Class 10 English Chapter 3 Previous Year Questions - Two Stories about Flying

Ans: The parents of the baby seagull were strict yet caring, as they wanted him to overcome his fear and learn to fly. Their scolding and threats were meant to encourage him to be independent.

Ans: The little seagull slept in a small hole under the ledge at night.

Ans: The young seagull was reluctant to fly because he lacked confidence in his wings and feared that they would not support him. Even though his parents and siblings encouraged and threatened him, his fear of falling and dying kept him from attempting his first flight.

Ans: (d)

The correct substitute for ‘muster up’ is (d) gather.

Ans: The mother seagull used a clever strategy to make her young one fly. She tempted him with a piece of fish, bringing it close to him but not feeding him. Driven by hunger, the young seagull jumped to reach the food and, in doing so, fell into the air—only to discover that he could fly instinctively.

Ans: (c) night

Ans: The line shows that the writer was a family-loving and affectionate person, eagerly waiting to meet his family after his flight.

Ans: The correct word is “favourable.” 

Ans: The calm night sky, shining stars, and peaceful countryside create a serene and joyful atmosphere. This peaceful setting reflects the pilot’s happiness and excitement as he dreams of his holiday and looks forward to spending time with his loved ones in England.

Ans: The young seagull’s fear of flying highlights his lack of confidence and dependence on his family. However, when hunger forces him to take the plunge, he discovers his strength and learns to fly. This moment of realization symbolizes the courage and independence that come from overcoming one’s fears.

Ans: The correct word is pride.

Ans: The parents teach their young to be independent by encouraging them to fly and catch their own food, even leaving the hesitant one alone without food to make him attempt his first flight.

Ans: The parents feel proud and joyful watching their other chicks fly and catch fish, expressing delight through a proud cackle. In contrast, they are disappointed and frustrated with the young seagull’s cowardice, taunting and urging him to overcome his fear.

Ans: (B) gobbled

Ans: Just before this moment, the young seagull was filled with terrible fear and panic as he fell into the open air, believing he would die. But soon, his instinct took over, and his wings spread out naturally. The fear vanished, replaced by excitement, joy, and confidence as he realized he could fly.

Ans: The seagull was afraid to fly because he doubted the strength of his wings and feared he would fall into the sea. His lack of confidence made him hesitate to take the leap. As a result, while his siblings learned to fly, he was left alone on the ledge, too scared to join them.

Ans: The young seagull demonstrates how motivation can conquer fear. When left hungry and alone, his desperation for food becomes stronger than his fear of flying. This hunger motivates him to leap off the ledge, and in that moment, he discovers his ability to fly—proving that necessity and motivation lead to success.

Ans: Both the young seagull from “Two Stories About Flying” and Lencho from “A Letter to God” display faith, but in different ways.
The young seagull’s faith is in himself and his instincts, which he discovers only after overcoming fear. Initially, he doubts his wings, but hunger drives him to take the leap. Once he spreads his wings and flies, his faith in his own ability gives him confidence and freedom.

Lencho, on the other hand, shows faith in God. After his crops are destroyed by hail, he believes firmly that God will help him and writes a letter asking for money. His unshakable trust in divine help contrasts with the seagull’s self-discovered confidence, yet both teach that faith—whether in oneself or a higher power—leads to strength and hope.

Ans: In “His First Flight,” the young seagull’s self-doubt and fear stop him from flying. He believes his wings are too weak and refuses to take the plunge despite his family’s encouragement. However, when hunger pushes him to act, he overcomes his fear, learns to fly, and experiences freedom through courage.

Similarly, in “Madam Rides the Bus,” Valli’s curiosity drives her to explore the world beyond her home. Her eagerness to experience a bus ride leads her to plan and save money carefully. Through this experience, she gains new understanding and maturity about life and death.

Thus, while self-doubt limits growth, curiosity and courage open the path to learning and self-discovery, as shown by both characters.

