The Lost Child NCERT Solutions, Summary & Word Meanings Class 9 PDF
Subject: English (Moments) | Chapter: 1 | Author: Mulk Raj Anand
📥 Download Notes PDF 📢 Join Telegram📖 Chapter Summary: The Lost Child
"The Lost Child" by Mulk Raj Anand is a touching story about a young boy's psychology and his immense love for his parents. The story begins during the festival of spring. A little boy is walking to a village fair with his parents, completely fascinated by everything around him. On his way, he gets distracted by toys, dragonflies, a shower of flower petals, and little insects.
At the fair, the child sees a sweetmeat seller selling burfi, a flower-seller selling garlands of gulmohar, a man holding colourful balloons, and a snake charmer. He desires all these things but doesn't ask his parents to buy them because he knows their standard replies: the toys are expensive, he is too old to play with balloons, and the music of the snake charmer is coarse. He suppresses his desires and moves on.
Finally, he sees a roundabout (giant wheel) in full swing. Unable to resist, he makes a bold request: "I want to go on the roundabout, please, Father, Mother." But there is no reply. When he turns around, his parents are nowhere to be seen. Panic sets in, and he runs around crying frantically, "Mother, Father!"
In the crowded shrine, a kind-hearted man rescues him from being trampled. Trying to soothe the crying child, the man offers him everything he had desired earlier—the roundabout ride, the snake charmer's music, the balloons, the flowers, and the sweets. But the child rejects every single thing. His only cry remains: "I want my mother, I want my father!" The story brilliantly highlights that for a child, parents are the most precious thing in the world, far above any material desires.
📚 Part 1: NCERT Solutions (Textbook Questions)
Q1: What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?
Ans: On his way to the fair, the child sees toys displayed in the shops, a flowering mustard field, dragonflies and butterflies fluttering around, little insects and worms on the footpath, and a shower of young flowers. He lags behind because he gets completely fascinated by these beautiful sights of nature and stops to observe them.
Q2: In the fair he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an answer?
Ans: In the fair, he wants burfi from the sweetmeat seller, a garland of gulmohar flowers, colourful balloons, and to listen to the snake charmer's music. He moves on without waiting for an answer because he knows his parents' predictable excuses: they would say he is greedy for sweets, the flowers are cheap, he is too old for balloons, and the snake charmer's music is coarse.
Q3: When does he realise that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and insecurity been described?
Ans: He realizes he has lost his way when he finally makes a bold request to ride the roundabout and gets no reply. When he turns to look for his parents, they are gone. A deep cry rises from his dry throat, and with a sudden jerk of his body, he runs crying, "Mother, Father!" Tears roll down his eyes, his yellow turban comes untied, and his clothes become muddy. His panic-stricken running around the shrine vividly describes his deep anxiety and insecurity.
Q4: Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?
Ans: The lost child loses interest in all the material things (sweets, balloons, toys, flowers) because the presence of his parents is the true source of his happiness and security. Without them, the vibrant fair turns into a terrifying place. His only priority is to be reunited with his parents.
Q5: What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?
Ans: Although the author leaves the ending open, it is highly likely that the child finds his parents. The kind-hearted man who rescued him seemed very responsible and genuinely cared for the child's safety. He would likely have taken the child to the fair authorities or the police to ensure he was safely reunited with his parents.
⚡ Part 2: Extra Practice Questions
Q6: Describe the character of the unknown man who rescued the child.
Ans: The unknown man was kind, compassionate, and observant. He saved the child from being trampled in the heavy crowd at the shrine. To soothe the inconsolable child, he patiently offered him a ride, balloons, flowers, and sweets, proving his highly empathetic and caring nature.
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Q: What was the only thing the child kept repeating when the kind man offered him the toys and sweets?
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🔤 Important Word Meanings
- 1. Fascinated (adj): Strongly attracted and interested (Aakarshit hona).
- 2. Lingering (v): Staying in a place longer than necessary (Peeche chhoot jana).
- 3. Tyrant (n): A cruel and oppressive ruler or authority figure (Zalim).
- 4. Sweetmeat (n): A sweet delicacy or candy (Mithai).
- 5. Overwhelming (adj): Very intense or great in amount (Bohat zyada).
- 6. Shrine (n): A holy or sacred place of worship (Mandir/Tirth).
- 7. Disconsolate (adj): Very sad and unable to be comforted (Udaas/Bechain).