What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
When author saw shoeless ragpicker children then she asked them reason behind their bawfoots, so one of them replied my shoes is on the shelf and my mother didn’t wash there, if she able to take shoes then she will through them as both shoes of different pairs one said that it is not due to lack of money it is their tradition so author wondered if this is only an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty.
Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.
Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?
How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Strike out what is not true in the following.
a. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) a sharecropper.
(ii) a politician.
(iii) delegate.
(iv) a landlord.
b. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) poor.
(ii) physically strong.
(iii) illiterate.
What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up’?
What are some of the positive views on interviews?
Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown into the pool? What plans did he make to come to the surface?
Why was he amused by this idea?
How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?
The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
Strike out what is not true in the following.
a. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) a sharecropper.
(ii) a politician.
(iii) delegate.
(iv) a landlord.
b. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) poor.
(ii) physically strong.
(iii) illiterate.
Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What could this mean?
(There could be more than one answer.)
Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.
How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Who was the English visitor to the studios?