CBSE Class 8 It So Happened NCERT Solutions: Chapter 2 - Children At Work

Solution: Velu felt as if he was still on a moving train because his legs were still wobbly and shaky after the long journey to Chennai. This is a common sensation people experience after disembarking from a train, where the body takes a little time to adjust to being stationary.

Solution: Velu felt miserable and exhausted because he had been traveling for two days and had run away from his home. During this time, he had not eaten properly, surviving only on a few peanuts and a piece of jaggery, which left him hungry and weak.

Solution:

(i) Velu travelled without a ticket because he had no money to purchase one. He was desperate to reach Chennai and did not have the means to afford the fare.

(ii) He managed to escape the ticket collector's attention by sheer luck. The ticket collector did not come to the unreserved compartment where Velu was traveling, thus he was not checked.

Solution: Velu had run away from home because his father was abusive and used to beat him every day. Furthermore, his father would misuse the money that Velu and his sisters earned by spending it on alcohol.

Solution: Velu decided to follow the 'strange' girl because he was completely lost and had no idea where to go or what to do in the unfamiliar city of Chennai. He lacked any plan for his survival, and the girl seemed to know her way around.

Solution: Velu can read Tamil but not English. We know this because when he saw a large signboard, he could not understand its meaning as it was written in English. However, later, when the girl pointed to a building, Velu was able to read the Tamil sign on it, which identified the building as the Central Jail.

Solution:

(i) The girl was referring to the Central Jail, a place where people are imprisoned.

(ii) When the girl said, "If you are not careful...", she meant that Velu should be cautious and avoid getting into trouble with the police. She implied that if he did something foolish or got caught doing something wrong, he could end up in jail. The sentence that means the same is her later statement, "All you have to do to stay out of jail is not do anything stupid and get caught by the police."

Solution:

(i) The girl led Velu to a place called Sri Rajarajeshwari Prasanna Kalyana Mandapam, where a wedding was in progress. She took him behind the hall, near a large, overflowing garbage bin.

(ii) From the discarded food near the garbage bin, Velu managed to get a banana and a vada to eat. The girl, however, only found one banana for herself.

Solution: She was a ragpicker.

Solution:

(i) The 'strange' huts were constructed using a variety of materials, including metal sheets, old tyres, bricks, pieces of wood, and plastic.

(ii) Velu found these huts strange because the houses in his village were built with traditional materials like mud and palm leaves. The makeshift huts in Chennai, made from assorted discarded items, looked unstable and very different from what he was accustomed to, making them appear peculiar to him.

Solution: Jaya and other children like her collected various discarded items such as paper, plastic, glass, and other recyclable materials from the streets. They then sold these collected items to a dealer named Jam Bazaar Jaggu, who in turn sold them to a factory for processing.

Solution: Velu was unhappy to find work as a ragpicker. He had not run away from his home with the intention of sorting through garbage. The only work he had done before was agricultural labor, like weeding fields and grazing cows. However, being new to Chennai and not knowing anyone or what else to do, he accepted the ragpicking job as a temporary measure until he could find something better.

Solution: Velu displays both smartness and a lack of it, depending on the situation.

Instances showing he is smart:

• He manages to travel without a ticket by hiding and luckily avoiding the ticket collector.
• He can read Tamil, which helps him identify the Central Jail when the girl points it out.
• Despite his unhappiness, he decides to work as a ragpicker temporarily, showing pragmatism in his survival strategy in an unfamiliar city.

Instances showing he isn't smart (or is naive):

• He runs away from home without a clear plan, leaving him vulnerable and lost in Chennai.
• He is easily swayed by the 'strange' girl and follows her without much hesitation, despite the potential dangers.
• His initial disorientation and inability to understand English signs show a lack of worldly knowledge beyond his village.

Overall, Velu is a resourceful boy trying to survive in difficult circumstances, but his youth and lack of experience lead him to make some naive decisions.