is about nine in the morning and a group of unkempt kids
are waiting near an abandoned building in Lodhi Colony for
their school to arrive. School is a bright yellow bus knitted out
with cabinets, blackboard, water dispenser, ladder, a canopy,
teaching aids and an LCD TV. They call it the Mobile Learning
Centre or school-on-wheels. When the bus arrives, it parks
parallel to the pavement, the television is turned to face the
road and an inspirational song is played loud enough to draw
the attention of children.
The project, launched by Delhi Government's Department of Education in February 2008 is run by
Butterflies, an NGO. The mission is to bring the underprivileged kids into the mainstream and
prepare them for government schools. Children are taught Hindi, English and Mathematics and
given tips on health and hygiene twice a week. A sports teacher comes along once a week. Is the
yellow bus a magnet then? "Attendance is a little thin now." admits NGO volunteer Asif Ali
Chaudhary, even as Mausami Baruah, one of the two teachers, pulls a child out of line for chewing
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gum. "Some have gone to their villages for a festival and haven't returned so far. And then, it's
Thursday, Manu will be helping her parents sell garlands at a temple." Even so, at least 25 children
are present.
Keeping the students focussed is quite a task. "Many bring along younger siblings as there's no one
at home and they are assigned baby-sitting duties," says Chaudhary. Crawling babies aren't the
only distraction. As the senior class, backs leaning against the boundary wall, learns geometrical
shapes, a different scene is playing out right behind. A policeman has spotted someone in the
abandoned block of flats nearby and with remarkable agility, has jumped over the wall to inspect.
As he gives chase, several children run away. The school teachers carry on as if nothing has
happened. Essentially, the mobile school is able to do its job, stopping at four contact points, where
it can enroll a maximum of 40 students per stop. But even those who haven't enrolled and are
merely hanging around the area- are welcome.
On the basis of understanding of the above passage, answer the following questions.
(a) What is the relationship between the school and the bus as described in the first paragraph?
(i) The bus takes the street children to school.
(ii) They run a mobile school on the bus.
(iii) The bus stands as a metaphor for school.
(iv) The bus belongs to the school.
(b) The main aim of the mobile learning centre is to :
(i) spread awareness of safety and hygiene among underprivileged children.
(ii) distribute free food to the poor and needy children .
(iii) train them to play under the guidance of a sports teacher for the discovery of best talents.
(iv) equip the underprivileged children with basic education.
(c) Many distractions in the study of the children are responsible for-
(i) irregular attendance.
(ii) high attendance.
(iii) average attendance.
(iv) low attendance.
(d) Which of the following does not come close to the meaning of the word ‘agility’ mentioned
in the last paragraph of the passage.
(i) Suresh was excited upon hearing the good news.
(ii) Sports make us mentally sharp and alert.
(iii) A deer often escapes danger due to its speed and flexibility.
(iv) Grandpa displays a remarkable quickness for a ninety-year old man.
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(e) The mobile school service caters to:
(i) the children who have enrolled themselves into the school.
(ii) people of all age groups interested in learning.
(iii) not only those enrolled but also those who just hang out.
(iv) those children who are talented and interested in sports.
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Answer:
a)(ii) They run a mobile school on the bus.
b) (iv) equip the underprivileged children with basic education
c) (i) irregular attendance.
d) (iv) Grandpa displays a remarkable quickness for a ninety-year old man.
e)(iii) not only those enrolled but also those who just hang out.
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