NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 2 Children at Work are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 2 Children at Work.
| Board | CBSE |
| Textbook | NCERT |
| Class | Class 8 |
| Subject | English It So Happened |
| Chapter | Chapter 2 |
| Chapter Name | Children at Work |
| Category | NCERT Solutions |
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 2 Children at Work
TEXTUAL EXERCISES
COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 9)
1. Velu stood on the platform hut he felt “as if he was still on a moving train”. Why ?
2. What made him feel miserable ?
3. (i) Vela travelled without a ticket. Why ?
(ii) How did he escape the ticket collector’s attention ?
4. Why had Velu run away from home ?
5. Why did he decide to follow the ‘strange’ girl ?
Answers
1. Velu was in great fear. He was tired and hungry. He did not know what lay ahead. So his legs were unsteady as if he was still on a moving train.
2. Velu was hungry and tired. He saw as many people as he had seen only in the village fair. They were all walking with their luggage. Velu was much confused. He did not know what to do. This made him feel miserable.
3. (i) Velu travelled without a ticket because he had no money to buy one.
(ii) The ticket collector did not come to that unreserved compartment. Thus Velu escaped his attention.
4. Velu had run away from home because of his father. He and his sisters earned some money by working on the farms. His father snatched all this money. He spent it on drinking. It was not all. He also beat him much. He ran away from home because he could not stand this beating any more.
5. He decided to follow the strange girl because she had promised to give him food. He was very hungry. He knew no way to get the food for himself.
COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 13)
1. Can Velu read Tamil and English ? How do you know ?
2. “If you are not careful, you will soon be counting bars there,” the girl said.
(i) What is she referring to ?
(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.)
3. (i) Where did the girl lead Velu to ?
(ii) What did they get to eat ?
4. What work did she do ? Think of a one-word answer.
Answers:
1. Velu cannot read English. He fails to read the signboards in English. However, he can read Tamil. He could read the Tamil sign on the Central Jail.
2. (i) The girl is referring to the Central Jail.
(ii) She means that doing wrong is not important. Even innocent people can be arrested by the police. So the important thing is not to be caught. A little later she says, “Just don’t get caught, that’s all.” It means the same thing.
3. (i) The girl led Velu to a marriage hall. The sign on it was : ‘Sri Rajrajeshwari Prasanna Kalyan Mandapam.
(ii) They got to eat some food (two crushed bananas and a vada) from the big garbage bin. It was leftover food.
4. Ragpicking.
COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 15)
1. (i) What material are the “strange” huts made out of ?
(ii) Why does Velu find them strange ?
2. What sort of things did Jaya and children like her collect and what did they do with those things ?
3. Is Velu happy or unhappy to find work ? Give a reason for your answer.
Answers:
1. (i) The strange huts are made out of metal sheets, tyres, bricks, wood and plastic.
(ii) In Velu’s village the houses are made of mud and palm leaves. So he finds these houses strange.
2. Jaya and children like her collected paper, plastic, glass and such other things. They sold these things to Jam Bazar Jaggu. Later, he sold them to a factory.
3. Velu was not happy to find work. He had to accept it because there was no choice. So Velu scratched his head and sighed before accepting the work.
EXERCISE (Page 16)
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.
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