Class 10 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - First Flight

Short Answer Questions

Q1: Why did Prince Siddhartha leave the palace and become a beggar?     [CBSE 2012]
Ans: When Prince Siddhartha was out hunting, he once came upon a sick man, an elderly man, a funeral procession, and a monk who was pleading for charity. Upon seeing this, he decided to leave the palace and seek enlightenment by becoming a beggar.

Q2: What do you know about the early life of Buddha?
Ans: Gautama Buddha was born in a royal family. His childhood name was Siddhartha. At the age of 12, he was sent away for schooling in Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he got married to a princess.

Q3: Where did Buddha preach his first sermon?
Ans: Gautama Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, which is regarded as the holiest of the bathing places on the river Ganges.

Q4: How did Kisa Gotami realise that life and death is a process?       [CBSE 2016]
Ans: Kisa Gotami searched from home to home but was unable to locate a single residence where no one had perished. She sat down by the side of the road, exhausted and dejected, and watched the city lights as they flickered on and off again. She came to the realisation that, like city lights, human lives also briefly glimmer before going out again.

Q5: What was the effect of the sufferings of the world on Buddha?
Ans: At the age of 25, while hunting, one day Buddha saw a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession and finally a monk begging for alms. These moved him so much that he went out into the world to seek enlightenment.

Q6: According to Kisa Gotami what is the greatest grief of life?       [CBSE 2014]
Ans: The death of a loved one and being powerless to prevent their passing, in the opinion of Kisa Gotami, is the greatest anguish a person may experience in life. Consequently, the intelligent should not weep about it rather than bemoaning it. Crying will only make a person’s agony worse and disrupt their state of mind.

Q7: Why was Kisa Gotami sad? What did she do in her hour of grief?
Ans: Kisa Gotami was sad over the death of her only son. In the hour of grief, she went door to door in order to find medicine for her son that could bring him to life.

Q8: What did the Buddha do after he had attained enlightenment?
Ans: When Buddha attained enlightenment, he started preaching and telling people about life and its meaning. He spread his preachings far and wide so that people.

Q9: What does the Buddha say about the world ?  [Board Term-II, 2012 Set (2017)]
Ans: The Buddha says that everything in this world is subject to death. He further says that the world is deeply affected by suffering, disease or pain. Inevitably there is death and decay.

Q10: What did the Buddha do after he had attained enlightenment ? Why ?
Ans: Prince Siddhartha Gautama was deeply pained by the sufferings he saw around him and left the house to seek the truth of life. He finally sat under the peepal tree to meditate after seven years of roaming and eventually attained enlightenment. After gaining insight into the law governing the cycle of life and death, “The Buddha” went out to spread that knowledge throughout the globe in order to ease the suffering of humans.

Long Answer Questions
Q11: Life is full of trials and tribulations. Kisa Gotami also passes through a period of grief in her life. How does she behave in those circumstances?      [CBSE 2013]
OR
Life is full of trials and tribulations which can be overcome by a human being through his own efforts. Explain with reference to Kisa Gotami’s life.(100-150 words) [CBSE SQP 2019-20]
Ans: Kisa Gotami’s only kid passed away, and she was devastated. She carried her lifeless infant to her neighbours so they might give him medicine to revive him. She was unwilling to accept the death, and her neighbours believed she had become insane. Someone then proposed that she meet Gautama Buddha. She received an exercise from Gautama Buddha when they first met. She was asked to collect mustard seeds from a house where no one has ever died.   She searched every home but couldn’t find a single one where nobody had passed away. In this way, she came to understand that everyone who is born will eventually pass away.

Q12: Personal losses are a part and parcel of life. Instead of wailing on them, we should move on in life. This message of Gautama Buddha has become more relevant in modern times. Do you agree ? Why /why not?   [CBSE 2015]
Grief is often seen as a measure of love. Do you think the Buddha’s sermon undermines a mother’s love? Justify your response
Ans: Buddha’s sermon does not undermine a mother’s love. I concur with the philosophy of life that Gautama Buddha has presented. People today have a lot to discover and move at the same pace as the rest of the world. People will experience stress if they don’t grasp the realities of life, which will negatively impact both their personal and professional lives. Humans must realise that everyone who is born will eventually have to pass away. Being depressed or crying over the loss serves no purpose. In such circumstances, people should maintain their composure and serenity. They ought to accept the facts and continue living.

Q13: What did Buddha say about death and suffering?
Ans: Following his enlightenment, Buddha began to share his teachings on topics such as life, truth, and other related topics. He stated that suffering and death are inevitable parts of life. No one can escape this reality. One day everyone must meet their predestined demise. Everyone who has ever lived will eventually pass away. One must maintain composure and serenity during a time of sadness to avoid becoming overpowered by it. Those who are wise never whine or mourn their losses. People are blessed by the truth after accepting it. Therefore, the wisdom is in not allowing people to become troubled by pain, suffering, and death.

Q14: How do you usually understand the idea of selfishness ? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was ‘selfish’ in her grief ? Is it natural for people to be selfish at times ?
Ans: Selfishness is defined as acting solely in one’s own best interests or having one’s own interests at heart. The selfish desire of Kisa Gotami to bring her dead son back to life. She had been rendered oblivious by her mother’s affection. She made a mistake by seeking that. She was blind to life’s realities. Selfishness is very normal for everyone at times. It is improper when this ambition starts to harm other people or when the expectations start to seem unreasonable. Everyone has a small amount of selfishness, and this is just natural.

Q15: “Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind’.
If you had to use the message of the given quote from the Buddha’s sermon (The Sermon at Benares) to help the boy cope with the loss of his ball and what it signifies (The Ball Poem), what would you include in your advice? Also, evaluate why it might be difficult for him to understand the notion.
Ans: The Buddha’s teaching that no one will find peace of mind via crying or sorrow can be used to assist the youngster in “The Ball Poem” in dealing with the loss of his ball. I would suggest these things to the boy, among other things: 

• Help the boy to realise that while his sentiments of sadness and loss are understandable and acceptable, they won’t make him feel better. 
• Describe how letting go of attachments and concentrating on the present moment might help one reach inner peace of mind.
• Encourage the young boy to engage in activities that will help him become more calm and  more accepting, such as mindfulness, meditation, or simply being present and aware of one’s thoughts and feelings. 
• Tell the boy that life is full of loss and that things come and go. Advise him to avoid obsessing on the loss of his ball and instead think of the good times and experiences he shared with it. 
• Because the boy is still young and may not fully comprehend the nature of emotions and attachment, it may be challenging for the boy to comprehend the idea that peace of mind cannot be attained through mourning or sobbing.Young children may require assistance and support in learning how to develop emotional resilience and a sense of inner peace since they may find it difficult to distinguish between expressing their emotions and finding happiness. The best way to assist a child cope with loss is to listen to them, acknowledge their feelings, and provide support and advice while they find their own road to inner peace.