Question Bank — Lost Spring

NCERT Class 12 English · Chapter 8 · CBSE Board Pattern

Class 12 English Chapter 8 Question Bank CBSE Board Pattern

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

  1. What does Saheb search for in the garbage dumps?
    a) Toys
    b) Gold or money
    c) Food scraps
    d) Clothes

  2. Why did Saheb’s family migrate to Seemapuri?
    a) To find better schools
    b) Storms destroyed their fields and homes
    c) To work in factories
    d) To join relatives

  3. What literary device is used in “Garbage to them is gold”?
    a) Simile
    b) Metaphor
    c) Hyperbole
    d) Personification

  4. Assertion (A): Mukesh wants to become a motor mechanic.
    Reason (R): He wishes to break free from the family tradition of bangle-making.
    a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
    b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
    c) A is true but R is false.
    d) A is false but R is true.

  5. The children in Seemapuri treat garbage differently from their parents because:
    a) It is a source of wonder for them
    b) They are forced to work
    c) They dislike rag-picking
    d) It has no value

  6. Assertion (A): The bangle makers of Firozabad remain in poverty despite generations of work.
    Reason (R): A vicious circle of middlemen, police and politicians traps them.
    a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
    b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
    c) A is true but R is false.
    d) A is false but R is true.

  7. What does “a roof over his head” symbolise in the chapter?
    a) Luxury
    b) Basic survival
    c) Education
    d) Freedom

  8. Savita works in the bangle industry alongside:
    a) Her brother
    b) An elderly woman
    c) Mukesh
    d) Saheb

  9. The phrase “slog their daylight hours” refers to:
    a) Playing in the sun
    b) Long hours of hard work in furnaces
    c) Sleeping during day
    d) Attending school

  10. Mukesh’s grandmother believes their condition is:
    a) Due to lack of effort
    b) Their god-given lineage or destiny
    c) Caused by the government
    d) Temporary

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“I sometimes find a rupee, even a ten-rupee note,” Saheb says, his eyes lighting up… For the children it is wrapped in wonder; for the elders it is a means of survival.

  1. Who is the speaker and what is the context?
  2. What does garbage mean to the children versus the elders?
  3. Identify the literary device in “wrapped in wonder”.
  4. Explain the phrase “eyes lighting up” in this context.

Extract 2

Mukesh insists on being his own master. “I will be a motor mechanic,” he announces… “I will learn to drive a car,” he answers, looking straight into my eyes.

  1. Who is Mukesh and where does he live?
  2. What does his announcement reveal about his attitude?
  3. Identify the literary device in “His dream looms like a mirage”.
  4. Infer why the author finds his dream unusual.

Extract 3

“Even if we get organised, we are the ones who will be hauled up by the police, beaten and dragged to jail for doing something illegal,” they say.

  1. Who are “they” and what are they discussing?
  2. Why do the young men fear organising themselves?
  3. Name the literary device used in “web of poverty”.
  4. What does this reveal about the bangle makers’ situation?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

  1. Why does the author feel her advice to Saheb to go to school is “hollow”?
  2. What does the author mean when she says promises like hers “abound in every corner of his bleak world”?
  3. How does the author describe the living conditions in Seemapuri?
  4. Why does Mukesh’s family continue working in the bangle industry despite the hazards?
  5. What contrast does the author draw between Saheb’s old and new job?

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

  1. Draw a character sketch of Mukesh in the light of his dreams and family background.
  2. “Lost Spring” highlights how poverty and tradition condemn children to a life of exploitation. Discuss with reference to Saheb and Mukesh.

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

  1. From the unit, identify and explain two literary devices (metaphor and simile) with examples from the text.
  2. Write a diary entry (80–100 words) from the point of view of Mukesh after he decides to walk to the garage to learn car mechanics. Express his hopes and fears.
▶ Answer Key Attempt all questions first,
then tap to reveal

Section A

  1. b
  2. b
  3. b
  4. a
  5. a
  6. a
  7. b
  8. b
  9. b
  10. b

Section B

Extract 1
1. Saheb speaking to the narrator about rag-picking in Seemapuri.
2. Wonder and hope for children; survival for elders.
3. Metaphor.
4. Shows sudden joy and excitement at the possibility of money.

Extract 2
1. Mukesh, a young boy from a bangle-maker family in Firozabad.
2. Determination to break free and be independent.
3. Simile.
4. His dream stands out against the accepted fate of his community.

Extract 3
1. Young bangle makers of Firozabad discussing cooperatives.
2. Fear of police action and legal consequences.
3. Metaphor.
4. They are trapped by systemic exploitation and fear.

Section C (Key points – 40-50 words)
1. Advice is unrealistic; no school exists nearby and promises are rarely fulfilled.
2. Many empty assurances are made to the poor, adding to their hopelessness.
3. Mud houses with tin roofs, no sewage or water; 10,000 ragpickers live without identity.
4. Tradition, caste stigma, middlemen and fear of police keep them bound.
5. Earlier he was carefree with his own bag; now he carries a heavy canister for an employer.

Section D (Key content points – 100-120 words)
1. Mukesh: young, determined, rejects family occupation; dreams of becoming mechanic; willing to walk long distance; contrast to family’s acceptance of destiny.
2. Poverty forces children into rag-picking and bangle-making; tradition and caste prevent change; middlemen and authorities exploit them; childhood is stolen by survival needs.

Section E

  1. Metaphor: “Garbage to them is gold”; Simile: “hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine”.
  2. Diary format: Date, informal tone, Mukesh’s resolve to walk to garage, fear of family opposition, hope of becoming his own master. (Format 1 + Content 2 + Language 1)
← Revision Summary All Chapters

All questions are answerable from the NCERT chapter text. Reviewed by GFIS faculty.