Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
The conductor called Valli ‘Madam’ as she behaved like a grown up and did not think that she was a child. She also refused his help and told him that she can manage on her own.
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?
Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?
What made the woman in the Control Centre look at the narrator strangely?
Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait there, and why?
Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?
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?
Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
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
What happened when the box was opened?