garbage mean to the children of Seemapuri and to their parents?
Ans:  The author claims that garbage is gold to ragpickers because, to children, trash is a source of amazement. They anticipate receiving some cash, jewels, or both in it. They occasionally discover a rupee or even a ten-rupee note, if luck is on their side. Adults use garbage as a source of income.

Q3. Give a brief account of the life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri.
Ans:  Anees Jung notes in “Lost Spring” that Saheb-e-Alam’s life and activities are entirely dependent on garbage. That is, in truth, garbage is their daily sustenance, and to them it is no less than gold. The poor rag pickers are generally barefoot, which she says is “an excuse to justify a permanent state of poverty”. They currently reside in mud structures with tin and tarpaulin roofs, without sewage, drainage, or running water. Whenever they can find food, they set up their tents. They have been residing in Seemapuri for more than 30 years without an identity or permission. They do, however, carry ration cards which enable them to vote.

Q4. Garbage to them is gold. How do ragpickers of Seemapuri survive?
Ans:  For the inhabitants of Seemapuri, nothing else matters except survival. They set up their tents wherever there is food. The people of Seemapuri rely on garbage collection and ragpicking to provide for their daily needs and a roof over their heads. Finding money in the trash—whether it be one rupee or ten—can occasionally make someone’s day, especially if they are a child. It gives them hope. Hence the writer’s statement that “garbage to them is gold” is true.

Q5. What does the writer mean when she says, ‘Saheb is no longer his own master’?
Ans:  The author intended Saheb to be a carefree youngster who worked and still had time for himself when he was a ragpicker. Yet as soon as he began working at the tea shop, he lost his freedom because he was forced to work for a master and obey his commands. He could no longer act however he pleased. As a result, he was no longer his own master.

Q6. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall ? Explain.
Ans:  Saheb was not happy working at the tea stall. There was fixed earning and food to suffice his hunger but he had lost his freedom. Earlier, working as a rag picker, his earning was meagre, but he had enjoyed his work as he was not accountable to anyone. Thus he was no longer his own master.

Q7. What makes the city of Firozabad famous ?
Ans: The bangle manufacturing sector is well known in Firozabad. In Firozabad, bangle manufacturing is a way of life for every family. It is the hub of India’s glass blowing industry, where families have spent years welding, producing glass, and creating bangles for ladies while surrounded by furnaces.

Q8. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps ? Where is he and where has he come from?
Ans:  In pursuit of “gold,” Saheb rummaged through and explored the garbage heaps. He lived in a slum outside of Delhi called Seemapuri with thousands of other rag pickers. He had left Bangladesh with his parents after numerous storms destroyed their home and farmland.

Q9. How was Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family ?
Ans:  Mukesh was prepared to leave the family’s history and vicious cycle of glassmakers. He followed his tender heart’s desire to train as a mechanic. In order to obtain the training and abilities he needed, he willingly undertook the burden of walking a significant distance to the garage. He therefore had the courage to pursue his dream.

Q10. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry ?
Ans: Workers in the glass bangle industry toiled their daylight hours working near hot furnaces in dingy cells having no proper lighting and inadequate ventilation. At times they lose their eyesight because of the dust emitted while polishing glass bangles. In Firozabad, children also laboured in glass bangle industries where they fell prey to such hazardous working atmosphere.

Q11. What trade does the family of Mukesh follow? Why does the writer feel that it’s difficult for Mukesh to break away from this tradition?
Ans: Engaged in bangle making for decades, it is difficult to break away from this trade. He belongs to the caste of bangle makers. His family is caught in the web of sahukars, the middlemen, policemen, politicians and bureaucrats, from which there is no escape.

Q12. What does Saheb do for a living? Why?
Ans:  Saheb is a rag picker. His family has left the life of poverty behind in Dhaka to pursue their dream of finding a better life. The children like him have no access to education and are forced into rag picking.

Q13. Why did people migrate from the village in Dhaka to Delhi?
Ans:  Their homes and farmland were destroyed by numerous storms. Political unrest at the period made life for these people very tough, and their fields eventually turned to desert. They left their home in Dhaka and moved to Delhi in the hopes of finding better living, educational, and employment possibilities.

