Class 10 English - First Flight - Chapter Madam Rides the Bus NCERT Solutions | What was Valli’s deepest desire? F

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?

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 ?

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

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

 Look at these examples from the text, and say whether the modifiers (in italics) are nouns, proper nouns, or adjective plus noun.    

(i) An otter fixation                          (iv) The London streets
(ii) The iron railings                         (v) soft velvet fur
(iii) The Tigris marshes                   (vi) A four-footed soccer player

What did the postmaster do then?

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.

Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?

What does Mandela thank the international leaders for ?

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

What made him angry?