a. The ‘unborn child’ referred to in the above extract is Santosh Yadav. b. ‘Him’ in the above extract refers to the travelling ‘holy man’. c. Everyone was surprised because it was uncommon for a family to wish for a daughter in their society, which considered sons as a blessing. The fact that Santosh’s family wished for a daughter went against societal norms, which was surprising. d. The grandmother’s wish was fulfilled when Santosh was born, the sixth child in the family and the first daughter after five sons.