Q14. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear ?
Ans:  The author had seen children walking barefoot, in cities as well as on village roads. It was customary for them to remain barefoot because they believed that their ragged clothing and being barefoot emphasized their ongoing poverty and tracked an ancient tradition that had been retained by the suffering rag pickers.

Q15. What does garbage symbolise for adults and children?
Ans: Garbage has a different connotation for kids than it does for adults. When they discover a rupee or ten-rupee note inside, the children’s eyes light up with wonder. They eagerly explore the trash in the hopes of discovering more. But so far, it is a means of survival for the elderly.

Q16. Why can’t the bangle makers of Firozabad organise themselves into a cooperative? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Ans:  The makers of bangles are locked in a vicious cycle that starts with poverty, progresses through apathy, greed, and injustice, and ends with injustice. Their hopes and goals are crushed by mindless labour.  Because they were caught in a vicious loop of sahukars, intermediaries, police, bureaucrats, and politicians, the Ferozabad bangle producers were unable to organise themselves into a cooperative. Collectively, priviledged people had imposed baggage on these individuals that they were unable to shed.

Q17. What is Mukesh’s dream? Do you think he will be able to fulfil his dream? Why? Why not? (Comptt. Delhi 2014)
Ans:  Mukesh wants to become a mechanic and learn how to drive. He appears to be determined to see his dream realised, which increases the likelihood that it will come true. Regardless of the distance between his house and the garage, he is prepared to walk there in order to learn despite all the odds against him.

Q18. Describe the irony in Saheb’s name. (Delhi 2016)
Ans:  Saheb’s full name is Saheb-e-Alam which means ‘Lord of the Universe’. Saheb, though, is a destitute ragpicker who relies on garbage dumps to support himself. His name offers a stark contrast to his sad situation.

Q19. How was Mukesh different from other bangle makers? (Comptt. Delhi 2016)
Ans:  Mukesh was different from other bangle makers because he wanted to be his own master. When other bangle manufacturers did not even dare to dream and had accepted their fate,  Mukesh had an ambition of becoming a mechanic.

Q20. Which industry was a boon and also bane for the people of Firozabad? How? (Comptt. Delhi 2017)
Ans: The glass-bangles making industry was a boon and also bane for the people of Firozabad.  Although the industry has provided them with a means of support, the dangerous working conditions in the hot furnaces have a negative impact on their physical well-being.

Q21. The youngsters echo the lament of their elders who have been doing the mind-numbing toil of bangle-making since long. This is the reason that the writer says that little has moved with time, it seems, in Firozabad. (SQP 2020-21)
Ans: The young people share the sorrow of their elders who have been engaged in the mind-numbing labour of producing bangles for a long time. Because of this, the author claims that hardly much seems to have changed over time in Firozabad.

Q22. Why does Anees Jung say that the bangle makers are caught in a vicious web? (CBSE SQP 2019-20)
Ans: The bangle makers in Firozabad are exploited at the hands of the Sahukars, middlemen, policemen, law makers, bureaucrats and politicians. They toil day and night, but are not paid appropriate wages and are steeped in poverty. They cannot form cooperatives for their betterment. Moreover, their children are also compelled to join the same trade at an early age and cannot dare to take up any other profession.

Q23. Why do you think Mukesh is content to dream of cars and doesn’t dream of flying a plane?
Ans: Mukesh was drawn towards being a motor mechanic and not a pilot because he had seen a lot of cars going around his place but had hardly seen any plane flying past and hence, he made a more realistic or practical decision to be a mechanic instead of a pilot.

Q24. Do you believe that ‘God-given lineage can be broken’? Support your position with a rationale. (QB)
Ans: Yes, – God given lineage can be broken.Hardwork and determination always pays off and makes us reach our dreams or goals. Mukesh was a hard-working man. He could achieve his dream of becoming a motor mechanic by constant hard work towards life and towards the dream.

Q25. How do you think the author’s life might have been impacted after her interactions with the children and their families mentioned in ‘Lost Spring’? (QB)
Ans: In the chapter ‘Lost Spring,’ the author ‘Anees Jung’ discusses the bleak world in which people in positions of power make promises but never try to keep them. We learned from her interactions with Saheb and Mukesh that the author cares about the lower class and oppressed people. She believes that child labour should be prohibited in our country so that children who want to study can do so.

