Class 9 English - ODISHA
Supplementary: The Lost Child
Supplementary: The Lost Child by Mulk Raj Anand is a touching story about a small boy who visits a spring fair with his parents. Fascinated by toys, balloons, sweets, and a snake charmer, he gets distracted and eventually gets separated from his parents in the bustling crowd. Overwhelmed by panic, he refuses all worldly pleasures offered by a kind stranger because his only desire is to reunite with his mother and father. For Odisha BSE Class 9 board exams, this chapter is crucial for testing reading comprehension, empathy, and the ability to answer short and long-type value-based questions.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Innocence of Childhood
The child represents pure innocence, easily attracted by simple joys like toys, colorful balloons, and dragonflies at the village fair.
Material Wealth vs. Parental Love
When lost, the child rejects all material things he earlier yearned for, proving that parental security is far more precious than worldly pleasures.
Role of the Kind Stranger
The nameless person who rescues the crying child embodies human empathy, trying desperately to soothe and comfort the distressed boy.
Psychology of Fear and Panic
The story beautifully captures the psychological shift in a child from excitement to absolute terror upon realizing he is separated from his parents.
Theme of Separation
The central conflict highlights how momentary carelessness in a crowd can lead to panic and emotional trauma for young children.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In the Odisha (BSE) Class 9 English examination, supplementary reader chapters usually carry around 5 to 8 marks. Questions typically include multiple-choice questions (MCQs), short-answer questions testing story comprehension, and long-answer questions based on the central theme and character behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the child lose interest in the things he wanted earlier?
Once he was separated from his parents, the child was overwhelmed by fear and panic, making all toys, sweets, and rides meaningless to him.
What did the child want most when he was lost?
The child wanted only his mother and father, refusing everything the kind stranger offered to calm him down.
Who is the author of 'The Lost Child'?
The story is written by Mulk Raj Anand, a renowned Indian English writer known for his realistic portrayal of the lives of oppressed people.
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