GREENWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOL, ADITYAPURAM

OUR MOTTO-DEVELOPMENT WITH DELIGHT

CLASS-X

English First Flight (Chapter 1 A Letter to God)

Oral Comprehension CheckPage 5

Question 1.What did Lencho hope for?Answer:Lencho hoped for a good rain as it was much needed for a good harvest.

Question 2.Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?Answer:Lencho compared the raindrops with new coins because they were promising him a

good harvest resulting in more prosperity.

Question 3.How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?Answer:The rain changed into hailstones as a strong wind began to blow and huge

hailstones began to fall alongwith the rain. All the crops in Lencho’s field got

destroyed because of the weather conditions.

Question 4.What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?Answer:Lencho was filled with grief after the hail stopped as everything was ruined and

there was nothing that he could feed his family with. He could see a bleak future for

him and his family.

Page 6Question 5.

Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?

Answer:

Lencho had firm faith in God. He believed ‘ that God sees everything, even what is

deep in one’s conscience and help everyone in one’s problems. He wrote a letter to

God demanding him a hundred pesos to sow his field again.

Question 6.

Who read the letter?

Answer:

Postmaster read the letter.

Question 7.

What did the postmaster do after reading a letter?

Answer:

The postmaster laughed when he read

Lencho’s letter but soon he became serious and was moved by the writer’s faith in

God. He didn’t want to shake Lencho’s faith. So, he decided to collect ,money and

send it to Lencho on behalf of God.

Page 7Question 8.

Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?

Answer:

Lencho was not surprised to find a letter with money from God as he believed that

God will help him.

Question 9.

What made Lencho angry?

Answer:

There were only seventy pesos in the envelope whereas Lencho had demanded a

hundred pesos. The difference in the amount made him angry.

Thinking about the Text  (Page 7,8)

Question 1.Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?Answer:Lencho has complete faith in God as he is instructed that God knows everything and

helps us in our problems. There are few sentences which show this

But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley,

there was a single hope help from God.

All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God,

whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in

one’s conscience.

“God”, he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year”.

He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and still troubled, went to

town.

God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he

had requested.

Question 2.Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter God?Answer:The postmaster sends money to Lencho in order to keep

Lencho’s faith in God alive and firm as he was completely moved by it.

When postmaster reads the letter of Lencho to God, he becomes serious and does

not want to shake his faith and decides to answer the letter. He gathers money with

the help of his post office employees and friends on behalf of God and signs the

letter ‘God’ so that Lencho’s faith does not get shaken.

Question 3.Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why or why not?Answer:Lencho did not try to find out who had sent the money to him because he never

suspected the presence of God and had complete faith in God. He could not believe

that it could be – anybody else other than him who would send him the money.

His faith in God was so strong that he believed that he had sent money to him for his

help in his problem.

Question 4.

Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the

situation? (Remember that the irony of a situation is an unexpected aspect of it. An

ironic situation is strange or amusing because it is the opposite of what is expected).

Answer:

Lencho thinks that the post office employees have taken the rest of the money as he

had demanded a hundred pesos from God and in the letter there was only seventy

pesos and God cannot make such a mistake. So, he assumes that they have stolen

the money.

The irony in this situation is that Lencho suspects those people who helped him in

his problem and tried to keep his faith alive in God.

Question 5.

Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say

he is? You may select appropriate words from the box to answer the question.

Greedy

Naive

Stupid

Ungrateful

Selfish

Comical

Unquestioning

Answer:

It is almost impossible to find a person like Lencho as he is an unquestioning and

naive kind of person. He is not stupid if he doesn’t know who has sent him money or

a letter will reach God without any address. It is Lencho’s faith in God. In real world,

people are selfish and greedy and Lencho is totally lovable and different.

Question 6.There are two kinds of conflict in the story between humans and nature and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?Answer:Conflict between Humans and Nature: The conflict between humans and nature is

illustrated by the destruction of Lencho’s crop by the hailstorm as Lencho was

expecting a good rain to have good harvest as that was the only hope he had for his

earning. He worked so hard to feed his family, but nature turned violent and

destroyed everything.

Conflict between Humans and Humans: The story also illustrated another conflict,

between humans themselves as the postmaster alongwith his friends and staff sent

Lencho money that Lencho demanded from God although they didn’t know Lencho.

Lencho blamed them for taking away some amount of money. He called them “a

bunch of crook”. This shows that man does not have faith in other man, thereby

giving rise to this conflict.

Thinking about Language        (Page 8,9,10,11)

1. There are different names in different parts of the world for storms, depending on

their nature. Can you match the names in the box with their descriptions below, and

fill in the blanks?

gale,

whirlwind,

cyclone,

hurricane,

tornado,

typhoon.

Question 1.A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle c__.Answer:cyclone

Question 2.

An extremely strong wind __ a __.

Answer:

gale

Question 3.

A violent tropical storm with very strong wind __ p __.

Answer:

typhoon

Question 4.

A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel __n__.

Answer:

tornado

Question 5.

A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the Western Atlantic Ocean __

r__.

Answer:

Hurricane

Question 6.

A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of

damage __l__.

Answer:

whirlwind

Question 7.

Match the sentences in column A with the meaning of ‘hope’ in column B.

Answer:

A B

1. Will you get the

subjects you want

to study in

(a

)

a feeling that

something good

will probably

college? I hope

so.happen.

2.

1 hope you don’t

mind my saying

this but 1 don’t like

the way you are

arguing.

(b

)

thinking that this

would happen (it

may or may not

have happened.)

3.

This discovery will

give new hope to

HIV/AIDS

sufferers.

(c)

stopped believing

that this good

thing would

happen.

4.

We were hoping

against hope that

the judges would

not notice our

mistakes.

(d

)

wanting

something to

happen (and

thinking it quite

possible)

5.

1 called early in

the hope of

speaking to her

before she went to

school.

(e

)

showing concern

that what you say

should not offend

or disturb the

other person a

way of being

polite.

6. Just when

everybody had

given up hope, the

fishermen came

back, seven days

(f) wishing for

something to

happen, although

this is very

after the cyclone. unlikely.

Answer:

1. (b)

2. (e)

3. (a)

4. (f)

5. (d)

6. (c)

3. Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as suggested.

Question 1.

I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India, (which)

Answer:

I often go to Mumbai which is the commercial capital of India.

Question 2.

My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well, (who)

Answer:

My Mother who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.

Question 3.

These sportsperson are going to meet the President. Their performance has been

excellent, (whose)

Answer:

These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the

President.

Question 4.

Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds, (whose)

Answer:

Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.

Question 5.This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)

Answer:This man whom I trusted cheated me.

4. Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following

ideas emphatically.

(a) The trees lost all their leaves.

(b) The letter was addressed to God himself.

(c) The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.

Answer:

(a) Not a leaf remained on the trees.

(b) It was nothing less than a letter to God.

(c) Never in his career as a postman had he seen that address.

Lesson – 1 A Letter to God

Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.The house- the only one in the entire valley- sat on the crest of a low hill. From this

height one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that

always promised a good harvest. The only thing the Earth needed was a downpour

or at least a shower. Throughout the morning Lencho who knew his fields intimately

had done nothing else but see the sky towards the North-East. “Now we’re really

going to get some water, woman.

” The woman who was preparing supper, replied, “Yes, God willing”.

(a) Where was Lencho’s house located?

(b) What was Lencho’s wife preparing?

(c) Find the word from the passage which means ‘very closely’.

(d) What does ‘Crest’ means?

Answer:Lencho’s house was located on the crest of a low hill.

(b) Lencho’s wife was preparing supper.

(c) The word is ‘Intimately’.

(d) Crest means the top part of a hill.

Question 2.It was during the meal that, just as Lencho had predicted, big drops of rain began to

fall. In the North-East huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching. The air

was fresh and sweet. The man went out for no other reason than to have the

pleasure of feeling the rain on his body.          [CBSE 2012](a) What could be seen approaching in the North-East?

(b) Why did Lencho go out?

(c) Give an antonym of the word Big.

(d) Which word in the passage is a synonym of ‘forecast’.

Answer:(a) Huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching in the North-East.

(b) Lencho went out to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body.

(c) The word is ‘small’.

(d) The word ‘predict’ is a synonym of forecast.

Question 3.With a satisfied expression he regarded the field of ripe corn with its flowers, draped

in a. curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow and alongwith the rain

very large hailstones began to fall. These truly did resemble new silver coins. The

boys, exposing themselves to the rain, ran out to collect the frozen pearls.

(a) What happened to the rain suddenly?

(b) ‘The frozen pearls’ refers to which thing in the paragraph.

(c) Find the similar meaning-of ‘contented’ in the paragraph.

(d) Find from the passage a word which means ‘to take after’.

Answer:(a) The rain suddenly changed into hailstones.

(b) ‘The frozen pearls’ refers to hailstones.

(c) The word is ‘Satisfied’.

(d) The word is ‘Resemble’.

Question 4.Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the plants. Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he stood in the middle of the field and said to his sons. “A plague of locusts would have left more than this. The hail has left nothing.(a) Describe Lencho’s feeling as shown in the passage.

(b) What happened to the crop when the storm had passed?

(c) Find the word that means the opposite of ‘restored’ as used in the passage.

(d) What do you mean by ‘hail’ in the last line?

Answer:(a) Lencho was filled with sadness when the storm had passed.

(b) The crop was completely destroyed when the storm had passed.

(c) The word is ‘destroyed’.

(d) ‘Hail’ is balls of ice that falls from the sky in the form of rain.

Question 5.“That’s what they say: no one dies of hunger.” All through the night, Lencho thought

only of his one hope: the help of God, whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see

everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience. Lencho was an ox of a man,

working like an animal in the fields, but still he knew how to write.       [CBSE 2014](a) What was Lencho’s only hope?

(b) How did Lencho work in the field?

(c) Find the exact word of similar meaning ‘moral sense’ given in the passage.

(d) Explain ‘an or of a man’.

Answer:(a) Lencho’s only hope was the help of God.

(b) Lencho worked as an ‘ox’ in the field.

(c) The word is ‘conscience’.

(d) It means a man working hard like an ox or animal.

Question 6.The postmaster- a fat, amiable fellow- also broke out laughing, but almost

immediately he turned serious and tapping the letter on his desk, commented. “What

faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. Starting.up a

correspondence with God!”

So, in order ndt to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster came up with an

idea: answer the letter. But when he opened it, it was evident that to answer it he

needed something more than goodwill, ink and paper. But he stuck to his resolution:

he asked for money from his employees, he himself gave part of his salary and

several friends of his vreie obliged io give something ‘for an act of charity’.

(a) What kind of a person the postmaster was?

(b) How did the postmaster help Lencho?

(c) Find the exact word in similar meaning ‘without delay’ given in the passage.

(d) Determination is synonymous with …………….

Answer:(a) The postmaster was a fat, amiable and helpful fellow.

(b) The postmaster helped Lencho by collecting money from his employees and

friends.

(c) The word is ‘Immediately’.

(d) Determination is synonym with Resolution.

Question 7.The following Sunday, Lencho came a bit earlier than usual to ask if there was a

letter for him. It was the postman himself who handed the letter to him while the

postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a man who has performed a good

deed, looked on from his office.

Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his

confidence, but he became angry when he counted the money. God could not have

made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.

(a) Why did Lencho come earlier to the post office?

(b) Why wasLencho angry when he counted money?

(c) Find the word which means the opposite of permitted from the passage.

(d) Which word in the passage gives the meaning ‘that one will be successful one

day’.

Answer:(a) Lencho came earlier to the post office to know if there was a letter for him.

(b) Lencho was angry when he counted money as it was not the full amount that he

had demanded from God.

(c) The word is ‘denied’.

(d) The word is ‘confidence’.

Question 8.When he finished, he went to the window to buy a stamp which he licked and then

affixed to the envelope with a blow of his fist. The moment the letter fell into the

mailbox the postmaster went to open it. It said: “God: Of the money that I asked for,

only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But

don’t send it to me through the mail because the post office employees are a ‘bunch

of crooks’. Lencho.”                      [CBSE 2016](a) What did Lencho do wijh the stamp?

(b) What did the postmaster do when the letter fell into the mailbox and why?

(c) Find out the word which has the similar meaning as ‘attached’ used in the

passage.

(d) Which word in the passage denotes a dishonest person?

Answer:(a) Lencho licked and affixed the stamp to the envelope with a blow of his fist.

(b) The postmaster immediately opened the letter to know Lencho’s feeling for the

money he had received.

(c) The word is ‘affixed’.

(d) The word is ‘crook’.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.Who was Lencho? What were his main problems?       [CBSE 2015]Answer:Lencho was a hardworking farmer, who lived on the crest of a low hill. Due to the

hailstorm his crops were destroyed, so he needed money to sow his field again and

support his family. These were the main problems of Lencho.

Question 2.Give a brief description of the view from Lencho’s house?

Answer:Lencho’s house was situated on the crest of a low hill and it was the only one in the

valley. One could easily see the river and the field of ripe corn from here.

Question 3.What did Lencho compare the raindrops to and why?          [ CBSE 2011]Answer:Lencho compared the raindrops to new coins because the crop needed the rain

badly and it was the sign of good harvest. Good harvest meant prosperity for

Lencho as he needed the money to fulfil his basic needs.

Question 4.Why did Lencho write a letter to God?

Answer:When.Lencho’s crops were completely destroyed by the hailstorm, he wrote a letter

to God because he was the only hope in his despair. Lencho asked him to send

hundred pesos to sow his field again and support his family.

Question 5.Why and how did the postmaster help Lencho?

Answer:The postmaster was determined to help Lencho. He did not want Lencho’s faith in

God to be shaken so he asked his employees and friends to help Lencho. He also

contributed a part of his salary for this act of charity.

Question 6.How much money did Lencho need? How . much did he get?

Answer:Lencho got seventy pesos. He was angry at the difference as he needed hundred

pesos to sow the crops again and to support his family till the next harvest.

Question 7.Why did Lencho not want the money to be sent through mail? CBSE 2016

Answer:Lencho wrote in his second letter that he received only seventy pesos but he

needed a hundred pesos.

He requested God not to send rest of the money by post since the post office

employees were a bunch of crooks and would steal the money.

Question 8.Do you think that Lencho was right to call the post office employees a bunch of

crooks? Why or why not?

Answer:Lencho called the post office employees a bunch of crooks as he did not get full

money that he had demanded. He could not believe that God had sent him any less

money so he doubted these people. But he was not right to call them a bunch of

crooks.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.Who was Lencho and what circumstances forced him to write a letter to God?

Answer:Lencho was a hardworking farmer who lived with his family on a crest of a low hill.

He was very caring and God loving man. Though, he was a farmer he could read

and write. Lencho eagerly waited for the rainfall in order to get good harvest and he

became happy when it came. But the pleasing rain changed into hailstorm and

destroyed his crop.

He became sad and was worried about his family as they might remain hungry that

year. His last hope was the help from God as he had complete faith in him. Hence,

he wrote a letter to God asking him to send hundred pesos to survive and to

reharvest.

Question 2.Give a character-sketch of Lencho.

Answer:Lencho was a simple man and a hardworking farmer. He worked as an ox in his

field.

Lencho’s entire crops were badly destroyed by the hailstorm. So, he became very

sad as he was worried about his family. He was an optimistic person. Although his

only source of living was taken away, he didn’t lose hope. He had his last hope in

God. He was confident that God would help him in his distress. Lencho was an

innocent atheist who didn’t know that there was no such living person as God who

could send him money. He had blind faith in God and sought solution of his

problem’Trom God only.

Question 3.Sketch the character of the postmaster in the story ‘A Letter to God”.

(or)

How do you like ,the character of the postmaster in the story ‘A Letter to God?” Give

reason for your answer.

Answer:The postmaster was a fat and friendly fellow. He was a sensible human being. He

first laughed looking at the letter which had a strange address. But soon he became

serious. He was surprised at the faith that Lencho had in God. He wanted his faith

not to be shaken.

The postmaster himself gave a part of his salary and also requested his employees

and a few friends to contribute for charity. He felt happy and satisfied when Lencho

received the money. This shows that he was a kind and empathetic person as well.

He loved to help others.

Question 4.How did the postmaster and post office employees help Lencho? How did he react

to their help?

Answer:The Postmaster and post office employees were very generous as they contributed

for the act of charity. First they laughed when they saw Lencho’s letter to God, but

soon they were impressed by his faith in God. They decided to send some money to

Lencho so that his faith in God does not get shaken. They collected seventy pesos

and sent it to Lencho.

When Lencho got the envelope and opened it to count money, he became angry.

He again wrote a letter to God demanding the remaining thirty pesos. He thought

that post office employees had taken away the remaining money and called them a

bunch of crooks, which was not justified at all as they were the people who had

helped him. But it shows his innocence and firm faith in God.

Question 5.How did the hailstones affect Lencho’s field? What was Lencho’s only hope?S

Answer:Lencho, a hardworking farmer, worked like an ox for a good harvest, depended

completely on his fields to  take care of his family. He expected a good harvest that

year. He needed a downpour for the crops to ripe, but the rain followed by hailstorm

completely destroyed the crops.

It made him sad. He was worried for his family as he loved them so much. But

Lencho had firm faith in God and believed that nobody died of hunger. So, he

decided to seek help from God. He wrote a letter to God and asked him for a

hundred pesos to survive and to sow new crop.

Question 6.“Humanity still exists”, this is what we get to know after reading A letter to God’ in

which firm faith in God of a poor farmer and helpfulness of the post office employees

are aptly depicted thought. Write a paragraph on the values in it, in about 80-100

words. Give the paragraph a suitable title. [CBSE 2012]Answer:Existence of Humanity

After reading ‘A letter to God’, our faith in humanity stirs for strong. We learn from

the story that there still are people who help others without any self interest. The

postmaster and the post office employees lay an example for everyone of us to be

kind. Though they all laughed at his letter, they were really moved by the grip of faith

Lencho had in God. The way they all decided to help the stranger in his hard times

restores our faith in the existence of humanity and motivates us to be a noble and

kind person.

Question 7.Describe Lencho’s qualities in light of his faith in God. Do you have faith in God like Lencho? Was Lencho’s reaction towards post office employees right?              [CBSE 2015]Answer:Lencho was a poor farmer who totally depended on the harvest to survive and fulfil basic needs of his family. Once his crops were destroyed due to heavy rainfall and hailstones and he was afraid to think how his family would survive. He believed that God would help him in this plight. He had firm faith in God, he believed that God would not let him be hungry.Now-a-days faith in God like Lencho is almost impossible and unseen. People are very much aware that nobody is willing to help others without any self interest. Lencho’s reaction towards post office employees was not right or justified but it was just because of his innocence as he could not believe that God had done such a mistake. It were only the post office employees who had stolen money according to them.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 2

Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom

Oral Comprehension Check

Page 18,19

Question 1.

Where did the ceremonies take place ? Can you name any public buildings in India that are

made of sandstones?

Answer:

The ceremonies took place in the campus of the Union Building of Pretoria, which were

attended by dignitaries and leaders of many nations. In India; Rashtrapati Bhavan and Red

Fort are buildings made of red sandstone.

Question 2.

Can you say how 10th May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?

Answer:

As South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, may falls in the autumn season. Thus 10th

May is an ‘autumn day’.

Question 3.

At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human disaster”.

What does he mean by this? What is the “glorious human achievement” he speaks of at

the end?

Answer:

By ‘an extraordinary human disaster’ Mandela means to state the practice of apartheid in

South Africa. During this there was a racial segregation based on colour and the blacks

suffered a lot. They were not allowed to demand freedom or any right. Mandela himself did

spend many years on infamous ‘Robben Island’ as a prisoner where he was beaten

mercilessly. He considered it as great glorious human achievement that a black person

became the President of a country where the blacks were not even considered human beings

and were treated badly.

Question 4.

What does Mandela thank the international leaders for ?

Answer:

Mandela felt very privileged to welcome the international leaders at the swearing – in

ceremony because not too long ago, the South Africans were considered outlaws. He thus

thanks all of them for having come to witness the historical ceremony. This was a gesture of

international recognition to a newly born free democratic nation and it could be considered

as a common victory for justice, peace and human dignity.

Question 5.

What ideals does Nelson Mandela set for the future of South Africa?

Answer:

Nelson Mandela set the ideals of liberating people from bondage of poverty, deprivation and

suffering. He also set the ideal for a society where there would be no discrimination based on

gender or racial origins.

Page 21

Question 1.

What did the military generals do ? How did their attitude change and why?

Answer:

The highest military generals of South African defence force saluted Mandela and pledged

their loyalty which was of great significance as during apartheid era they would have

arrested him. The change in their attitude was because of struggle and sacrifices put in by

many heroes of South Africa. This struggle not only ensured the freedom of a nation

struggling with apartheid, bur brought a change in mindsets of many. He believed that love

can also be taught and human being is naturally inclined towards love rather than hate.

Question 2.

Why were two national anthems sung?

Answer:

One the auspicious occasion of the inauguration two national anthems: one by the Whites

and the other by the Blacks symbolising the equality of the Blacks and the Whites were sung.

Question 3.

How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country

(i) in the first decade, and

(ii) in the final decade, of the twentieth century?

Answer:

(i) In the first decade of the century, the whites erected a system of racial domination against

the blacks, thus creating the basis of one of the harshest and most inhumane societies the

world had ever known.

(ii) In the final decade of the 20th century, the . previous system had been overturned and

replaced by one which recognised rights and freedom of all people regardless of color of

their skin.

Question 4.

What does courage mean to Mandela?

Answer:

For Mandela courage does not mean the absence of fear but a victory over fear. According to

him brave men need not be fearless but should be able to conquer fear.

Question 5.

Which does Mandela think is natural, to love or to hate?

Answer:

For Mandela, love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate.

Page 4

Question 1.

What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?

Answer:

Mandela mentions that every man has twin obligations. The first is to his family, parents,

wife and children; the second obligation is to his people, his community and his country.

Question 2.

What did being free mean to Mandela as a boy, and as a student ? How does he

contrast these “transitory freedoms” with “the basic and honourable freedoms”?

Answer:

Like any other kid, for Mandela freedom meant to make merry and enjoy the blissful life.

Once one becomes an adult, antics of childhood looks like transitory because most of the

childish activities are wasteful from an adult’s perspective. Once you are adult, you have to

earn a livelihood to bring the bacon home. Its only then when you get an honourable

existence in the family and in the society.

Question 3.

Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/why not?

Answer:

Mandela does not think that the oppressor is free because according to him an oppressor is a

victim of hatred who is behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. He realises that

both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity and peace.

Thinking about the Text

(Page 24)

Question 1.

Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration ? What did it

signify the triumph of?

Answer:

To be the part of the inauguration, international leaders showed a gesture of solidarity from

international community to the idea of end of apartheid. It was the significance of the victory

of good over evil and triumph of a tolerant society without any discrimination.

Question 2.

What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots”,

who had gone before him ?

Answer:

By saying that he is simply the sum of all those African patriots, Mandela wants to pay his

tribute to all the people who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of freedom. He says that

he is grateful to those who had gone before him because those heroes of past had paved the

path of co-operation and unity for him. Therefore, he could try to come to power to bring

equality for his people with their support.

Question 3.

Would you agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”? How does

Mandela illustrate this? Can you add your own examples to this argument ?

Answer:

I agree with the statement that depths of oppression create heights of character. Nelson

Mandela illustrates this by giving examples of great heroes of South Africa like Oliver

Tambo, Walter Sisulu and others who were inspired to sacrifice their lives in the long

freedom struggle.

