Madam Rides the Bus Class 10 Worksheet English Chapter 1

Q1: "Valli would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus." What is the meaning of wistfully?

(a) willingly
(b) longingly
(c) fearfully
(d) carefully

Correct Answer is Option (b)

Q2: "Hurry then! Tell whoever it is to come quickly.” What is the conductor’s assumption while saying the above line?

(a) The child is trying to catch the bus for her own self.
(b) The passengers in the bus are getting extremely impatient.
(c) The child is trying to stop the bus for an adult family member.
(d) The adults who should be supervising Valli are being very irresponsible.

Correct Answer is Option (c)

Q3: What was Valli's age?

(a) Seven
(b) Eight
(c) Nine
(d)  None of these

Correct Answer is Option (b)

Q4: The fare of the bus was in one way journey.

(a) 20 Paise
(b) 30 Paise
(c) 50 Paise
(d) 75 Paise

Correct Answer is Option (b)

Q5: Valli reached home at ______.

(a) 2:45 afternoon
(b) 3:00 afternoon
(c) 3:45 afternoon
(d) 4:45 afternoon

Correct Answer is Option (c)

Q6: How did the conductor behave with Valli?

The conductor was a jolly fellow. He behaved very well with Valli. When she entered the bus, he guided her for the seat and gave her a ticket. He called her 'fine madam' as a comment because she behaved like a mature woman. He took Valli's confident responses in humour. Moreover, when he came to know that she had no extra money except the bus fare, he offered her a cold drink. His behaviour towards Valli was positive and cheerful. 

Q7: Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?

On her way to the town, Valli laughed heartily to see a young cow running at high speed in the middle of the road just in front of their bus. But on her way back, she saw a young cow lying dead near the road. She asked the bus conductor if it was the same cow that was running in front of the bus. The bus conductor nodded. She was shocked and sad. So she refuses to look out of the window on her way back because what was so beautiful a little while ago now looked so horrible. The memory of the dead cow haunts her. It dampens her enthusiasm.

Q8: What details did Valli pick up about the bus journey? How did she pick up these details?

The details that Valli picked up were the distance that the bus travelled, the duration of the trip and the fare. She gathered this information by hearing the conversations of her neighbours and the people who took the bus. She also asked discreet questions to people to know more about their journey.

Q9: What was the most fascinating thing that Valli saw on the street?

Valli watched that the bus was travelling between her village and the nearest town. The sight of the bus filled each time with a new set of passengers was the source of unending joy for Valli. She was excited to start her bus journey.

Q10: What was Valli's deepest desire? How did she fulfill that?

Valli was an eight-year old Tamil girl. She was very wise. She didn't have any playmates. So, her favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house and looking at the street outside. She watched every activity very carefully. She watched a bus that ran between her village and the nearest town. Soon a deep desire to ride on that bus raised in her heart. She collected every needed information about the journey like how many miles away the town was, how much time it took to complete this journey, the fare and the bus routes by carefully listening to other people's conversations and by asking discreet questions. She also started saving money to fulfil her deepest desire. She didn’t buy toys, balloons etc. She even didn’t ride on the merry-go-round in the village fair. Finally, she saved sixty-paise and fulfilled her deepest desire.