CBSE Class 12-science Answered

Hi Pranjali,

Thanks for your question.

1. The head of the tall girl is weighed down because she is starving and exhausted of bearing the burden of poverty. 

2. The phrase ‘The paper-seeming boy’ means that the boy is malnourished and is almost as thin as paper. His eyes are compared to those of rats to highlight that his hunger has made them shrewd and he is constantly in search of food.

3. The image of the ‘rootless weeds’ suggests that these children are set aside and deprived of the privileges that the other children of their age group receive just like the weeds that are separated from flowers. Also, the image of ‘hair torn round their pallor’ suggest that their hair is never combed and they do not even care about it as they have more pressing concerns to worry about.