UP Board Solutions Class 12 English Chapter 3 The Lost Child

Story at a Glance

On a spring festival a little boy went to see the fair with his parents. There he requested them to buy a toy. But his father very politely refused him. Then he saw a sweet meat seller, a flower seller, a man selling balloons of different colours, a juggler playing on a flute to a snake and so on. The child wanted to have these things. But he knew well that his parents would not buy him anything. Then he came to a roundabout which was in full swing. Men, women and children were enjoying it and looked very happy. Now he was overpowered by his desire and boldly requested them, “I want to go on the roundabout, please, father, mother.” But there was no reply. He turned to look at his parents but they

Understanding the Text

Short Answer Type Questions

Answer Two of the Following Questions in Not More Than 30 Words Each:

Question 1. How were the people going to the fair? (लोग मेले में किस प्रकार जा रहे थे?)
Answer: The people were going to the fair either on foot, or on horses or in bullock carts. They were all dressed in their festive best, filled with joy and excitement. (लोग मेले में पैदल, घोड़ों पर या बैलगाड़ियों में जा रहे थे।)
In simple words: People used different ways to travel to the festival. Some walked, some rode horses, and others went in wooden carts pulled by bulls.

🎯 Exam Tip: Mention all three modes of transport (foot, horses, and bullock carts) clearly to secure full marks.

Question 2. Why did the parents call the child? (माता-पिता ने बच्चे को क्यों पुकारा?)
Answer: The parents called the child because he had lagged behind at a toy shop. He was completely fascinated by the colorful toys displayed there. (माता-पिता ने बच्चे को पुकारा क्योंकि वह एक खिलौनों की दुकान पर पीछे रह गया था।)
In simple words: The child stopped to look at the toys in a shop and fell behind. His parents called out to him so he wouldn't get lost.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly state the reason for lagging behind, which was the child's attraction to the toy shop.

Question 3. Why did the child want to suppress his desire ? (बच्चा अपनी इच्छाओं को दबाना क्यों चाहता था ?)
Answer: The child wanted to suppress his desire because he knew well that his parents would refuse him coldly. He felt that asking them would only lead to disappointment. (बच्चा अपनी इच्छा को दबाना चाहता था क्योंकि वह भली प्रकार जानता था कि उसके माता-पिता शान्ति से उसे मना कर देंगे।)
In simple words: The child did not ask for what he wanted because he was sure his parents would say no. He wanted to avoid feeling sad when they refused him.

🎯 Exam Tip: Mention the child's fear of a cold refusal from his parents to secure full marks.

Question 4. Where did they reach after leaving the dusty road ? (धूलभरी सड़क को छोड़कर वे कहाँ पहुँचे ?)
Answer: After leaving the dusty road, they entered a footpath in a field. This narrow path was surrounded by beautiful nature. (धूलभरी सड़क को छोड़कर वे एक खेत में एक पगडण्डी पर पहुँचे।)
In simple words: After they walked off the dusty main road, they started walking on a small path through a field.

🎯 Exam Tip: Use the exact phrase 'footpath in a field' as it is the key location mentioned in the story.

Question 5. Why was the boy attracted towards fields ? (लड़का खेतों की ओर आकर्षित क्यों हुआ ?)
Answer: The boy was attracted towards the fields because they were in full bloom with pale mustard flowers. Beautiful butterflies and other insects were hovering there. The vibrant colors of nature filled him with joy. (लड़का खेतों की ओर आकर्षित हुआ क्योंकि वे पूरी तरह सरसों के पीले खिले हुए फूलों से भरपूर थे। सुन्दर तितलियाँ और अन्य कीड़े वहाँ मँडरा रहे थे।)
In simple words: The boy liked the fields because they were full of yellow mustard flowers. There were also many pretty butterflies and insects flying around.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember to mention both the 'pale mustard flowers' and the 'hovering butterflies' to get complete marks.

Question 6. What did the boy do ? (लड़के ने क्या किया ?)
Answer: The boy entered the meadow, played with the butterflies and other insects and with a great difficulty he could catch a butterfly. He enjoyed running around in the open space. (लड़का खेत में चला गया, तितलियों से खेला और दूसरे कीड़ों से भी और बहुत मुश्किल से एक तितली को पकड़ सका।)
In simple words: The boy went into the grassy field and played with the insects. After trying very hard, he managed to catch one butterfly.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly state that he played with insects and highlight the difficulty he faced in catching a butterfly.

