Old people say that childhood is the best part of life. They look back at their childhood and remember all its happy days, the jolly games

Question

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below in your own words:

Old people say that childhood is the best part of life. They look back at their childhood and remember all its happy days, the jolly games, the fun they had at school, jokes they used to play and the endless discussion they had among friends on almost every topic. Perhaps these old folks are right. And yet they forget many things that were not so pleasant in their childhood. There is a funny story that tells of a boy who was crying because he had to go back to school after the holidays and the father scolded him and said, "Why, I only wish I could be a boy and go to school again." And all in a moment the father was a little boy and his son was a grown up man like his father. And the father, in the shape of a little boy had to go school, and I can tell you he did not like it at all. A child's troubles may seem small to grown-ups but they are very big to him.

(i) How do old people describe child?

(ii) Why did the father scold the boy?

(iii) What happened when the father wished to be a boy?

(iv) What do the old people forget?

Answer 1

(i) Old people describe childhood as the best part of life. They remember it fondly, recalling happy days, jolly games, fun at school, jokes with friends, and endless discussions on various topics.

(ii) The father scolded the boy because the boy was crying about having to go back to school after the holidays. The father, reminiscing about his own childhood, expressed a wish to be a boy again and go to school.

(iii) When the father wished to be a boy again, a magical transformation occurred: suddenly, the father became a little boy, and his son became a grown-up man like his father. As the little boy, the father had to go to school again, and he did not enjoy it as much as he thought he would.

(iv) The old people forget to mention or tend to overlook the unpleasant aspects of childhood. While they remember the happy and carefree moments, they may not recall the difficulties and challenges that children face, such as the boy's distress over going back to school after holidays, which seemed trivial to the father but were significant to the boy.