NOTES- LOST SPRING

Chapter 2 Lost Spring Exercise

 

 Q1 :

What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?

Answer :

Saheb is looking for coins, rupee notes and any other useful objects in the garbage dumps. Saheb is in Seemapuri, a slum area on the outskirts of Delhi. He has come from Dhaka, Banglaesh looking for a source of living after they were uprooted from their native village.

 Q2 :

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

Answer :

The author comes across many shoeless rag-picker children in her neighbourhood. According to her, one explanation of this habit of remaining barefoot is that it is a tradition among the poor children of this country.

 Q3 :

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

Answer :

Saheb is not really happy working at the tea-stall because working for a master meant sacrificing his freedom and his "carefree look". Even though the job at the tea-stall pays him 800 rupees and all his meals, he seems less contented than before.

 Understanding the text: Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 20

Q1 :

How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?

Answer :

Mukesh was different from the others of his community. 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 way to success. The fact that he is willing to walk a long distance in order to learn the vocation, underlines his firm resolve.

 Q2 :

What makes the city of Firozabad famous?

Answer :

Firozabad is famous for its glass bangles. The place is the centre of India's glass-blowing industry.

Q3 :

What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?

Answer :

There are many factors that cause migration of people from villages to cities. Some villagers voluntarily move to the cities in search for jobs and better civic and health facilities, etc. Others are forced to migrate when natural disasters like flood, storm, drought, famine, etc. destroy their houses and properties. History has records of large scale migrations caused by wars.

Q4 :

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?

Answer :

Yes, the promises made to poor children are seldom kept. Often, they are not taken seriously or have been made on the pretext of retaining a child's fancy for something. This keeps the child hoping for a better possibility till he/she realises the truth. Once, while interacting with Saheb, the narrator ends up encouraging him to study and jokingly talks about opening a school herself. At that time she fails to realise that unknowingly she has sown a seed of hope in Saheb's heart. She becomes conscious of her mistake when, after a few days, Saheb approaches her, enquiring about her school.

Q5 :

Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.

Answer :

The impoverished workers in the glass bangles industry toil in potentially hazardous working conditions while welding. The furnaces they work in have extremely high temperature and lack proper ventilation. Persistently working in low light conditions, without any protective eye gear, leaves them blind. Even burns and cuts are quite common. The workers are quite prone to ailments such as lung cancer.

Q6 :

What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?

Answer :

The unfavourable social and legal systems, the deceptive middlemen, and their own sad destinies keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in perpetual poverty.

Q7 :

How is Mukesh's attitude to his situation different from that of his family?

Answer :

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. But Mukesh dreams of a better and safer career.

Q8 :

 Why should child labour be eliminated and how?

Answer :

 

 Child labour should be eliminated because the children employed at tender age as  domestic servants, dish-washers at road-side dhabas and in hazardous industries making glass bangles, crackers etc. lose the charm of the spring of their life. Their childhood is stolen. Burdened by the responsibility of work, they become adults too soon. Most of them are undernourished, ill-fed, uneducated, and poor. They have a stunted growth.
         Child labour can be eliminated only through concerted efforts on the part of government agencies, NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), co-operative societies and political leaders.

NOTES- THE LAST LESSON

                                                                  THE LAST LESSON- NOTES

A.Q1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Ans:  That day Franz was expected to be prepared with participles because M. Hamel had said that he would question them on participles. Franz did not know anything about participles.

Q2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Ans: That day everything was as quiet as Sunday morning. There was no opening or closing of desks. His classmates were already in their places. The teacher’s great ruler instead of rapping on the table, was under M. Hamel’s arm.

Q3. What had been put up on the bulletin-board?
Ans: For the last two years all the bad news had come from the bulletin-board. An order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The Germans had put up this notice on the bulletin-board.

B.Q1. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Ans: M. Hamel had put on his best dress—his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt and the little black silk cap, all embroidered. On the back benches that were always empty, the elderly village people were sitting quietly like the kids.

Q2. How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Ans: Franz came to know that it was the last lesson in French that M. Hamel would give them. From the next day they will be taught only German. He felt sorry for not learning his lessons properly. His books, which seemed a nuisance and a burden earlier were now old friends. His feelings about M. Hamel also changed.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Q1. The people in this story suddenly realise how  precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Ans: M. Hamel told the students and villagers that henceforth only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Those who called themselves Frenchmen would neither be able to speak nor write it. He praised French as the most beautiful, the clearest and most logical language in the world. He said that for the enslaved people, their language was the key to their prison. Then the people realised how precious their language was to them. This shows people’s love for their own culture, traditions and country.

Q2. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons’ What could this mean?(There could be more than one answer.)
Ans: This comment of Franz shows a Frenchman’s typical reaction to the imposition of learning German, the language of the conquerors. Being deprived of the learning of mother tongue would mean cutting off all bonds with the motherland. Teaching the pigeons to sing in German indicates how far the Germans would go in their attempts of linguistic chauvinism.

Q3. Draw the character sketch of M.hamel?

Ans: M.Hamel had been a devoted French teacher for 40 years. He was a strict disciplinarian and his students were terrified of him and his 'great ruler'. However, he was a respectable man. On the last day of school, many villagers, who had been taught by him at some point of time, had come to attend his lecture and pay homage to him. He gives great importance to learning. French and considered it to be the most beautiful language of the world. However, he was melancholy and depressed that French had been banned from being taught, after France was overtaken by Prussia. His sorrow was evident in the gloomy way he sat in the class while his students were completing their writing assignment. He became nostalgic looking at the classroom and the adjoining garden. Before leaving the class, he broke down and so, could not speak any parting words.

Q4. Draw the character sketch of franz?

Ans: Franz was a student in one of the schools in the districts of Alsace. The boy loved outside environment and wanted to enjoy it. In the school too, he often loved to work in the garden. He became fond of shirking from work and used to put off his learning as well as home task. But he was much scared of his teacher M. Hamel.

In addition to this, the boy had an acute sense of understanding, feeling, recognition and respect. Entering the school, he sensed unusualness and calmness there. He was much surprised at this and was rather troubled to know that his teacher was leaving them because of an order from Berlin that had banned the teaching of French. During the writing period, he noticed sad expressions over the face of M. Hamel. When the teacher taught a lesson in grammar, it left an indelible impression on the boy. He felt that the teacher was going to pour everything in their minds. Then the teacher wrote on the blackboard ‘Long Live France’. The boy was deeply moved and he recognised his teacher for his worth.