Class 10 English - First Flight - Chapter Madam Rides the Bus NCERT Solutions | What was Valli’s favourite pastime

Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?

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

Are you concerned about traffic and road safety? What are your concerns? How would you make road travel safer and more enjoyable?

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

The author describes the things that Valli sees from an eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this statement?

Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?

Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?

How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?

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.

What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?

Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?
 

What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?

What did Lencho hope for?

When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?

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

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”? Find reasons for your answer from the play.

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 steps?

Do you keep a diary? Given below under ‘A’ are some terms we use to describe a written record of personal experience. Can you match them with their descriptions under ‘B’? (You may
look up the terms in a dictionary if you wish.)
                       A                                                                                                                            B

      (i) Journal                                                                                     – A book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your and                                                                                                                      feelings or what has happened on that day 

      (ii) Diary                                                                                       – A full record of a journey, a period of time, or  an event, written every day
      (iii) Log                                                                                         – A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person)
      (iv) Memoir(s)                                                                               – A written record of events with times and dates, usually official         

Where does Wanda live? What kind of a place do you think it is?
 

Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait there, and why?

Match the words on the left with a word on the right. Some words on the left can go with more than one word on the right.

(i) a portion of – blood
(ii) a pool of – cotton
(iii) flakes of – stones
(iv) a huge heap of – gold
(v) a gust of – fried fish
(vi) little drops of – snow
(vii) a piece of – water
(viii) a pot of – wind

This play has been translated into English from the Russian original. Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you as more Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by an older man as my darling or my treasure in an English play?

Read through the play carefully, and find expressions that you think are not used in contemporary English, and contrast these with idiomatic modern English expressions that also occur in the play.

You must have noticed that when we report someone’s exact words, we have to make some changes in the sentence structure. In the following sentences fill in the blanks to list the changes that have occurred in the above pairs of sentences. One has been done for you. Questions.

1.To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked (as in sentence set 1).

2.To report a declaration, we use the reporting verb 

3.The adverb of place here changes to _____

4.When the verb in the direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in reported speech is in the tense (as in sentence set 3).

5.If the Verb in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the verb in reported speech changes to ____ tense. For example, ____ changes to was getting.

6.When the sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect, we add the adverb ____ in the reporting clause (as in sentence set 1)

7.The pronouns I, me, our and mine, which are used in the first person in direct speech, change to third person pronouns to such as _____ or ____ in reported speech.

Chubukov says of Natalya: “... as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat...” Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.

What happened when the box was opened?

What did Mij do to the box?

What game had Mij invented?

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

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.)

Tick the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was

• aloof and indifferent
• friendly
• hostile