English Class 10 Chapter 7 Question Answer First Flight

Madam Rides the Bus

Solutions For All Chapters First Flight 10

Oral Comprehension Check – I

Question 1: What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Answer: Valli’s favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house and watching what was happening in the street outside.

Question 2: What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Answer: The sight of the bus filled with a new set of passengers each time was a source of unending joy for Valli. Her strongest desire was to ride on that bus, even if just once.

Question 3: What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Answer: Valli found out that the town was six miles from her village, the fare was thirty paise one way, the trip took forty-five minutes, and she could return on the same bus by paying another thirty paise. She learnt these details by listening carefully to the conversations of her neighbours and regular bus users and by asking a few discreet questions.

Question 4: What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Answer: Valli was planning to take the one-o’clock afternoon bus to the town and return home on the same bus.

Oral Comprehension Check

Question 1. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Answer. The conductor calls Valli ‘madam’ in a joking manner because she behaved like a grown-up and insisted on travelling alone.

Question 2. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Answer. Valli stands up on the seat because the canvas blind blocks her view. Now she sees the canal, palm trees, grasslands, distant mountains, the blue sky, a deep ditch, and acres of green fields.

Question 3. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Answer. Valli tells the elderly man proudly that there is nobody who is a child. She says she has paid her thirty paise like everyone else.

Question 4. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Answer. Valli did not want to make friends with the elderly woman because she found her repulsive. The woman had big holes in her ears, ugly earrings, and smelled of betel nut.

Oral Comprehension Check

Question 1. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Answer. Valli saved money by resisting the temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, and rides at the fair. She even stifled her strong desire to ride the merry-go-round. It was not easy for her.

Question 2. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Answer. Valli saw a young cow running in the middle of the road with its tail high in the air. The more the driver honked, the faster the cow ran. This made her laugh until there were tears in her eyes.

Question 3. Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Answer. Valli did not get off the bus at the bus station because she only wanted to have a bus ride. She was too afraid to go alone in the town.

Question 4. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her?
Answer. Valli did not want to go to the stall and have a drink because she did not have enough money. This shows that she was firm, careful with her money, and independent in her decisions.

Thinking About The Text

Question 1. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Answer. Valli’s deepest desire was to ride on the bus, even if just once. The story says: “Day after day she watched the bus, and gradually a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there: she wanted to ride on that bus, even if just once.”

Question 2. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
Answer. Valli listened carefully to conversations of her neighbours and asked questions to learn details about the bus. She found out that the town was six miles away, the fare was thirty paise one way, and the trip took forty-five minutes. She saved the money by resisting temptations to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, or rides at the fair, until she had sixty paise.

Question 3. What kind of a person is Valli? To answer this question, pick out the following sentences from the text and fill in the blanks.

(i) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly.
(ii) “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
(iii) “There’s nobody here who’s a child,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
(iv) “Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself. You don’t have to help me. I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said, irritably.
(v) “You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope to see you again.”

Question 4. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
Answer. The conductor refers to Valli as ‘madam’ jokingly because she behaved like an adult, spoke with confidence, and wanted to be treated with respect.

Question 5. Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.
Answer. The lines are: “Valli devoured everything with her eyes.” and “Oh, it was all so wonderful!” She laughed with joy at the cow running in front of the bus.

Question 6. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Answer. On her way back, Valli saw the same cow lying dead by the roadside. The horrible sight made her sad, and her enthusiasm was gone. That is why she refused to look out of the window.

Question 7. What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.”
Answer. Valli means that just like her secret bus ride, there are many things that happen without others knowing about them. She was indirectly referring to her own experience.

Question 8. The author describes the things that Valli sees from an eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this statement?
Answer. Yes. The author shows the sights as Valli saw them: the bus looking like a toy, the green fields stretching endlessly, trees seeming to run past, and the young cow running on the road which she found very funny. These descriptions reflect the innocent and childlike excitement of an eight-year-old.

Writing

Question 1. Have you ever planned something entirely on.your own, without taking grown ups into your confidence? What did you plan and how? Did you carry out your plan?

Answer: It was during my summer vacations. I wanted to plan a special birthday for my mother. So, I roped in my younger sister in my plan to celebrate her birthday. We saved our pocket money and didn’t go for our weekly outings for some time. In this way, we were able to save five hundred rupees for the birthday party. Now, we had to arrange everything without our mother’s knowledge. On her birthday we pretended as if we didn’t remember her birthday at all. Instead we requested our father to take her to the market. In the meantime, we arranged everything like cake, decorations, flowers and even invited two of her best friends. When she came back she was surprised. It was the best birthday she ever had in her life.

Question 2. Have you made a journey that was unforgettable in some way? What made it memorable?

Answer: I have gone on many trips and excursions, but one journey which I can’t forget is my trip to Hemkund and Badrinath. The scenery over there was mesmerising and as you leave Delhi, you enjoy cool fresh air and see breath taking lush green fields. The bus ride takes you on winding narrow roads, with river flowing on one side and mountains on the other side. To reach Hemkund Sahib, one has to travel 14 kms by foot. Everywhere there are crowds of devotees, chanting holy names and moving up the hill. When I reached the shrine, it was enveloped in clouds. The water in the holy tank was ice cold. The moment you step in it your tiredness vanishes. After that we went to Badrinath by bus. It was also a very nice place. There were many hot springs over there.

Question 3. Are you concerned about traffic and road safety? What are your concerns? How would you make road travel safer and more enjoyable?
Answer. Yes, I am very concerned about traffic and road safety. My main concerns are accidents caused by over speeding, careless driving, breaking traffic rules, and not giving importance to pedestrians. To make road travel safer, strict rules should be followed, drivers should avoid rash driving, and proper traffic signals must be obeyed. Wearing helmets and seatbelts should be compulsory. To make travel more enjoyable, vehicles should be well-maintained, roads should be clean, and people should be polite and disciplined on the road.