India is full of such examples, during our freedom struggle there was a galaxy of leaders of

great characters and the oppression of British rule created and encouraged people of noble

characters like Mahatma Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai, JL Nehru, Chandra Shekhar Ajad, Sardar

Bhagat Singh and many more. If we compare them with the quality of political leaders India

is having today, then Nelson Mandela seems to be absolutely right;

Question 4.

How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?

Answer:

With age and experience, Mandela understood the real meaning of freedom. As a young boy,

he thought that he was born free and believed that as long as he obeyed his father and abided

by the customs of his tribe, he was free in every possible manner. As he grew older, freedom

to raise a family and freedom to earn livelihood started dominating his thoughts. Gradually

he realised that he was selfish during his boyhood. He slowly understood that it was not just

his freedom that was being curtailed, but the freedom of all blacks. It was the freedom from

fear and prejudice. Age and experience widened his perspective of freedom.

Question 5.

How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?

Answer:

Mandela realised in his youth that it was not just his freedom that was being curtailed, but

the freedom of all blacks. This changed the fearfulman to a fearless rebel.

He sacrificed the comforts of a settled family life to fight for a greater cause. He joined the

African National Congress and this changed him from a frightened young man into a bold

one who fought against racial prejudice.

Thinking about Language

(Page 24,25,26)

Questions

1. There are nouns in the text (formation, government) which are formed from the

corresponding verbs (form, govern) by suffixing – (at)ion or ment. There may be

change in the spelling of some verb – noun pairs ; such as rebel, rebellion; constitute,

constitution.

Make a list of such pairs of nouns and verbs in the text

Noun Verb

Rebellion Rebel

Constitution Constitute

2. Here are some more examples of ‘the’ used with proper names. Try to say what these

sentences mean. (You may consult a dictionary if you wish. Look at the entry for ‘the’)

(i) Mr Singh regularly invites the Amitabh Bachchans and the Shah Rukh Khans to his

parties.

(ii) Many people think that Madhuri Dixit is the Madhubala of our times.

(in) History is not only the story of the Alexanders, the Napoleons and the Hitlers, but of

ordinary people as well.

3. Match, the italicised phrases in Column A with the phrase nearest meaning in Column B.

(Hint: First look for the sentence in the text which the phrase in column A occurs.)

A B

1. I was not

unmindful of the

fact.

(i)had not forgotten :

was aware of the fact

(ii)was not careful

about the fact

(iii

)

forgot or was not

aware of the fact

2. When my

comrades and I were

pushed to our limits

(i)pushed by the guards

to the wall

(ii)took more than our

share of beatings

(iii

)

felt that we could not

endure the suffering

any longer

3. To reassure me

and keep me going(i)

make me go on

walking

(ii) help me continue to

live in hope in this

very difficult

situation

(iii

)

make me remain

without complaining

4. The basic and

honourable freedoms

of… earning my

keep…

(i)earning enough

money to live on

(ii)keeping what I

earned

(iii

)getting a good salary

Answers:

1. Ans:

Noun Verb

Rebellion Rebel

Constitution Constitute

Formation Form

Government Govern

Obligation Oblige

Transformation Transform

Discrimination Discriminate

Deprivation Deprive

Demonstration Demonstrate

Oppression Oppress

Imagination Imagine

2. Ans:

(i) :  This means that Mr Singh regularly invites famous personalities as of the calibre of

Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to his parties.

(ii) This means that Madhuri Dixit is compared to a landmark in acting in the form of

legendary actress Madhubala.

(iii) This means that history is not only the story of the great fighters and leaders such as

Alexander, Napoleon and Hitler, but also of ordinary people.

3. Ans:

A B

1.

I was not

unmindful of the

fact

(i)

had not

forgotten;was

aware of the fact

not endure the

2.

When my

comrades and I

were pushed to our

limits

(iii)

felt that we

could not endure

the suffering any

longer

3.To reassure me

and keep me going(ii)

help me continue

to live in hope in

this live in hope

in this very

difficult situation

4. The basic (i) earning

and honourable

freedoms of…

earning my keep…

enough money to

live on

 

Lesson – 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1. 10th May dawned bright and clear. For the past few days 1 had been pleasantly

besieged by dignitaries and world leaders who were coming to pay their respects

before the inauguration. The inauguration would be the largest gathering ever of

international leaders on South African soil. The ceremonies took place in the lovely

sandstone amphitheater formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria. For decades this

had been the seat of white supremacy, and now it was the site of a rainbow

gathering of different colours and nations for the installation of South Africa’s first

democratic, non-racial government. [CBSE2015](a) Who were coming and for what before the inauguration?

(b) What happened on the inauguration?

(c) Find out the word that means the same ‘commencement’ from the passage.

(d) Find the word from the passage which means ‘an open space surround by

sloping land’.

Answer:(a) Dignitaries and world leaders were coming to pay their respects before the

inauguration.

(b) On the inauguration the first ever democracy, a non-racial government was

installed as a victory of good or evil.

(c) The word is ‘inauguration’.

(d) The word is ‘ampitheater’.

Question 2.On that lovely autumn day I was accompanied by my daughter Zenani. On the

podium, Mr de Klerk was first sworn in as second Deputy President. Then Thabo

Mbeki was sworn in as first Deputy President. When it was my turn, I pledged to

obey and uphold the Constitution and to devote myself to the well-being of the

republic and its people.

(a) Who accompanied Nelson Mandela on the inauguration?

(b) Who took the oath before Mandela? For what?

(c) Find out the word from the passage that has the same meaning as ‘maintain’.

(d) ……. means a small platform that a person stands on when giving a speech etc.

Answer:(a) Zenani, the daughter of Nelson Mandela accompanied him on the inauguration.

(b) Mr Deklerk and Mr Thabo Mbeki took oath before Nelson Mandela as the second

and first deputy president respectively.

(c) The word is ‘uphold’.

(d) The word is ‘podium’.

Question 3.We, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to

be host to the nations of the world on our own soil.

We thank all of our distinguished international guests for having come to take

possession with the people of our country of what is after all a common victory for

justice, for peace, for human dignity.

We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to

liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering,

gender and other discrimination.

(a) What does ‘we’ refer in the first line of the passage?

(b) What did the people of South Africa achieve at last?

(c) The word ‘bondage’ means …… in the passage.

(d) Give a synonym of ’emancipation’.

Answer:(a) ‘We’ refers to the people of South Africa in the first line of the jpassage.

(b) The people of South Africa achieved their political emancipation at last.

(c) The word bondage means slavery in the passage.

(d) ‘Freedom/liberation’ is a synonym of emancipation.

Question 4.A few moments later we all lifted our eyes in awe as a spectacular array of South

African jets, helicopters and troop carriers roared in perfect formation over the Union

Buildings.

It was not only a display of pinpoint precision and military force, but a demonstration

of military’s loyalty to democracy, to a new

government that had been freely and fairly elected. Only moments before, the

highest generals of South African defence force and police, their chests bedecked

with ribbons and medals from days gone by, saluted me and pledged their loyalty. I

was not unmindful of the fact that not so many years before they would not have

saluted but arrested me. Finally a chevron of Impala jets left a smoke Trail of the

black, red, green, blue and gold of the new South African flag.

(a) What did the highest generals do in the event?

(b) What did the smoke trail of Impala symbolise?

(c) Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as adorned.

(d) is a line or pattern in the shape of ‘V’ signifying victory.

Answer:(a) The highest generals of defence and police saluted Mandela and pledged their

loyalty to him.

(b) The smoke trail of Impala symbolised the new national flag of South Africa.

(c) The word is ‘bedecked’.

(d) Chevron.

Question 5.On the day of the inauguration, I was overwhelmed with a sense of history. In the

first decade of the 20th century, a few years after the bitter Anglo-Boer war and

before my own birth, the white-skinned people’s of South Africa patched up their

differences and created a system of racial domination against the dark-skinned

people of their own land. The structure they created formed the basis of one of the

harshest, most inhumane societies the world has ever known. Now, in the last

decade of the 20th centuryrand my own eighth decade as a man, that system had

been overturned for ever and replaced by one that recognised the rights and

freedoms of all peoples, regardless of the colour of their skin. That day had come

about through the unimaginable sacrifices of thousands of my people, people whose

suffering and courage can never be counted or repaid.

(a) What happened after Anglo-Boer war?

(b) On what basis the structure of new government created?

(c) Pick the word in the passage which has the same meaning as ‘submerged’.

(d) What is the meaning of the phrase ‘to patch up the differences’?

Answer:(a) After Anglo-Boer war, the white people of South Africa erected a system of racial

discrimination against the black people of their own land.

(b) New government was created as the recognition of the rights and freedoms of all

peoples regardless of the colour of their skin.

(c) The word is ‘overwhelmed’.

(d) The meaning is ‘to settle some dispute’.

Question 6.The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in my country and my

people. All of us will spend many years, if not generations, recovering from that

profound hurt. But the decades of oppression and brutality had another, unintended,

effect, ‘ and that was that it produced the Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, the

Chief Luthulis, the Yusuf Dadoos, the Bram Fischers, the Robert Sobukwes of our

time-men of such extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity that their like may

never be known again. Perhaps it reguires such depths of oppression to create such

heights of character. My country is rich in the minerals and gems that lie beneath its

soil, but I have always known that its greatest wealth is its people, finer and truer

than the purest diamonds.

(a) What did the policy of apartheid create?

(b) According to Mandela, what is the greatest wealth?

(c) Find out the word in the passage which means ‘large-heartedness.’

(d) Pick out the word from the passage which means to treat somebody/something

cruelly and unfairly.

Answer:(a) The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in the country and its

people.

(b) According to Mandela the people of his nation are the greatest wealth, not the

gems or minerals.

(c) The word is ‘generosity’.

(d) The word is ‘to oppress’.

Question 7.“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The

brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. No one

is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or

his religion. People must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be

taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

Even in the grimmest times in prison, when my comrades and I were pushed to our

limits, I would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards, – perhaps just for a

second, but it was enough to reassure me and keep me going. Man’s goodness is a

flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”

(a) How does Mandela define the brave?

(b) Which was the grimmest time for Mandela?

(c) Find a word similar in meaning to ‘victory’.

(d) Explain Man’s goodness is flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.

Answer:(a) Mandela defines the brave as the one who has the courage to conquer fear.

(b) When Mandela and his comrades were pushed to their limit behind the bars, it

was the grimmest time for him.

(c) The word is ‘triumph’.

(d) It means goodness flows through the human heart constantly: under compulsion,

the shadow of selfishness may stop it for a while but it can never be altogether

removed.

Question 8.In life, every man has twin obligations- obligations to his family, to his parents, to his

wife and children; and he has an obligation to his people, his community, his

country. In a civil and humane society, each man is able to fulfil those obligations

according to his own inclinations and abilities. But in a country like South Africa, it

was almost impossible for a man of my birth and colour to fulfil both of those

obligations. In South Africa, a man of colour who attempted to live as a human being

was punished and isolated.           [CBSE 2014 ](a) What are the obligations that every man has in life?

(b) Why was it impossible for a coloured man to discharge his obligations?

(c) Find the word in the passage which has same meaning as ‘duty’.

(d) A word synonymous with intentions’ is ……… in the passage.

Answer:(a) Every man has two obligations one is to his family and second to his community

and country.

(b) In South Africa if a coloured man tried to fulfil his obligations, he was punished

and isolated.

(c) The word is.‘obligation’.

(d) Inclinations.

Question 9.“I was not born with a hunger to be free. I was born free — free in every way that I

could know. Free to run in the fields near my mother’s hut, free to swim in the clear

stream that ran through my village, free to roast mealies under the stars and ride the

broad backs of slow-moving bulls. As long as I obeyed my father and abided by the

customs of my tribe, I was not troubled by the laws of man or God. It was only when

I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a

young man that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to

hunger for it. At first, as a student, I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory

freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased and go where I

chose. Later, as a. young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and

honourable freedoms of achieving my potential, of earning my keep, of marrying and

having a family—the freedom not to be obstructed in a lawful life.”

(a) In what ways was Mandela free?

(b) What kind of freedom did Mandela yearn for as a man?

(c) Give the meaning of the word ‘illusion’?

(d) What do you mean by ‘transitory’.

Answer:(a) Mandela was free to run in the fields, free to swim in the stream, free to roast

mealies and ride the backs of slow moving bulls.

(b) Mandela yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms of achieving his

potential of earning his life, of marrying and having a family.

(c) Something which appears to be real but isn’t actually so.

(d) Transitory means ‘momentary or impermanent’

Question 10.“But then I slowly saw that not only was I not free, but my brothers and sisters were

not free.

I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed, but the freedom of everyone

who looked like I did. That is when I joined the African National Congress and that is

when the hunger for my own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of

my people.

It was this desire for the freedom of my people to live their lives with dignity and self-

respect that animated my life, that transformed a frightened young man into a bold

one, that drove a law-abiding attorney to become a criminal, that turned a family-

loving husband into a man without a home, that forced a life-loving man to live like a

monk. I am no more virtuous or self-sacrificing than the next man, but I found that I

could not even enjoy the poof and limited freedoms I was allowed when I knew my

people were not free. Freedom is indivisible; the chains on anyone of my people

were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on

me.”

(a) Why did Mandela join the African National Congress?

(b) Why did Mandela say that freedom was indivisible?

(c) Find out the word in the passage with the same meaning ‘worthy’.

(d) Which word of English can replace the word ‘animated’ given is the passage

without altering its sense.

Answer:(a) Mandela joined the african national congress because he wanted to fight for the

freedom of his people.

(b) Mandela knew that freedom is indivisible because the chains on anyone of his

people were chains on all of them.

(c) the word is ‘virtuous’.

(d) the word is compelled/forced.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.What promise does Mandela make in the beginning of opening of his oath-taking

speech?

Answer:Mandela thanks all the international leaders and guests as he calls it an occasion of

joy and victory for Justice. He promises that the country shall not again experience

the oppression of one by another.

Question 2.What freedom meant to Mandela in childhood? [CBSE 2015]Answer:During childhood the meaning of freedom for Mandela was quite limited he

considered it to be free to run in the fields, to swim in the clear stream, free to roast

mealies and ride the board backs of slow moving bulls.

Question 3.Why did inauguration ceremony take place in the amphiteatre formed by the Union

Building in Pretoria?

Answer:It was the first democratic, non-racial government taking oath in South Africa. The

ceremony was attended by dignitaries from more than 140 countries around the

world and thousands of the people of South Africa of all the races to make the day

memorable. So, it took place in, the amphiteatre formed by the Union Building in

Pretoria.

Question 4.What are the ideals which Mandela set for the future of South Africa in his swearing-

in ceremony?

Answer:Mandela emphasised to liberate all the people from poverty, deprivation, suffering,

gender and other discriminations in his swearing-in ceremony.

Question 5.What did Mandela think for oppressor and oppressed?     [CBSE 2011]Answer:Mandela always thought that both oppressor and oppressed are deprived of their

humanity. Oppressor is a prisoner of hatred while oppressed has no confidence in

humanity so both of them need to be liberated.

Question 6.What do you understand by Apartheid’?

Answer:‘Apartheid’ is a political system that divides people according to their race. In this

system black-coloured people in South Africa were not free even to discharge their

personal and social obligations of being parents, sons and husbands, etc.

Question 7.Describe the effect of the policy of apartheid on the people of South Africa.

Answer:The policy of apartheid could not be considered fortunate for the people of South

Africa. It created distance and a deep wound in the country and the people. Many

great men like Oliver Tambo, Walttr Sisulu, Yusuf Dadoo, Bram Fischer, etc were

produced due to the brutality and oppression. They were men of great character

Question 8.How is courage related to the brave man according to the author of the lesson?

Answer:The author believes that courage is not the absence of fear, but it is the triumph over

it. The brave man is not the one who does not feel fear of any kind but he is the one

who has the courage to conquer it.

Question 9.Could everyone fulfil the obligations personal or social in South Africa?

Answer:No, everyone was not free to fulfil their obligations because of colour of the skin. If a

persoti tried to fulfil their obligations, they were punished and isolated for being a

rebellion.

Question 10.What did Mandela realise about his brothers and sisters? [CBSE 2012]Answer:Mandela realised that his brothers and sisters were not free in their own country due

to their colour. The freedom of everyone in his society was curtailed. He joined the

African National Congress and fought for the freedom.

Question 11.Why was Nelson Mandela changed into a bold man?

Answer:Nelson Mandela was changed into a bold man due to his . desire of the freedom for

his country and his countrymen. He wanted to live a life with dignity as he could not

enjoy the limited freedom.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.What does Nelson Mandela refer to as “an extraordinary human disaster”?

Answer:Nelson Mandela refers to the apartheid policy of the white race against the black

people as “an extraordinary human disaster”. White people snatched freedom from

the coloured people of South Africa to whom the country belonged. The black

people were subjected to oppression for long. They were not even allowed to

discharge their obligations to their own families, community and their country. White

people had no compassion for them and oppressed their own people and put them

in prison. If they had some freedom, it was curtailed. The black people lived the life

of a slave.

Question 2.Describe the views of Mandela for the black people who fought and sacrificed their

likes for the country’s political independence?

Answer:Mandela always said that the political freedom was the result of sacrifices of

thousands of the black people who fought for that. He said that it could not be

repaid. He thought himself as the sum of all of those African patriots. He regretted

that he could not thank them. He cursed the policy of apartheid that wounded the

people of his country, which would take centuries to heal.

He also said that the oppression and brutality of the white people produced great

freedom fighters like Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Luthuli, Dadoo, Fischer, Sobukwe

and many more. They were the men of courage, wisdom and large heartedness.

They really suffered a lot for the political freedom of the country.

Question 3.What does Mandela mean to say that the oppressor and the oppressed alike are

robbed of their humanity?

Answer:Mandela is right in saying that the oppressor and the oppressed alike are robbed of

their humanity. Both of them are actually the victim of hatred. Everyone is obliged to

discharge their duties whether personal or social but without freedom a man cannot

do so. The person who snatches this freedom of a man is really an oppressor and a

prisoner of hatred. He has lack of humanity. But this is the same with a person who

is oppressed by other.

Question 4.Describe the obligations which the author is talking about and also describe his

feelings for them?

Answer:In the chapter the author has talked about two obligation for every man. The first

obligation is towards his family, parents, his wife and children. The second is

towards his community and his country. Being a social person one has to fulfil these

obligations.

But being a black coloured person in South Africa, a man was not free to perform his

obligations and got punished if he tried to do that.

Being a child the author never thought of such obligations but after he did so, he

fought for the people and the country to be free and enjoy their freedom of

performing their duties personal and social.

Question 5.Describe the value of freedom for the human beings and how it is important for the

growth of civilisation and humanism as described in the lesson ‘Nelson Mandela :

Long Walk to Freedom’. [CBSE2014]

Answer:Everybody whether human or other creatures wants to live free as freedom is natural to all living beings. The value of freedom is better known to that human being who has not tasted it till he gets it. A person who is chained with the limits and not allowed to perform his duties freely, values freedom more than anyone else. For instance the value of freedom is known better to Mandela who remained behind the bars most of his life. Think about a bird or animal which is caged as they have the habit of living with full freedom but in the cage they are not free and their conditions are very pitiable. Similarly, life becomes a hell if we are deprived of freedom. There is no growth of civilisation as it grows only when one has freedom. Similarly, humanism grows in the atmosphere of freedom.

Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 Two Stories About Flying

I. His First Fight

Thinking about the Text(Page 36)

Question 1.Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first step?Answer:

The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was his first flight and he feared of

falling and hurting himself. He thought that his wings would not support him while

flying. Yes, it is natural that doing something for the first time is a bit challenging and

fearful. All birds must be afraid to make their first flight.

Similarly, a human baby is also afraid of taking the first step and find it challenging

when he learns to crawl or stand up without support.’

Question 2.“The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?

Answer:

The young seagull was very hungry. It was this hunger that ultimately compelled it to

fly. Its hunger intensified when it saw its mother tearing at a piece of fish that lay at

her feet. It cried to her, begging her to get some food. When its mother came

towards it with food in her beak, it screamed with joy and anticipation. However, she

stopped midway. It wondered why she did not come nearer. Not being able to resist

or controfits hunger any longer, it dived at the food in its mother’s beak. At that

moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expanse of sea beneath the

cliff. Finally, this plunge was followed by the natural reaction of its body, i.e. to fly.

Question 3.

They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly.” Why did the seagull’s father and mother

threaten him and cajole him to fly?

Answer:

Seagull’s parents had tried everything but he was reluctant to fly due to fear of

falling down. He looked at his brothers and sister but wouldn’t make any efforts.

Thats why the whole family had left him alone and threatened and cojoled him to

come but every effort went in vain.

Question 4.

Have you ever had a similar experience, where your parents encouraged you to do

something that you were too scared to try? Discuss this in pairs or groups.

Answer:

(Suggested Answer) Yes, I had a similar experience while leaning to ride a bicycle in

class VI. In my initial attempts, I fell down everytime and developed a fear of cycling

which was difficult to overcome.

No amount of provoking and cajoling could let me try it again, but my father

encouraged me to overcome the fear and helped me as he was adamant on my

learning cycling. He took me on a mound near village and made me sit and asked

me to put my hands on the handle and feet on the paddle. It sped down and I

enjoyed it without fear which developed my confidence.

Thus, I overcame my fear of cycling and started riding a cycle after a few practice

Question 5.In the case of a bird flying, it seems a natural act, and a foregone conclusion that it should succeed. In the examples you have given in Answer to the previous question, was your success guaranteed, or was it important for you to try, regardless of a possibility of failure?Answer:

We face some problems in the initial stage while learning new skill. Due to the fear

of failure, we hesitate to perform a task or to do something new. In case of the

seagull his parents cajoled him to fly. In the example I have given in the answer of

previous question, I was cajoled by my father to learn cycling. So, at that stage, I

was to learn cycling as it was very important for me to overcome my fear.

Yes, my success was guaranteed because if someone is determined to do

something then success is assured. Moreover as said, practice, makes a man

perfect.

II. The Black Aeroplane

Thinking about the Text(Page 40)

Question 1.“I’ll take the risk”. What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?Answer:A huge storm was brewing up and the author was

keen to reach his home to spend his holiday with his family. So, he decided to fly

through the storm as he did not want to miss the chance to meet his family at

breakfast. Thus he took the risk even when the visibility was almost zero in the

storm.

Question 2.Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.Answer:As the pilot (author) entered the storm, his plane started jumping and twisting. He

could not see anything outside the plane as it was black. When he looked at

compass and other instruments they had stopped to function due to storm. It was a

terrible and fearsome experience for him. The fuel tank was almost empty and he

could not fly more than ten minutes. Then he saw another black aeroplane by his

side and the pilot of the plane signalled him to follow. It was a surprise for the

narrator as the other black plane was having no light. He followed him without any

choice and landed safely on the runway.

Question 3.

Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old

Dakota…”?

Answer:

Seagull’s parents had tried everything but he was reluctant to fly due to fear of

falling down. He looked at his brothers and sister but wouldn’t make any efforts.

Thats why the whole family had left him alone and threatened and cojoled him to

come but every effort went in vain.

Question 4.

What made the woman in the Control Centre look at the narrator strangely?

Answer:

The woman in the Control Centre looked at the

narrator strangely because the narrator asked him about the black aeroplane and

she saw no one except the narrator’s in the sky during the storm. Even the radar

showed only the narrator’s plane that night in the sky.

Question 5.

Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among

yourselves and give reasons for your answer.

