Previous Year Questions: Lost Spring

CBSE Previous Year Questions 2025

Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks)

Q.1. 'But the game he is watching so intently is out of his reach.' What are the factors that have made their game inaccessible to Saheb? (2 Marks)

Answer:The factors that make the game of tennis inaccessible to Saheb are his extreme poverty and social exclusion. Saheb is a ragpicker who lives in the slums of Seemapuri, while tennis is played in an exclusive neighborhood club. He can only stand behind the fence to watch the game or use the swing only when the gatekeeper allows it, and the discarded tennis shoes he eventually wears-one with a hole-further emphasize that he can only possess the "leftovers" of the rich, not participate in their lifestyle.

Q.2. Explain how Mukesh in 'Lost Spring' stands as a ray of hope for the bangle making community. (2 Marks)

Answer: Mukesh stands as a ray of hope because he dares to dream and breaks the "god-given lineage" of his caste. Unlike his family and the rest of the community in Firozabad, who have accepted a life of mind-numbing toil and "karam" (destiny), Mukesh insists on being his own master. By announcing his ambition to become a motor mechanic and offering to walk a long distance to a garage to learn, he demonstrates the willpower to escape the vicious circle of poverty and exploitation that has blinded and trapped generations before him.

Long Answer Type Questions 

Q.3. Analyse the characters of William Douglas from 'Deep Water' and Mukesh from 'Lost Spring' in terms of their determination and willpower in pursuing their goals. (5 Marks)

Answer: Both William Douglas and Mukesh exhibit extraordinary determination and willpower to overcome their circumstances, though their challenges differ in nature.

• William Douglas: His struggle is internal-a psychological battle against a stark terror of water caused by a near-death experience at a Y.M.C.A. pool. His willpower is seen in his disciplined approach to conquering this fear; he hires an instructor, practices five days a week, and piece by piece builds his confidence. Even after the instructor is "finished," Douglas continues to test himself in lakes and rivers until he is sure he has conquered his fear, proving that "the will to live" can grow in intensity when one faces terror.
• Mukesh: His struggle is external and socio-economic. He lives in the "vicious circle" of Firozabad's bangle industry, where poverty and tradition kill all initiative. Mukesh's determination is characterized by his defiance of tradition; he refuses to follow his father's trade and insists on becoming a motor mechanic. Despite the garage being "a long way from his home," he asserts, "I will walk," showing a proactive spirit that contrasts with the apathy of his elders.

Conclusion: While Douglas uses willpower to regain a lost joy of life (canoeing, swimming), Mukesh uses it to forge an entirely new path for himself. Both characters underscore the theme that unwavering resolve is the key to overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, whether they are psychological fears or systemic exploitation.

Extract-Based Questions

Q.4. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: (6 Marks) 

"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.
After months of knowing him, I ask him his name. 'Saheb-e-Alam', he announces. He does not know what it means. If he knew its meaning - lord of the universe - he would have a hard time believing it. Unaware of what his name represents, he roams the streets with his friends, an army of bare feet boys who appear like the morning birds and disappear at noon. Over the months, I have come to recognise each of them. "Why aren't you wearing chappals ?" I ask one. "My mother did not bring them down from the shelf." He answers simply. "Even if she did he will throw them off," adds another who is wearing shoes that do not match.

(i) The intention of the speaker in the first line of the extract is one of ________.

​Answer: clarification
Solution: The speaker realizes she made a "glib" or hollow promise about starting a school and uses this statement to clarify or justify the delay and the difficulty of such a task to hide her embarrassment.

(ii) What is implied by the expression 'he would have a hard time believing it'.
​(A) Saheb is too innocent to believe everything.
​(B) Saheb is living up to his name.
​(C) Saheb's living condition is contrary to the meaning of his name.
​(D) Saheb is not used to anyone calling his name.

​Answer: (C) Saheb's living condition is contrary to the meaning of his name.
Solution: Saheb's name, 'Saheb-e-Alam', means "lord of the universe," yet he is a poor, barefoot ragpicker who scrounges through garbage to survive; the irony between his reality and the meaning of his name is so vast he would find it unbelievable.

(iii) Select the correct option from those given in brackets to fill in the blank: "Promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world." The above statement of the speaker reveals the fact that people like Saheb are ________ (deluded / empowered) by such promises.

