Class 10 English - First Flight - Chapter The Sermon at Benares NCERT Solutions | Kisa Gotami again goes from house to hou

How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was being ‘selfish in her grief ’?

What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first time? Was this what the Buddha wanted her to understand?

Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?

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

Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?
 

What was Valli’s favourite pastime?

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

What did Lencho hope for?

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?
 

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

What was Valli’s favourite pastime?

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?

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

What does courage mean to Mandela?

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?

Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?

Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?

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

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.

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?