Answer:

It is very difficult to say about the unknown pilot who helped the narrator. But

probably it was the narrator himself that helped him to overcome the fear in the

storm as no other plane was seen in the radar except the narrator’s Dakota plane. In

that fearsome situation, he might have been hallucinating. He himself was a good

pilot and brave enough who helped himself land safely.

Thinking about Language(Page 40)

Question 1.Study the sentences given below.(a) They looked like black mountains.

(b) Inside the clouds, everything was suddenly black.

(c) In the black clouds near me, I saw another aeroplane.

(d) The strange black aeroplane was there.

The word ‘black’ in sentences (a) and (c) refers to the very darkest colour. But in (b)

and (d) (here) it means without light/with no light.

‘Black’ has a variety of meanings in different contexts. For example:

(a) ‘I prefer black tea’ means ‘I prefer tea without milk’.

(b) ‘With increasing pollution the future of the world is black’ means With increasing

pollution the future of the world is very depressing/without hope’.

Now, try to guess the meanings of the word ‘black’ in the sentences given below.

Check the meanings in the dictionary and find out whether you have guessed right.

Questions.

1. Go and have a bath, your hands and face are absolutely black____ .

2. The taxi-driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed the road when the traffic

light was green____.

3. The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest crimes against

humanity____.

4. Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter’s black comedy____.

5. Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods____.

6. Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue____.

Answers:

1.A. The meaning of ‘black ’ in this sentence is that the face and hands are dark

because of dust and dirt.

2.A. Here, ‘black’ refers to an angry look.

3.A. “Here, ‘blackest’ refers to the darkest and cruellest crime against humanity.

4.A. Here, ‘black’ refers to dark and gloomy comedy.

5.A. The meaning of ‘black’in this sentence is that the shopkeepers sell the

described goods ‘at a higher price’.

6.A. Here, ‘black’means that the criminal suffered excessive beating at the hands of

the villagers.

Question 2.

Look at these sentences taken from the lesson you have just read:

(a) I was flying my old Dakota aeroplane.

(b) The young seagull had been afraid to fly with them.

In the first sentence the author was controlling an aircraft in the air. In the second

sentence the seagull was afraid to move through the air, using its wings.

Match the phrases given under Column A with their meanings given under Column

B:

A   B

1. Fly a flag (a) Move quickly/suddenly

2.Fly into

rage(b) Be successful

3. Fly along (c)Display a flag on a

long pole

4. Fly high (d) Escape from a place

5.Fly the

coop(e)

Become suddenly

very angry

Answer:

1. (c),

2. (e),

3. (a),

4. (b),

5. (d).

Lesson – 3 Two Stories about Flying

Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Story I His First FlightRead the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.The young seagull was alone on his ledge. His two brothers and his sister had

already flown away the day before. He had been afraid to fly with them. Somehow

when he had taken a little run forward to the brink of the ledge and attempted to flap

his wings he became afraid. The great expanse of sea stretched down beneath, and

it was such a long way down miles down. He felt certain that his wings would never

support him; so he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the

ledge where he slept at night.

(a) Why was the young seagull afraid?

(b) What did the young seagull feel about his wings?

(c) Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as ‘the verge’.

(d) Pick out the word from the passage which means ‘a narrow flat piece of rock that

sticks out from a cliff’.

Answer:(a) The young seagull was afraid of flying over the sea.

(b) The young seagull felt that his wings would never support him.

(c) The word is ‘brink’.

(d) The word is ‘ledge’.

Question 2.That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then nobody had come near him. The day

before, all day long, he had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and

sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching them how to skim the waves and

how to dive for fish. He had in fact, seen his elder brother catch his first herring and

devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents circled around raising a proud

cackle. And all the morning the whole family had walked about on the big plateau

midway down the opposite cliff taunting him for his cowardice.

(a) The young seagull had been alone for how much time?

(b) Why was the whole family taunting the young seagull?

(c) Find the word which can be replaced by ‘consume’ in the passage?

(d) The word ‘bravery’ is an antonym of ……….

Answer:(a) For twenty four years, the young seagull was alone.

(b) The whole family was taunting the young seagull for his cowardice.

(c) The word is ‘devour’.

(d) The word is ‘cowardice’.

Question 3.He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the

other leg hidden under his wing, he closed one eye, then the other, and pretended

to be falling asleep. Still they took no notice of him. He saw his two brothers and his

sister lying on the plateau dozing with their heads sunk into their necks. His father

was preening the feathers on his white back.

Only his mother was looking at him. She was standing on a little high hump on the

plateau, her white breast thrust forward.

Now and again, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped

each side of her beak on the rock.

(a) What did the young seagull do out of his ledge?

(b) What was seagull’s father doing?

(c) Find out the word in the passage which mean the same as ‘to sharpen’.

(d) What does plateau mean?

Answer:(a) The young seagull pretended to be falling asleep and watched his brothers and

sister lying on the plateau.

(b) The seagull’s father was preening the feathers on his white back.

(c) The word is ‘preening’.

(d) A plateau is an area of land that is higher than the land around it.

Question 4.Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. He could hear nothing.

But it only lasted a minute. The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. The

wind rushed against his breast feathers, then under his stomach, and against his

wings. – He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He was not falling

headlong now. He was soaring gradually downwards arid outwards, He was no

longer afraid.

He just felt a bit dizzy. Then he flapped his wings once and he soared upwards. “Ga,

ga, ga, Ga, ga, ga, Gaw-col-ah,” his mother swooped past him, her wings making a

loud noise. He answered her with another scream. Then his father flew over him

screaming. He saw his two brothers and his sister flying around him curving and

banking and soaring and diving. [CBSE 2016](a) What did the young seagull feel the next moment?

(b) What did the young seagull’s mother do?

(c) Find out the word from the passage that means the same as ‘fly high in the air’.

(d) Find out from the passage a word that means ‘to grab’.

Answer:(a) The next moment young seagull felt his wings spread outwards.

(b) The young seagull’s mother swooped past him and made a loud noise with her

wings.

(c) The word is ‘soaring’.

(d) The word in ‘seized’.

Question 5.His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on this green flooring ahead of

him. They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. He dropped his legs to stand on the

green sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again

flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise,

exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and then his

belly touched it and he sank no farther. He was floating on it, and around him his

family was screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog-

fish.

(a) What does the phrase, ‘this green flooring’ refer to?

(b) What made the young seagull tired?

(c) Find out the word that means the same as ‘inviting’.

(d) The word ……… means a small piece/amount of something.

Answer:(a) ‘The green flooring’ refers to the green surface of the sea.

(b) The young seagull was tired because he was weak with hunger and he made a

successful attempt for his first flight.

(c) Beckoning.

(d) Scrap.

Story II The Black AeroplaneRead the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.The moon was coming up in the east, behind me, and stars were shining in the clear

sky above me. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was happy to be alone high up

above the sleeping countryside. I was flying my old Dakota aeroplane over France

back to England. I was dreaming of my holiday and looking forward to being with my

family. I looked at my watch at one thirty in the morning.

I should call Paris Control soon. I thought. As 1 looked down past the nose of the

aeroplane, I saw the lights of a big city in front of me.

(a) How was the weather when the pilot started flying his aeroplane?

(b) Why was the pilot flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England?

(c) Find out the word similar in the meaning to ‘hoping with pleasure’.

(d) Choose from the passage the word which means ‘land outside towns or cities’.

Answer:(a) When the pilot started flying his aeroplane, it was a clear weather as the moon

was up in the east, stars were shining and there wasn’t any cloud in the sky.

(b) The pilot was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England

because he wanted to enjoy his holiday and morning breakfast with his family.

(c) Looking forward to.

(d) The word is countryside.

Question 2.Paris was about 150 kilometres behind me when I saw the clouds. Storm clouds.

They were huge. They looked like black mountains ‘standing in front of me across

the sky-1 knew I could not fly up and over them, and I did not have enough fuel to fly

around them to the north or south. CBSE 2016

(a) What happened when the pilot was about 150 kilometres away from Paris?

(b) What does the author compare the clouds to?

(c) Find out the word similar in meaning as sufficient.

(d) The word ‘elephantine’ is similar in meaning to the word ………

Answer:(a) The pilot saw storm clouds when he was about 150 kilometres away from Paris.

(b) The author compares the clouds to black mountain.

(c) The word is ‘enough’.

(d) The word is ‘huge’.

Question 3.“He knows that I am lost”, I thought ‘He’s trying to help me.

He turned his aeroplane slowly to the north, in front of my Dakota, so that it would

be easier for me to follow him. I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane

like an obedient child.

After half an hour the strange black aeroplane was still there in front of me in the

clouds. Now, there was only enough fuel in the old Dakota’s last tank to fly for five or

ten minutes more. I was starting to feel frightened again. But then he started to go

down and I followed through the storm.

(a) Why was the pilot happy to find his aeroplane behind another aeroplane in the

black clouds?

(b) Why was the pilot frightened again?

(c) Find the opposite of ‘insufficient’ from the passage.

(d) What does a ‘storm’ mean?

Answer:(a) The pilot was happy to find his aeroplane behind another aeroplane in the black

clouds because another pilot was helping him come out of the storm clouds.

(b) The pilot felt frightened again because the fuel was not sufficient to reach the

destination as it was only enough for next five or ten minutes.

(c) Enough.

(d) A storm is a very bad weather with strong winds and rain, thunder and lightning.

Question 4.I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota near the control tower.

I went and asked a woman in the control centre where I was and who the other pilot

was. ‘I wanted to say ‘Thank you’.

She looked at me very strangely, and then laughed.

‘Another aeroplane? Up there in this storm? No other aeroplanes were flying tonight.

‘Yours was the only one I could see on the radar.”

So who helped me to arrive there safely without a compass or a radio, and without

any more fuel in my tanks? Who was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane, flying

in the storm, without lights? CBSE 2016

(a) Why did the writer go to the Control center immediately?

(b) Why was the writer shocked after hearing the woman’s word?

(c) Find out the word in the passage that means the same as ‘peculiar’.

(d) Which part of speech does the word ‘tonight’ belong to?

Answer:(a) The writer went to the Control center to ask about the black aeroplane so he

could thank the pilot for saving his life.

(b) The writer was shocked after hearing the woman’s word because she told him

that there was no other aeroplane flying that night as she had seen on the radar.

(c) Strange.

(d) ‘Tonight’ is an adverb.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Story I His First Flight

Question 1.Why did the young seagull not go with the rest of his family?

Answer:The young seagull did not go with the rest of his family because he was afraid to fly.

Question 2.How did seagull’s parents try to make him fly?

Answer:Seagull’s parents tried everything to make him fly. They screamed, scolded and

threatened to let him starve on the ledge unless he flew away.

Question 3.What had the young seagull watched his parents doing the day before?

Answer:The day before the young seagull had watched his parents flying about with his

brothers and sister, perfecting in the art of flying and teaching them how to skim the

waves and how to dive for fish.

Question 4.What was the young seagull’s mother doing before him?

Answer:The young seagull’s mother was standing on the plateau, her white breast thrust

forward. She tore a piece of fish that lay at her feet, then she scrapped each side of

her beak on the rock.

Question 5.When did the seagull get over his fear of flying over the sea?

Answer:The seagull was afraid of flying over the sea because he thought that he would

drown. His family decided to teach him a lesson. They left him unattended. The

mother tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet now and then in his front. Since the

seagull was hungry too much, he was . compelled to attempt his first flight in order

to get food. He was successful. This is when he got over his fear flying over the sea.

Question 6.Describe the young seagull’s expression when he saw his mother with food.

Answer:

The young seagull uttered a joyful scream because he thought that his mother was

bringing food for him. He tried to come nearer to her as she flew across.

Question 7.Why did the young seagull feel very miserable on the ledge?

Answer:The young seagull felt very miserable on the ledge as he was alone and his family

had already flown away. He was feeling very hungry and had nothing to eat. His

condition was worsening because he could not even dive for fish.

Question 8.How did the young seagull and his family celebrate his first flight? [CBSE 2016]Answer:When the young seagull started flying and got over his fear, his family screamed

around him out of joy. They praised him and offered him scraps of dog-fish out of

delight as he made a successful attempt

Question 9.Describe the first flight of the young seagull.

Answer:The young seagull dived at the fish due to hunger and fell

outwards and downwards into space. He thought of getting drowned but his wings

spread outwards automatically. He moved downwards and outwards and landed

safely on the sea and floated on it without any fear.

Story II The Black Aeroplane [2 Marks each]

Question 1.Describe author’s feeling while he was flying his aeroplane back to England?

Answer:The author was very excited while he was flying his aeroplane back to England

because he wanted to spend his holiday with his family at home.

Question 2.How much fuel was there in the aeroplane when the writer started flying?

Answer:There was sufficient fuel in the tanks of the aeroplane to reach England safely when

the writer started flying.

Question 3.What risk did the writer take while flying? Why?

Answer:The writer decided to risk to fly through the storm clouds because he wanted to

enjoy his holiday with his family back in England.

Question 4.What did the writer feel inside the clouds?

Answer:When the writer entered the clouds, it became impossible to see outside the

aeroplane. The aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air and all the instruments like

compass etc stopped working due to the weather conditions.

Question 5.What did the writer,see inside the black clouds?

Answer:The writer saw a black aeroplane which had no lights on its wings. The writer could

see the face of the pilot in the black clouds who was waving and signalling him to

follow to get out of the storm.

Question 6.Why did the writer follow the pilot of another aeroplane? [CBSE 2016]Answer:The writer followed another aeroplane because he had lost the way in the storm and

was unable to see anything. The pilot of another aeroplane was helping him to get

out of the storm and land safely.

Question 7.Why did the woman in control room get shocked when the writer asked about

another aeroplane?

Answer:

The woman in the control room was shocked when the writer asked about another

aeroplane because there was no such plane flying in the sky that night as she saw

on the radar.

Question 8.Why did the writer want to meet the pilot of another black aeroplane?

Answer:The writer wanted to meet the pilot of another black aeroplane to thank him as he

had saved the life of the writer by helping him come out from in the storm.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Story I His First FlightQuestion 1.How did the mother make the young seagull come out of his fear and teach him the

art of flying?

(or)How did the seagull family help the young seagull overcome his fear and fly?

(or)Why was the young seagull afraid of flying? What compelled the seagull to finally

fly?

(or)Describe the tricks used by the seagull family to help the young seagull overcome

his fear and fly.

Answer:The young seagull was afraid of flying because he thought that his wings won’t

support him and he would drown. When his family left him alone of the ledge, he felt

alone and was very hungry. They tried hard to make him fly but he never showed

the courage to try. His mother knowingly tore a piece of fish near him and flew

across to him with it. She came close to him but did not go nearer. Already mad by

hunger, he dived at the fish but fell into space. After sometime his wings spread

outwards and he began to fly. His family landed on the sea ahead of him.They

beckoned him so he landed on the sea and began to sink into water but when his

belly touched the water, he floated without any fear and difficulty.

Question 2.Do you think that the seagull’s family loved him? Justify their attitude towards him?

Answer:The young seagull had two brothers and a sister. His parents flew with them to leave

him alone on the ledge as he could not muster up the courage to fly with them. His

parents could have fed him.

But, they refused to give him any food. They wanted him to fly and dive for his food.

They threatened to let him starve. They did so because they loved him.

The parents were right in what they did because they wanted to teach him the

importance of confidence and self-reliance. One can’t depend on their parents all his

life to be fed. Thus, it was important for him to learn to fly, dive and search his own

food. So, the attitude the seagull family showed to him was actually their love, care

and concern for him.

Question 3.Why was the young seagull pretending to be asleep? What did he actually observe

while doing so?

Answer:The young seagull came to the brink of the ledge. He stood there on one leg with

the other leg hidden under his wing. He closed his one eye, then the other, and

pretended to be falling asleep. He did so because he wanted to know whether they

were interested in him or not but he observed that his family was not noticing him.

He saw his brothers and sister lying on the plateau. They were dozing. His father

was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him.

Now and then, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. Then she scrapped

each side of the back on the rock.

Question 4.How did the young seagull get over his fear of sea water and what was his family’s

reaction on it?

Answer:The young seagull had made his maiden flight successfully. When he was near the

sea. he was flying straight over it. He observed a vast green sea all around him. He

turned his beak sideways and cawed amusedly. His family was very happy and

landed ahead of him. They beckoned to him.

When he landed on the sea, he began to sink but he tried in despair and his belly

touched the water and he sank no further. He was floating on water. This way he got

over his fear of seawater and his family praised him a lot and offered him the dog-

fish as a reward.

Question 5.Fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things. Do you agree? How

did these two traits of the young seagull make him coward? How did he overcome

these short comings?

Answer:Yes, It is true that fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things as

in the story, the young seagull lacked the value of courage and confidence in his

character. He was too scared of flying. His family tried hard to make him fly but he

refused to do so because of his fear of sinking in the seawater. They even scolded

him for his cowardice. They tried to tempt him with food but he was not willing to

learn flying. Once he dived, his fear disappeared and he enjoyed his first flight.

It is a fact that unless we try for something and overcome our fear, we can’t learn

anything. Confidence and motivation are two most important traits that make any

learning possible.

Story II The Black Aeroplane [8 Marks each]

Question 1.How did the writer get out of the storm in the night to land safely? [CBSE 2016]Answer:The writer was flying his old Dakota aeroplane when he saw the black clouds. He

was lost in the storm. Suddenly, he saw a black aeroplane by his side, which had no

lights, on its wings.

The pilot instructed the writer to follow as he had lost the way. He obeyed him like a

child. He was very happy to follow him. After some time the pilot of another plane

started to land. The writer followed him blindly through the storm and came out of

the clouds. He saw the lights of the runway and landed safely.

Question 2.Why was the writer happy when he decided to fly in the night?

Answer:The writer was very happy when he decided to fly that night because he was going

home to his family to enjoy his holiday. When he started, everything seemed to be

perfect. The sky was clear, no clouds could be seen and the stars were shining. It all

made it an easy task for the writer to fly that night over the sleeping countryside of

Paris. His assumption of everything being in place made him happy.

Question 3.The pilot wanted to thank another pilot after his safe landing. Why? What values of

the writer are reflected from his action?

Answer:The pilot (writer) of the old Dakota was caught in the storm. He lost his contact with

the control room. In this troubling situation, his fuel tank was also empty. He lost all

his hopes but suddenly a black strange plane appeared. The pilot of the black place

asked writer to follow him. The writer landed safely. After his safe landing, he

wanted to thank the pilot of the black plane. This shows his gratitude towards the

pilot of the Black Plane. He was thankful to him for saving his life. It shows that the

pilot of Dakota had a value of gratefulness in his character.

GREENWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOL, ADITYAPURAM

OUR MOTTO-DEVELOPMENT WITH DELIGHT

CLASS-X

English First Flight Chapter 5 The Hundred Dresses – IOral Comprehension CheckPage 65

Question 1.Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?Answer:Wanda Petronski used to sit on the corner most benches, lost in her world, where rough boys usually sat. She was a very poor, shy and quiet girl and did not want to mess with others so she preferred to sit in isolation.

Question 2.Where does Wanda live? What kind of a place do you think it is?Answer:Wanda lives upon Boggins Heights, where poor people live. It is not a developed area and is covered with mud. There are no proper roads or streets and it is a kind of slum.

Question 3.When and Why do Peggy and Maddie notice Wanda’s absence?Answer:Wanda didn’t come to school on Monday and Tuesday but nobody noticed her absence as she did not have friends in the class. When Peggy and Maddie waited for Wanda to make fun of her after the school was off, they noticed that she was absent, otherwise nobody bothered about her there.

Question 4.What do you think “to have fun with her” means?Answer:“To have fun with her ” means to laugh at her as it is human tendency to make fun of others imperfections which are mostly about the appearance. Here in the story, Wanda is a source of amusement or pleasure because of her shy nature and her hundred dresses.

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Question 5.In what way was Wanda different from the other children?Answer:Wanda Petronski was a polish girl whose parents had settled down in America. She was a source of fun because of her last name which made her different from others, because Americans did not have such names and it was difficult to pronounce.

She came to school alone and her feet were covered with mud. She preferred to sit alone in the last in the class. She had only one blue dress which was faded but claimed of having a hundred dresses. These qualities make her different from other children.

Question 6.Did Wanda have a hundred dresses? Why do you think she said she did?Answer:Wanda was teased everyday by her classmates after schoolhours. They used to make fun of her dress and her name. One day tired of all the teasing and taunting, she claimed of having a hundred dresses and sixty pairs of shoes, but nobody believed her.She was a determined girl and had a great amount of self-confidence. For her number of dresses were not important but the inner talent which had the real value.

Question 7.Why is Maddie embarrassed by the questions Peggy asks Wanda? Is she also like Wanda, or is she different?Answer:Maddie is embarrassed by the questions Peggy asks Wanda because she is also poor and understands the mental condition of Wanda. She also wears dresses handed down by rich family. Though, she is an American but she has the same mind-set as Wanda and doesn’t want anyone to tease Wanda because of her dress or her name.

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Question 8.Why didn’t Maddie ask Peggy to stop teasing Wanda? What was she afraid of?Answer:Maddie didn’t ask Peggy to stop teasing Wanda because Peggy was the most popular girl in the school. She was a nice girl but when it came to Wanda she behaved differently, otherwise she helped everyone in trouble. Though, she wants Peggy to stop teasing Wanda, she didn’t ask her to do so as she was afraid of being the next target of such taunts and teasings.

Question 9.Who did Maddie think would win the drawing contest? Why?Answer:Maddie always believed that Peggy would win the drawing contest as she was good in drawing and everybody in the school loved her. She had a good image and impression on her teachers and classmates. No other girl in the class could draw as well as her. So, Peggy definitely had very good chances of winning the drawing contest according to Maddie.

Question 10.Who won the drawing contest? What had the winner drawn?Answer:Among the boys, Jack Beggles and among the girls, WandaPetronski won the drawing contest. To show her determination she did not attend

the school for two days and had drawn a • hundred sketches of dresses of different colours.. Each of them was capable to win the contest individually.Wanda had drawn all the dresses which she had claimed to have had in the class. Everybody was very impressed with her drawing skill and clapped for her.

Thinking about the TextPage 70

Question 11.How is Wanda seen as different by the other girls? How do they treat her?Answer:Wanda is a polish girl who has setded in America with her parents. She lived in Boggin’s Height. She came to school in same faded blue dress everyday with her feet always covered with mud. Her last name is quite funny and difficult to pronounce for her classmates. Her appearance was not perfect to be in a higher class so all the students made fun of her and teased her after the school hours. After being teased over her tolerance she ) claimed to have had a hundred dresses in her closet.

Question 12.How does Wanda feel about the dresses game? Why does she say that she has a hundred dresses?Answer:Wanda feels very embarrassed but remains silent in the class. She doesn’t talk to anyone and sits on the back bench with rough boys so that nobody can give attention to her. She is deeply hurt but never complains about it. To avoid their taunts and humiliation, Wanda says that she has a hundred dresses and sixty pairs of matching shoes in her closet. Later on, she draws all of them on paper for the drawing competition.

Question 13.Why does Maddie stand by and does not do anything? How is she different from Peggy? or (was Peggy’s friendship important to Maddie? Why? Which lines in the text tell you this?)Answer:Peggy is the most popular girl in the class and Maddie is her closest friend. Though, Maddie is poor, Peggy never teases her as she does with Wanda so Maddie is afraid of losing her friendship. That’s why, she does not risk to annoy Peggy and prefers to be silent. The line, “Peggy was the best-liked girl in the whole room. Peggy could not possibly do anything that was really wrong” illustrates this.