Q26. What do we come to know about the author of Lost Spring, Anees Jung, through her interactions with Saheb and Mukesh? (SQP 2022-23)
Ans: In the chapter ‘Lost Spring,’ the author ‘Anees Jung’ discusses the bleak world in which people in positions of power make promises but never try to keep them. We learned from her interactions with Saheb and Mukesh that the author cares about the lower class and oppressed people.

Q27. What does the description of Mukesh’s family in Lost Spring reveal about gender roles?(SQP 2022-23)
Ans: Mukesh’s family in Lost Spring reveals patriarchy and inequality in the treatment of men and women. Women in the Mukesh family are still assigned to stereotypical gender roles, such as doing household chores and caregiving, whereas men are assigned to earning work.

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Class 12 Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood Long Answer Questions Chapter 2

 

Q1. Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text ?
Ans. We agree that promises made to underprivileged kids are frequently broken. We host several chat shows to end child labour, however the majority of child labourers worldwide are found in India. Children who work as children suffer both physical and mental suffering. The author of the lesson “Lost Spring” painted a clear picture of children working in the bangle and rag-picking professions. As she realised the plight of rag pickers, she asked Saheb if he would attend a school if she decided to create one in the area. Eventually, she felt ashamed for making a youngster a promise that she had no intention of keeping.Both child labourers in Firozabad and rag pickers in Seemapuri had never attended school. All of their initiative, desire, and capacity for dreaming were killed when they were persuaded to choose that line of work.

Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangle industry.
Ans. The glass bangle industry is highly dangerous to work in. Employees spend a lot of time close to the glass furnaces, which operate at high temperatures. They toil during the day in dismal cells with inadequate ventilation and illumination. Rather than the light and open air outside, their eyes become more accustomed to the gloom that prevails inside their workshop. They frequently lose their vision as a result of the dust that is released during the polishing of glass bangles. Despite the fact that child labour is illegal under the law, young children are mostly employed in this dangerous occupation. They work in a dimly lit hut with their parents or other other adults, shaping bits of coloured glass into lovely round bangles.They become more prone to accidents as a result of working in such poor sanitary conditions, and their desire to follow their dreams and escape their family’s constraints is also killed.

Q3. How in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Ans. Mukesh came from a family of bangle makers who practised their ancestors’ trade, thought it was a calling from God, and accepted the hardship, pain, and exploitation that went along with it as a part of their fate.  Mukesh chose the profession of his choice with a tender heart. H e was ready to leave the glass-making family’s legacy and its vicious cycle. He refused to let poverty thwart his ambitions. He desired to work as an apprentice in a garage since he had an ambition of becoming a mechanic. He aspired to get his driver’s licence so he could maybe work as a mechanic or a mechanic’s assistant, and he was willing to travel a significant distance to go to the garage.In this way, he dared to fulfil his dream.

Q4. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities.
Ans. More and more people are moving from villages to cities as years roll on. The village is under more strain now because of overpopulation, illiteracy, and unemployment. Furthermore, landless labourers are forced to move to cities in search of employment due to the introduction of mechanised farming. Their primary occupation used to be agriculture, but as a result of increasing industrialization and advances in education, young people now move to cities in pursuit of employment and educational opportunities. They don’t want to remain in the soiled rural environment. Modern machines have also taken the role of the local crafts. The market is crowded with high-quality, low-priced competition. The villagers are unable to sell their wares because they are unable to compete with the new system of vast industrialisation.They frequently become indebted because of agricultural loans and lose their lands and properties as a result. Finally, as a result of urbanisation, the villages move to the metropolis to live a contemporary lifestyle.

Q5. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Ans. Employment of child labour is illegal. The law forbids it. Nonetheless, it continues uninterrupted in numerous cities and villages. It has a risky nature.
It causes them physical and mental harm because they are unable to comprehend or communicate. They frequently lose or hurt their important organs while working. Before kids reach adulthood, they lose their innocence. All of their initiative, ambition, and desire to dream in life are killed by working day and night. They are even denied access to a formal education and to healthy development. It is dangerous to use kids in dangerous businesses like making carpet, bangles, and fireworks. These kids have no idea how to defend themselves in the event of an accident or calamity.The only way to resolve the issue with the government and society is to mercilessly punish the exploiters.

