THINK AS YOU
READ PAGE
16
1. What is Saheb looking for in the
garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
Answer:
In the rubbish dumps, Saheb is seeking gold. He lives in the same area as the
author. Saheb is a Bangladeshi immigrant. In 1971, he arrived with his mother.
His home was surrounded by Dhaka's lush greenery. Their fields and homes were
wiped away by storms. As a result, they departed the nation.
2. What explanations does the author
offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Answer:
Staying barefoot is a custom, according to one explanation supplied by the author.
It isn't a financial problem. He wonders if this is just an excuse to justify
his everlasting poverty. He also recalls the tale of a poor man who begged the
goddess for a pair of shoes.
3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea
stall? Explain.
Answer:
No, Saheb isn't content with his job at the tea shop. He is no longer in charge
of himself. His easygoing demeanour has vanished. The steel canister seemed to
be heavier than the plastic bag he slung over his shoulder so casually. It was
his bag. The man who owns the tea shop owns the canister.
THINK AS YOU
READ PAGE
19
1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Answer:
The bangles from Firozabad are well-known. In Firozabad, every other family is
involved in the production of bangles. It's where India's glass-blowing
industry gets its start. Families have spent decades labouring in the vicinity
of furnaces, fusing glass, and creating bangles for the land's ladies.
2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?
Answer:
Boys and children sit in dark hutments with their fathers and moms, next to
lines of flickering oil lamps. They make bangles by welding coloured glass onto
rings. Their eyes are more used to darkness than to light. They frequently lose
their eyesight before they reach adulthood. Even the dust from polishing
bangles' glass is harmful to the eyes. Many workers have gone blind as a result
of their work. The furnaces operate at extremely high temperatures, making them
extremely hazardous.
3. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that
of his family?
Answer:
Mukesh's grandma believes that the divinely ordained lineage cannot be broken.
Her son and grandkids are members of the bangle-making caste. They've just seen
bangles thus far.
Mukesh's father has taught them how to make bangles,
which he knows a lot about. Mukesh, on the other hand, aspires to be a
mechanic. He'll go to a garage and learn, despite the fact that the garage is a
long way from his house.
UNDERSTANDING
THE TEXT PAGE
20
1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people
from villages to cities?
Answer:
In search of a better life, people travel from rural to cities. Their lands are
unable to supply them with a means of subsistence. Cities give employment,
jobs, and other food sources. In the case of the poor, the issue is how to feed
the hungry members of the family. The most important thing is to stay alive.
2. 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?
Answer:
Promises made to the impoverished are almost never honoured. Half-jokingly, the
author asks Saheb if he will come to her school if she opens one. Saheb
consents to this. He asks if the school is ready a few days later. The author is
embarrassed for making a promise he didn't intend to keep. Every newcomer to
this dreary planet is greeted with promises like hers.
3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle
industry of Firozabad in poverty?
Answer:
Certain forces conspire to keep the workers of Firozabad's bangle industry
poor. Moneylenders, intermediaries, cops, law enforcement officers,
bureaucrats, and politicians are among them. They put a lot of pressure on the
child when they're all together.
TALKING ABOUT
THE TEXT PAGE
20
1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh
realise his dream?
Answer:
Mukesh is the son of a poor Firozabad bangle maker. Mukesh is an outlier among
Firozabad's young men, who lack initiative and the ability to dream. He has the
bravery to deviate from the customary family career. He also possesses strong
willpower. He doesn't want to be used as a pawn by middlemen or moneylenders.
By becoming a mechanic, he insists on being his own master.
He can realise his desire by working in a garage and
learning how to fix and drive cars. Before he succeeds, he will have to
overcome numerous obstacles. Then there's the issue of transportation. The
first one is money. He'll have to work to supplement his income. His house is a
considerable way from the garage. He'll have to walk twice a day to cover it
anyway.
Patience, hard work, a strong will, and a desire to
learn will all aid him in realising his dream.
2. Mention the hazards of working in the
glass bangles industry.
Answer:
There are numerous health risks associated with the glass bangles industry. It
is frequently done with the help of tiny children. Although it is unlawful to
employ very young children in dangerous sectors, certain forces such as
middlemen, moneylenders, cops, and politicians work together to trap the poor
workers.
Let's start with the locations where bangle makers
work. It's a small-scale business. They work in glass furnaces that are
extremely hot. There is no air or light in the dismal chambers. During the day,
boys and girls toil away next to lines of flickering oil lamp flames.
They make bangles by welding coloured glass onto
rings. Their eyes are more used to darkness than to light. As a result,
individuals frequently lose their vision before reaching adulthood.
Glass blowing, welding, and soldering are all
hazardous to one's health. Even the dust from polishing bangles' glass has a
negative effect on the eyes, causing even adults to go blind. As a result, the
workers' health is jeopardised by their surroundings, working circumstances,
and the type of job they do.
3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Answer:
Child labour should be abolished because children worked at a young age as
household workers, dishwashers at roadside dhabas, and in hazardous businesses
producing glass bangles, biris, crackers, and other items lose the allure of
youth. Their childhood has been taken from them. They become grownups far too
soon, burdened by the responsibilities of jobs. They are mostly malnourished,
ill-fed, illiterate, and impoverished. Their growth is slowed.
Child labour can only be eradicated if government
agencies, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), cooperative societies, and
political leaders work together. The mere passage of legislation will not solve
the problem. Laws should be followed to the letter. Children who have been laid
off should be rehabilitated and provided with adequate food, clothing,
education, and pocket money. It is necessary to respect their feelings,
opinions, and emotions. Allow them to take in the sunshine and fresh air.
THINKING ABOUT
LANGUAGE PAGE
20
Although this
text speaks of factual events and situations of misery, it transforms these
situations with almost poetical prose into a literary experience. How does it
do so? Here are some literary devices:
• Hyperbole
is a way of speaking or writing that makes something sound better or more
exciting than it really is. For example, Garbage to them is gold.
• A
Metaphor, as you may know, compares two things or ideas that are not
very similar. A metaphor describes a thing in terms of a single quality or
feature of some other thing; we can say that a metaphor “transfers” the quality
of one thing to another. For example, The road was a ribbon of light.
• Simile
is a word or phrase that compares one thing with another using the words “like”
or “as”. For example: As white as snow.
Carefully read the following phrases and
sentences taken from the text. Can you identify the literary device in each
example?
1. Saheb-e-Alam
which means the lord of the universe is directly in contrast to what Saheb is
in reality.
2. Drowned in
an air of desolation.
3. Seemapuri, a
place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically.
4. For the
children it is wrapped in wonder; for the elders, it is a means of survival.
5. As her hands
move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she knows the
sanctity of the bangles she helps make.
6. She still has
bangles on her wrist, but not light in her eyes.
7. Few
airplanes fly over Firozabad.
8. Web of poverty.
9. Scrounging
for gold.
10. And
survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking. Through the years, it has acquired the
proportions of a fine art.
11. The steel canister
seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his
shoulders.
Answers:
1.
Hyperbole 2. Metaphor 3. Contrast 4. Contrast
5.
Simile 6. Contrast 7. Hyperbole 8. Metaphor
9.
Metaphor 10. Hyperbole 11. Contrast
10. An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Question Answer | |
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