Important Questions: Children at Work | English Class 8 PDF Download

Q1: Write the word’s meaning.

Shove
Ans: Push

Q2: Fill in the blanks.
Velu squinted and read the Tamil sign, ______.
Ans: Velu squinted and read the Tamil sign, Central Jail.

Q3: How old was Velu?
Ans: Velu was eleven years old.

Q4: What was in Velu’s bundle?
Ans: A shirt, towel, and comb were in Velu’s bundle.

Q5: What was the canal’s name?
Ans: The canal’s name was Buckingham Canal.

Q6: Write the word’s meaning.
Grimace
Ans: An expression of disgust or pain

Q7: Fill in the blanks.
It was still morning, but the sun blasted down on the tar and Velu’s bare feet _______.
Ans: It was still morning, but the sun blasted down on the tar and Velu’s bare feet burned.

Q8: What was the girl’s name?
Ans: The girl’s name was Jaya.

Q9: What did Velu eat when he was running from his home?
Ans: Velu ate only some peanuts and a piece of jaggery while running from home.

Q10: Why did Velu run from his home?
Ans: Velu had a very abusive father. He used to snatch Velu’s money and drink alcohol with it. He used to beat Velu every day. Velu could not tolerate his father’s ill behavior, and he left his house.

Q11: Why did Velu decide to pick up rags?
Ans: Velu had left his home and fled to the city of Chennai. He neither had any money nor any relative or friend who would help him. So, he decided to pick rags until he could get a better job.

Q12: Which types of work did Velu do in his village?
Ans: Velu used to work on the landowner’s farm. He used to take the cows out to graze and sometimes clear weeds in the fields.

Q13: How did Velu reach Chennai?
Ans: Velu walked for almost a day to reach Kannur from his village. Then he took a train to reach Chennai. He did not have a ticket and got into the unreserved compartment. Luckily, the ticket checker did not come to the unreserved compartment, and he reached Chennai.

Q14: What sort of things did Jaya and children like her collect, and what did they do with those things?
Ans: Jaya was a ragpicker. She used to collect plastic bottles, paper glasses, and papers from dustbins and garbage with the help of a stick and put them in a sack. Then she would sell those collected things to Jaggu of Jam Bazaar, who would sell those to factories.

Q15: Mention how Velu roamed the city with Jaya.
Ans: Velu started to follow Jaya because he knew nothing about the city. Jaya helped him cross the road, and then Velu reached a bridge where he saw the city’s tall buildings. Then, he saw the central jail and roamed with Jaya in different parts of the city.

Q16: What do we know about Velu’s family from the story?
Ans: We learn that Velu had an abusive father. He used to live in a village where he had to work on a farm. His father used to beat him and take his money to drink alcohol. Apart from this, Velu’s sisters are also mentioned, but we don’t know if he had a mother or not.

Q17: The story highlights a serious issue in our society. Explain.
Ans: Many children in India leave their homes for different reasons. One of the main reasons is abusive parents. Those children flee to big cities in search of a better job, but they end up doing unsanitary work such as rag-picking. Many poor children do this job to support their parents. Finding plastic cups, bottles, papers, and other recyclable materials in dustbins or heaps of garbage is sickening. They do not get to have a normal childhood and are deprived of education. This is a serious problem that still exists today. The story vividly describes the life of two such children. One of them becomes accustomed to this work, and the other enters the job due to having no other option.

Q18: Describe the girl.
Ans: When Velu was sitting in the railway station, a girl called out to him. She was the same age as Velu and wearing a banian. Her hair was stiff, and she had a stick in her hand. She was picking plastic cups and papers from the garbage.

Q19: Describe how Velu turned into a ragpicker.
Ans: Velu is an eleven-year-old boy who left his home in the village to get rid of his abusive father. He reached Chennai. He had no money, and he did not know anyone there. When he thought about what to do next, he was called by a girl named Jaya. Jaya was a ragpicker. Velu followed her and roamed the city, and Jaya took him to her shelter. She knew Velu could not find a better job in the city and gave him a sack to help her find rags. Velu got sad but knew he could not find any better work to support him. So, he decided to do this job until he found a better one.

Q20: Do you think Jaya is a brave and sensitive child with a sense of humor? Find instances of her courage, kind nature, and humor in the text.
Ans: Jaya is surely a brave child. She roams the city, picks up plastic bottles and other things from the garbage, and sells them at the market. She has a great sense of humor. She is more experienced than Velu with city life and expresses it with humor. She shows Velu the reality of the poor people in the city with sarcasm. She calls Velu 'Prince' several times for fun. But she also has kindness. She knew Velu was hungry and did her best to feed him. She also knew Velu could not get a job, so she asked him to help her. In that way, Velu could earn some money too.