Question 7. Why did the parents sit on the well ? (माता-पिता कुएँ पर क्यों बैठ गये ?)
Answer: The parents sat down on the well to take rest. Moreover the boy was left behind playing with the insects on the footpath. So they waited for him also. They wanted to ensure he did not get lost. (माता-पिता कुएँ पर आराम करने के लिए बैठ गए। इसके अतिरिक्त लड़का कीड़े-मकोड़ों से खेलता हुआ पीछे रह गया था। इसलिए उन्होंने उसकी भी प्रतीक्षा की।)
In simple words: The parents sat on the well to rest because they were tired. They also wanted to wait for their son, who was busy playing with insects behind them.

🎯 Exam Tip: Mention both reasons: taking rest and waiting for the child who lagged behind.

Question 8. What happened when the child saw sweetmeat seller’s shop ? (जब बच्चे ने मिठाई वाले की दुकान को देखा तब क्या हुआ ?)
Answer: The child saw many sweets there as; gulab jamun, rasgulla, burfi, jalebi, etc. His mouth began to water when he saw his favourite sweet burfi. He stared at the colorful display with longing eyes. (बच्चे ने बहुत-सी मिठाइयाँ देखीं; जैसे-गुलाब जामुन, रसगुल्ला, बर्फी, जलेबी आदि। उसके मुँह में पानी आ गया जब उसने अपनी प्रिय मिठाई बर्फी को देखा।)
In simple words: When the boy saw the sweet shop, he saw delicious sweets like gulab jamun and burfi. His mouth started watering because burfi was his favorite sweet.

🎯 Exam Tip: List a few sweets mentioned in the text and highlight 'burfi' as his favorite to show detailed reading.

Question 9. Did the child request his parents to buy sweets ? Give reasons in support of your answer. (क्या बच्चे ने अपने माता-पिता से मिठाई खरीदने की प्रार्थना की ? अपने उत्तर की पुष्टि में कारण दो।)
Answer: The child did not request his parents to buy sweets because he knew that they would not buy sweets and would say him greedy. He preferred to remain silent rather than face their harsh words. (बच्चे ने अपने माता-पिता से मिठाई खरीदने की प्रार्थना नहीं की, क्योंकि वह जानता था कि वे मिठाइयाँ नहीं खरीदेंगे और उसे लालची कहेंगे।)
In simple words: The boy did not ask his parents for sweets. He knew they would refuse and call him greedy, so he kept quiet.

🎯 Exam Tip: Explain the reason clearly—that the parents would call him 'greedy'—as this is the key textual evidence.

Question 10. What was the first demand of the child while accompanying his parents to the fair ? [2016, 18] (बच्चा जब अपने माता-पिता के साथ मेले में जा रहा था तब उसकी पहली माँग क्या थी ?)
Answer: The first demand of the child was for burfi while he was accompanying his parents to the fair. He loved sweets and could not resist his favorite treat. (जब बच्चा अपने माता-पिता के साथ मेले में जा रहा था तब उसकी पहली माँग बर्फी की थी ।)
In simple words: The child first asked for a sweet called burfi when he was walking with his parents.

🎯 Exam Tip: Mention the specific sweet 'burfi' clearly as it is the key detail the examiner looks for.

Question 11. What did the child see the juggler doing? Why didn’t the child stay for long at the place where a juggler was playing his flute to the snake in the [2010] (बच्चे ने मदारी को क्या करते देखा? जहाँ एक मदारी साँप को बीन सुना रहा था, बच्चा वहाँ अधिक देर क्यों नहीं रुका ?)
Answer: The child saw the juggler playing on a flute to a dancing cobra. The child was attracted by it. But he did not stay there for a long because his parents had forbidden him to hear such coarse music as the juggler played. He obediently walked away to avoid displeasing them. (बच्चे ने मदारी को नाचते हुए साँप के ऊपर बीन बजाते देखा। बच्चा इससे आकर्षित तो हुआ परन्तु वहाँ अधिक देर नहीं रुका क्योंकि उसके माता-पिता ने उसे ऐसा रूखा संगीत सुनने को मना किया था ।)
In simple words: The child saw a snake charmer playing music to a cobra, but he didn't stay because his parents had told him not to listen to such loud music.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly state both parts of the question: what the juggler was doing and the specific reason why the child did not stay.

