NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 2 Children at Work
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 2 Children at Work
Comprehension check
Question 1.
Velu stood on the platform but he felt “as if he was still on a moving train Why?
Answer:
Velu’s legs were wobbly because of walking from his village to Kanur. Also, he was in a daze to see so many people at the station. Everyone was moving past him hurriedly, and he did not feel at ease. He was trying to take it all in, and was also quite tired from his journey. He must also have been very nervous as he was just eleven years old and had run away from his home.
Question 2.
What made him feel miserable?
Answer:
Velu was exhausted and had not eaten much since the past two days. With nowhere to go in a completely new place, he felt miserable. At the same time, the noise around him made him feel even more anxious and unhappy.
Question 3.
i. Velu travelled without a ticket. Why?
Answer:
Velu had run away from home, and had no money with him. So, he travelled without a ticket.
ii. How did he escape the ticket collector’s attention?
Answer:
Velu slept in the unreserved compartment and fortunately, the ticket collector never came to check the tickets there. This is how Velu escaped the ticket collector’s attention.
Question 4.
Why had Velu run away from home?
Answer:
Velu ran away from home to escape from his father who had a habit of beating him up. His father would snatch away all the money Velu and his sisters earned and spend it on drinks. Velu did not like this, and decided to run away.
Question 5.
Why did he decide to follow the ‘strange ’girl?
Answer:
He decided to follow the ‘strange’ girl because he was hungry and the girl had told him that she could arrange for some food for him. Besides, he had no idea what else to do than follow her.
Comprehension check
Question 1.
Can Velu read Tamil and English? How do you know?
Answer:
Velu can read Tamil, but not English. We know this because he is able to read the sign ‘Central Jail’ in Tamil, but is not able to read the huge signboards in the city that are in English.
Question 2.
If you are not careful, you will soon be counting bars there, ” the girl said.
i. What is she referring to?
Answer:
She is referring to the bars of a prison cell in the Central Jail.
ii. What does she mean when she says “If you are not careful… ”? (She says something a little later which means the same. Find that sentence.)
Answer:
She means that Velu will have to go unnoticed and not attract any attention towards him. Another sentence that has a similar meaning is: “Just don’t get caught, that’s all.”
Question 3.
i. Where did the girl lead Velu to?
Answer:
The girl led Velu in front of a big building where a wedding was taking place.
ii. What did they get to eat?
Answer:
Velu got to eat a vada and a squashy banana, while Jaya ate a banana.
Question 4.
What work did she do? Think of a one-word answer.
Answer:
She collected plastic bottles and cups. She was a rag picker.
Comprehension check
Question 1.
i. What material are the ‘strange ’ huts made out of?
Answer:
The ‘strange’ huts are made out of all sorts of things—metal sheets, tyres, bricks, wood and plastic. They stood crookedly and looked as if they would fall any moment.
ii. Why does Velu find them strange?
Answer:
Velu found them strange because in his village, the huts were made of mud and palm leaves.
Question 2.
What sort of things did Jaya and children like her collect and what did they do with those things?
Answer:
Jaya and children like her collected rubbish such as paper, plastic and glass from the streets. They sold it to a man called Jam Bazaar Jaggu, who sold it to the factories.
Question 3.
Is Velu happy or unhappy to find work? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer:
Velu was unhappy to find work because he had never done this kind of work. In his village, the only work he had ever done was on the landowner’s farm, weeding and taking cows out to graze.He thought that he hadn’t run away and come to this new place to dig through garbage bins. He stood lost in thought when Jaya poked him with a stick. It was with a sigh that he accepted this job. He then decided that he will do this job till he found a new one.
EXERCISE
Discuss the following questions in small groups. Write their answers afterwards.
Question 1.
Is Velu a smart boy ? Which instances in the text show that he is or isn’t ?
Answer:
No. Velu is not smart. He had run away from home. He felt very miserable at the railway station. He did not know what to do. Then he expected to work on farm in a big city. All this shows that he is not smart.
Question 2.
Do you think Jaya is a brave and sensitive child with a sense of humour ? Find instances of her courage, kind nature and humour in the text.
Answer:
Jaya is certainly a memorable character with a sense of humour. She is brave. She lives alone in a big city and earns her livelihood. She is sensitive. That was why she came to help Velu. She has a sense of humour too. This is seen quite a few times.
She dragged Velu to cross the road. Then she said to him, “What do you think you’re doing ? Grazing cows ?” At the Mandapam, Velu asks if they are going to eat there. At this she shakes her thumb under her nose and says, “Hopes !” The best part of her humour appears when she reaches the dirty trickle of water. She calls it ‘Buckingham Canal’. Thus Jaya is a brave and sensitive child with a sense of humour.
Question 3.
What one throws away as waste may be valuable to others. Do you find this sentence meaningful in the context of this story ? How ?
Answer:
This sentence is true in the context of this story. Jaya is a ragpicker. She has experienced the truth of life. She faces realities of the practical life. Children like her have no choice other than eating leftovers or thrown away food. She offers a crushed banana to Velu. Velu is new to the big city. He doesn’t know the realities that such children face. Finally, he opts for ragpicking. For them the waste is valuable. It is because their life depends upon it.
MCQs Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1.
How old Velu was?
(a) 10-year old
(b) 11-year old
(c) 12-year old
(d) 13-year old
Answer:
(b) 11-year old
Question 2.
Why did Velu run away from home ?
(a) His mother disliked him.
(b) His father beat him.
(c) His brother irritated him.
(d) His friends made fun of him.
Answer:
(b) His father beat him.
Question 3.
Who was Jaya ?
(a) She was a lady.
(b) She was a ragpicker.
(c) She was a ticket collector.
(d) None of the above
Answer:
(b) She was a ragpicker.
Question 4.
Which language could Velu read on the sign boards?
(a) Only Tamil
(b) Tamil & English
(c) Only English
(d) He was illiterate
Answer:
(a) Only Tamil
Question 5.
What was the ‘first food’ served to Velu by Jaya ?
(a) An orange
(b) A banana
(c) An apple
(d) A cucumber
Answer:
(b) A banana
Question 6.
What did Jaya give to Velu at her home ?
(a) A pair of old shoes
(b) An empty sack
(c) A stick
(d) All the above
Answer:
(d) All the above