NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 3 - Two Stories about Flying

I. His First Fight 

Thinking about Text (Page 36) 

Q1: 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?

Ans:

The young seagull was scared to fly because it was his first attempt, and he feared he might fall and get hurt. He doubted that his wings would hold him up during his first flight.
It's natural and understandable to feel scared when doing something for the first time. Surely, all birds must feel afraid before their first flight. Similarly, a human baby also feels fear and faces difficulty when taking its first steps or learning to crawl or walk without any support.

Q2: “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?

Ans: The young seagull couldn’t find the courage to take his first flight, even though his family kept scolding him and urging him to try. They left him alone on the ledge, waiting for him to be ready. After more than a day, he became very hungry. This hunger eventually pushed him to act. He became even more desperate when he saw his mother eating a fish nearby. He cried out, begging her to bring him food. When she came towards him with the fish, he was excited and full of hope, but she stopped before reaching him, leaving him confused. Overwhelmed by hunger, he jumped towards the food and fell off the ledge into the sea below. At first, he was terrified, but soon his wings opened up, and he realized that he could fly like the others. In the end, his hunger overcame his fear, and he joyfully made his first flight.

Q3: “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. “Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?

Ans: The young seagull's parents kept encouraging him, and he made several attempts to take his first flight. However, he was too afraid to leap from the cliff, fearing he would fall. He watched his brothers and sister fly away, but he remained too hesitant to try. Because of this, his entire family left him alone on the ledge, using both threats and encouragement to get him to fly, but none of their efforts worked.

Q4: 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.

Ans: Yes, I had a similar experience while trying to learn how to ride a bicycle when I was in the fourth standard. Initially, I found it difficult to balance myself and fell down often which developed a fear of cycling in me. Unable to overcome the fear, I gave up cycling, but my parents would always cajole me to try and practice cycling whenever I get time. My father would hold the bicycle from behind to help me balance myself, but whenever he left it, I would lose balance and fall down. Gradually as I practised every day, my cycling skills improved and I could ride it without my father’s support from behind and this also developed my confidence to a great extent. Thus, I overcame my fear of cycling and started riding a cycle confidently when I practiced it on a daily basis. Now, I use a cycle while going to and coming from school every day.

(Note: You can write this answer as per their personal experience.)

Q5: 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 the possibility of failure?

Ans: It is common for everyone to face challenges at the beginning when learning a new skill. Often, the fear of failure makes us hesitant to try something new or perform a certain task. In the case of the young seagull, his parents kept encouraging him to fly. Similarly, when I was learning to ride a bicycle for the first time, my father would always urge me to keep trying. At that point, it was crucial for me to overcome my fear and learn cycling for my own benefit.
Yes, I believe my success was certain because when someone is focused and determined, success is almost always guaranteed. As we all know, the famous saying goes, "Practice makes a man perfect."

II. The Black Aeroplane

Thinking about the Text (Page 40)

Q1: “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?

Ans: The pilot of the Dakota DS 088 was eager to get home to England to enjoy a holiday with his family. On his way, the plane was caught in a massive storm with dark clouds surrounding him. Despite the danger, he chose to fly straight into the storm because he didn’t want to miss the chance to be with his family for a proper English breakfast. He took the risk of flying through the storm even though he could barely see anything.

Q2: Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.

Ans: As the pilot entered the thick storm clouds, his plane began to shake and twist in the air. The outside world was completely hidden by the dark storm clouds, leaving him unable to see anything. When he checked the compass and other instruments, they had stopped working due to the severe weather conditions. It was a terrifying experience for him. To make matters worse, the fuel in his plane was nearly gone, and he only had about ten minutes of flight time left. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, another black aeroplane with no lights on its wings appeared beside him, and its pilot signaled for him to follow. Without any other option, the narrator followed the mysterious black plane through the storm. Soon, he safely landed on the runway, guided by the strange plane.

Q3: Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
Ans: The pilot was relieved and overjoyed to have landed safely after being trapped in the dense storm of dark clouds. He had no regrets about leaving the old Dakota behind. His heart was full of gratitude towards the pilot of the mysterious black aeroplane, and he was eager to express his thanks for the help he received during such a terrifying situation. However, he felt a sense of regret for not being able to properly thank his unknown benefactor, who had guided him safely to the runway.

Q4: What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?
Ans: The woman at the control center gave the narrator a puzzled look when he mentioned the black aeroplane that had guided him safely to the runway. She appeared surprised and informed him that there had been no other planes in the sky during the storm. According to the radar, the narrator's plane was the only one flying in the night sky at that time.

Q5: Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
Ans: Probably, it was the narrator’s own self that helped him through the storm. There was no other plane in the storm as the woman at the control centre could see only his plane on the radar. Also, no other plane was flying that night. In his fear, he might have been hallucinating. He was a good pilot, and it might have been his own self that came to his help.

Thinking about the Language

Q1. Try to guess the meanings of the word ‘black’ in the sentences given below. Check the meanings in the dictionary and find out whether you have guessed right. 
1. Go and have a bath; your hands and face are absolutely black__________.
2. The taxi-driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed the road when the traffic light was green. __________
3. The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest crimes against humanity. __________
4. Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter’s black comedy.__________
5. Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods to create false scarcity and then sell these in black. __________
6. Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue. __________
Ans:
1. The meaning of ‘black’ in this sentence is that the face and hands are dark with dust and heat.
2. Here, ‘black’ refers to an angry look.
3. Here, ‘blackest’ refers to the darkest and cruellest crime against humanity.
4. Here, ‘black’ refers to dark and gloomy comedy.
5. The meaning of ‘black’ in this sentence is that the shopkeepers sell the described goods ‘at a higher price’.
6. Here, ‘black’ means that the criminal suffered an excessive beating at the hands of the villagers.

Page No: 41

Ans:

Q3. We know that the word ‘fly’ (of birds/insects) means to move through the air using wings. Tick the words which have the same or nearly the same meaning.

Ans:
The words which have the same or nearly the same meaning as ‘fly’ are as follows:
swoop, flit, float, dart, soar, hover, sail skim, glide, flutter.