Question 12. What were the things which attracted the child most in the fair ? [2018] (वे कौन-सी वस्तुएँ थीं जिन्होंने बच्चे को मेले में बहुत आकर्षित किया ?)
Answer: Burfi, garland of gulmohar, balloons of different colours flying from a pole, a juggler playing on flute to a snake and a roundabout attracted the child most in the fair. Each of these colorful sights filled him with wonder and excitement. (बर्फी, गुलमोहर का हार, भिन्न-भिन्न रंगों के गुब्बारे जो एक बाँस पर उड़ रहे थे, साँप के सामने बाँसुरी बजाते हुए मदारी ने तथा झूले ने मेले में बच्चे को बहुत आकर्षित किया ।)
In simple words: The child was attracted by sweets, flowers, colorful balloons, a snake charmer, and a giant swing at the fair.

🎯 Exam Tip: List all the items (burfi, gulmohar garland, balloons, juggler, roundabout) to secure full marks.

Question 13. Where was the child lost and how ? (बच्चा कैसे और कहाँ खो गया ?)
Answer: The child was lost at a roundabout. There was a thick crowd of men, women and children who were enjoying the roundabout. The child could not suppress his desire. He also entered the crowd and went forward. But when he did not get his turn for long, he came out of the crowd to see his parents. But he could not find them there or anywhere else. Thus he lost his parents. His fascination with the giant wheel made him momentarily forget to hold his parents' hands. (बच्चा झूले पर खो गया । वहाँ पुरुषों, स्त्रियों तथा बच्चों की भारी भीड़ थी जो झूले का आनन्द ले रहे थे। बच्चा अपनी इच्छा को नहीं दबा सका । उसने भी भीड़ में प्रवेश किया और आगे बढ़ गया । किन्तु जब काफी समय तक उसकी बारी नहीं आई तब वह भीड़ से बाहर अपने माता-पिता को देखने आया । किन्तु वह उन्हें वहाँ या अन्य कहीं नहीं पा सका । इस प्रकार उसके माता-पिता खो गये।)
In simple words: The child got lost near a giant swing because he joined a big crowd to watch it and lost track of his parents.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly mention 'roundabout' as the location and explain the sequence of events leading to him getting lost.

Question 14. Describe the condition plight of the child when he had lost his parents. [2015, 17, 18] (जब बच्चे के माता-पिता खो गए तब उसके बाद की उसकी स्थिति का वर्णन कीजिए।)
Answer: The condition of the child was very pitiable when he had lost his parents. He was running to and fro searching for his parents. He was shouting loudly, “My mother, my father.” Tears were flowing from his eyes. He was quite hopeless. His colorful desires for toys and sweets completely vanished in his state of panic. (जब बच्चे से उसके माता-पिता खो गए तब उसकी दशा बहुत दयनीय थी । वह अपने माता-पिता की तलाश करता हुआ इधर-उधर फिर रहा था । वह जोर-जोर से चीख रहा था, “मेरी मम्मी, मेरे पापा ।” उसकी आँखों से आँसू बह रहे थे। वह बिल्कुल निराश था ।)
In simple words: The child was extremely scared and cried bitterly, running around looking for his mother and father.

🎯 Exam Tip: Use descriptive words like 'pitiable', 'hopeless', and 'running to and fro' to accurately depict the child's emotional state.

Question 15. Why did the child enter the over-crowded temple ? [2015] (लड़के ने भीड़ से भरे मन्दिर में क्यों प्रवेश किया ?)
Answer: The child entered the over-crowded temple in search of his parents. He hoped to find them in the thick crowd. (लड़के ने अपने माता-पिता को ढूंढ़ने के लिए भीड़ से भरे मन्दिर में प्रवेश किया ।)
In simple words: The boy went into the crowded temple because he was lost and wanted to find his mother and father.

🎯 Exam Tip: Mention the main reason (searching for parents) clearly to get full marks.