Question 14.What does Miss Mason think of Wanda’s drawings? What do the children think of them? How do you know?Answer:Miss Mason is very impressed with Wanda’s drawings. She considers them really beautiful and worthy of winning individually. The children are also impressed by the drawing skills of Wanda that they all applaud and whistle when she wins among the girls.

Thinking about LanguagePage 71

Question 1.Combine the following to make sentences.1. This is the bus (what kind of bus?). It goes to Agra, (use which or that).2. I would like to buy, (a) shirt (which shirt?) (The) shirt is in the shop window, (use which or that)3. You must break your fast at a particular time (when?). You see the moon in the sky. (use when)4. Find a word (what kind of word?). It begins with the letter Z, (use which or that)5. Now find a person (what kind of person ?) His or her name begins with the letter Z. (use whose)6. Then go to a place (what place?). There are no people whose name begins with Z in that place, (use where)Answers:1. This is the bus that goes to Agra.2. I would like to buy a shirt that is in the shop window.3. You must break your fast at a particular time when you see the moon in the sky.4. Find a word that begins with letter Z.5. Now find a person whose name begins with letter Z.6. Then go to a place where there are no people whose name begins with letter Z.

Question 2.The Narrative Voice Here are two other sentences from the story. Can you say whose point of view the italicised words express?1. But on Wednesday, Peggy and Maddie, who sat down in front with other children who got good marks and who didn’t track in a whole lot of mud, did notice that Wanda wasn’t there.2. Wanda Petronski. Most of the children in room thirteen didn’t have names like that. They had names easy to say, like Thomas, Smith or Allen.Answer:1. The italicised words express the point of view of Peggy and Maddie.2. These italicised words express the point of view of other children of Wandas’ class excluding Peggy and Maddie.

Question 3.Other such adverbs are apparently, evidently, surprisingly, possibly, hopefully, incredibly, luckily. Use these words appropriately in the blanks in the sentences below. (You may use a word more than once and more than one word may be appropriate for a given blank.)1. ____, he finished his work on time.2. ____, it will not rain on the day of the match.3. ____, he had been stealing money from hisemployer.4. Television is ____ to blame for the increase in violence in society,5. The children will ____ learn from their mistakes.6. I can’t ____ lend you that much money.7. The thief had ____ been watching the house for many days.8. The thief ____ escaped by bribing the jailor.9. ____no one had suggested this before.10. The water was ____hot.Answers:1. Surprisingly2. Hopefully3. Possibly4. evidendy5. hopefully6. possibly7. apparendy8. luckily9. Incredibly10. Incredibly

Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 6 The Hundred Dresses – IIOral Comprehension CheckPage 74

Question 1.What did Mr Petronski’s letter say?Answer:Mr Petronski’s letter was to inform the principal and Miss Mason that Wanda would not come to school as she was fed up of being bullied in the school. They were going to shift to a bigger place where nobody would make fun of their last name.

Question 2.Is Miss Mason angry with the class, or is she unhappy and upset?Answer:Miss Mason seems to be unhappy and upset rather than angry because she had never expected such a behaviour from the students. She wants everyone to think about it and asks them not to do look down anyone in the class.

Question 3.How does Maddie feel after listening to the note from Wanda’s father?Answer:Maddie feels sorry and ashamed for the behaviour although she herself did not make fun of Wanda. She never tried to stop Peggy to do so and remained a silent spectator. She feels as a coward.

Question 4.What does Maddie want to do?Answer:Maddie wants to amend her behaviour towards Wanda. She wants to meet her to apologise. She decides to find Wanda at her house at Boggins Heights. She also wanted to convey that all was meant in good humour and people really love her.

Page 76

Question 5.What excuses does Peggy think of giving in justification of her behaviour? Why?Answer:Peggy tries to defend herself by saying that herbehaviour towards Wanda inspired her to explore her drawing skills as she sketches a hundred dresses and that makes her win the drawing contest.

Question 6.What are Maddie’s thoughts as they go to Boggins Heights?Answer:Maddie was feeling ashamed and apologetic for being a silent spectator while Peggy humiliated Wanda. She was feeling upset and distraught for Wanda and herself. She was also repenting for not stopping Peggy for behaving badly with Wanda.

Question 7.Why does Wanda’s house remind Maddie of Wanda’s blue dress?Answer:Wanda’s house was sparse, old and laded but neat and clean like her blue dress that she wore everyday to school. Thus, Maddie was reminded of the same old blue dress.

Question 8.What does Maddie think hard about ? What important decision does she come to?Answer:Maddie thinks about not to be mute spectator anymore that she had been in case of Wanda. She promised herself about not letting any injustice happen to anyone even if she would have to lose a friend in this.

Page 79

Question 9.What did the girls write in the letter?Answer:Maddie and Peggy wrote a friendly letter to Wanda. They wanted to apologise for their behaviour but they ended up asking her whether she liked her new school and teacher. They informed her about her sketches winning the drawing competition. They praised her drawing skills and also told how much other students liked her art. The letter was just a usual letter one may write to a good friend.

Question 10.Did Maddie and Peggy get a reply? Who was more anxious for a reply? How do you know?Answer:No, they didn’t get a reply from Wanda. Maddie was more anxious for a reply than Peggy because she was very upset and feeling sad for Wanda. She had assumed that Wanda was deeply hurt so she was not replying and blamed herself for everything. Maddie used to have sleepless nights and saw frightful dreams about Wanda.

Question 11.How did the girls know that Wanda liked them even though they had teased her?Answer:Both Maddie and Peggy realised that Wanda liked them although they had teased her because she had gifted them her two beautiful dresses, a green one with red trimmings to Peggy and the blue one to Maddie. She had even drawn their faces in the painting of the dresses they got.

Thinking about the Text(Page 79,80)

Question 1.Why do you think Wanda’s family moved to a different city? Do you think life

there was going to be different for their family?Answer:Wanda’s family moved to a different city due to the racist and insulting behaviour of students towards Wanda and her brother. They were teased by other students for their funny name and blue dress. Life there in a different city was going to be different because people there did not have such a narrow mind and would not tease them because of their name or status.

Question 2.Maddie thought her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing. Was she right ?Answer:Yes, Maddie thought that her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing because it is often said that turning a blind eye to a crime is worse than committing a crime. So by being silent she indirectly encouraged Peggy to do so.

Question 3.Peggy says, “I never thought she had sense to know we were making fun of her anyway. I thought she was too dumb. And gee, look how she can draw!”What led Peggy to believe that Wanda was dumb ? Did she change her opinion later ?Answer:Wanda never replied to Peggy ‘s misbehaviour and pranks that she faced everyday. So, her neutral face and unusual behaviour led Peggy to think that Wanda was dumb. Wanda even described the hundred dresses she said about though she wore the same old faded blue dress everyday. But later Peggy’ changed her opinion after having a look on Wanda’s sketches and her gesture of gifting her a beautiful drawing from her collection.

Question 4.What important decision did Maddie make? Why did she have to think hard to do so ?Answer:Maddie decided to go to Wanda’s house with Peggy to apologise and amend for all that had happened but Wanda had left her house with her family. She felt bad because she thought of herself as a coward who did not stop Peggy to insult Wanda. So, she decided to raise voice against injustice and bullying. She was firm of not being a mute spectator anymore.

Question 5.Why do you think Wanda gave Maddie and Peggy the drawings of the dresses ? Why are they surprised ?Answer:When Maddie and Peggy wrote a letter to Wanda, she might have understood their feelings behind their letter and during the dresses game, she had observed both of them. So she requested Miss Mason to give two of her drawings to them and had taught them a lesson of life. Maddie and Peggy were surprised as she gifted them the drawings with their faces.

Question 6.Do you think Wanda really thought the girls were teasing her ? Why or why not ?Answer:Wanda was aware of the misbehaviour of the girls who teased her everyday “but she remained calm. To keep them mum she fabricated a story of having a hundred dresses and sixty pairs of matching shoes in her closet. She taught them a lesson of life by the drawings of the hundred beautiful dresses she claimed to have.

Thinking about Language(Page 80,81)

Question 2.What adjectives can we use to describe Peggy, Wanda and Maddie? You can choose adjectives from the list above. You can also add some of your own.1. Peggy ____2. Wanda ____3. Maddie ____Answer:1. Peggy Sarcastic, thoughtless, zealous, unforgiving arrogant, cruel, haughty, proud, vain2. Wanda Kind, courteous, introverted, talented, lonely, determined, complacent, contented, generous, friendly, intrepid, sensitive, compassionate, creative.3. Maddie Insipid, timid, placid, stolid

Question 3.Find the sentences in the story with the following phrasal verbs.lined up, thought up, took off, stood byAnswer:1. Lined up She thought of the glowing picture of those hundred dresses all lined up in the classroom.2. Thought up Peggy who had thought up this game and Maddie her inseparable friend, were always ‘the last to leave.3. Took off Miss Mason took off her glasses, blew on them and wiped them on her soft white handkerchief.4. Stood by She had stood by silently and that was just as bad as what Peggy had done.

Question 4.Colours are used to describe feelings, moods and emotions. Match the following ‘colour expressions’ with a suggested paraphrase.1. The Monday morning blues : feel embarrassed /angry /ashamed2. Go red in the face : feel very sick, as if about to vomit3. Look green : sadness or depression after a weekened of fun4. The red carpet : the sign or permission to begin an action5. Blue-blooded : a sign of surrender or acceptance of defeat; a wish to stop fighting6. A green belt : in an unlawful act; while doing something wrong7. A blackguard : a photographic print of building plans; a detailed plan or scheme

8. A grey area : land around a town or city where construction is prohibited by law9. A white flag : an area of a subject or a situation where matters are not very clear10. A blue print : a dishonest person with no sense of right or wrong11. Red-handed : a special welcome12. The green light : of noble birth or from a royal familyAnswer:1. The Monday morning blues : sadness or depression after a weekend of fun2. To go red in the face : feel embarrassed /angry/ashamed3. Look green : feel very sick, as if about to vomit4. The red carpet : a special welcome5. Blue – blooded : of noble birth or from a royal family6. A green belt : land around a town or city where construction is prohibited by law7. Black guard : a dishonest person with no sense of right or wrong8. A grey area : an area of a subject or a situation where matters are not very clear.9. A white flag : a sign of surrender or acceptance of defeat; a wish to stop fighting10. A blue print : a photographic print of building plans; a detailed clan or scheme11. Red-handed : in an unlawful act; while doing something wrong12. The green light : the sign of permission to begin an action

English First Flight Chapter 7 Glimpses of IndiaPart I A Baker from GoaPage 86Question 1.What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?Answer:The elders in Goa are nostalgic about the good oldPortuguese days and their love of bread and loaves. The writer says that the eaters of loaves have left but the makers still exist.

Question 2.Is bread-making still popular in Goa? How do you know?Answer:Yes, bread making is still popular in Goa. This is very clear from the narrator’s statement that the eaters have gone away leaving the makers behind. There are mixers, moulders and the ones who bake the loaves. The time tested furnaces still  exist there.

Question 3.What is the baker called?Answer:The baker is called a pader in Goa.

Question 4.When would the baker come everyday? Why did the children run to meet him?Answer:The baker would come twice a day—once early in the morning and the second time when he returned after selling his stuff.The children would run to meet him as they wanted to have bread-bangles.

Page 87Question 1.Match the following. What is a must1. as marriage gifts? – cakes and bolinhas2. for a party or a feast? – sweet bread called bol3. for a daughter’s engagement? – bread4. for Christmas? – sandwichesAnswer:1. as marriage gifts – sweet bread called bol2. for a party or a feast – bread

3. for a daughter’s engagement – sandwiches4. for Christmas – cakes and bolinhas

Question 2.What did the bakers wear :1. In the Portuguese days2. When the author was youngAnswer:1. The bakers were usually dressed up in a peculiar dress called kabai. It was a single piece long frock reaching down to the knees.2. During his childhood days, the author saw the bakers wearing a shirt and trousers which were shorter than full length ones and longer than half pants.

Question 3.Who invites the comment – “he is dressed like a pader” Why?Answer:Any person who is wearing a half pant which reaches just below the knees invites this comment. This is because the baker, known as a pader, used to dress like that.

Question 4.Where were the monthly accounts of the baker recorded?Answer:Monthly accounts of the baker were recorded on some wall in the house with a pencil.

Question 5.What does a ‘jackfruit-like appearance’ mean?Answer:It means having a plump physique, like a jackfruit.

Thinking About the Text      (Page 88)Question 1.Which of these statements are correct?1. The pader was an important person in the village in old times.2. Paders still exist in Goan villages.3. The paders went away with the Portuguese.4. The paders continue to wear a single-piece long frock.5. Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life in the old days.6. Traditional bread-baking is still a very profitable business.7. Paders and their families starve in the present times.Answer:

1. Correct2. Correct3. Incorrect4. Incorrect5. Correct6. Correct7. Incorrect

Question 2.Is bread an important part of Goan life? How do you know this?Answer:Yes, bread is an important part of Goan life. It is needed for marriage gifts, parties and feasts. Bread is also needed by a mother for preparing sandwiches during her daughter’s engagement. Thus, it is necessary to have breads for every occasion, because of which the presence of a baker’s furnace in the vi .age is very important

Question 3.Tick the right answer. What is the tone of the author when he says the following?1. The thud and the jingle of the traditional baker ‘s bamboo can still be heard in some places, (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)2. Maybe the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession, (nostalgic, hopeful, sad)3. I still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves, (nostalgic, hopeful, naughty)4. The tiger never brushed his teeth. Hot tea could wash and clean up everything so nicely, after all. (naughty, angry, funny)5. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as other festivals, (sad, hopeful, matter-of-fact)6. The baker dnd his family never starved. They always looked happy and prosperous, (matter-of-fact, hopeful, sad)Answer:1. Nostalgic2. Hopeful3. Nostalgic4. Funny5. Matter-of-fact6. Matter-of-fact

Part II CoorgThinking About The Text(Page 92)

Question 1.Where is Coorg?Answer:Coorg or Kodagu is the smallest district of Karnataka. It is situated midway between Mysore and the cbastal town of Mangalore.

Question 2.What is the story about the Kodavu people’s descent?Answer:The fiercely independent people of Coorg are descendents of Greeks or Arabs. A section of Alexander’s army moved South along the coast and settled here only when they were unable to return to their country. These people married among the locals. This is the story about the descent of Kodavu people.

Question 3.What are some of the things you now know about?1. the people of Coorg?2. the main crop of Coorg?3. the sports it offers to a tourists?4. the animals you are likely to see in Coorg?5. its distance from Bangalore and how to get there?Answer:1. They are fiercely independent people and have descended from the Greeks or the Arabs.2. Coffee is the main crop of Coorg.3. It mostly offers adventure sports which include river rafting, canoeing, rappelling, rock climbing and mountain biking.4. The animals likely to be seen in Coorg are macaques, Malabar squirrel, langurs, slender loris, elephants etc.5. By road, it is around 250 – 260 kilometres from Bangalore.

Question 4.Here are six sentences with some words in italics. Find phrases from the text that have the same meaning. (Look in the paragraphs indicated)1. During monsoons it rains so heavily that tourists do not visit Coorg. (Para 2)2. Some people say that Alexander’s army moved south along the coast and settled there. (Para 3)3. The Coorg people are always ready to tell stories of their son’s and father’s valour. (Para 4)4. Even people who normally lead an easy and slow life get smitten by

the high energy adventure sports of Coorg. (Para 6)5. The theory of the Arab origin is supported by the long coat with embroidered waist-belt they wear. (Para 3)6. Macaques, Malabar squirrels observe you carefully from the tree canopy. (Para 7)Answer:1. to keep visitors away2. As one story goes3. are more than willing to recount4. The most laidback individuals become converts to5. draws support from6. keep a watchful eye

Thinking About Language (Page 93)Certain words ‘go together’. Such ‘word friends’ are called collocations. The collocation of a word is ‘the company it keeps’. For example, look at the paired sentences and phrases below. Which is a common collocation, and which one is odd? Strike out the odd sentence or phrase.Questions.1. ‘How old are you?’‘How young are you?’2. a pleasant person a pleasant pillowAnswers:1. The odd sentence is ‘How young are you?’2. The odd phrase is ‘a pleasant pillow’.

Question 1.Here are some nouns from the text,‘culture’ ‘monks’ ‘surprise’ ‘experience’ ‘weather’ ‘tradition’Work with a partner and discuss which of the nouns can collocate with which of the adjectives given below. The first one has been done for you.‘unique’ ‘terrible’ ‘unforgettable’ ‘serious’ ‘ancient’ ‘wide’ ‘sudden’Questions.1. culture : unique culture, ancient culture2. monks : _____________3. surprise: ___________4. experience: __________5. weather: ___________6. tradition: ___________Answer:2. serious monks, unique monks3. unique surprise, sudden surprise, unforgettable surprise, terrible

surprise4. unique experience, terrible experience, unforgettable experience, sudden experience5. terrible weather, unforgettable weather6. unique tradition, ancient tradition

Question 2.2. Complete the following phrases from the text. For each phrase, can you find at least one other word that would fit into the blank?   Missing                 Alternate word1.  tales of                         __________         ___________2.  coastal                         __________         ___________3. a piece of                      __________         ___________4.  evergreen                    __________        ___________5. plantations                   __________         ___________6. bridge                           __________        ___________7.  wild                              ___________       ___________Answer:

Missing                           Alternate word  

1. valour                                         bravery2. town                                          belt, village3. heaven                                          cake4. rainforests                                 jungle5. coffee                                        tea, banana6. rope                                         steel, concrete7. creatures                                    animals

Part III Tea from AssamThinking About Language       (Page 96,97)Question 1.Look at these words: upkeep, downpour, undergo, dropout, walk-in. They are built up from a verb (keep, pour, go, drop, walk) and an adverb or a preposition (up, down, under, out, in). Use these words appropriately in the sentences below. You may consult a dictionary.1. A heavy _____ has been forecast due to low pressure in the Bay of Bengal.2. Rakesh will _major surgery tomorrow morning.3. My brother is responsible for the ____ of our family property.4. The ____ rate for this accountancy course is very high.5. She went to the Enterprise Company to attend a _____ interview.

Answer:1. downpour2. undergo3. upkeep4. dropout5. walk-in

Question 2.Now fill in the blanks in the sentences given below by combining the verb given in brackets with one of the words from the box as appropriate.‘over’ ‘by’ ‘through’ ‘out’ ‘up’ ‘down’1. The Army attempted unsuccessfully to ____ the Government, (throw)2. Scientists are on the brink of a major _____ in cancer research, (break)3. The State Government plans to build a ____ for Bhubaneswar to speed up traffic on the main highway, (pass)4.Gautama’s ____ on life changed when he realised that the world is full of sorrow, (look)5. Rakesh seemed unusually _____ after the game, (cast)Answers:1. overthrow2. breakthrough3. bypass4. lookout5. downcast

Question 3.Notice how these -ing and -ed adjectives are used.1. Chess is an interesting game.I am very interested in chess.2. Going trekking in the Himalayas this summer is an exciting idea.We are very excited about the trek.3. Are all your School books this boring?He was bored as he had no friends there.The -ing adjectives show the qualities that chess, trekking or these books have: they cause interest, excitement, or boredom in you. The – ed /-en adjectives show your mental state or your physical state: how you feel in response to ideas, events or things.

Question 1.1. Think of suitable -ing or -ed adjectives to answer the following questions. You may also use words from those given above.How would you describe

1. a good detective serial on television? ____2. a debate on your favourite topic ‘Homework Should Be Banned’? ____3. how you feel when you stay indoors due to incessant rain? ____4. how you feel when you open a present? ____5. how you feel when you watch your favourite programme on television? ____6. the look on your mother’s face as you waited in a queue? ____7. how you feel when tracking a tiger in a tiger reserve forest? _____8. the story you have recently read, or a film you have seen? _____Answers:(Sample answers are given; you may have a different answer.)1. exciting2. interesting3. bored4. excited5. interested6. disappointed7. thrilled8. thrilling

Lesson – 9 Madam Rides the Bus- Question and Answers

1. What was Valli’sfavourite pastime?

A. Valli’sfavourite pastime was to gaze at the hustle and bustle of the street.

2. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?

A. Valli enjoyed watching the bus and its new set of passengers every time it crossed the

village. It gave her a never ending joy. Her strongest desire was to travel in the bus and take

a ride to the nearby town and back.

3. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?

A. Valli found out that the town was six miles from the village and it cost thirty paise to

travel one side. It took forty five minutes to reach town and the same bus could bring you

back as well. Once she decided to travel by bus, even if just once, she started listening to her

neighbour’s conversations about their bus rides very carefully. In the process, she would

herself ask some careful questions here and there in order to enhance her knowledge about

the journey.

4. What do you think Valli was planning to do?

A. Valli was planning secretively to fulfill her desire of travelling by bus without her mother

noticing.

5. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?

A. Well prepared and proud Valli got annoyed if someone called her a child or treated her

like one. On the other hand, the bus conductor was of the joking sort and began addressing

her ‘madam’ as she was grown enough, bought her ticket and could take care of herself.

6. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?

A. Valli was short in height and thus, when she tried looking out of the window, the window

blinds would come her way obstructing her outside view. Thus, she decided to stand on her

seat. She saw that the bus was moving on a very narrow road. It had a canal on one side,

beyond which palm trees, mountains and blue sky could be seen. On the other side, there was

a deep ditch followed by greenery as far as one could see.

7. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?

A. On being advised by a concerned old man to sit down, Valli told him that she was not a

child and she could take care of herself. She told him that she was just as capable and

responsible like other passengers as she had paid the fare of thirty paise for the ticket.

8. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?

A. Valli was already annoyed with how everyone was treating her like a child. When that

elderly woman came and showed concern about her, it irritated her further. Moreover, she

had large holes in her earlobes with ugly earrings that Valli developed strong dislike for. The

lady was chewing betel nut and it’s juice could have spilled any moment, automatically

making her a less socially desirable person according to Valli.

9. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?

A. Undoubtedly, she had put innumerable amount of effort in planning and saving for her

first ever bus journey. It was a dream ride for her. She resisted every temptation ranging

from peppermints, toys, balloons to merry-go-round at the village fair. After so many efforts,

she finally saved sixty paise. No, it was not easy for her.

10. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?

A. Valli saw a cow that was running along the road and came in front of the bus. As the

driver honked, it started running in front of the bus. The more the driver blew the horn, faster

did it run but did not get out of the way. This was funny for Valli and she kept on laughing

till she had tears in her eyes.

11. Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?

A. Valli didn’t get off the bus on reaching the town because she only boarded the bus with

the intention of taking a ride to and from the nearby town. Moreover, she was too afraid to

even casually have a look at her surroundings as she was all alone.

12. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you

about her?

A. Valli was too afraid to get off the bus alone. Moreover, she didn’t have enough money to

buy herself a drink. Therefore, she didn’t intend on going to the stall for a drink. This shows

that Valli was a responsible and careful child who was aware that getting off the bus without

an adult could get her in trouble. Moreover, as she did not have the money, she denied the

treat offered by the conductor which showed that she was a mature child.

13. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell

you this.

A. Valli’s deepest desire was to travel by bus. Words and phrases like “the most fascinating

thing of all” and  “source of unending joy” have been used to describe Valli’s deepest desire.

14. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did

she save up the fare?