Ans: One acknowledges that both the Seagull and the Pilot wanted to conquer the skies, yet their approaches were quite different. Hunger and survival were the baby seagull's primary motivators to overcome fear and take the first flight. The seagull was desperately looking for food, so it had to take a risk despite its initial hesitation and fear. On the other hand, the pilot faced a different challenge in the form of a storm when he realised that he had gotten lost. He decided to put his trust in a mysterious black aeroplane and follow it like a child. We can learn courage and tenacity from both stories. The pilot took a leap of faith to follow the unknown black aeroplane in the face of difficulty, whereas the seagull flew out of instinctual need.

Ans: The young seagull lacks courage and fears that his wings will not be able to support him. He watches his siblings soar and dive but he is unable to overcome the fear. The family abandons him and it is only when he is starving from hunger that the sight of fish in his mother’s beak excites him and he takes the first flight. He is initially terrified but realizes that he is able to fly and then flies confidently.

Ans: The young seagull was a coward. He lacked courage and feared that he would fall and hit the ground. The wings might not be strong enough to bear his weight. Thus, he was not able to fly.

Ans: The characters who are fearless and determined from two texts are Valli and the pilot. Valli is a young girl but she is quiet fearless. She fulfils her desire of going on a bus ride all by herself. She is not afraid of meeting strangers or going on a trip that is new to her. She is determined to fulfil her desire through her own means. She saves pocket money by resisting temptations and thus, buys the bus tickets. She asks discreet questions from the passengers to know the bus route and timings. She decides the trip timing suitable to her according to the period when her mother takes a nap. She avoids talking to strangers in the bus and dislikes being treated like a child. She guards herself against the friendly bus conductor and refuses his offer of buying her a cold drink. All these qualities assist Valli in fulfilling her desire successfully. The pilot is also determined to reach home and have an English breakfast with his family. Thus he does not think twice and flies straight into the storm clouds. He gets alarmed when the compass and radar stop working but still, he remains fearless. The mysterious black aeroplane is his mind’s product and his mind only guides him towards the runway. 
Both these characters highlight the importance of self-belief, determination and fearlessness in the face of dangerous situations.

Ans: The risk the narrator takes is flying through a huge storm with almost zero visibility. The narrator takes this risk because he is keen to reach his home, spend his holiday with his family, and have an English breakfast.

Ans: As the young seagull dived from the ledge, he initially felt terrified and started falling outwards and downwards. However, his wings spread outwards, and he began to soar and fly. The young seagull's fear transformed into confidence and amusement as he realized he could fly.

Ans: (c)
The passage states that "it was impossible to see anything outside the aeroplane."

Ans: (a)
The compass, radio, and other instruments were not working correctly, indicating a malfunction.

Ans: Radio was dead
The passage clearly states, "The radio was dead too."

Ans: (d)
In the passage, "twisted" refers to the erratic movement of the plane, similar to the twisting movement in a dive.

Ans: Belief
The narrator’s belief is evident as he realizes he has lost navigation control and is lost in the storm.

Ans: The story of the young seagull is a very good example showing how fear can hold you as a prisoner. The seagull is a bird. It is meant to fly. Without flying, it cannot survive. But the young seagull is so scared that it doesn’t want to fly.

Ans: (b)

Ans: The mother seagull used the trick of leaving her young one on the cliff without food, creating a situation where hunger forced the young seagull to fly.

Ans: When the young seagull dived at the fish in his mother's beak, he initially felt terrified, falling downwards and outwards. However, this fear lasted only briefly as he started flying and soaring. His fear transformed into confidence, making the experience transformative.

Ans: (c) let him overcome his fear.

Ans: (c)
The character felt both jealous of his brother’s ability to catch food and hungry seeing the act of devouring the fish. These emotions are conveyed in the context of the story, where the younger sibling observes his brother’s success with mixed feelings.

Ans: (c)
"The Black Aeroplane" is considered a mystery story, as it revolves around the unexplained and mysterious appearance of a black aeroplane that guides the narrator through the storm and then vanishes without a trace.