​Answer: deluded
Solution: The text describes Saheb's world as "bleak" and full of empty promises made by people who do not mean them, suggesting that these children are kept in a state of false hope or delusion rather than being genuinely helped or empowered.

(iv) State one reason for the boy was wearing shoes that did not match.

​Answer: One boy explains that even if his mother brought down his chappals, the boy wearing the mismatched shoes would simply throw them off; however, it is also implied that these are discarded shoes from rich children, as seen later when Saheb wears tennis shoes with a hole because they were discarded.

(v) The speaker describes Saheb's life as a 'bleak world' because:
​(A) he lives in a house without electricity.
​(B) his world is his friends.
​(C) his life is devoid of hope.
​(D) he belongs to the world of illiterates.

​Answer: (C) his life is devoid of hope.
Solution: The world is "bleak" because it is characterized by extreme poverty, a lack of identity, and hollow promises that never manifest into actual change or a better future.

(vi) "Why aren't you wearing chappals?" I asked one. The conversation between the speaker and the boys reflects the ________ of the speaker.

Answer: embarrassment
Solution: The speaker feels "embarrassed" for making a promise (to build a school) that was not meant, realizing how "hollow" her initial advice to "go to school" must have sounded to a child in Saheb's position.

CBSE Previous Year Questions 2024

Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks)

Q.1. How is Saheb's name full of irony?

Answer: Saheb's full name is 'Saheb-e-Alam', which translates to 'Lord of the Universe'. The irony lies in the fact that he is a poverty-stricken, barefoot ragpicker who spends his days scrounging through garbage dumps for survival. Far from being a lord, he owns nothing and lacks even basic footwear.

Q.2. How is Mukesh different from other boys of his age?

Answer: While most boys in Firozabad are resigned to their fate of bangle-making due to years of mind-numbing toil, Mukesh dares to dream. He insists on being his "own master" and aspires to become a motor mechanic. Unlike his peers, he is willing to walk a long distance to a garage to learn the craft.

Q.3. In spite of the conditions prevailing in Seemapuri, children like Saheb and Mukesh are not devoid of hope. How far do you agree?

Answer: I agree that these children possess a sense of wonder and hope. For Saheb, garbage is "wrapped in wonder" because he occasionally finds a rupee or a silver coin, which keeps his hope of finding more alive. Mukesh similarly maintains hope by focusing on his ambition to drive a car and become a mechanic, refusing to let his bleak surroundings stifle his aspirations.

Q.4. When I sense a flash of it in Mukesh, I am cheered. How is Mukesh's attitude of life different from that of his family and friends?

Answer: Mukesh's family and friends have accepted bangle-making as a "god-given lineage" that cannot be broken, believing it is their "karam" or destiny. Mukesh, however, displays a "flash" of daring by wanting to break this cycle. He rejects the traditional path and chooses to pursue a different career as a motor mechanic.

Q.5. How is the life of the ragpickers of Seemapuri a life of survival?

Answer: For the 10,000 ragpickers in Seemapuri, survival is strictly tied to rag-picking. They live in mud structures with leaking roofs and no sewage or running water. To them, garbage is "gold" because it provides their "daily bread" and is their only means of feeding their families and having a roof over their heads.

Q.6. Explain the influence of nature in the life of Saheb.

Answer: Nature had a disastrous influence on Saheb's early life. His mother told him that many storms swept away their green fields and homes in Dhaka. This natural devastation forced his family to migrate to the big city in search of a livelihood, ultimately leading him to a life of rag-picking in Seemapuri.

Long Answer Type Questions (5 Marks)

Q.7. 'Lost Spring' and 'Indigo' highlight the apathy of society and exploitation by those in power. Elaborate. (5 Marks)

Answer: Both 'Lost Spring' and 'Indigo' serve as powerful indictments of a callous system that exploits the vulnerable. In 'Lost Spring', the bangle makers of Firozabad are trapped in a "vicious circle" comprising sahukars, middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats, and politicians who ensure the workers remain in poverty. This political and social apathy is so deep that children accept this "baggage" of exploitation as naturally as their fathers.

Similarly, 'Indigo' depicts the exploitation of Champaran sharecroppers by British landlords under an unjust system that compelled them to grow indigo and surrender the entire harvest as rent. In both cases, the poor are victims of systemic apathy where those in power prioritise greed over human dignity. It is only through external intervention-Gandhi's leadership in Champaran or the narrator's observation in Firozabad-that these hidden tragedies are brought to light.