A. Once she decided to travel by bus, she started listening to her neighbour’s conversations

about their bus rides very carefully. In the process, she would herself ask some careful

questions here and there in order to enhance her knowledge about the journey. Valli found

out that the town was six miles from the village and it cost thirty paise to travel one side. It

took forty five minutes to reach town and the same bus could bring you back as well. She

collected the money with utmost determination. She resisted every temptation ranging from

peppermints, toys, balloons to merry-go-round at the village fair. After so many efforts, she

finally saved sixty paise.

15. What kind of a person is Valli? To answer this question, pick out the following

sentences from the text and fill in the blanks. The words you fill in are the clues to your

answer.

a. “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised ________.

b. “Yes, I ______ go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.

c. “There’s nobody here _________ ,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty

paise like everyone else.”

d. “Never mind,” she said, “I can _______. You don’t have to help me. ”I’m not a

child, I tell you,” she said, .

e. “You needn’t bother about me. I ________,” Valli said, turning her face toward

the window and staring out.

f. Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope ________.”

A “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly.

1.  “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.

2. “There’s nobody here who’s a child ,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise

like everyone else.”

3. “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, .

4. “You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face

toward the window and staring out.

5. Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope to see you again.”

6. These words show that Valli is a mature, determined and independent girl. Although

she is only eight years of age, she has confidence and can take care of herself.

16. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?

A. When the conductor gave Valli a hand in order to help her climb the bus, Valli denied.

She further denied all the help that she was being offered, because she considered herself not

to be a child. Moreover, the conductor was of the joking sort and thus, started addressing

Valli as a grown up ‘madam’.

17 Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.

A. The text which tells that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus is as follows-

1.Oh, it was all so wonderful!

2.SuddenlyValli clapped her hands with glee.

3.Somehow this was very funny to Valli. She laughed and laughed until there were tears in

her eyes.

4.Struck dumb with wonder, Valli gaped at everything.

18. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?

A. On her way back to the village, Valli saw a lifeless cow lying on the road. It was the same

cow that was so joyful on their journey to the town. She got devastated as to how something

that was so full of life at one moment can turn into something horrible in just a blink of an

eye.Thus, she sat on her seat silently after this and refused to look out of the window.

19. What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about

things happening without our knowledge.”

A. Valli agreed to her mother’s statement that things happened without our knowing about

them. She meant to say that her mother was ignorant about her bus ride.

English First Flight Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares

Thinking About the Text(Page 135)

Question 1.

When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house? What does she ask

for? Does she get it? Why not?

Answer:

After the death of her only son, Kisa Gotami was overcome with grief. She carried

the dead body of her son in her arms and went from door to door asking for

medicine to cure her child, but nobody could provide any medicine. For there is no

such medicine available which can bring a dead person back to life.

Question 2.

Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha.

What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?

Answer:

Gautama Buddha asks Kisa to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house

where death had never knocked at the door. Kisa Gotami went from door to door,

but couldn’t find a single house where death had not taken a beloved away. She

could not get it as death is ineritable and anyone who is born is bound to die one

day.

Question 3.

What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand

the first time? Was this what Buddha wanted her to understand?

Answer:

After failing to procure a handful of mustard seeds from a house where death had

never knocked at the door, she sat down by the roadside feeling helpless. She saw

the lights of the city that flickered and were extinguished. At last, it was darkness

everywhere.

She realised that death was common to all and she was being selfish in her grief.

Yes, this is what Buddha wanted her to understand, that everyone who is born has

to die one day.

Question 4.

Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way

did Buddha change her understanding?

Answer:

Earlier, she could see only her grief. When she went from door to door the second

time, she understood that everyone was dealing the with the loss of a beloved one.

There was not a single house in the town, where death had not taken a father, a

mother, a sister, a brother, son or a daughter. Everyone, at some point or the other,

have experienced the death of their loved ones. Gautama Buddha helped her to

understand all this, as he told her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house

where death had never knocked at the door. This way she got aware that death is

common to all human beings.

The Sermon at Benares Extra Questions and Answers

Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions (4 marks each)

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow :Question 1.At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and years

later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years

as befitted royalty. At about the age of twenty-five, the prince heretofore shielded

from the sufferings of the world, while going out on hunting, chanced upon a sick

man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for

alms. These sights so moved him that he at once became a beggar and went out

into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed. 

(a) Who does ‘he’ refer to here ?

(b) What did the prince chance to see while out on hunting ?

(c) Find a word from the passage that means the same as ‘holy’.

(d) When was Buddha sent for Schooling ?

Answer:(a) ‘He’ is referred to Buddha.

(b) When the prince went out on hunting he saw a sick man, an aged man, a funeral

procession and a monk begging for alms.

(c) Sacred.

(d) At the age of 12

Question 2.At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from sufferings of the

world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral

procession and finally a monk begging for alms. 

(a) Name the Prince.

(b) What are the sights of sufferings that the Prince saw ? (Any 2)

(c) Give the meaning of the word, ‘shielded’.

(d) What was the Prince’s age in the passage ?

Answer:(a) Name of the prince was Siddhartha.

(b) On his way to hunting, the prince saw a sick man, and a funeral procession.

(c) ‘Shielded’ means ‘Protected’.

(d) The Prince’s age was Twenty five.

Question 3.At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the sufferings of

the world, while coming out of hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man,

then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so

moved him that he at once became a beggar and went out into the world to seek

enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed. He wandered for seven

years and finally sat down under a fig tree, where he vowed to stay until

enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bodhi

Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new understandings. 

(a) Who is the Prince ? Mention any two sights which moved the Prince.

(b) What did he do after he became enlightened ?

(c) Which word in the passage means the same as ‘a state of high spiritual

knowledge’ ?

(d) Where did Buddha sit ?

Answer:(a) Gautam Buddha is the Prince. The sight of an aged main and a funeral

procession were the two sights that moved the Prince.

(b) Buddha renamed the tree the ‘Bodhi Tree’ (Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach

and to share his new understandings.

(c) Enlightenment.

(d) Buddha sat under a ‘Fig tree’.

Question 4.The Buddha answered : “I want a handful of mustard seeds.” And when the girl in

her joy promised to procure it, then Buddha added: The mustard-seed must be

taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.” 

(a) Identify T in the passage.

(b) What did the Buddha ask the girl for ?

(c) Find the word from the passage which means the same as ‘obtain’.

(d) What did Buddha add?

Answer:(a) T in the passage is Buddha.

(b) The Buddha asked the girl for a handful of mustard seeds.

(c) ‘procure’.

(d) Buddha added that the seeds should be from a house where there was no loss.

Question 5.The Buddha said: “The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and

combined with pain. For there is not any means by which those that have been born

can avoid dying; after reaching at certain age, there is death; of such a nature are

living beings. As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals when born are

always in danger of death. 

(a) What did the Buddha say about the life of the people ?

(b) What does the ripe fruit fear ?

(c) Find the word from the passage that means ‘living beings who have to die’.

(d) What is natural ?

Answer:(a) The Buddha said that the life of the mortals in this world is troubled, brief and

combined with pain.

(b) The ripe fruit fears falling down.

(c) Mortals.

(d) Deathe is natural.

Question 6.Mark while relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, one by one mortals are

carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. So the world is afflicted with death

and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.

(a) What is the fate of mortals ?

(b) Why do the wise not grieve ? ‘

(c) Write the meaning of the word, ‘lamenting’.

(d) What is the world afflicted with ?

Answer:(a) The fate of mortals is inevitable death of all. No one could avoid dying.

(b) Wise (people) have accepted the truth that death is common to all. So they do

not grieve.

(c) ‘expressing sorrow’.

(d) The world is afflicted with death and decay.

Short Answer Type Questions (30-40 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.Who was Gautam Buddha ? When and where was he born ? [Answer:Gautam Buddha was a Prince who was named Siddhartha Gautam by his parents.

He was born in 563 B.C. in North India. He had been shielded from the sufferings of

the world. He attained enlightenment under a Peepal tree and named the tree as

‘Tree of Wisdom’.

Question 2.Mention the incident which prompted Prince Siddhartha to become a beggar ?

Answer:Once Prince Siddhartha had gone for hunting where he came across a sick man, an

aged man, a monk asking for alms and also witnessed a funeral procession. Unable

to understand those sufferings, he became a beggar and went in search of spiritual

knowledge.

Question 3.Why was Kisa Gotami sad ? What did she do in her hour of grief ?

Answer:Kisa Gotami was sad because her only son had died. In her hour of grief, she went

from house to house in search of a medicine to cure him. She had become selfish in

wanting her son back.

Question 4.What did the Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand ? 

Answer:Buddha wanted Kisa Gotami to understand that death is common to all and no one

could avoid dying. No one can save their relatives. So wise do not grieve after

accepting this truth of dead.

Question 5.Kisa Gotami again goes from house-to-house after she speaks with the Buddha.

What does she ask for the second time round ? Does she get ? Why not ? Answer:Kisa Gotami goes from house to house to bring some mustard seeds where no

death had taken place as asked by Buddha to cure her son. But she was unable to

find such a house where no death had taken place. It made her realise that death is

evitable and that no one can deny the nature’s cycle.

Question 6.What did Kisa Gotami learn in the end ? Answer:In the end, Kisa Gotami realised and learnt that death is common to all and that no

one could avoid dying. People weep over their dead ones but it is only the wise who

do not grieve as they have accepted the truth. A person should only try to seek inner

peace.

Question 7.How did Buddha teach Kisa Gotami the truth of life ? 

Answer:Kisa Gotami was devastated by the death of her only son and wandered door to

door, seeking help. Someone directed her to Sakyamuni, the Buddha, who asked

her to bring a handful of mustard seeds. This raised a hope in Gotami’s heart that

her son could be revived. But the condition imposed by Sakyamuni was that the

seeds should be from a house where people had not lost a loved one to death. Kisa

Gotami’s futile search made her realize the bitter truth that sorrows are a part and

parcel of life and one can attain peace only by acceptance.

Question 8.What did the Buddha do after he had attained enlightenment ? Why ?

Answer:Prince Siddhartha Gautama was deeply pained by the sufferings he saw around him

and left house to seek the truth of life. After wandering for seven years, he finally sat

under Peepal tree to meditate till he received the enlightenment. Wisdom of the law

that governs the cycle of birth and death dawned on him and ‘The Buddha’ set out to

share it with the world to relieve the mortals of their sufferings.

Question 9.What does the Buddha say about the world ? 

Answer:The Buddha says that everything in this world is subject to death. He further says

that the world is deeply affected by suffering, disease or pain. Inevitably there is

death and decay.

Long Answer Type Question (100-120 words & 8 marks each)

Question 1.How did Buddha make Kisa Gotami realise about the reality of death ?

Answer:Value Points:Kisa’s son had died went to Buddha for making him alive—was sent to bring some

mustard seeds from a house where no death had occurred—couldn’t get. Buddha

made her realise that death is common to all.

Detailed Answer:When Kisa’s only son had died, she went to Buddha. Being plunged into deep grief,

first she went to every neighbour, asking for medicine for her dead son. She had lost

all her senses and forgot that no medicine could bring back the dead. Then she

went to Buddha for making his son alive. Buddha asked her to bring some mustard

seeds from a house where no death had occurred. But she couldn’t get find such a

house. Buddha made her realise that death is common to all. So in the midst of

adverse circumstances, we should not lament.

Value Based Questions

Question 1.How do you usually understand the idea of selfishness ? Do you agree with Kisa

Gotami that she was ‘selfish’ on her grief ? Is it natural for people to be seflish at

times ? [Value Based Question]Answer:‘Selfishness’ means when a person does something only for his own benefit or

thinks only about himself/ herself. Kisa Gotami was selfish in wanting her dead son

to be alive. It was a mother’s love which had blinded her. She was wrong in wanting

that. She could not see the reality of life. It is perfectly natural for anyone to be

selfish at times. When this desire becomes harmful to others or the demands

become unrealistic, it is wrong. A little bit of selfishness is there in generally

everyone and it is natural to be so.

Question 2.How does Gautam Buddha make the human beings realize that death is common to

all ?

Answer:Value Points:

life full of troubles and grief

combined with pain after death

death cannot be avoided

no use crying/mourning

accept death as truth brings less pain

all are subject to death

Detailed Answer:In his first sermon, Buddha makes the human being realise that death is common to

all. It is true that human life is full of troubles and grief. After the death of the loved

one, one’s feelings are combined with pain. But life can’t stop here. Death is

inevitable. It cannot be avoided. So in such adverse situations, there is no use of

crying and mourning. If we accept this universal truth of inevitable death, it will not

only lessen the pain but also help us to tackle the situation.

Question 3.The Buddha said, ‘The world is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do

not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.’ Do you think the statement is

appropriate even for today’s life ? Write your views in the context of the above

statement. [Value Based Question]Answer:‘Sakyamuni’s’ first Sermon at Benares was to accept death as a fact, as a truth that

cannot change Grieving and lamenting cannot lessen the pain or revive a dead one,

but only make life more difficult.

‘Man is mortal’, is a harsh reality which is as steadfast as the various other natural

phenomena. The cycle of birth and cfeath is eternal and continues ceaselessly.

Acceptance of this truth is important and in the light of the transient nature of life,

one must strive to do at least one good deed every day and live life to the fullest.

Question 4.Life is full of trials and tribulations. Kisa Gotami also passes through a period of grief

in her life. How does she behave in those circumstances ? What lesson does a

reader learn from the story of her life ? Give any two points how you would like to

act in the midst of adverse circumstances. [Value Based Question]Answer:Life is full of trials and tribulations. Kisa Gotami also passes through a grief in her life

when her only son died. She went from house to house in search of a medicine to

cure him. She had become selfish in wanting her son back, but later she realised

that man is immortal. The lesson we learn from her story is that peace of mind

cannot be obtained by grieving. I would try to overcome my sorrow and accept the

fact that human life is mortal, when faced with such a situation.

Question 5.Answer the following question in 80-100 words : .

“The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain ” With

this statement of the Buddha, find out the moral value that Kisa Gotami learnt after

the death of her child. [Value Based Question]

Answer:Value Points:Hints:

Death is common to all, accept the truth, things not everlasting, detachment from

mundane life, farsightedness.

Weeping and grieving can not bring peace of mind.

He who overcomes sorrow will be blessed.

Detailed Answer:When Kisa’s only son had died, she went to Buddha. Being plunged into deep grief,

first she went to every neighbour, asking for medicine for her dead son. She had lost

all her senses and forgot that no medicine could bring back the dead. Then she

went to Buddha for making his son alive. Buddha asked her to bring some mustard

seeds from a house where no death had occurred. But she couldn’t find such a

house. Buddha made her realise that death is common to all. So in the midst of

adverse circumstances, we should not lament.

First Flight Lesson 11 -The Proposal

Q. Justify the title of the play The Proposal.Ans :- The title of the play is 'The proposal' and it is a very apt one because the whole play is about Lomov proposing Natalya. Right from the beginning to the end of the play, the story revolves round a marraige proposal. Lomov comes to Natalya's house to propose to her but even before he does it, they both start fighting. As a result, Lomov becomes sick and leaves. Natalya's father informs her about the intention of Lomov and she starts lamenting over the loss. Lomov is called back and once again an argument ensues before proposing. Hence, we can say that the title is perfect for the play.

Q.Sketch the character of Stephen Chubukov ?Ans :- In the play The Proposal Anton Chechov has presented three characters. Stephen Chubukov is one of them. He was a land owner who had a daughter named Natalya. He was a very quarrelsome man but had a habit of speaking politely to everyone initially. He welcomes Lomov in a polite manner and is happy when he says he has come to propose to his daughter. Chubukov was a man to be carried away easily and so when Natalya and Lomov had an argument he too joined in and insulted Lomov. Chubukov is projected as a loving father but a greedy man who is looking for a good match for his daughter.

Q. Briefly describe the character of Lomov.Ans:-Lomov was a thirty five year old unmarried man. He anxiously waited to get married because he had reached a critical age. He proposed a girl named Natalya in his neighbourhood.Lomov was a strange man .He also suffers from a weak heart and sleeplessness. So, he is desperate to settle down in life and lead a quiet and regular life. Despite his ailments, Lomov was a rich and prosperous farmer. This makes Chubukov secretly wish him to marry his daughter Natalya. As for Lomov, he did not love her, though he was desperate to have a life partner, and so marry Natalya. Lomov was however hesitant to ask for her hand from Chubukov. Thus we can find that Lomov's conditions overpower the other traits he has. He is an eligible, assertive, rich, bachelor, who will be liked by any girl. However, we also know that he is nervous, lacks confidence and is prone to talk in a long-winded manner.He went to propose Natalya but quarrelled over petty issues like the oxen meadows and pet dogs. He also abused Natalya and her father.

Q. Describe the character of Natalya in few sentences.Ans:-Natalya was a young girl of twenty five. She lived in the neighbourhood of Lomov and could do all the household work. She was a good housekeeper, not bad to look at and educated; that was why Lomov wanted to marry her. She could be a good wife to him.She secretly loved Lomov. She became hysterical when she came to know that Lomov had come

to propose to her. She asked her father to call him back. To please Lomov she asked him to forgive her and agreed to his ownership of the Oxen Meadows.She was greedy and short-sighted. She got the whole field of hay cut. She was also very inquisitive and wanted to know why Lomov was dressed up formally.She was touchy and short-tempered and fell into contradiction and argument on two occasions—once over the ownership of Oxen Meadows and the second time over the superiority of her dog Squeezer. She yearned for love and was quarrelsome by nature. She too quarrelled with Lomov over meadows and their pet dogs as to which one is a better breed.

Q. How does Chubukov react when Lomov says that he has come to ask for the hand of his daughter?Ans:-Chubukov is really glad to hear that Lomov has come to ask for Natalya’s hand. He embraces and kisses Lomov. He has a tear or two in his eyes out of joy. He calls for God’s blessing for Natalya and Lomov. He says he is off his balance with joy. He goes out to call for Natalya.

Q. What happens to Lomov when he is in an excited state?Ans:-Lomov’s heart beat increases. His lips tremble. There is twitch in his right eyebrow. The worst thing is the way he sleeps. When he goes to sleep, something pulls in his left side. It comes to his shoulder and head. He jumps like lunatic.

Q. How does Natalya excite Lomov to the point of verbal fighting?Ans:-Natalya doesn’t agree to the point that Oxen Meadows are not theirs. She says that upto that she thought Lomov was a good neighbor. They lent him their threshing machine last year. They had to postpone their threshing till November. How was Lomov giving her his own land?

Q. Why does Natalya ask her father Chubukov to fetch Lomov in at once when they have fought verbally? How does she accuse her father?Ans:-Actually Chubukov says that Lomov came to propose to Natalya for marriage. Natalya didn’t know it. So she at once changes and asks her father to fetch Lomov in then. She also accuses Chubukov that he drove Lomov out.

Q. How do Lomov and Chubukov fight after talking about dogs, etc?Ans:-Chubukov says that Lomov should sit at home with his heart beats. He is not at all a hunter. Lomov replies that he goes hunting to intrigue only. This starts their verbal fight. Lomov calls him an ‘intriguer’. Chubukov calls him ‘pup’. Lomov calls him ‘old rat’. Chubukov calls him ‘fool’, etc.

Q. How is ‘the Proposal’ a great comedy?Ans:-‘The Proposal’ is a great comedy. It is because of the characters and subject matter and how they behave. Natalya, Lomov and Chubukov fight over foolish things. All these create a lot of laughter. The verbal fights over Oxen Meadows and dogs are really full of humour.

Q. What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “and I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”?Ans:-Chubukov at first suspects that Lomov has come to borrow money. Chubukov is not sincere in saying this. After some minutes, Chubukov starts fighting with Lomov over petty matters. In fact, he sides with his daughter in fighting with Lomov. He even abuses Lomov calling him with bad names. This shows his insincerity in saying this flattering sentence.

Q. Chubukov says of Natalya : “….as if she won’t consent ! She is in love; egad, she is like a lovesick cat..” Would you agree ?Ans:-Yes, Natalya is in love. This is clear in her behavior when she knows that Lomov came to propose to her. When she knows it, she starts weeping; she calls her father to bring him back at once. He has gone out after the quarrel. She becomes hysteric.

Q.1. Why is the marriage proposal importance to all the characters?Ans: Anton Chekhov’s one-act play ‘The Proposal’ dwells on the dilemma of matrimony. Lomov, the main protagonist, enters Chubukov’s house with a desire of asking Natalya’s hand in marriage. Lomov has reached the critical age of thirty five and Natalya is well beyond her nuptial age. Chubukuv thinks his daughter a liability and wants her to get married soon. So, Chubukov becomes very happy when he hears the news of proposal and he is confident that Natalya will certainly accept the proposal as she is love-sick. When Natalya gets the slightest smell of marriage proposal she insists her father out of anuptaphobia to bring Lomov back. Chubukov is desperate to save his face and wants to get rid of the burden as the father of a grown-up daughter. Natalya is also desperate to be married soon. Thus marriage proposal is important to all the characters and marriage is a sigh of relief to all.

Q.2. Who was Lomov? Why was he keen to get married? Who did he think was the right choice as a wife? Why did he think so?  [1+2+1+2]Ans: In Anton Chekhov’s one-act play “The Proposal”, Lomov is a young man of 35 and a neighbor of Chubukov.At the age of 35, Lomov has come to a point in his life when it is not possible for him to remain a bachelor. He cannot wait for an ideal or real love. He suffers from palpitations and insomnia, so he needs somebody to support him.He thought Natalya was the right choice as a wife.Lomov chooses Natalya not because he has fallen in live with her, but because of a practical necessity. He thinks that Natalya is ‘an excellent housekeeper, not bad-looking, well-educated,’ so he chooses her, He has no cordial emotion for her.

Q.3. “Bring him back! Ah! Bring him here.” ̶   Who says this and to whom? Why is the speaker so excited? What is ironic about Natalya’s request to bring Lomov back?Ans: Natalya Stepanovna says this in Chubukov’s one-act farce ‘The Proposal’. She says this to her father Chubukov. Natalya Stepnovna, a twenty five years old maid, is stepping well beyond her nuptial age. She is not still been able to find her man. Lomov came to beg her hand in marriage, she forces her father to bring Lomov back. She doesn’t want to miss the chance of getting married. So, she is excited. Natalya is love-sick. She is not still been able to find her though she is twenty five years old. So she does not want to miss the chance of having a life partner. The irony is that the person whom she has insulted and humiliated a great deal and even drives him out, she feels no shame to call that person back.

Poem English First Flight Chapter 1 Dust Of Snow ( poem)

Thinking about the Poem(Page 14)

Question 1.What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?Answer:

The ‘dust of snow’ means the fine particles or flakes of snow. The sudden shower in

the form of the dust of snow changed the poet’s mood. The poet’s mood changed

from sad to happy. He felt refreshed and wanted to enjoy the rest of the day.

Question 2.How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an answer.

1. What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think crow is often

mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?

2. Again, what is ‘a hemlock tree’? Why doesn’t the poet write about more ‘beautiful’

tree such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?

3. What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent-joy or sorrow? What does the dust of

snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?

Answer:

Frost presents nature in a very different manner in the poem,

1. Generally, poets take the birds and trees which are known for their beauty and

good qualities like peacock, parrot, cuckoo, mynah and trees full of beautiful

flowers and fruits, etc. But here Frost has taken a totally different approach. He

chose a crow, which is not often used in poems. Crow is black in colour with very

harsh voice and is believed to be a symbol of bad omen. Thinking of a crow brings

very depressing and sorrowful pictures to our mind.

