CBSE Important Questions for Class 9 English Moments The Lost Child - 2025-26
"The Lost Child" from the Class 9 English syllabus tells the emotional story of a young boy who gets separated from his parents at a fair. Initially excited by the sweets, toys, and attractions around him, the child is full of joy. However, when he realises he is lost, his desires shift completely. No longer interested in the fair's offerings, all he wants is to be reunited with his mother and father. The story beautifully captures the innocence of childhood and the deep bond between a child and their parents.
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FAQs on CBSE Important Questions for Class 9 English Moments The Lost Child - 2025-26
1. What are some important short-answer questions (2 marks) from the chapter 'The Lost Child' for the 2025-26 CBSE exam?
For the CBSE Class 9 exam, important short-answer questions often test factual recall and basic comprehension. Key questions include:
- What were the various things the child was attracted to at the fair?
- Why did the child consistently lag behind his parents?
- Describe the child's state of mind when he realised he was separated from his parents.
- Who rescued the child, and what did he offer to console him?
2. How should a student answer a question about the central theme of 'The Lost Child' to score full marks?
To secure full marks, explain that the central theme is the unconditional love and bond between a child and his parents. Before being lost, the child is captivated by material desires like toys and sweets. After separation, these desires vanish, replaced by the desperate need for the security and comfort of his parents. This contrast proves that for a child, familial love is far more valuable than any worldly possession.
3. What kind of value-based question is frequently asked from 'The Lost Child' in Class 9 English exams?
A common value-based question is: “The story shows that the security provided by parents is the most important thing for a child. Justify.” To answer effectively, you should contrast the child's initial desire for a gulmohur garland with his later refusal of the same from the kind man. This demonstrates that his happiness was tied to his parents' presence, proving that their love and security were the ultimate sources of his joy.
4. From an examination perspective, how can one analyse the character of the kind man who helps the lost child?
For a character analysis question, describe the man as a symbol of kindness and empathy. He represents a helping hand in a chaotic world. His attempts to soothe the child by offering toys and sweets—the very things the child wanted earlier—serve a crucial purpose. His failure to console the child powerfully highlights the story's main point: no material comfort can replace the emotional security a child finds in his parents.
5. Why is it an important plot point that the child refuses the things he had longed for earlier?
This is a key analytical point for exams. The child's refusal is important because it shows a profound psychological shift. His sense of security has been shattered by the separation. The fear of being lost completely overshadows his materialistic desires. This proves that for a child, the presence of parents is the primary source of joy and safety, without which all other worldly attractions become meaningless and even irritating.
6. For a long-answer question, how would you describe the child's experience at the fair before and after he got lost?
To answer a 5-mark question, structure your response into two distinct parts:
- Before getting lost: Describe the child’s immense joy, wonder, and fascination. Mention his attraction to the toys, the flowering mustard fields, dragonflies, sweets, gulmohur garlands, colourful balloons, and the snake-charmer's music. He was in a world of sensory delight, grounded by the presence of his parents.
- After getting lost: Detail the immediate shift to terror and panic. The cheerful fair turns hostile. He runs frantically, his clothes get muddy, and he sobs for his parents. The kind man's offerings are rejected, proving his world has shrunk to a single, desperate need: finding his parents.
7. How does the author, Mulk Raj Anand, use contrasting sensory details to highlight the child's emotional journey?
This is a higher-order thinking (HOTS) question. Mulk Raj Anand uses sharp contrasts in sensory details to reflect the child's inner state:
- Before being lost: The fair is depicted with vibrant sights (toys, balloons), sweet smells (jalebi), and pleasant sounds (flute music), all reflecting the child's happiness.
- After being lost: The same fair becomes threatening. The crowd is a “jostling” mass, and the sounds seem like “shrieking” and “brutal” noises, mirroring his internal panic and fear. This contrast is an important literary device to analyse.
8. Why is the story titled 'The Lost Child' and not something like 'The Found Child'?
The title's focus is crucial for understanding the story's theme. It is called 'The Lost Child' because the narrative's entire purpose is to explore the child's emotional and psychological state while he is lost. This phase of being 'lost' is where the profound realisation occurs: the value of his parents over all material things. The story's lesson is embedded in the experience of loss itself, not in the resolution of being found.
9. What is a common misconception students might have about the ending of 'The Lost Child' that could affect their exam answers?
A key misconception is to focus on whether the child is finally reunited with his parents. The story's ending is deliberately left open-ended. The author’s main goal is not to provide a happy resolution but to deeply explore the child's psychological transformation. The most important takeaway for any exam question is the lesson learned during the period of separation, not the final outcome. The ambiguity forces the reader to focus on the story's central theme.
10. 'A child’s true world is their parents.' How is this idea explored as an important concept in 'The Lost Child'?
This idea is explored by demonstrating the child's complete emotional and psychological dependence on his parents for his sense of self and security. While with them, he is a confident, curious individual free to desire things. The moment he is separated, his identity dissolves into that of a 'lost child.' His world, which was the colourful fair, shrinks to the single-minded, desperate search for his mother and father, proving they are the centre of his universe.