Q6. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty ?
Ans. Anees Jung correctly identified the two different classes that existed in the town of Firozabad. Families trapped in the tradition of creating bangles made up the first group. They had never considered careers outside of those of their ancestors. They were aware of how little money they were making and how challenging it was to make ends meet.
The second stratum included sahukars, bureaucrats, police officers, and cunning politicians who coerced the kids into child labour in the dangerous bangle making industry. Both young and old were caught in this terrible loop. If they spoke out against this continued system, the police would arrest them. They viewed it as a divinely mandated bloodline that could never be broken.They never considered creating a union. They never spoke up to escape the web of poverty and the grasp of the bureaucrats because they had accepted it as their fate.

Q7. Mukesh is not like the others. His dreams loom like a mirage amidst the dust of streets that fill his town Firozabad‟. Justify the statement in the light of contrast in the mindsets of Mukesh and the people of Firozabad. (SQP 2018-19)
Ans. Mukesh belongs to a family of glass bangle makers in Firozabad. Even though the children of such families usually carry on their family profession, Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic and drive a car. Unlike his family members, and others of his community, he has dared to dream. His grandmother’s words about the unbreakable lineage represent the attitude they have towards their situation in life. They believe that it is their destiny to toil as bangle makers. Mukesh was different from the others of his community. His dreams look like a mirage amidst the dust of street that fill his town Firozabad. By daring to dream, he has already taken the first step towards a big change. He wants to become a motor mechanic and drive a car. He can realise this dream with determination and hard work. There might be many obstacles on his way but a strong willpower will help him move towards the path of success. The resolute boy is willing to walk a long distance from home to learn to be a mechanic.

Q8. How does the story, ‘Lost Spring’ highlight the apathy of society and those in power to end the vicious cycle of poverty? Support your answer with textual evidence.
Ans. In this story, ‘Lost Spring’s Saheb and Mukesh were the two main characters in two different stories and both of them suffered extreme poverty. In the first story Saheb was a child who did rag picking with his family to fulfil their needs. After a few days he started working in a tea stall and he is no longer his own master as he worked under someone.On the other side mukesh belonged to a family of bangle makers and works in bangle making industry along with his family but he was focused and determined for his aim to become a motor mechanic. Both Saheb and Mukesh were unable to move out of poverty and live a normal life,as they got no opportunities and it was almost impossible for them to fulfil their dreams. This was because the upper class people, politicians and officials did not help them at all ,rather they pushed them down in poverty for their greed. Also they did not have much knowledge about their rights and the importance of education, as no one told them about this.They both just followed the old customs and worked in poverty as no one guided them. Even the people who have the power to help them showed lack of interest in helping them. That is why this vicious cycle of poverty continues and the poor people become more poor and the rich become richer. If the upper class people and the men in power would have helped them to get out of poverty and get educated, then both Saheb and Mukesh would definitely be able to fulfil their dreams and enjoy their life like others. Also, it is the duty of common people to make them aware of their rights and tell them how they can move out of poverty stricken life so as to make them succeed in life.

Q9. Certain traditions and lineage, condemn thousands of children to a life of abject poverty and choke their aspirations. • Do you agree? Explain. • How can we change this? Suggest some ways to tackle this issue. (QB)
Ans. Yes, I do agree that ‘Lost Spring’ narrates the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn thousands of people have succumbed.  The story written by Anees Jung revolves around the pitiable condition of poor children who have been forced to live in the slums and work hard in dirty conditions. The first part tells the writer’s impression about the life of poor rag pickers who have migrated from Bangladesh but now are settled in the Seemapuri area of Delhi.  The second part narrates the miserable life of the bangle-makers in the town of Firozabad. The stark reality of these families is that, in spite of back-breaking hard work that they put in, they cannot have two square meals a day. Besides, false and blind belief in traditions does not let their children take up other respectable and better paying jobs which will improve their financial situations.

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