2. A hemlock tree is poisonous plant with small white flowers. The poet, Robert

Frost, didn’t choose to use an oak, maple or pine tree. Instead, he chose the

hemlock tree and left all the beautiful trees present in the world. Actually he did so

to present his mood and feelings.

3. The crow and hemlock tree represent sorrow and depression felt by the poet in

this materialistic world. The dust of snow is the symbol of natural joy and energy.

The dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree means passing through

the sad and depressing moments the pdet is entering into the time full of joy and

optimism.

Dust of Snow Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.The house- the only one in the entire valley- sat on the crest of a low hill. From this

height one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that

always promised a good harvest. The only thing the Earth needed was a downpour

or at least a shower. Throughout the morning Lencho who knew his fields intimately

had done nothing else but see the sky towards the North-East. “Now we’re really

going to get some water, woman. ” The woman who was preparing supper, replied,

“Yes, God willing”.

(a) Where was Lencho’s house located?

(b) What was Lencho’s wife preparing?

(c) Find the word from the passage which means ‘very closely’.

(d) What does ‘Crest’ means?

Answer:(a) Lencho’s house was located on the crest of a low hill.

(b) Lencho’s wife was preparing supper.

(c) The word is ‘Intimately’.

(d) Crest means the top part of a hill.

Question 2.It was during the meal that, just as Lencho had predicted, big drops of rain began to

fall. In the North-East huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching. The air

was fresh and sweet. The man went out for no other reason than to have the

pleasure of feeling the rain on his body. CBSE 2012

(a) What could be seen approaching in the North-East?

(b) Why did Lencho go out?

(c) Give an antonym of the word Big.

(d) Which word in the passage is a synonym of ‘forecast’.

Answer:(a) Huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching in the North-East.

(b) Lencho went out to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body.

(c) The word is ‘small’.

(d) The word ‘predict’ is a synonym of forecast.

Question 3.

With a satisfied expression he regarded the field of ripe corn with its flowers, draped in a. curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow and alongwith the rain very large hailstones began to fall. These truly did resemble new silver coins. The boys, exposing themselves to the rain, ran out to collect the frozen pearls.(a) What happened to the rain suddenly?

(b) ‘The frozen pearls’ refers to which thing in the paragraph.

(c) Find the similar meaning-of ‘contented’ in the paragraph.

(d) Find from the passage a word which means ‘to take after’.

Answer:(a) The rain suddenly changed into hailstones.

(b) ‘The frozen pearls’ refers to hailstones.

(c) The word is ‘Satisfied’.

(d) The word is ‘Resemble’.

Question 4.Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the plants. Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he stood in the middle of the field and said to his sons. “A plague of locusts would have left more than this. The hail has left nothing.(a) Describe Lencho’s feeling as shown in the passage.

(b) What happened to the crop when the storm had passed?

(c) Find the word that means the opposite of ‘restored’ as used in the passage.

(d) What do you mean by ‘hail’ in the last line?

Answer:(a) Lencho was filled with sadness when the storm had passed.

(b) The crop was completely destroyed when the storm had passed.

(c) The word is ‘destroyed’.

(d) ‘Hail’ is balls of ice that falls from the sky in the form of rain.

Question 5.“That’s what they say: no one dies of hunger.” All through the night, Lencho thought

only of his one hope: the help of God, whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see

everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience. Lencho was an ox of a man,

working like an animal in the fields, but still he knew how to write.     [CBSE 2014](a) What was Lencho’s only hope?

(b) How did Lencho work in the field?

(c) Find the exact word of similar meaning ‘moral sense’ given in the passage.

(d) Explain ‘an or of a man’.

Answer:(a) Lencho’s only hope was the help of God.

(b) Lencho worked as an ‘ox’ in the field.

(c) The word is ‘conscience’.

(d) It means a man working hard like an ox or animal.

Question 6.The postmaster- a fat, amiable fellow- also broke out laughing, but almost

immediately he turned serious and tapping the letter on his desk, commented. “What

faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. Starting.up a

correspondence with God!” So, in order ndt to shake the writer’s faith in God, the

postmaster came up with an idea: answer the letter. But when he opened it, it was

evident that to answer it he needed something more than goodwill, ink and paper.

But he stuck to his resolution: he asked for money from his employees, he himself

gave part of his salary and several friends of his vreie obliged io give something ‘for

an act of charity’.

(a) What kind of a person the postmaster was?

(b) How did the postmaster help Lencho?

(c) Find the exact word in similar meaning ‘without delay’ given in the passage.

(d) Determination is synonymous with …………….

Answer:(a) The postmaster was a fat, amiable and helpful fellow.

(b) The postmaster helped Lencho by collecting money from his employees and

friends.

(c) The word is ‘Immediately’.

(d) Determination is synonym with Resolution.

Question 7.

The following Sunday, Lencho came a bit earlier than usual to ask if there was a letter for him. It was the postman himself who handed the letter to him while the postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a man who has performed a good deed, looked on from his office.Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his

confidence, but he became angry when he counted the money. God could not have

made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.

(a) Why did Lencho come earlier to the post office?

(b) Why wasLencho angry when he counted money?

(c) Find the word which means the opposite of permitted from the passage.

(d) Which word in the passage gives the meaning ‘that one will be successful one

day’.

Answer:(a) Lencho came earlier to the post office to know if there was a letter for him.

(b) Lencho was angry when he counted money as it was not the full amount that he

had demanded from God.

(c) The word is ‘denied’.

(d) The word is ‘confidence’.

Question 8.8. When he finished, he went to the window to buy a stamp which he licked and then

affixed to the envelope with a blow of his fist. The moment the letter fell into the

mailbox the postmaster went to open it. It said: “God: Of the money that I asked for,

only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But

don’t send it to me through the mail because the post office employees are a ‘bunch

of crooks’. Lencho.” CBSE 2016

(a) What did Lencho do wijh the stamp?

(b) What did the postmaster do when the letter fell into the mailbox and why?

(c) Find out the word which has the similar meaning as ‘attached’ used in the

passage.

(d) Which word in the passage denotes a dishonest person?

Answer:(a) Lencho licked and affixed the stamp to the envelope with a blow of his fist.

(b) The postmaster immediately opened the letter to know Lencho’s feeling for the

money he had received.

(c) The word is ‘affixed’.

(d) The word is ‘crook’.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.  Who was Lencho? What were his main problems?    [ CBSE 2015]Answer:Lencho was a hardworking farmer, who lived on the crest of a low hill. Due to the

hailstorm his crops were destroyed, so he needed money to sow his field again and

support his family. These were the main problems of Lencho.

Question 2.Give a brief description of the view from Lencho’s house?

Answer:Lencho’s house was situated on the crest of a low hill and it was the only one in the

valley. One could easily see the river and the field of ripe corn from here.

Question 3.

What did Lencho compare the raindrops to and why?      [CBSE 2011]

Answer:Lencho compared the raindrops to new coins because the crop needed the rain

badly and it was the sign of good harvest. Good harvest meant prosperity for

Lencho as he needed the money to fulfil his basic needs.

Question 4.Why did Lencho write a letter to God?

Answer:When.Lencho’s crops were^completely destroyed by the hailstorm, he wrote a letter

to God because he was the only hope in his despair. Lencho asked him to send

hundred pesos to sow his field again and support his family.

Question 5.Why and how did the postmaster help Lencho?

Answer:The postmaster was determined to help Lencho. He did not want Lencho’s faith in

God to be shaken so he asked his employees and friends to help Lencho.

He also contributed a part of his salary for this act of charity.

Question 6.How much money did Lencho need? How . much did he get?

Answer:Lencho got seventy pesos. He was angry at the difference as he needed hundred

pesos to sow the crops again and to support his family till the next harvest.

Question 7.Why did Lencho not want the money to be sent through mail?    [CBSE 2016]Answer:Lencho wrote in his second letter that he received only seventy pesos but he

needed a hundred pesos.

He requested God not to send rest of the money by post since the post office

employees were a bunch of crooks and would steal the money.

Question 8.Do you think that Lencho was right to call the post office employees a bunch of

crooks? Why or why not?

Answer:Lencho called the post office employees a bunch of crooks as he did not get full

money that he had demanded. He could not believe that God had sent him any less

money so he doubted these people. But he was not right to call them a bunch of

crooks.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.1. Who was Lencho and what circumstances forced him to write a letter to God?

Answer:Lencho was a hardworking farmer who lived with his family on a crest of a low hill.

He was very caring and God loving man. Though, he was a farmer he could read

and write. Lencho eagerly waited for the rainfall in order to get good harvest and he

became happy when it came. But the pleasing rain changed into hailstorm and

destroyed his crop.

He became sad and was worried about his family as they might remain hungry that

year. His last hope was the help from God as he had complete faith in him. Hence,

he wrote a letter to God asking him to send hundred pesos to survive and to

reharvest.

Question 2.Give a character-sketch of Lencho.

Answer:Lencho was a simple man and a hardworking farmer. He worked as an ox in his

field.

Lencho’s entire crops were badly destroyed by the hailstorm. So, he became very

sad as he was worried about his family. He was an optimistic person. Although his

only source of living was taken away, he didn’t lose hope. He had his last hope in

God. He was confident that God would help him in his distress. Lencho was an

innocent atheist who didn’t know that there was no such living person as God who

could send him money. He had blind faith in God and sought solution of his

problem’Trom God only.

Question 3.Sketch the character of the postmaster in the story ‘A Letter to God”.

orHow do you like ,the character of the postmaster in the story ‘A Letter to God?” Give

reason for your answer.

Answer:The postmaster was a fat and friendly fellow. He was a sensible human being. He

first laughed looking at the letter which had a strange address. But soon he became

serious. He was surprised at the faith that Lencho had in God. He wanted his faith

not to be shaken.

The postmaster himself gave a part of his salary and also requested his employees

and a few friends to contribute for charity. He felt happy and satisfied when Lencho

received the money. This shows that he was a kind and empathetic person as well.

He loved to help others.

Question 4.How did the postmaster and post office employees help Lencho? How did he react

to their help?

Answer:The Postmaster and post office employees were very generous as they contributed

for the act of charity. First they laughed when they saw Lencho’s letter to God, but

soon they were impressed by his faith in God. They decided to send some money to

Lencho so that his faith in God does not get shaken. They collected seventy pesos

and sent it to Lencho.

When Lencho got the envelope and opened it to count money, he became angry.

He again wrote a letter to God demanding the remaining thirty pesos. He thought

that post office employees had taken away the remaining money and called them a

bunch of crooks, which was not justified at all as they were the people who had

helped him. But it shows his innocence and firm faith in God.

Question 5.How did the hailstones affect Lencho’s field? What was Lencho’s only hope?

Answer:Lencho, a hardworking farmer, worked like an ox for a good harvest, depended

completely on his fields to take care of his family. He expected a good harvest that

year. He needed a downpour for the crops to ripe, but the rain followed by hailstorm

completely destroyed the crops.

It made him sad. He was worried for his family as he loved them so much. But

Lencho had firm faith in God and believed that nobody died of hunger. So, he

decided to seek help from God. He wrote a letter to God and asked him for a

hundred pesos to survive and to sow new crop.

Question 6.“Humanity still exists”, this is what we get to know after reading A letter to God’ in

which firm faith in God of a poor farmer and helpfulness of the post office employees

are aptly depicted thought. Write a paragraph on the values in it, in about 80-100

words. Give the paragraph a suitable title. CBSE 2012

Answer:Existence of Humanity

After reading ‘A letter to God’, our faith in humanity stirs for strong. We learn from

the story that there still are people who help others without any self interest. The

postmaster and the post office employees lay an example for everyone of us to be

kind. Though they all laughed at his letter, they were really moved by the grip of faith

Lencho had in God. The way they all decided to help the stranger in his hard times

restores our faith in the existence of humanity and motivates us to be a noble and

kind person.

Question 7.Describe Lencho’s qualities in light of his faith in God. Do you have faith in God like Lencho? Was Lencho’s reaction towards post office employees right?     [CBSE 2015]Answer:Lencho was a poor farmer who totally depended on the harvest to survive and fulfil basic needs of his family. Once his crops were destroyed due to heavy rainfall and hailstones and he was afraid to think how his family would survive. He believed that God would help him in this plight. He had firm faith in God, he believed that God would not let him be hungry.Now-a-days faith in God like Lencho is almost impossible and unseen. People are very much aware that nobody is willing to help others without any self interest. Lencho’s reaction towards post office employees was not right or justified but it was just because of his innocence as he could not believe that God had done such a mistake. It were only the post office employees who had stolen money according to him.

English First Flight Chapter 2 Fire and Ice (poem)

Thinking about the Poem(Page 15)

Question 1.There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the Sun gets so hot that it ‘bursts’ or grows colder and colder?Answer:

There are definitely many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. I do believe that the

world will end some day as anything that has a beginning will have an end. This

stands true for the world also, if the Sun got so hot that it burst, the whole of the

Earth would perish immediately as no part of the Earth can bear the heat of that

intensity. But if the Sun grew colder and colder, everything will come to an end as

without sunlight, life will end.

Question 2.For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideasAnswer:

‘Fire’ stands for greed, avarice, lust, conflict and fury. ‘Ice’ stands for cruelty,

intolerance, rigidity, insensitivity, coldness, indifference and hatred.

Question 3.What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the poem?Answer:The rhyme scheme of the poem is- a b a a b c b c bThis rhyme scheme helps in bringing out the contrasting ideas of ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ presented in the poem. The poet mentions that both fire and ice are probable ends of this world. He talks about how fire represents desire and can therefore be a cause of the end of the world. Frost also mentions ice in between to symbolise that the coldness and indifference towards one another will be enough to end the world. In the second stanza, he says that he knows of enough hate in the world to be sure that even destruction through ice . would be sufficient to bring about the end of the world.

Fire and Ice Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.Some say the world will end in fire

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

(a) What is the poet’s opinion of the world in these lines?   [CBSE 2014](b) What is the poet’s opinion about the world?

(c) What is the contradictory opinion of public?

(d) How are ice and fire similar to each other though they have contradictory

traits? [CBSE 2011]Answer:(a) In the poet’s opinion the world will end in fire.

(b) Aaccording to the poet, the world will end in fire.

(c) The contradictory opinion of public is the debate whether the world will end in fire

or ice.

(d) Both ice and fire are similar in the in the sense that both of them would destroy

everything in the world.

Question 2.But if it had to perish twice I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction

ice Is also great And would suffice.

(a) What does ‘it’ refers to in the first line?

(b) What do you mean by ‘perish’?

(c) What does ice stand for?

(d) What would be the cause of destruction?      [CBSE 2015]Answer:(a) ‘It’ refers to the world.

(b) Perish means to die or to be destroyed.

(c) Ice stands for coldness.

(d) Ice or fire would be the cause of destruction.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for?

Answer:The word ‘fire’ stands for desire. In the poem, it

indicates all types of greed and lust. In today’s world, mankind’s greed is

endangering the very existence of the planet Earth. The word ‘ice’ in the poem

indicates hatred and indifference which is as cold as ‘ice’.

Question 2.How has Frost brought out the contrasting ideas in the poem?

Answer:‘Desire’ propels us in hot pursuit of something, hence, it is compared with fire.

‘Hatred’ makes us cold towards other’s feelings. The coldness of ice can numb our

senses. Similarly, the coldness of our hearts can numb our kindness. That is why

‘hatred’ has been compared with ice.

Question 3.Write down the two different views about the end of the world?   [CBSE 2012]Answer:There is a debate that is going on about the end of the world. People say that the

world will end in fire or in ice. World is transitory, nothing is perennial in this

universe.

Question 4.How does Robert Frost caution the common man?

Answer:Man is selfish, avaricious, lustful, indifferent and

hateful. Robert Frost cautions the common man and says that he should not forget

the bitter reality that everything in this world is transitory and death is inevitable.

Question 5.Why does the poet hold with those who favour fire?

Answer:The poet takes side with those who believe that the

world will be destroyed by fire. Frost connects fire with desire. According to the poet,

desire is powerful and would be a quick end. Moreover, the fact that he has had

personal experience with desire leads him to first conclude that the world will end in

fire.

Question 6.Write the sum and substance of the poem ‘Fire and Ice’.

Answer:The crystal clear message that the poet is trying to give is that nothing in this world

is eternal. Everything will perish either in fire or ice. We should, thus, not forget this

supreme reality and keep ourselves above all selfish matters.

Question 7.Briefly write about the ideas about how the world will end.   [CBSE2016]Answer:The world will end as a direct result of either fire or ice. Some scientists believed

that the world would be incinerated from its fiery core, while others were convinced

that the coming ice age would destroy all living things on the Earth’s surface.

Frost introduces a more emotional side, associating desire with fire and hatred with

ice. The poem, thus, does not allow for any other opinions in the black and white

debate between fire and ice.

Question 8.To say that for destruction ice is also great for the poet, what does ‘ice’ stand for?

How is it sufficient to bring destruction?      [ CBSE 2014]Answer:‘Ice’ symbolises hatred. Hate is just as powerful as desire. While desire consumes

quickly, hate can occur and linger in people’s minds and hearts for years and

sometimes even lifetimes. Hate consumers the hater perhaps even more than the

person or group hated and it can ruin lives. Hate can, thus, be very destructive and

sufficient to bring destruction.

Question 9.‘But if it had to perish twice’. How will the world perish twice?

Answer:According to the poet, the world will end due to the ‘fire’, which symbolises desire.

But if the world had to end twice then it will be due to the hatred symbolised by ‘ice’.

The poet feels that there is enough hatred in the world that is spreading among the

people. This hatred will end the world one day.

Question 10.Which age old question does the poem revolves around?    [CBSE 2013]Answer:The poem revolves around the age old question of whether the world will end in fire

or in ice. This is similar to another age old question, whether it would be preferable

to freeze to death or burn to death. The poet determines that either option would

achieve its purpose sufficiently well.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.Discuss how extreme behaviour can hasten the end of the world with respect to ‘Fire

and Ice’. [CBSE 2013]Answer:‘Fire’ symbolises desire and ‘Ice’ symbolises hatred. Desire is a kind of intense love

or want that focuses people on getting and possessing and acquiring. Our society is

full of people who spend their lives working to get a bigger and better TV, a more

stylish car or a more extravagant house. This kind of desire can lead people to

destruction in the form of bankruptcy or even broken relationships. Frost’s poem

speaks on the issue of greed corrupting people and even society. The power of

hate, which is symbolised by ice is just as great as desire. While desire consumes

quickly hate produces shy yet restrained devastation. For instance, Kate is the root

cause of racism and war. It can linger in people’s mind for lifetimes. Moreover, it

consumes the hater even more than the person hated. It thus, ruins lives.

Question 2.The poem ‘Fire and Ice’, carries with it very deep thematic ideas. Elaborate on these

darkest traits of humanity.

Answer:Frost presents the two of the darkest traits of humanity; the capacity to hate and the

capacity to be consumed by lust or desire. Of the two, he attributes the greater of

the two evils, is desire. In giving desire the foremost position with regard to the

destruction of the world, Frost is providing a powerful statement on the subject of

greed and jealousy, saying that above all trait of humanity that is most likely to lead

to its demise. Desire represents the greatest problem that attributes to the cause of

the war. Frost then attributes hatred with the same capacity to do harm. However,

he lessens the relative importance of hatred but still presents it as having the ability

to lead to the destruction of the world if it were to happen for a second time.

Question 3.The poet presents two reasons which will lead to the destruction of the humanity.

What values do you garner from the two possible causes provided by him?

Answer:

The poet provides and deals with two possible causes for the end of the world. He

points more towards the emotional and sentimental side of the issue. As for him, fire

denotes deep passion and burning desire, while ice is highlighted for its icy cold and

hatred side of the emotions. He favours both the arguments and says that either the

deep burning passion or the cold hatred and jealousy factor will push the people to

walk on the path of destruction. The poet is sure of this destruction of humanity. He

first talks about the destruction because of fire and in case this fails, then ice will end

the world. The love that people have for one another will turn into hatred. In race of

climbing up and out do one another, people will tend to hate each other. These

negative emotions will become so strong that it will surpass all the love and lead to

the destruction of humanity.

Question 4.How will the world end? Support your answer with scientific explanation. [CBSE 2014]Answer:According to the scientists, the two reasons for the destruction of the world will be

either fiery core or the ice age.

Some scientists believed that the world would be incinerated from its fiery core,

while others were convinced that a coming ice age would destroy all living things on

the Earth’s surface. In other words, either the deep heat or fire under the Earth beds

will lead to natural calamities like volcano eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis

which will one day end the world or the melting of ice from the snowy mountains due

to global warming will shrink the world. As a result, one day the entire world will die

of the icy water. Frost, thus, tries to warn people against the two greatest problems

facing humanity and the consequences of human vices with an increased

effectiveness.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo (Poem)

Thinking About the Poem(Page 30)

Question 1.

Read the poem again and work in pairs or groups to do the following tasks.

1. Find the words that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the cage

and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.

2. Find the words that describe the two places and arrange them in two columns.

Now try to share ideas about how the poet uses words and images to contrast the two

situations.

Answer1:

In the Cage In the Wild

Stalks, Few steps of

his cage, Quiet rage

Locked in concrete

cell, Stalking-the

length of his cage

Ignoring visitors. He

hears the last voice

Stares at the brilliant

stars.

Lurking in shadow,

Sliding through long

grass, Snarling

around houses,

Baring his white

fangs, his claws,

Terrorising the

village.

Answer 2:

Cage Wild

Few steps of his

cage,

Shadow, Long grass,

Water

Locked, Concrete hole, Plump deer,

cell,

Behind bars,

Visitors,

Houses at jungle’s

edge,

Patrolling cars Village

Question 2.Notice the use of a word repeated in lines such as these1. On pads of velvet quiet, In his quiet rage.

2. And stares with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars.

What do you think is the effect of this repetition?

Answer:

This repetition is a poetic device used by the poet in order to increase the intensity

of the tiger’s rage and his helpless silence. ‘Velvet quiet’ refers to the quiet velvet

pads of the tiger, which cannot run or leap. They can only walk around the limited

space in the cage. The use of ‘quiet rage’ symbolises the anger and ferocity that is

building up inside the tiger as it wants to run out into the forest and attack a deer,

but the rage is quiet because he is locked in the cage and is helpless. The repetition

of ‘quiet’ has, thus, brought immense beauty to the poem. Similarly, the use of

‘brilliant’ for the tiger’s eyes as well as the stars also brings out the magnificence of

these lines. The tiger stares at the brilliant stars with his brilliant eyes dreaming

about how beautiful his life could be in the forest. The repetition thus, gives a

wonderful effect to the poem.

A Tiger in the Zoo Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

 Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.He stalks in his vivid stripes,

The few steps of his cage,

On pads of velvet quiet,

In his quiet rage.

(a) Why the tiger could walk only a few steps?

(b) How does the tiger move in the cage?

(c) What are the two qualities of the animal under reference?

(d) Why is he in quiet rage?   [CBSE 2014]Answer:(a) The tiger could walk only a few steps because he was locked in a very small

cage.

(b) The tiger moves very slowly and quietly in a threatening way.

(c) The tiger has vivid stripes on his body and soft velvet pads.

(d) He is in quiet rage as he is locked and his freedom has been curtailed. Thus, he

is unable to show his anger and ferocity.

Question 2.He should be lurking in shadow,

Sliding through long grass,

Near the water hole,

Where plump deer pass.

(a) Who is ‘He’ here?

(b) Where should he be lurking?

(c) Where should he be sliding?