Q.8. 'A Roadside Stand' and 'Lost Spring' depict two contrasting worlds existing in society. Justify this statement with reference to the poem 'A Roadside Stand' and the text 'Lost Spring'. (5 Marks)

Answer: 'Lost Spring' and 'A Roadside Stand' both portray the painful chasm between the affluent city-dwellers and the deprived poor. In 'Lost Spring', the world of the poor is defined by "dark hutments" and a "web of poverty", while the world of power remains indifferent to their suffering.

'A Roadside Stand' mirrors this contrast by showing the "polished traffic" of city folk who drive past the rural poor with a "mind ahead," complaining only if the scenery is marred. While the city folk possess the "cash" that supports the "flower of cities," the rural poor wait in "childish longing" for a stopping car to inquire about prices. Both texts highlight that the "party in power" and the wealthy "calculate" ways to keep the poor in their place, creating a society of two distinct, non-intersecting worlds-one of luxury and one of "mind-numbing toil".

Extract-Based Questions (6 Marks Each)

Q.9. Read the following extracts and answer the questions (6 Marks)
They have lived here for more than thirty years without an identity, without permits but with ration cards that get their names on voters lists and enable them to buy grain. Food is more important for survival than 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 asked them why they left their beautiful land of green fields and rivers. Wherever they find food, they pitch their tents. 

(i) The ragpickers have been living there for _______ decades.(A) three(B) four (C) two (D) five

Answer: (A) three
Solution: The text states they have lived there for "more than thirty years," and since ten years make a decade, thirty years equal three decades.

(ii) Why do these people have ration cards?

Answer: They have ration cards because it gets their names on voter lists and, most importantly, enables them to buy grain to feed their families.

(iii) What do you infer about their lifestyle from the phrase 'pitch their tents'?

Answer: The phrase suggests a nomadic and unstable lifestyle. They live in "transit homes," moving and setting up shelter wherever they can find a source of food for survival.

(iv) In spite of the hardships, they are not willing to go back to their homeland because _______ .

Answer: ...their original fields in Dhaka gave them no grain, whereas in Seemapuri, they can at least feed their families and go to bed without an aching stomach.

(v) The women had a/an _______ approach towards life.
(A) idealistic 
(B) passive 
(C) indifferent
(D) practical

Answer: (D) practical
Solution: The women prioritise food and survival over abstract concepts like identity or national belonging, showing a pragmatic and practical outlook on their situation.

(vi) What does the term 'go to bed without an aching stomach' indicate?

Answer: It indicates freedom from extreme hunger or starvation.

Q.10. Read the following extracts and answer the questions (6 Marks)
"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/'. 

(i) Complete the sentence appropriately.Children become partners in survival suggests that _______ .

Answer: ...from a very young age, children help their parents in the work of rag-picking to ensure the family's basic sustenance.

(ii) Rag-picking has acquired the proportion of a fine art means:
(A) artistic bend of mind is required. 
(B) it has proportionately displaced art.
(C) it has become a highly skilful activity.
(D) it has discovered pieces of art.

Answer: (C) it has become a highly skilful activity.
Solution: The expression suggests that over time, the ragpickers have become extremely proficient and systematic in how they sift through garbage to find valuable items.

(iii) State whether the given statement is True or False with reference to the extract. The children and their parents have left Dhaka to live in Seemapuri.

Answer: TRUE
Solution: the squatters in Seemapuri, including Saheb's family, came from Bangladesh (Dhaka) back in 1971.

(iv) Why does the author say 'survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking'?

Answer: The author says this because rag-picking is the only available occupation for the inhabitants of Seemapuri to earn a living and afford food.

(v) What does the phrase "for a child it is even more" reveal about the children's dreams?

Answer: It reveals that for children, the garbage dump is not just a source of survival but a place of mystery and wonder, where they hope to find "treasures" like coins or notes.

(vi) Which of the following headlines suggests the central idea of the extract?
(A) Seemapuri, A Pot of Gold
(B) Rag-picking - Different Perspectives
(C) Art in Delhi and in Seemapuri 
(D) Saheb-e-Alam in Seemapuri

Answer: (B) Rag-picking - Different Perspectives
Solution: The extract highlights how garbage has different meanings: it is a "means of survival" for elders and "wrapped in wonder" for children.