Question 16. Who tried to soothe him and how ? (उसे किसने चुप कराने की कोशिश की और कैसे ?)
Answer: A man in the crowd heard his groan. He lifted him up in his arms. He tried to soothe him. He took him to the roundabout, to the juggler, to the balloon seller, to the sweet seller, to the garland seller and so on. This kind man tried his best to distract the crying child. (भीड़ में एक आदमी ने उसका रुदन सुना। उसने उसे अपनी गोद में उठा लिया । उसने उसे चुप कराने की चेष्टा की । वह उसे झूले पर, मदारी के पास, गुब्बारे बेचने वाले के पास, मिठाई वाले के पास और हार बेचने वाले आदि के पास ले गया ।)
In simple words: A kind man rescued the crying boy and tried to make him happy by offering him rides, toys, and sweets.

🎯 Exam Tip: List at least three things the man offered (like the roundabout, balloons, or sweets) to show a complete understanding of the story.

Question 17. How did the child react to every kind of offer of the gentleman ? (उस भद्र पुरुष की प्रत्येक प्रार्थना पर बच्चे ने किस प्रकार की प्रतिक्रिया प्रकटं की ?)
Answer: The child behaved quite differently. He turned his face from everything which he had keenly desired with his parents. Now his parents were above all things for him. He did not even see towards anything and cried only, “I want my mother, I want my father.” His longing for his parents made all other attractions completely worthless. (बच्चे ने बिल्कुल भिन्न प्रकार का व्यवहार किया । उसने प्रत्येक वस्तु की ओर से अपना मुँह फेर लिया जिसकी उसने अपने माता-पिता के साथ तीव्र इच्छा व्यक्त की थी । अब उसके माता-पिता सभी वस्तुओं से उसके लिए सर्वोपरि थे। उसने किसी वस्तु की ओर देखा भी नहीं और केवल यही चिल्लाया , “मुझे मेरी मम्मी चाहिए, मुझे मेरे पापा चाहिए।”)
In simple words: The boy refused all the offers because he only wanted his parents. Nothing else mattered to him anymore.

🎯 Exam Tip: Highlight the contrast between how much he wanted those things earlier and how he rejected them now.

Question 18. Do you think that the behaviour of the lost child has been realistically painted by Mulk Raj Anand ? (क्या आप सोचते हो कि खोये हुए बच्चे का चरित्र चित्रण मुल्क राज आनन्द ने वास्तविक ढंग से किया है ?)
Answer: Yes, the behaviour of the lost child has been realistically painted by Mulk Raj Anand. Every reader of the story would find as if all the incidents are happening before his eyes. All the related incidents and scenes are so artistically intertwined that the interest of the reader is not disturbed anywhere. The author masterfully captures the natural psychology of a young child. (हाँ, खोये हुए बच्चे के व्यवहार को मुल्क राज आनन्द ने बहुत ही वास्तविक ढंग से चित्रित किया है। कहानी के प्रत्येक पाठक को ऐसा लगेगा मानो सारी घटनाएँ उसकी आँखों के सामने हो रही हैं। सभी सम्बन्धित घटनाएँ और दृश्य इतनी कलाकारी से आपस में सँजोए गए हैं कि पढ़ने वाले की रुचि कहीं भी गड़बड़ नहीं होती ।)
In simple words: Yes, the story feels very real. The writer describes the child's feelings so well that we can easily imagine everything happening right in front of us.

🎯 Exam Tip: Use keywords like "realistically painted" and "child psychology" to impress the examiner.

Question 19. What did the child finally want in the story “The Lost Child’ ? Give examples in support of your answer.[2012] (“The Lost Child’ नामक कहानी में अन्त में बच्चे ने किस वस्तु को चाहा ? उदाहरण देकर अपने उत्तर की पुष्टि कीजिए।)
Answer: Finally the child wanted only his parents. An old man took him to the things which he had keenly desired with his parents. But he did not even see at them and cried only ‘I want my mother, I want my father.’ This reaction clearly shows that a child's love for their parents is far greater than any material possession.
In simple words: In the end, the child only wanted his parents. Even when offered the toys and sweets he wanted earlier, he ignored them and kept crying for his mother and father.

🎯 Exam Tip: Support your answer with the example of the child rejecting the sweets and toys offered by the kind man.

अन्त में बच्चा केवल अपने माता-पिता को चाहता था। एक बूढ़ा आदमी उसे उन सभी वस्तुओं के पास ले गया जिन्हें वह अपने माता-पिता के साथ लेना चाहता था। किन्तु उसने उनकी ओर देखा भी नहीं। वह केवल यह चिल्लाया, “मुझे अपनी माँ चाहिए, मुझे अपने पिता चाहिए।”