10 First Flight


Madam Rides Bus

NCERT Exercise

Part 2

Question 13: What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.

Answer: Valli’s deepest desire was to enjoy a ride on the bus. Terms; like overwhelming desire’, ‘wistfully’, etc. show that Valli was desperate to ride the bus.

Question 14: How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?

Answer: Valli had to plan on two aspects. The first aspect was saving enough money to arrange for two-way fair. The second aspect was to give a slip to her mother because a child of her age would not be allowed to go all alone. She came to know about the distance of the town and total time of journey. She also gathered information about the fair.

Question 15: 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.

  1. “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly.
  2. “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
  3. “There’s nobody here who is a child,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.
  4. “Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself. You don’t have to help me. ”I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said haughtily.
  5. “You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
  6. Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope to see you again.”

Answer: Valli appears to be a confident child. She does not like people making a fun at her or feeling pity at her because she is a child. She is very careful not to talk to strangers during her journey. She must have enjoyed her bus ride and may be planning for her next sojourn when her budget and time permit.

Question 16: Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?

Answer: The conductor is just trying to make fun at Valli because she is trying to behave like an adult. Many a time, we see small children trying to behave like adult and many of us enjoy this sight.

Question 17: Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.

Answer: Valli thoroughly enjoyed her ride. The way she was engrossed in the scenery outside the window shows that she was enjoying every moment of her ride. The most funny incident was of the cow running ahead of the bus. She also enjoyed the luxurious interiors of the bus.

Question 18: Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?

Answer: On her way back, Valli witnessed a horrific incidence. The cow which was playful during the onward journey had died in an accident. Valli felt very sad at the plight of the cow. Due to this, she did not like looking out of the window on her way back.

Question 19: What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.”

Answer: While making this statement, Valli was trying to hide the fact about her bus ride. She was also feeling elated at making a successful attempt at her plan.

Question 20: 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?

Answer: There are many incidents which show the world from an eight-year-old’s perspective. For example; for an adult the fair of the bus may be peanuts, but for a small child it can be a fortune. Similarly, the way a child can enjoy as simple a thing as a six mile bus ride; can never be understood by most of the adults.