In this post, we’ll read NCERT Solutions for The Lost Child Class 9th English. Below are clear, exam-friendly answers to each Think About It question (based directly on the NCERT text). I’ve kept them precise so you can write them easily in the exam. You can also read the summary of The Lost Child to understand these questions better.
The Lost Child Think About It
Q1. What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?
Ans. The child sees toys in shop-windows, a wide mustard-field, dragonflies, insects and worms on the footpath, falling flower-petals, doves and a banyan tree as they walk to the fair. He lags behind because he is naturally curious and easily fascinated by small things (toys and insects), and his attention keeps getting diverted.
Q2. In the fair he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an answer?
Ans. At the fair he longs for sweetmeats (gulab-jamun, rasgulla, burfi, jalebi), a garland of gulmohar, bright balloons, to hear the snake-charmer, and to go on the roundabout (merry-go-round). He moves on without waiting because he already half-knows his parents will refuse (they would call him greedy, say the items are cheap, or that he is too old for toys), so he doesn’t insist.
Q3. When does he realise that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and insecurity been described?
Ans. He realises he is lost when he asks to go on the roundabout and finds his parents are nowhere to be seen. He looks all around and cannot find them. His anxiety is shown vividly: a deep cry rises from his dry throat, tears roll down hot and fierce, his face is convulsed with fear, his turban comes untied and his clothes get muddy; panic makes him run hither and thither and he almost gets trampled in the crowd.
Q4. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?
Ans. Because when he feels frightened and alone, his need for safety and his parents’ presence becomes far more important than toys or sweets. The man who finds him offers balloons, sweets and rides, but the child turns away from them and keeps crying, “I want my mother, I want my father!” showing that love and security outweigh every material desire.
Q5. What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?
Ans. Model Answer- I think, in the end, that kind-hearted man take the child to a safe place, like policeman or village elders; and the child finds his parents again.
(The NCERT passage ends with the man trying to comfort the child and offering him things while the child continues to cry for his parents; the text stops there and does not explicitly tell us whether the parents are reunited with him. So the ending is left open for the reader’s imagination. Realistically, one might expect the kind man to take the child to a safe place (a policeman, shopkeeper or village elders) so that the child can be reunited with his parents, but the book deliberately leaves the final outcome ambiguous to emphasize the child’s fear and dependence on his parents.)
The Lost Child Talk About It
How to Ensure Not to Get Lost:
To avoid getting lost, one should always stay close to parents or elders while in crowded places like fairs, markets, or festivals. Before going out, children should note down or memorize their parents’ phone numbers, address, and landmarks near their home.
If separated, they should not panic, stay where they are, and seek help from a policeman, security guard, or any responsible adult. It’s also wise to fix a meeting point in advance in case anyone gets separated.
Most importantly, children must always pay attention to where their elders are and avoid running off alone, no matter how attractive the surroundings seem.
Read all chapter: NCERT Solutions for Class 9th English