(d) Who would pass through the water hole?

Answer:(a) ‘He’ refers to the tiger.

(b) He should be lurking in the shadows in the forest.

(c) The tiger should be sliding through the long grass in the forest.

(d) A plump deer would pass through the water hole.

Question 3.He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,

Baring his white fangs, his claws,

Terrorising the village!

(a) What does the poet try to suggest through these lines?

(b) How does the tiger scare the people?     [CBSE 2015]

(c) Why does ‘he’ snarl?

(d) How does ‘he’ show his presence? [CBSE 2011]Answer:(a) The poet is trying to suggest that the tiger should be allowed to live in his natural

habitat.

(b) The tiger scares the people by growling at them and showing his teeth and

claws.

(c) ‘He’ snarls to show his anger and helplessness.

(d) ‘He’ shows his presence by baring his white teeth and claws.

Question 4.But he’s locked in a concrete cell,

His strength behind bars,

Stalking the length of his cage,

Ignoring visitors.

(a) What does the phrase ‘his strength behind the bar’ suggests?

(b) Why does the tiger ignore the visitors?

(c) What is the tiger doing in the cage?

(d) What does the expression ‘stalking the length of the cage’ imply?   [CBSE 2012]Answer:(a) It means that he is helpless as he is locked in a cage.

(b) The tiger ignores the visitors because he considers them devoid of feelings as

none of them tries to help him out of the prison.

(c) The tiger is moving slowly and quietly along the length of the cage.

(d) It implies walking to and fro in helplessness.

Question 5.He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,

And stares With his brilliant eyes

At the brilliant stars.

(a) What kind of voices does the tiger hear?

(b) Where does the tiger look at in the night?

(c) What do you mean by ‘patrolling’?

(d) What is the effect of the repeated use of the word ‘brilliant’?

Answer:(a) The tiger hears the voice coming from the patrolling cars at night.

(b) The tiger looks at the brilliant stars shining in the sky at the night.

(c) ‘Patrolling’ means to go around an area at regular times to check that it is safe.

(d) The repeated use of brilliant shows the contrast. The brilliant stars are free while

the brilliant eyes are inside the cage.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.How does a tiger create terror for the villagers?

Answer:The tiger creates terror for the villagers by snarling

around their houses as they are situated near the jungle. He frightens them by

showing his white fangs and claws.

Question 2.Leslie Norris has described some of the activities of a tiger behind the bars of its

cage. Write them.

Answer:Some of the activities of the tiger behind the bars of its cage includes stalking along

the length of the cage, ignoring visitors, hearing patrolling cars and staring at the

brilliant stars shining in the sky.

Question 3.Describe the tiger in the cage.

Answer:The tiger in the cage is just a diminished form of his original self. He paces up and

down in the cage restlessly. He is confined in the narrow cell and keeps staring the

stars as if longing for freedom. He is helpless and draws pity for his condition.

Question 4.Describe the tiger in the wild.

Answer:The tiger in the wild is majestic. He is free and lies under the shades and hunts for

prey. He moves near the water because food is in plenty there. Sometimes he

growls and terrorises the villagers.

Question 5.Why does the tiger express his rage quietly?

Answer:The tiger expresses his rage quietly because

there is nothing he can do from behind the bars of his cage. He is helpless as his

strength now lies inside the cage. He is no longer free as he was in the jungle.

Question 6.Where should the tiger have been according to the poet?    [CBSE 2014]Answer:The poet thinks that the tiger should have been in the jungle, lurking in the shadow

of long grass to prey on the deer near the water hole. He should also be on the

outskirts of the jungle snarling around houses and terrifying villagers.

Question 7.How does the tiger make his presence felt in the village?    [CBSE 2015]Answer:The tiger makes his presence felt by snarling around houses at the jungle’s edge

and by showing his white fangs and claws.

Question 8.What does the tiger do in his cage?

Answer:The tiger is locked in a concrete cell where he can hardly take a few steps along the

length of the cage. He doesn’t take any notice of the visitors who come there. With

his shining eyes, he keeps staring at the bright stars in the sky.

Question 9.Why should the tiger snarl around houses at the edge of the forest?’.    [CBSE 2012]

Answer:The tiger should snarl around houses at the edge of the forest because of the

following reasons. Firstly the villagers will not disturb the peace of the forest.

Secondly, they will not kill the animals for money or just for fun.

Question 10.What is the tiger doing? Why is he ignoring the visitors?

Answer:The tiger is slowly and quietly moving along the length of the cage in a threatening

manner. He is ignoring the visitors because he considers them devoid of any

feelings. None of them thinks of releasing him from his prison. Thus, he stops taking

any notice of them.

Question 11.Why do you think the tiger looks at the stars?

Answer:The tiger feels very helpless in the cage. He stares with hope at the brilliant stars

shining in the sky. He hopes for the day when he would be able to run free in the

wild. The brilliant stars, thus, provides him with some sort of comfort.

Question 12.What does the poet convey through the poem?

Answer:The poet tries to expose the miserable life led by the animals in the zoo. He

compares the life of the tiger in the zoo with its life at a natural habitat. The animals

have the right to freedom and should not be caged. They should be allowed to run

free in the wild.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.Love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Comment.   [CBSE 2014]Answer:It is rightly said that love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being.

Everyone loves freedom and does not want to live in confinement. Similarly, the

tiger also longed for freedom. He was so fed up being caged that he even ignored

the visitors. He took to and fro steps in the cage as if trying to while away the time.

The tiger wanted to escape this captivity.

God has made all living beings equally and thus, the animals too have the right to

freedom. They should not be caged. It is their right to enjoy their natural habitat i.e.

the forest and run freely in the wild. We should, thus, respect their freedom and

should not put them in the zoo.

Question 2.Is it right to confine wild animals into cages? Why or why not?

Answer:Wild animals are meant to live in the wild. They are not meant to be caged and

displayed in the zoos. We all know that the majestic species of tiger is on the verge

of extinction. There used to be a time when they used to roam proudly and freely in

the jungle. They are not meant to live a life in confinement. They also have the right

to freedom like all other living beings. Confinement leads to depression and misery.

Moreover, their offsprings lose the hunting capabilities as they are not trained to

hunt in the wild. As a result, they would not be able to feed themselves. Furthermore

confining wild animals disturbs the whole ecological balance. We should, thus, let

the animals run free in the wild. They beloijg to the forest and not to the cage.

 

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 5 The Ball Poem (poem)

Thinking About the Poem(Page 47)

In pairs, attempt the following questionsQuestion 1.Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?Answer:

The poet says, “I would not intrude on him” because he does not want to intervene

in the natural process of learning. He wants the boy to learn the meaning of loss on

his own. He also doesn’t offer him money to buy another ball because that would be

worthless. He wants the boy to learn the lesson of responsibility.

Question 2.“ …. staring down All his young days into the harbour where His ball went…. ” Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?Answer:

Yes, the boy has had the ball for a long time. When it bounced into the water, all his

memories of the days of childhood flashed in front of him. This led to a realisation

that those moments would not come back, just like the ball. He can buy new balls

and can similarly create new moments, but those that are gone would not return.

Question 3.What does “in the world of possessions” mean?Answer:

“In the world of possessions” means that the world is full of materialistic things. Here

everything and every action is made to possess something, whether it is the

possession of land, property, money, or any other thing. The poet suggests that

losing a ball, which is a very small thing, would make the boy understand what it is

like to lose something that one possessed

Question 4.Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the Words that suggest the answer.Answer:

No, it seems that the boy had’not lost anything earlier. The words that suggest so

are ‘He senses first responsibility in a world of possessions’.

Question 5.What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words.Answer:The poet says that the boy is learning to cope up with the loss of the ball. He is experiencing grief and learning to grow up in this world of possessions. He learns that there are so many things in life that are lost and cannot be brought back. He is sensing his first responsibility as he has lost the ball. The boy will learn how to stand up and leave the losses behind as he would have understood the true meaning and nature of loss.

The Ball Poem Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.Question 1.What is the boy now, who has lost his ball, What, what is he to do? I saw it go

Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then Merrily over – there it is in the water! No

use to say – ‘O there are other balls’: [CBSE 2012](a) What has happened to the boy?

(b) Why does the poet say ‘No use to say – ‘O there are other balls’?

(c) Which word means ‘happily’?

(d) Where did the ball go?

Answer:(a) The boy was very sad as he had lost his ball.

(b) The poet says so as the loss of the ball is of a major consequence to the boy.

(c) Merrily means happily.

(d) The ball went to the water.

Question 2.An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down All

his young days into the harbour where His ball went. I would not intrude on him, A

dlime, another ball, is worthless.

(a) Where had the boy’s ball gone?

(b) How has the loss affected the boy?

(c) Why was ‘he’ trembling, staring down?

(d) What does the poet mean by ‘first responsibility’?

Answer:(a) The boy’s ball went into the dark waters of the harbour.

(b) The boy is very much troubled at the loss of his ball. He stands still, trembling

and staring at his ball.

(c) He was trembling, staring down as he had lost his ball.

(d) By ‘First responsibility’, he, means to look after his things properly.

Question 3.……………Now

He senses first responsibility

In a world of possessions. People will take

Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.

And no one buys a ball back. Money is external. [CBSE 2014]

(a) What does the boy understand?

(b) What does the word ‘balls’ signify?

(c) What is meant by the word ‘possessions’?

(d) What does “In a world of possessions mean?”

Answer:(a) The boy learns to grow up and understands his first responsibility.

(b) ‘Balls’ signify the boys’ innocence and happy young days.

(c) ‘Possessions’ means something that is owned or possessed.

(d) It means that everybody loves to possess things or materials in their names.

Question 4.He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,

The epistemology of loss, how to stand up

Knowing what every man must one day know

And most know many days, how to stand up.

(a) What is the boy learning?

(b) Why are boy’s eyes desperate?

(c) What do you mean by ‘epistemology of loss’?

(d) What every man needs to know one day?

Answer:(a) The boy is learning to cope up with the loss.

(b) Boy’s eyes looks desperate as he is sad to see his ball gone forever.

(c) ‘Epistemology of loss’ means to understand the nature of loss.

(d) Every man needs to know one day that loss may occur to him and he would

have to bear it up.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.What does John Berryman want to convey through this poem? [CBSE 2011]Answer:Poet, John Berryman wants to convey the importance of loss and responsibility in

life. We all should learn our responsibility and how to cope up with the loss.

Question 2.How does the boy feel at the loss of his ball?

Answer:The boy is very much troubled at the loss of his ball. He experiences grief at the loss

of his much loved possession. Like a statue, he keeps staring at the ball with his

desperate eyes.

Question 3.Write the sum and substance of the poem “The Ball Poem”. [CBSE 2016]Answer:In “The Ball Poem”, Berryman tells us about how our childhood can quickly fly by, as

quickly as a ball is lost and how we sometimes unsuspectingly must grow up and

face hardships, like loss.

Question 4.“Money is external”. What does the poet mean by this expression? [CBSE 2014]Answer:The poet makes the boy understand about his responsibility as the loss is

immaterial. Money is external as it cannot buy memories, nor can it replace the

things that we love, the things that really matter.

Question 5.Why does the poet think that it is useless to give the following suggestion to the

boy?

‘No use to say- ‘O there are other balls’:

Answer:According to the poet, it is useless to console the boy by saying that he can get

another ball in place of the lost one. The boy had a long association with the ball. It

was, thus, useless to give him such a suggestion because he wanted to get back

the ball that he had lost.

Question 6.Why did the poet not offer the boy money to buy another ball? [CBSE 2015]Answer:

The poet watched the boy who had plunged in grief at the loss of his ball. He did not

offer the boy money • to buy another ball. He felt that another ball could not console

the boy. It seemed that the boy had the ball for a long time. The poet also wanted

the boy to realise the epistemology of loss.

Question 7.Why did the boy feel so sad at the loss of his ball?

Answer:When the boy lost the ball, he plunged in grief. He stood staring down the harbour

where his ball was lost. The boy was affected profoundly by the loss of his ball

because it had been with him for a long time. It was linked to the memories of the

days when he played with it.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Question [8 Marks each]

Question 1.Why is it important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after it? [CBSE2014]Answer:It is important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after it in order to be strong and to get on with life. Oneneeds to stay strong no matter how much it hurts inside. Staying strong is the only way to survive. Moreover, one needs to learn to accept and let go and not cling to something that they can never have. One should understand that the past is gone and it will never come back. Experiencing loss sometimes helps us to grow up and face hardships, like loss. This helps us in breaking all the boundaries into freedom.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 6 Amanda (poem)

Thinking about the Poem(Page 62)

Question 1.

How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?

Answer:

Amanda is about a 9-10 year old school going girl. She is being scolded for things

typical for that particular age. Her parents are trying to inculcate in her good

manners and etiquettes. Amanda is very innocent and immature.

Question 2.

Who do you think is speaking to her?

Answer:

One of her parents is speaking to her. Most probably it is her mother. In a traditional

household mother is held responsible for the conduct of child. In this case also, the

range of instructions suggests that the speaker is Amanda’s mother.

Question 3.

Why are stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?

Answer:

Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 are given in parenthesis because they reflect the inner thoughts

of Amanda. They can be taken as the reaction of the child for the instructions given

in stanzas 1, 3 and 5. Here, there is an alternate sequence of scolding of the

mother, and corresponding reaction to it given by the child. Also, parenthesis is used

here to make the reading of ‘ the poem friendly

Question 4.

Who is the speaker in stanzas 2, 4 and 6? Do you think this speaker is listening to

the speaker in stanzas 1, 3, 5 and 7?

Answer:

Speaker of the stanzas 2, 4 and 6 is the child, Amanda. No, she is not paying any

attention to the speaker of stanzas 1, 3 and 5 as she is lost in a world of her own.

Her imagination provides her an escape from her sorry reality.

Question 5.

What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?

Answer:

Amanda wishes to be a mermaid so she could carelessly move along on a languid

emerald sea. She just wishes to be carried away by the green sea waves slowly and

gradually. Amanda longs for a place where she is all by herself as her happiness is

not dependant on any other human being. Hence, she desires to be a mermaid

because for a child, mermaid is a symbol of freedom and wonder.

Question 6.

Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?

Answer:

No, Amanda is not an orphan, though she wishes to be one. She is so much

stressed with the continuous nagging of her parents that she imagines herself to be

better without them. The mere presence of her parents around her depresses her.

Amanda is a little girl who seeks ‘golden’ silence and ‘sweet’ freedom. She wishes to

roam around streets and draw patterns with her bare feet. Indeed it is horribly

depressing that Amanda expects being an orphan.

Question 7.

Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?

Answer:

Story of Rapunzel – Rapunzel’s story revolves around her life on a tower Rapunzel

was made to live on a high tower by a witch. She eventually got used to living there.

She was happy and satisfied with her life. Rapunzel had very long golden hair, using

which the witch used to pay her a visit. The fate of Rapunzel took a turn when one

day a prince came to meet her using her hair. The witch had punished both of them

by separating them. Finally they met after a couple of years only to be united forever

this time. Amanda Wishes to live like Rapunzel on a high tower away from

everyone. She seeks peace and harmony. That is the reason Amanda wishes to be

like Rapunzel. However, she also makes a point that in order to avoid being

disturbed she would never let her hair down for anyone to climb to her. She needs

no one to make her life happy.

Question 8.

What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?

Answer:

A girl like Amanda yearns for freedom and space for herself. She is incapable to

fulfil the expectations of her parents. Amanda is no less than a symbol for all the

children who face similar fate irrespective of class, colour or nationality. Traditional

societies demand a certain type of behaviour from the individuals and the training to

produce such begins at a very young age. Parents ignore the innocence and

understanding level of their children and thereby the young ends up killing their

imagination and thoughts.

Question 9.

Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?

Answer:

No, Amanda is neither sulking nor moody. She is simply not interested enough in

the nagging business of her parents. Amanda cares more about her imagination and

thought process over the manners her parents are trying to inculcate into her.

Amanda Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.Question 1.Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!

Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!

Stop that slouching and sit up straight,

Amanda!

(a) Amanda is getting instructions for what purpose?

(b) Give a synonym of ‘hunch’.

(c) What does the speaker of above lines instruct Amanda in the first stanza?

(d) What is the literary device used in the third line?

Answer:(a) Amanda is getting instructions as a part of her upbringing. Her conduct and

manners are getting refined for future purposes.

(b) Bend.

(c) Amanda is getting instructed for biting her nails and sitting lazily with her

shoulders bent.

(d) Literary device used in third line is Alliteration. ‘Stop that slouching and sit up

straight’.

Question 2.(There is a languid, emerald sea, where the sole inhabitant is me – a mermaid,

drifting blissfully.)

(a) Why are these lines given within brackets?

(b) Give the word from the passage which means free flowing act of going with the

motion and force?

(c) What is the role of mermaid here?

(d) Which word in the extract means opposite of ‘sorrowful’?

Answer:(a) These lines are given within brackets because they reveal the inner thoughts of

Amanda. Brackets are used for visual contrast between what Amanda is saying and

what her mother is instructing.

(b) Drifting means free flowing act of going with the motion.

(c) Mermaid is a part of Amanda’s fantasy in her own created world. As mermaid

sails in a sea carelessly and effortlessly, similarly Amanda longs to do so in a place

where she is all by herself.

(d) Blissfully is opposite of sorrowful.

Question 3.Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!

Remember your acne, Amanda!

Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,

Amanda!

(a) Why is Amanda not looking at the speaker?

(b) Find the word in the extract which means same as consume?

(c) The speaker is so worried about acne. What does it show?

(d) Which word in the extract means the same as ‘to gaze’? [CBSE 2016]

Answer:(a) Amanda is lost in her own thoughts and is paying no attention to instructions

being given to her. That is why she is not looking at the speaker.

(b) Eat means same as consume.

(c) Speaker being worried about acne shows how much importance is given to

physical beauty in a household. Amanda is prepared for the unforeseen future.

Natural experience such as acne is also taken care of at any cost.

(d) To look means the same as ‘to gaze’.

Question 4.(I am an orphan, roaming the street,

I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.

The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)

(a) How come silence is golden?

(b) Give a synonym of ‘roaming’.

(c) What is Amanda upto in this stanza?

(d) What poetic device is used in this stanza?

Answer:(a) Silence is shown golden using the poetic device metaphor. By making silence

golden the poet is estimating the worth of silence. For Amanda seeks peace and

calmness, which is absent in her reality.

(b) Wandering.

(c) Amanda is again taking refuge in her imagination. Here, she wishes to be an

orphan, away from her nagging parents. Amanda wants to roam aimlessly in streets

and draw patterns using just her bare feet.

(d) The poet uses metaphor such as ‘orphan’, ‘silence is golden’, and ‘freedom is

sweet’.

Question 5.(I am Rapunzel, I have not a care;

life in a tower is tranquil and rare;

I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair)

(a) Does Amanda live on a tower?

(b) Why will Amanda not let down her bright hair?

(c) What is the underlying poetic device used in this stanza?

(d) Find from the passage a word which means the same as ‘serene’.

Answer:(a) No, Amanda stays at her place. Here, she is imagining herself to be Rapunzel

who lived on a tower.

(b) Amanda is aware about the story of Rapunzel. In the story of Rapunzel all the

mishappening and misfortunes are brought to her by letting down the hair. Amanda

also wishes to live alone apd carefree, without any disturbance.

(c) Poet uses allusion here as the underlying poetic device.

(d) The word is ‘tranquil’.

Question 6.Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!

You’re always so moody, Amanda!

Anyone would think that I nagged at you,

Amanda!

(a) Is Amanda really sulking?

(b) Why does the speaker care for others?

(c) Give the word from the passage which means same as unstable.

(d) What poetic device has been used in the first line of this stanza?

Answer:(a) Amanda is not sulking. She just doesn’t care about instructions given to ber as

she is lost in a world of her own.

(b) The whole poem revolves around the aspect that how one is presented in a

society. Speaker doesn’t wish to be regarded as a nagging parent in the society, so

Amanda is expected to put up a happy face all the time.

(c) Moody means same as unstable.

(d) ‘Alliteration’ has been used in the first line; words ‘stap’ and ‘sulking’ start with

the same sound.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.Write a short note on the title of the poem?

Answer:The title of the poem is Amanda as it revolves around the upbringing of little girl

named Amanda. Her life is full of struggles where she is denied freedom and

expression. Amanda is so much irate that she escapes reality by living in her

imaginative world. Through this gateway she experiences calmness, away from her

nagging parents.

Question 2.Why is Amanda getting scolded for having chocolate?

Answer:Amanda is getting scolded for having chocolates as previously it had caused her

acne. Amanda’s mother is very particular about such things.

Amanda is made conscious about her physical appearance. It is very sad that at

such a young age Amanda is made to worry about natural experiences.

Question 3.How life on a tower would be different from life anywhere else for Amanda?

Answer:Life on tower for Amanda would be very different from her reality. Just like

Rapunzel, even she desires to live on top of a tower, away from everyday chaos.

Amanda suffers due to the constant nagging from her parents. She seeks a place

full of peace and serenity, where there is no one to disturb her. Hence, she wishes

to live on a tower.

Question 4.Why does Amanda seem moody most of the times? [CBSE 2016]Answer:Amanda seems moody most of the time because she is trying to make an escape

from her sorry reality where she is nagged most of the times. It is indeed a sorry

state for a small child like Amanda to bear. Here the only defence against such

reality is her imagination where she often escapes to.

Hence, it makes her look moody and uninterested.

Question 5.Why does Amanda wish to be a mermaid, an orphan, or Rapunzel?

Answer:Amanda wishes to be a mermaid so she could drift alone by blissfully languid,

emerald sea. She yearns to be an orphan so that she is able to roam the sea and

make pattern using her bare feet. Being Rapunzel means she could live carefree on

a high tower. Amanda wishes to be these so that she could avoid her suffocating

reality.

Question 6.How does it help Amanda to be an orphan?

Answer:Amanda feels troubled around her parents, so she wishes herself to be an orphan.

As then only she could live a life of her own without much hassle.

Question 7.Do you consider Amanda’s mother to be a nagging mother?

Answer:Amanda’s mother is indeed a nagging mother. She is all about instructions and

finding faults. No doubt it is her responsibility to instil good values into her daughter,

but not at the cost of her child’s happiness. One should know how to strike a

balance between maintaining responsibilities and taking good care.

Question 8.Is Amanda at fault at all?

Answer:Amanda is not at fault at all. It is too harsh for a small child to understand the

concept of acne and not eating a chocolate. Love of parents is missing from

Amanda’s life. It is with pity that we look towards Amanda. There is nothing worst for

a child who wishes to be an orphan. Amanda just seeks freedom from the

overpowering environment around her.

Question 9.What is the central theme of the poem Amanda?

Answer:The poem Amanda by Robin Klein highlights the importance of upbringing of a child.

It points out that upbringing doesn’t involve making a child responsible and fit for the

society only. It is important to note that upbringing involves understanding from both

the sides. One cannot just force a child to be civilised and good mannered. “Love

and proper care is required in nurturing of a child.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [4 Marks each]

Question 1.Discuss the importance of proper upbringing with reference to the poem Amanda by

Robin Klein.

Answer:Upbringing plays an essential role in personality development of an adult. Whenever

we wish to admire or criticise someone we question the upbringing of that person.

Robin Klein’s poem Amanda highlights the tension in the ‘proper’ upbringing of a

child. To instil good values and moral principles in a growing child comes as a

foremost duty for the parents. However, the poem Amanda shows how a child feels

trapped within the cluster of instructions. Amanda is no less than a victim in this

travesty. No proper space is given to her creativity. She is instructed for everything.

