Class 9 Moments Supplementary Reader Chapter 1 Question Answers - The Lost Child

Q1. Where did the child go with his parents? What did he want there? 

• The child went to a fair with his parents, which had been organized to celebrate the festival of spring. 
• He wanted them to buy him sweets, garlands, and balloons at the fair. He also wanted to see the snake charmer’s show and ride on a roundabout.

Q2. Was the fair popular with people in general? Give reasons.
OR
Was the festival of spring an attraction for the people? 

• The fair was certainly very popular with people in general because they had left their daily routine work, dressed up in their best, and had come to enjoy the spring festival.
• They were with their families and crowded the stalls and rides displayed at the fair.

Q3. Parents were in a hurry to reach the fair, but the child was delaying them. How? 

• The child was getting tempted by the many distractions on the way to the fair. Sometimes he would stop by the toy shops while at other times he would start running after butterflies. 
• The parents had to pause frequently and call him to walk beside them.

Q4. What are the things that the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?

• The child sees toys, insects, worms, and flowers on his way to the fair. He gets lured by these things and frequently stops to watch them longingly. 
• Thus, he fails to keep pace with his parents and lags behind.

Q5. How did the child’s father react to hearing the child say, “I want that toy.”? 

• The child was used to his parents, especially his father’s habit of refusing him anything that he desired to have. 
• Yet when he dared to express his desire to have a toy, his father looked at him red-eyed like a tyrant. The very look was an emphatic and rude ‘no’.

Q6. How can you say that the child was scared of his father? 

• The child was tempted by many things, but he asked for them only in slow murmurs. 
• This shows that he was scared of his father and could not express his demands as rightfully as some other children do.

Q7. How did the mother distract the child’s mind from the toy seller? 

• The child’s mother drew his attention to the flowering mustard field to distract his mind from the toy seller. 
• Here he saw colourful dragonflies with gaudy purple wings, black bees, and butterflies. He gazed at them as they flew in the air.

Q8. How did the child enjoy the beauty of nature on his way to the fair? 

• On his way to the fair, the child saw a flowering mustard field. 
• He stopped there to watch the little insects and worms that were coming out from their hiding places. 
• He then tried to gather the petals of falling flowers and ran gaily in circles around a banyan tree.

Q9. Why did the child stop to watch the insects and what were his parents doing at that time? 

• The child stopped because he was attracted by the little insects and worms along the footpath coming out of hiding to enjoy the warmth of the sun. 
• Meanwhile, his parents stopped to take a rest under the shade of trees.

Q10. What happened when the little child entered the grove? How did he enjoy it there?

• When the little child entered the grove, a shower of young flowers fell upon him. He forgot all about his parents and began to gather the petals. 
• Then he heard the cooing of doves and he ran excitedly to his parents, dropping the flowers he had gathered.

Q11. Why did the child feel both repelled and fascinated by the fair? 

• The child was amazed to see a huge crowd of people at the fair. This left him confused and a bit afraid. 
• However, the natural sights, stalls of eatables, rides, games and toys at the fair fascinated him.

Q12. What did the child see at the sweetmeat shop? How did he react to this sight?

• At the sweetmeat shop on the entrance of the fair, the child saw an architecture of many-coloured sweets that made his eyes open wide and left his mouth filled with water. 
• He longed to have his favourite burfi but instinctively knew that his parents would not buy him any. So, he moved on without waiting for an answer.

Q13. Why didn’t the child wait for an answer after he had pleaded for sweets? 

• The child’s mouth watered at the sight of his favourite sweet ‘burfi’. 
• He murmured slowly asking for one but didn’t wait for an answer because he knew his parents would refuse and call him greedy.

Q14. Why couldn’t the child get a garland of flowers for himself?

• The child wanted to get a garland of Gulmohar flowers for himself, but he asked for it in a half murmuring voice only.
• Actually, he knew that his parents would refuse by saying that those flowers were cheap.

Q15. How did balloons fascinate the child? Was he able to buy any? Why/Why not? 

• The sight of many-coloured balloons flying in the air from the balloon sellers pole blew the child over and his heart was filled with an overwhelming desire to possess all those balloons. 
• But alas, just like the burfi and the flowers, he could not dare to ask his parents to buy him balloons for fear of getting a ‘no’ from them on the pretext that he was too old to play with balloons.

Q16. How did the sight of a snake-charmer leave the child spellbound? 

• As the child walked away from the balloon-seller, his eyes caught the sight of a snake-charmer playing on a flute to a snake. 
• He was fascinated by the swinging hood of the snake swinging gracefully like the neck of a swan. 
• The music of the flute equally mesmerized both the snake and the boy.

Q17. Why didn’t the child ask his parents to show him the snake charmer’s act even though he wanted to?

• The child knew that in the opinion of his parents, the snake charmer’s music was coarse. 
• So, he did not see any point in asking for something which he knew would be denied.

Q18. In the fair, the child wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an answer? 

• The boy wants toys, sweetmeat (burfi), a garland and balloons. He also wants to hear the snake charmer’s music and take a ride on the roundabout. 
• However, he moves on without waiting for an answer because he knows that his parents will refuse by offering some reason or the other.

Q19. What did the child find difficult to resist? What did he do? 

• The child saw a roundabout which carried men, women and children in a whirling motion and they shrieked excitedly. 
• He could not resist this tempting ride and made a bold request to his parents to get him on that roundabout.

Q20. What plea did the child finally make to his parents? Was his plea heard? 

