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 ’?

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

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

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?

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?

“I’ll take the risk”. What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?

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

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.

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?

In what way was Wanda different from the other children?
 

Why didn’t Maddie ask Peggie to stop teasing Wanda? What was she afraid of?
 

Who did Maddie think would win the drawing contest? Why?
 

What does Miss Mason think of Wanda’s drawings? What do the children think of them? How do you know?

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.

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