Session – 2023-24
GRADE - XI, SUBJECT - ENGLISH
ASSIGNMENT
Name: ___________________ Grade:________________ Date:____________________
Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood By Anees Jung
Read the extracts given and answer the questions that follow:-
A. Wherever they find food, they pitch their tents that become transit homes. 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 sometimes find a rupee, even a ten-rupee note,” Saheb says, his eyes lighting up. When you can
find a silver coin in a heap of garbage, you don’t stop scrounging, for there is hope of finding more.
It seems that for children, garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their parents. For
the children it is wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of survival.
1. Why is garbage equivalent to gold for the people of Seemapuri?
A. because they can find food only through rag-picking
B. because they can become wealthy only through rag-picking
C. because rag-picking helps them earn money for their basic needs
D. because rag-picking helps them use garbage to build their houses
2. Why is garbage 'wrapped in wonder' for the children?
A. because the children don't find it demeaning to be rag-pickers
B. because the children only go through the garbage to look for notes
C. because the children find the possibility of finding treasure in the garbage exciting
D. because the children don't get disappointed if they can't find money in the garbage
3. And survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking.
Which of the following assumptions can you make from the above sentence?
A. Rag-picking is the only easily available job option in Seemapuri.
B. People from places like Dhaka come to Seemapuri to collect garbage.
C. People in Seemapuri enjoy rag-picking as a way of earning their livelihood.
D. No one in Seemapuri is interested in learning skills other than collecting garbage.
4. When you can find a silver coin in a heap of garbage, you don’t stop scrounging, for there is
hope of finding more.
Which of these can replace the underlined word without changing its meaning?
A. loitering
B. grappling
C. searching
D. wondering
B. She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes. “Ek waqt ser bhar khana bhi nahin
khaya.” she says, in a voice drained of joy. She has not enjoyed even one full meal in her entire
lifetime-that’s what she has reaped! Her husband, an old man with a flowing beard says, “I know
nothing except bangles. All I have done is make a house for the family to live in.” Hearing him one
wonders if he has achieved what many have failed in their lifetime. He has a roof over his head!
GRADE :___/SuBJECT:___ pAGE 1
The cry of not having money to do anything except carry on the business of making bangles, not
even enough to eat, rings in every home. The young men echo the lament of the elders. Little has
moved with time, it seems in Firozabad, years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the
ability to dream.
1. ‘She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes.’ This implies that
a) she is married but has lost the charm in her eyes.
b) she is a married woman who has lost her grace and beauty.
c) though she is married, her eyes are devoid of happiness.
d) she is a married woman who has lost her eyesight.
2. ‘He has a roof over his head!’ The tone of the author is
a) pessimistic. b) empathetic. c) sympathetic. d) optimistic.
3. Choose the term which best matches the statement ‘The young men echo the lament of their
elders.’
a) acceptance b) reflection c) reiteration d) doubtfulness
4. ‘Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream’. This shows that—
a) the bangle makers are exhausted yet they are enterprising and have dreams.
b) the drudgery of work has destroyed their willingness to improve their lot.
c) the daily grind has stolen the dreams of the bangle makers and made them dull.
d) the bangle makers have been working so hard that there’s no time to dream.
Answer the following in 30-40 words:-
1. What does Anees Jung want to reveal in her story ‘Lost Spring’?
2. Why does the author say that the bangle-makers are caught in a vicious web?
3. “Saheb is no longer his own master”, says the writer. What does she mean?
4. What trade does the family of Mukesh follow? Why does the writer feel that ‘His dreams
loom like a mirage’?
5. What does the title ‘Lost Spring’ convey?
6. What does Saheb do for living? Why?
7. Why don’t the bangle makers of Firozabad organize themselves into a co-operative?
8. What makes the author embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant?
9. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
10. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
11. ‘Savita is a symbol of innocence and efficiency’. Comment.
12. Why does Anees Jung spend a significant portion of 'Lost Spring' talking about shoes?
Explain any one reason with relevant examples from the story.
13. Despite the difficulties that Mukesh's family goes through, his grandmother believes that
their occupation is their destiny. What could be a reason behind this belief? State your
response with evidence from the text 'Lost Spring'.
GRADE :___/SuBJECT:___ pAGE 1
