Class 10 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - First Flight

Q.1. Who was Amanda? What idea do you form for her through the poem?

Answer: Amanda was a little school-going girl. She seems to love fairy tales, especially stories like Rapunzel and mermaids. She does not like too many instructions or nagging, which makes her sulk and become moody. Then she does not listen attentively to her mother and starts daydreaming.

Q.2. What does the poet ask Amanda not to do in the poem "'Amanda'?"
Answer: The poet advises Amanda not to bite her nails, not to hunch her shoulders and not to eat chocolate. She advises her to sit straight and take care of her acne. She further advises her to keep herself clean. 

Q.3. Why does she dream to be an orphan?

Answer: She thinks orphans lead a carefree life. There is no one to pester them with instructions. They can wander in a street and make patterns in the soft dust with their bare feet. They don’t have to clean the shoes or room or do the homework.
Q.4. What instructions were given to Amanda about her homework, room, and shoes?
Answer: Amanda had been commanded or advised to finish her homework and keep her room neat and clean. She is also instructed to clean her shoes. 

Q.5. Amanda imagines herself to be Rapunzel, yet would not like to do what all she did. Identify and state the reasons for her decision.

Answer: Amanda says it. In the story, Rapunzel lets down her long, beautiful hair to escape with the prince. But Amanda is fascinated by Rapunzel’s life in the tower. She never wants to escape and leave such a peaceful atmosphere, with no instruction and no work to do.

Q.6. What made Amanda sulk and become moody?
Ans. Amanda sulks and becomes moody when her mother gives her too many instructions. She does not want to follow them but she can’t dare to ignore them either, so she sulks.

Q.7. Don’t eat that chocolate Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Why is Amanda forbidden to eat chocolate?
Answer:
Amanda is a little child who wants freedom from all restrictions of life. She loves to eat chocolate but she is forbidden to eat them as these will affect her health adversely. She is advised to take care of her acne. 

Q.8. What is the role/ importance of punctuation marks in language? Why has the poet used the exclamation mark after Amanda? Comment on the title of the poem.
Ans. (i) Punctuation is an important part of grammar. It is used to create sense, clarity and stress in sentences. It is used to structure and organise our writing.
(ii) The exclamation mark is used after Amanda! to show the mother’s surprise on seeing Amanda. Amanda is a sulky and moody girl which upsets the mother.

Q.9. Is the purpose of someone constantly giving instructions to Amanda being fulfilled? Explain.
Ans. No, Amanda sulks and becomes moody when her mother gives her too many instructions. She does not listen to her mother and didn’t care to follow them but she can’t dare to ignore them either so, she sulks. Parents in their endeavour to make their children well-behaved, give them too many instructions.
Q.10. What is the theme of the poem — ‘Amanda’?
Ans. Too many instructions and too much control are resented by children. They get bored and fed up. Then, they listen to their parents half-heartedly and indulge in daydreaming.

Q. 11. What message does the poet want to give through the poem — ‘Amanda’?
Ans. The poet wants to convey that parents in their endeavour to make their children well-behaved, mannerly having good habits, give them too many instructions or nag (always finding fault) them. They should adopt positive measures, acceptable to children. Otherwise, they will stop listening to them and indulge in daydreaming as Amanda did.

Q.12. What does the speaker tell Amanda in the end? What is the speaker afraid of?
Ans. The speaker thinks that Amanda is sulking and moody. He thinks that Amanda is always moody. He asks her not to sulk because he is afraid that people will think that he is nagging Amanda.
Q.13. Do you think that Amanda doesn’t like to be controlled and instructed not to do one thing or the other? Give a reasoned answer.
Ans. Amanda loves her freedom. She doesn’t want it to be curtailed. She wants to lead her own kind of life. If she is asked what to do and what not, she feels that her freedom is curtailed. She doesn’t bother to answer her mother when she goes on instructing her what to do and what not.
Q.14. List the things which Amanda’s mother doesn’t want her to do.
Ans. Her mother doesn’t want her to hunch her shoulders and bend her body down. She stops her from eating chocolates as it would not be good for her pimpled face. She wants her to stop sulking as others would think that she is being nagged by her mother.
Q.15. How does Amanda is seen behaving when the poem starts? What does the speaker ask her not to do?
Ans. When the poem beings, we find that Amanda is biting her nails. She is hunching her shoulders. She is sitting in a slouching posture. That is why the speaker asks her to behave normally. He asks her not to bite her nails and hunch her shoulders. She should sit up straight.
Q.16. In her day-dreaming, Amanda reaches the sea. What does she imagine herself to be?
Ans. Amanda finds that the sea is relaxed and peaceful. She is the only creature in the sea. She imagines herself to be a mermaid. She is happy. She is drifting on the waves blissfully.

Q.17. What three things the speaker ask Amanda to do which she has not done?
Ans. The speaker asks Amanda to finish her homework. Then he asks her if she has cleaned up her room. Finally, he finds that her shoes are not clean even though he had asked her to clean them.
Q.18. Why does Amanda’s mother ask her to stop sulking?
Ans. Amanda’s mother thinks that she is moody as her mood is always shifting. If she puts on an unhappy appearance, others will blame her mother. They will think that she is being constantly nagged by her mother.
Q.19. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
Ans. Amanda is a little girl. She, in fact, is a symbol of every child who is instructed by the parents to do or not to do this or that. If she were a mermaid she would blissfully drift in the sea.
Q.20. What does Amanda yearn for?
Ans. Amanda is a little girl. She is asked to do or not to do this and that. She is nagged at by her parents. So Amanda yearns for freedom. She wants to lead a life without any restrictions.