As a result, she feels trapped and seeks an escape. Her imagination proves to be

her escape and also her defence against her nagging parents. Situation of Amanda

is so worse that she wishes to be an orphan, in order to get rid of her parents. She

imagines enacting various roles varying from mermaid to Rapunzel. Amanda wishes

to live alone and carefree. It is very important to understand the situation of Amanda

where her freedom is cut short by constant instructions and guidelines. Proper

balance should be maintained when dealing with such delicate issues. Love and

care should always be part of this two way transaction.

Question 2.How does Amanda tackle the nagging nature of her parents? Explain with examples

from the poem. What values does it portray about Amanda?

Answer:Amanda is a small girl who is termed as moody for her careless behaviour. But it is

very surprising to know that this is her

defence mechanism to shield against her nagging parents. Amanda is getting

instructions from her parents, which become too much to handle for the small girl.

She is told not to eat her nails and sit in a proper position. Amanda’s response to it

is her work of imagination where she is a mermaid drifting effortlessly by the languid

river. Further, she is asked about cleaning her room and finishing her homework to

which she reacts being an orphan roaming in the street and making patterns with

her bare feet. Amanda then faces the heat for eating a chocolate, which had once

caused her acne. She takes the form of Rapunzel and wishes to live on top of a

tower away from everyone in her imagination. Amanda’s parents are upset over her

behaviour and casualness, but she stays in her own world. All these portray

Amanda in a positive light while her parents in a negative light. We as readers feel

very sorry for a child like Amanda.

Question 3.State the key points in the poem Amanda. What do you learn from it? [CBSE2016]Answer:Every child is special in itself, and it requires a great deal of patience and love to make them understand this. Parents should give proper space to children, as they learn through experiences as well. Children do tend to learn certain bad habits, to undo that requires great level of understanding and right approach. One cannot teach their child everything in one day and expect them to behave properly henceforth. It is natural for a child like Amanda to seek freedom at her place, to curb that freedom means to make her angry and moody. Growing up of child should not be about dos and don’ts only. To have nagging parents judging every action of child would do more harm than good. Robin Klein points to the fact that Amanda is forbidden to do anything without seeking permission. Everything she does it is corrected by her mother all the time, she cannot perform a single thing according to her will. She can’t sit lazily around, she can’t eat chocolate for that could cause acne. Life of Amanda is very suffocating and limited in itself. She yearns for freedom and choice. Her mother doesn’t understand the fact that Amanda is innocent and naive, she is too small to understand the benefits of advice. Only thing that matters to Amanda’s mother is what society will make of Amanda. We witness miserable failure of parents when Amanda wishes to be an orphan so that she could be free.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 7 Animals (poem)

 Thinking About the Poem(Page 84)

Question 1.

Notice the use of the word ‘turn’ in the first line, “I think I could turn and live with

animals…”. What is the poet turning from?

Answer:

In this line here, the poet wants to turn from human into an animal. This turning is

symbolic of the poet’s detachment from human beings and their nature and his

appreciation of the animal kind.

Question 2.

Mention three things that humans do and animals don’t.

Answer:

Animals do not cry and complain over their conditions. They do not. commit sins and

therefore do not weep for them. They are also very satisfied creatures and have no

desire to possess material things. Humans, on the contrary, complain all the time,

commit all sorts of sins and are affected with the madness of owning things.

Question 3.

Do humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago? Discuss this

in groups.

Answer:

Yes, humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago as it is a

cultural tradition to do so. (Students can discuss their own culture with their

classmates and share the rituals and traditions of their culture and also get to know

about other cultural practices.)

Question 4.

What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago, and which

the animals have kept for him? Discuss this in class .

(Hint Whitman belongs to the Romantic tradition that includes Rousseau and

Wordsworth,which holds that civilisation has made humans false to their own true

nature.

What could be the basic aspects of our nature as living beings that humans choose

to ignore or deny?)

Answer:

The tokens mentioned in the poem mean the symbols of the true nature of human

beings. These tokens are actually tokens of virtue such as containment, honesty,

innocence and the likes of it.

Animals Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answers the questions that follow.Question 1.I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-containd, I stand

and look at them long and long.

(a) What does the poet want to turn into?

(b) Which qualities of animals attract the poet?

(c) Which word is similar to the word “Calm”?

(d) Explain the successive use of the word ‘long’ twice and bring out its significance.

Answer:(a) The poet wants to turn into an animal.

(b) The poet is attracted to the calmness and poise of the animals.

(c) The word is ‘Placid’.

(d) The successive use of the word ‘long’ makes the line significant; the first ‘long’,

denotes ‘period/Time’ whereas the other, ‘a desire’.

Question 2.They do not sweat and whine about their condition, They do not lie awake in the

dark and weep for their sins, They do not make me sick discussing their duty to

God, [CBSE 2015](a) Why do humans lie awake in the dark?.

(b) What do humans do about their condition?

(c) Which word is opposite to “good deeds”?

(d) Find a word from the passage that is an antonym of ‘Thanking’.

Answer:(a) Humans lie awake in the dark weeping for their sins.

(b) They sweat and whine about their condition.

(c) The word is ‘Sins.’

(d) The word is ‘whine’

Question 3.Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,

Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,

Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.

(a) What does the poet call a mania here?

(b) How are the animals not dissatisfied?

(c) What does ‘demented’ mean?

(d) Which word in the passage means ‘species’?

Answer:(a) The habit of owning things by humans has been called a mania.

(b) Since animals do not have the desire to own anything, therefore they are never

dissatisfied.

(c) It means mad or unbalanced.

(d) The word is ‘Kind’.

Question 4.Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,

Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.

(a) Who does ‘another’ refer to here?

(b) Who is the poet referring to that lived thousands of years ago?

(c) What does ‘kneel’ symbolise here?

(d) Which word in the passage is an antonym of ‘a part’?

Answer:(a) ‘Another’ refers to other animals here.

(b) The poet is referring to the ancestors of human beings who lived thousands of

years ago.

(c) Kneel is symbolic to praying in the above line.

(d) The word is ‘Whole’.

Question 5.So they show their relations to me and I accept them, They bring me tokens of

myself, they evince them plainly in their possession I wonder where they get those

tokens, Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?

[CBSE 2014](a) Who does ‘they’ refer to here?

(b) Explain the line: “They bring me tokens of myself”

(c) Which word in the stanza means “show”?

(d) What similarities does the poet find between the human beings and the animals?

Answer:(a) ‘They’ refers to the animals.

(b) The poet here means that the animals remind him of true values of the human

nature such as kindness and innocence.

(c) The word is ‘Evince’.

(d) The poet finds that animals, like human beings do not trouble others unless they

are compelled; they are equally kind and innocent.

Question 6.I wonder where they get those tokens, Did I pass that way huge times ago and

negligently drop them?

(a) What does the poet wonder?

(b) Why does the poet say that he negligently dropped them?

(c) Which word in the stanza means “carelessness”?

(d) Find from the passage a word which means ‘enormous’?

Answer:(a) The poet wonders whether the animals get all their virtues from humans.

(b) The poet believes that animals got their values from humans while they lost them

a long time ago and have forgotten about them.

(c) The word is ‘Negligent’.

(d) The word is ‘Huge’.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.Why does the poet like animals?

Answer:The poet likes animals for their self-contained and quiet nature. The fact that

animals are not like human beings and satisfied with their lives appeals to the poet a

lot.

Question 2.Explain the satisfaction that animals have and humans don’t. [CBSE 2014]Answer:Animals do not have the desire to possess worldly things. Whereas, the more

humans own, the more their desire to own grows, leaving them dissatisfied forever.

The absence of this greed in animals keeps them satisfied and its presence keeps

humans dissatisfied.

Question 3.Why do animals not weep for their sins?

Answer:Animals do not weep for their sins because they do not need to do so. They are

innocent creatures that commit no sins. It is humans, who weep yet commit sins.

Question 4.What makes the poet sick?

Answer:The fact, that humans commit all kinds of sins and still discuss their duty to God,

makes the poet sick. This shows the hypocrisy of humans, who on one hand do

wrong and on the other pray to God.

Question 5.Differentiate between humans and animals in terms of desire.

Answer:Animals are very different from humans as they have no desire to own things. They

are happy without an unending greed while humans become maniacs in their greed

for possessing valuables.

Question 6.What does the poet mean by, “Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole

earth”?

Answer:The poet means that animals do not pray to God or to ancestors and all of them are

equal, hence no one is more respectable than the other. The good values of animals

and the lack of social conventions make them happy.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.Why do you think the poet has called the desire to own things, a mania? Is the poet

right in doing so? Write your own views.

Answer:The poet uses words such as ‘demented’ and ‘mania’ for never ending desire of

human beings to own things. These words show that poet is comparing this desire

to madness. The poet stands right in doing so as this desire makes us so greedy

and traps us in a vicious circle of aspiring more and more. Animals that are free from

any possession are also free from sins, worries and complaints. In order to gain

more wealth, all the important values such as morality and kindness are left behind.

Question 2.What according to you should be the virtues that humans should possess?

Answer:Human beings should be gentle not only to their own kind but also to everyone and

everything. Virtues such as kindness bring along other important values like

innocence and honesty that together make the world a better place to live. The lack

of such values results in a corrupt society where people commit sins and weep over

them in dark. This situation makes them dissatisfied and unhappy in life. Human

beings probably had these virtues in them but along with civilisation processes, they

have left them behind and adopted greed and cunningness.

Question 3.It is not complaining but accepting a situation, the key to happiness in life. Elaborate

in context of the poem Animals’. [CBSE 2015]Answer:The poet Walt Whitman in his poem ‘Animals’ compares animals to human beings

and differentiates between them on the basis of their characteristics. Animals have

been ranked much higher than humans in poet’s perception. Since animals do not

complain about their situation, they are considered to be much happier than

humans. Animals live in natural surroundings, they accept their natural lives.

Humans, on the other hand, have never accepted nature, i.e., they complain about it

and try to change it, leading to an unhappy life.

Question 4.The poet in the poem Animals’ laments the loss of certain values on the part of

human beings, whereas animals seem to have retained them and are self

contented. Analyse the cause of degeneration of values in today’s hard times.

Answer:In the modern civilised world, human beings have achieved a lot of material values

but lost the real virtues. The more developed and modern human beings became,

the more they lost the essence of their characters. Animals, whereas, never adapted

to any material goods and always remained natural. This natural aspect of animals

has helped them maintain their values. Humans, in order to possess more and more

have forgotten kindness and innocence.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 10 The Tale of Custard the Dragon

Thinking about the poem (132)

Question 1.

Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names.

Answer:

The characters in this poem are Belinda, a little girl, and her pets: a little black kitten,

a little grey mouse, a little yellow dog, a little pet dragon and a pirate.

Characters Pet name

Kitten Ink

Mouse Blink

Dog Mustard

Dragon Custard

Question 2.

Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called “cowardly

dragon”?

Answer:

Custard cried for a nice safe cage because it was a coward and was scared very

easily. It is called “cowardly dragon” because everyone else in the house is very

brave while the dragon is the only one, who fears a lot and looks for a nice safe

cage for himself. Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears, Ink and Blink can

chase lions and Mustard is as brave as an angry tiger.

Question 3.

“Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful…” Why?

Answer:

Tickling always works on people, who are a little softer. So, Belinda tickled the

dragon unmerciful as it worked a lot on him. Despite being a dragon, a tickling could

disturb him and this showed his cowardice on which everyone laughed.

Question 4.

The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. For example “Clashed his

tail like iron in a dungeon” – the poetic device here is a simile. Can you, with your

partner, list some more such poetic devices used in the poem?

Answer:

In the poem, ‘The tale of Custard, the Dragon’, the poet has used a lot of poetic

devices. Following are the devices used

1. Simile: mouth like a fireplace

2. Repetition: the repetitive use of the word ‘little’ in stanza 1.

Question 5.

Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the

dragon.

Answer:

Do it yourself.

Question 6.

Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?

Answer:

The rhyme scheme of the poem is ‘aabb’.

Question 7.

Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they

mean. Can you trace some images used in the poem?

Answer:

Writers always use such phrases and words that do not tell us directly about what

they mean but always gives us an indication of the meaning. Such words or phrases

are used to trigger our own imagination in painting the picture that they mean. Use

of such images in the poem is the following: ‘mouth like a fireplace’, ‘chimney for a

nose’, ‘brave as a barrel full of bears’, ‘brave as a tiger in a rage’, ‘went at the pirate

like a robin at a worm’, etc.

Question 8.Do you find ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer.Answer:‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a very light and funny poem meant to be enjoyed by everyone. The way the poem has been written with a fix rhyme scheme, makes it very easy and enjoyable to read. The poet has even used wrong spelling to maintain the rhyme scheme. The features of Belinda and her pets described in the poem make it quite funny. Belinda’s bravery has been compared to a barrel full of bears, a liquid substance. All the tiny creatures such as the kitten and the mouse have been shown so brave that they can scare a lion and the dog’s bravery is like a tiger’s rage. The biggest of them all, the dragon is the only one, who has been shown as a coward and soft being, who looks for a cage for himself, which is very ironic, hence making the poem funny.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.Question 1.With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse, And a little yellow dog and a little red

wagon, And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.

(a) Where did Belinda live?

(b) How many pets did she have?

(c) Which word in the stanza means “carriage”?

(d) Whose young one known as a ‘kitten’?

Answer:(a) Belinda lived in a little white house.

(b) She had four pets, a kitten, a mouse, a dog and a dragon.

(c) The word is ‘Wagon’.

(d) A cat’s young one is known as a kitten.

Question 2.Now the name of the litde black kitten was Ink, And the little gray mouse, she called

her Blink, And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,

But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

(a) What is the colour of Belinda’s dog?

(b) What were the kitten and the mouse called?

(c) Which word is the stanza means “fear easily”?

(d) ‘Blink’ here is the name of a mouse but what actually the word means?

Answer:(a) Belinda’s dog is yellow as mustard.

(b) The Kitten was called Ink and the mouse was called Blink by Belinda.

(c) The word is ‘Coward’.

(d) The word ‘blink’ means to shut and open eyes frequendy in quick succession.

Question 3.Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth, And spikes on top of him and scales

underneath, Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose, And realio, trulio, daggers

on his toes.

(a) What did the dragon look like?

(b) Why is the dragon’s mouth called a chimney?

(c) Which word in the stanza means the same as “a small sword”?

(d) Find from the passage a word which means a structure through which smoke or

steam is carried up away from a fire.

Answer:(a) The Dragon had spikes on top and scale underneath. His mouth was like a

fireplace and nose was like a chimney. He looked dangerous as his toes looked like

daggers.

(b) Dragons can spit fire, therefore Custard’s mouth has been called a fireplace.

(c) The word is ‘Dagger’.

(d) The word is ‘Chimney’.

Question 4.Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears, And Ink and Blink chased lions down

the stairs, Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage, But Custard cried for a nice

safe cage.

(a) How brave were the Kitten and the mouse?

(b) Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage?

(c) Which word is similar to “anger”?

(d) Which figure of speech has been used in the first and the third line of the

passage.

Answer:(a) The kitten and the mouse were so brave that they could scare away lions.

(b) Custard cried for a nice safe cage because he was a coward.

(c) The word is ‘Rage’.

(d) Figure of speech used in first and third line is Simile.

Question 5.Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful, Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely

called him Percival, They all sat laughing in the little red wagon At the realio, trulio,

cowardly dragon.

(a) Why did everyone laugh?

(b) What did the other three pet call the dragon?

(c) What does realio, trulio mean?

(d) Give the synonym of ‘un merciful’.

Answer:(a) Everyone laughed at the Dragon because Belinda tickled him unmerciful.

(b) The other three pet, Ink, Blink and Mustard rudely called Custard Percival.

(c) Realio, trulio actually mean really and truly. The words have been changed by

the poet so as to give rhythm to the poem.

(d) The synonym of‘un merciful’ is ‘merciless’.

Question 6.Belinda giggled till she shook the house, And Blink said Week!, which is giggling for

a mouse, Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age, When Custard cried for a nice safe

cage.

(a) What did shake the house?

(b) How did the mouse giggle?

(c) Write the antonym for giggle.

(d) Find the antonym of the word ‘insecure’ from the passage.

Answer:(a) Belinda giggled so hard that it shook the house.

(b) The giggling sound of mouse is ‘week’.

(c) The word is ‘Cry’.

(d) The antonym of insecure is ‘Safe’.

Question 7.Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound, And Mustard growled, and they all

looked around. Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda, For there was a pirate,

climbing in the winda.

(a) Which poetic device is used in these lines?

(b) Why was everyone frightened?

(c) Which word in the stanza means “unpleasant”?

(d) What does a ‘nasty sound’ refer to?

Answer:(a) In the first line, the poet has used repetition in ‘Suddenly, suddenly’.

(b) Everyone was frightened because a pirate was climbing up the window.

(c) The word is ‘Nasty’.

(d) A nasty sound refers to the entry of a pirate into the house.

Question 8.Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right, And he held in his teeth a cudass bright, His

beard was black, one leg was wood; It was clear that the pirate meant no good.

(a) How many weapons was the pirate carrying?

(b) Describe the physical appearance of the pirate.

(c) What does cutlass mean?

(d) What is the rhyming scheme adopted in the stanza?

Answer:

(a) The pirate was carrying two pistols in each hand and a cutlass in his teeth.

(b) The pirate’s beard was black and he had one wooded leg. He looked very

frightening.

(c) Cutlass is a small sword like weapon with a very sharp blade.

(d) The rhyme scheme adopted is aabb.

Question 9.Belinda paled, and she cried, Help! Help! But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp, Ink

trickled down to the bottom of the household, And little mouse Blink strategically

mouseholed. [CBSE 2016]

(a) How did the people in the house react on seeing the pirate?

(b) Why did everyone cry for help?

(c) What does ‘mouseholed’ mean?

(d) Write the antonym of ‘bottom’.

Answer:(a) Belinda became pale with fear and the Mustard fled the scene. Ink went to the

bottom of the house and Blink vanished in a mouse hole. They all cried for help.

(b) Everyone cried for help because they all got frightened of the pirate.

(c) Mouseholed has been used by the poet to mean the hole made by the mouse in

which it disappeared.

(d) The antonym of bottom is ‘brim’.

Question 10.But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine, Clashed his tail like irons in a

dungeon, With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm He went at the pirate like

a robin at a worm.

(a) Why did Custard jump?

(b) What sounds did Custard’s body make?

(c) What does dungeon mean?

(d) Find at least two words from the passage which are examples of onomatopaea

(a figure of speech).

Answer:(a) Custard jumped to fight the pirate.

(b) Custard’s tail clashed like irons in a dungeon and he moved with a clatter and a

clank and a jangling squirm.

(c) Dungeon means an underground prison cell.

(d) Words are clattes, clank, jangling.

Question 11.The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon, And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,

He fired two bullets but they didn’t hit, And Custard gobbled him, every bit.

(a) What did the pirate do on seeing the dragon?

(b) What did Custard do to the pirate?

(c) Which word means the same as “swallow”?

(d) Find from the passage a word which means a large bottle or similar container

with a handle in which wine etc is sold or served.

Answer:(a) The pirate gulped some wine from his bottle.

(b) Custard swallowed the pirate and left no trace of him.

(c) The word is ‘Gobble’.

(d) The word is ‘flagon’.

Question 12.Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him, No one mourned for his pirate victim Ink

and Blink in glee did gyrate Around the dragon that ate the pirate.

(a) What was everyone’s reaction after Custard gobbled the pirate?

(b) Why is the pirate called a victim here?

(c) What does gyrate mean?

(d) Give a synonym of the word ‘mourn’.

Answer:(a) Everyone became happy and hugged Custard. Ink and Blink started to dance

around him.

(b) The pirate is called a victim because he suffered death at the hands of Custard

as he ate him up.

(c) Gyrate stands for circular movements.

(d) A synonym of the word mourn is ‘Lament’.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.Where did Belinda live and with whom?

Answer:Belinda lived in a little white house with her four pets and a wagon. She had a black

kitten named Ink, a grey mouse named Blink, a yellow dog named Mustard and a

coward dragon named Custard.

Question 2.What did Custard look like? [CBSE 2016]Answer:Custard looked really dangerous with spikes on his top and scales underneath. His

mouth was like a fireplace and nose like a chimney. His toes looked like daggers.

Question 3.Did Custard match his physical appearance?

Answer:No. Custard barely matched his appearance as he looked ferocious but he actually

was a coward. He always cried for a nice and safe cage and everyone laughed at

him for his cowardice.

Question 4.Describe the bravery of everyone in the house.

Answer:Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink were brave enough to

chase lions away. Mustard’s bravery was like a tiger’s rage. It was only Custard,

who was a coward, everyone else was very brave.

Question 5.Was everyone really as brave as they claimed?

Answer:Belinda and her three pets, excluding Custard, were very proud of their bravery but

they were not really brave. It was only Custard, who had the courage to face the

pirate so he was the real brave.

Question 6.What did everyone do when the pirate came?

Answer:When the pirate came, Belinda cried for help and became pale with fear. Mustard

ran away with a terrified cry and Ink trickled to the bottom of the house while Blink

disappeared in his mouse hole. Custard jumped in front of the Pirate to fight him.

Question 7.How did Custard face the pirate?

Answer:Custard jumped in front of the pirate to fight him. The pirate fired two bullets at him

but missed both of them. Then Custard gobbled whole of the pirate and left no trace

of him.

Question 8.‘But Custard cried for a nice safe cage. ’ Who is Custard? Why did he cry for a ‘nice

safe cage’? [CBSE 2014]Answer:Custard is Belinda’s pet Dragon. He cried for a nice safe cage because he was a

coward, who feared easily and looked for comfort and safety of himself.

Question 9.How did everyone react after Custard ate the pirate?

Answer:Belinda embraced Custard because he had saved everyone by killing the pirate.

Mustard licked him to show his affection while Ink and Blink started dancing around

Custard out of happiness.

Question 10.How did the other three pet boast of their bravery?

Answer:After Mustard, Ink and Blink fled on seeing the pirate, it was Custard, who fought

him and killed him. The other pets soon made excuses for their cowardice and said

that they would have been twice and thrice as brave as Custard.

Question 11.Did Custard accept his cowardice and their bravery?

Answer:Yes, Custard seemed like a really humble animal as even after killing the pirate he

accepted that he is a coward and everyone else is braver than him

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.The dragon, custard was considered a coward. The humble dragon proved his

bravery in adversity. Analyse that certain qualities like bravery and courage are

situational and spontaneous. Express your views with reference to the poem.

Answer:Custard’s humbleness won every reader’s heart as he showed true bravery and did

not boast like Belinda and her other pets. Everyone boasted of their bravery but

when they faced real danger, it was only Custard, who had the courage to face it.

And he proved his bravery by not running away and facing the pirate and killing him.

Qualities like bravery and courage can only be tested when someone is actually put

in a dangerous situation. Therefore, these qualities are situational as becomes clear

from Custard’s example. Custard looked for comfort all the time but this did not

mean that he was a coward.

Question 2.Do you think that one should be made fun of because of their’preferences and

choices in life? Explain in the context of Custard, the dragon.

Answer:It is not right to make fun of anyone on the basis of their life style and their choices.

Custard, the dragon, always wanted comfort and safety for him and therefore always

cried for a nice safe cage. Belinda and other pets of the house made fun of him

because they thought that he was a coward. Custard proved that just because he

likes comfort, he is not a coward. In fact, he was the only one, who had the courage

to face the pirate and kill him.