• The child finally pleaded with his parents to let him go on a ride on the roundabout. 
• Sadly, this plea was not heard because his parents weren’t standing behind him at that time. He had been separated from them and hence they could not hear him.

Q21. The fair lost all its charm and attraction for the child. When did this happen?
OR 
How was the child separated from his parents?

• Tempted by the sight of a sweetmeat seller, a balloon-seller, a flower-seller, a snake-charmer and finally the roundabout in motion, the child failed to keep pace with his parents and got separated. 
• This separation filled him with panic and he lost interest in the fair.

Q22. How did the child realise that his parents were not with him? What was his immediate reaction?

• On not getting any reply to his bold request for a ride on a roundabout, the child turned back and noticed that his parents were not there. 
• He realized at this moment that he had got lost. Filled with fear and panic, he ran wailing in all directions calling aloud for his parents.

Q23. How did the child react when there was no sign of his parents?
OR 
What was the first reaction of the child when he realised that he had lost his parents?

• On realizing that he had lost his parents, the child got confused. He panicked when he could not spot his parents in the large crowd of people around him. 
• He ran all over, looking for them. Feeling lonely and afraid, he cried inconsolably.

Q24. What happened when the lost child reached the temple door?

• On reaching the temple door, the lost child got caught between the legs of the crowd that was jostling with each other to get into the shrine. 
• The child got knocked down and would have got trampled if the ‘kind man’ had not rescued him after hearing his loud cry.

Q25. Who rescued the lost child? What did he offer to buy? 

• A kind man in the shrine heard the child’s cry and lifted him in his arms. 
• To pacify the wailing child, he offered to buy all those things that he had asked for from his parents – horse ride, a multi-coloured balloon, garland, snake-charmers show, and a sweetmeat.

Q26. Why did the man offer to buy things for the child?

• The child kept weeping inconsolably in the arms of the man who had rescued him from getting trampled at the shrine. 
• The man offered to buy him things in order to pacify the child, to make him feel secure, and to ask him about his parents and home.

Q27. Why did the lost child refuse to take his favourite things in the fair after losing his parents?
OR 
Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier? 

• The child refused to take his favourite things in the fair after losing his parents because now he was overwhelmed with fear and panic. 
• His only thought was of his parents and he had lost interest in everything else including all the things that he wanted to have earlier.

Q28. What was the child’s response to the many offers made by the man?

• The child simply wailed inconsolably. In between his sobs, he expressed his desire to be with his mother and father. 
• He refused to even glance at the various things offered by the man in an attempt to quieten him.

Q29. What kind of person was the man who rescued the child?

• The man who rescued the child was a kind-hearted person. 
• He was a blessing in disguise for the lost child. If he had not volunteered to help, the helpless little one might have ended up getting trampled over and killed.

Q30. What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?

• The lost child was fortunate enough to have been picked up by a kind and affectionate soul. 
• This man must have gone out of his way to trace the lost child’s mother and father and succeeded in reuniting him with his parents.

Q31. How can you say that the child was an obedient boy? 

• The child was fascinated by the fair. He was attracted towards many things in the fair, but he did not insist his parents buy any of them. 
• He followed his parents in the fair like an obedient child. 
• Though he longed for the things yet, he did not express his desire before his parents because he knew that his parents would not allow him to get them.

Q32. Where did the child’s parents stop and why?

While going to the fair, the child’s parents stopped under the shade of a grove. They stopped there to rest for a while.

Q33. How did the father try to distract the child’s mind from the toy seller? 

• In the fair, the child saw a toy-seller. He told his parents that he wanted to buy some toys. 
• But his father was very strict and he looked at him with anger. As the child was familiar with his father’s strict ways, he did not force his father for buying toys.

Q34. What was the child watching when he got lost? 

• The child was watching a roundabout in the fair. Men, women and children were carried away in a whirling motion. 
• They shrieked and cried with dizzy laughter. He also wanted to ride on the roundabout.

Q35. Why did the lost child go toward the temple? What happened there? 

• The lost child went towards the temple where many people were gathering. He ran towards the entrance of the temple.  
• The crowd was becoming thicker. People jostled each other. He struggled to push his way but was knocked down. 
• He might have been trampled if he had not shouted at his highest pitch.

Q36. Why did the parents forbid the child from listening to the snake charmer’s music?

They refused the flute’s music to the child because they considered it coarse music. The child suppressed his feelings and kept on moving.

Q37. How did the child react to seeing the sweet-seller? 

• In the fair, some man was selling sweets. He was selling Gulab-Jamun, Rasogulla and Burfi as well as Jalebi. 
• A good number of other sweets were also displayed in the shop. When the child saw these sweets, his mouth started watering. 
• The child’s favourite was Burfi, so he told his parents that he wanted Burfi.

Q38. Where did the lost child meet a kind-hearted person at the fair? 

• He met the kind-hearted person near the shrine. The man saw the child in the crowd. 
• He might have been trampled underfoot. His shrieks invited the attention of the kind man who lifted him.

Q39. How did the child react in front of the Juggler? 

• The Juggler was playing the flute to a snake. The child was attracted by the music and went towards him.
• He knew that his parents would not like he’s standing there. So he moved on.

Q40. Why did the child not stay for long near the snake charmer? 

• In the fair, the child noticed a snake charmer. He was playing the flute in front of the snake. The music of the flute greatly influenced the child. 
• But he did not stay for long near the snake charmer because he knew that his parents would not allow him to hear the music as it was coarse music for his parents.