Class 10 English Chapter 1 Extract Based Question Answers - First Flight

1. Direction: Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
There was a girl named Valliammai who was called Valli for short. She was eight years old and very curious about things. Her favorite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house, watching what was happening in the street outside. There were no playmates of her own age on her street and this was about all she had to do. But for Valli, standing at the front door was every bit as enjoyable as any of the elaborate games other children played: Watching the street gave her many new unusual experiences.

Q1: What was the short name of the girl?
Ans: Valli was the short name of the girl.

Q2: What was Valli’s favorite pastime?
Ans: Valli’s favorite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house.

Q3: Why did she spend her time all alone?
Ans: She spent her time all alone because she had no playmates of her age in her street.

Q4: Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as- uncommon.
Ans: unusual

2. Direction: Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
The most fascinating thing of all was the bus that traveled between her village and the nearest town. It passed through her street each hour, once going to the town and once coming back. The sight of the bus filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for Valli. Day after day she watched the bus, and gradually a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there she wanted to ride on that bus, even if just once. This wish became stronger and stronger, until it was an overwhelming desire. Valli would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus when it stopped at the street corner. Their faces would kindle in her longings, dreams, and hopes. If one of her friends happened to ride the bus and tried to describe the sights of the town to her. Valli would be too jealous to listen and would shout, in English “Proud! Proud!”

Q1: What did Valli watch daily?
Ans: Valli watched the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town.

Q2: What was her overwhelming desire?
Ans: Valli’s overwhelming desire was to ride the bus.

Q3: What was Valli’s source of joy?
Ans: The sight of the bus filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for Valli.

Q4: Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as- longingly.
Ans: wistfully

3. Direction: Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
Over many days and months, Valli listened carefully to conversations between her neighbors and people who regularly used the bus, and she also asked a few discreet questions here and there. This way she picked up various small details about the bus journey. The town was six miles from her village. The fare was thirty paise one way-which is almost nothing at all she heard one well-dressed man say, but to Valli, who scarcely saw that much money from one month to the next, it seemed a fortune. The trip to the town took forty-five minutes. On reaching town, if she stayed in her seat and paid another thirty paise, she could return home on the same bus: This meant that she could take the one-o’clock afternoon bus, reach the town at one forty-five, and be back home by about two forty-five. On and on went her thoughts as she calculated and recalculated, planned and replanned.

Q1: How did Valli know details about this bus journey?
Ans: Valli knew details about the bus journey from the conversations between her neighbors and commuters.

Q2: What was the distance of the town from Valli’s village?
Ans: The distance of the town from Valli’s village was six miles.

Q3: How did she pay for her journey?
Ans: She paid thirty paise for her bus journey.

Q4: Pick out the words from the passage that mean the same as- careful questions.
Ans: discreet questions

4. Direction: Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
Well, one fine spring day the afternoon bus was just on the point of leaving the village and turning into the main highway when a small voice was heard shouting “Stop the bus. Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly. The bus slowed down to a crawl, and the conductor, sticking his head out the door, said “Hurry then! Tell whoever it is to come quickly.” “it’s me,” shouted Valli. “I’m the one who has to get on.”

Q1: Where was the bus going?
Ans: The bus was leaving the village and going to the city. 

Q2: Who stopped the bus?
Ans: Valli stopped the bus.

Q3: What did the conductor say to Valli?
Ans: The conductor asked Valli to hurry up and come quickly.

Q4: Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as- “small”.
Ans: tiny

5. Direction:  Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
It was the slack time of day, and there were only six or seven passengers on the bus. They were all looking at Valli and laughing with the conductor. Valli was overcome with shyness. Avoiding everyone’s eyes she walked quickly to an empty seat and sat down. “May we start now, madam?” the conductor asked, smiling. Then he blew his whistle twice, and the bus moved forward with a roar. It was a new bus, its outside painted a gleaming white with some green stripes along the sides. Inside, the overhead bars shone like silver. Directly in front of Valli, above the windshield, there was a beautiful clock. The seats were soft and luxurious.

Q1: What were the six or seven passengers doing?
Ans: They were all looking at Valli and laughing with the conductor due to which Valli was overcome with shyness.

Q2: Why did she avoid everyone’s eyes?
Ans: Valli avoided everyone’s eyes because she was feeling shy.

Q3: How was the outside of the bus painted?
Ans: The outside of the bus was printed white with some green stripes along the sides.

Q4: Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as- A time when there is not much work.
Ans: ‘Slack Time’

6. Direction: Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
Valli devoured everything with her eyes. But when she started to look outside, she found her view cut off by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of her window. So she stood up on the seat and peered over the blind The bus was now going along the bank of a canal. The road was very narrow. On one side there was the canal and, beyond it palm trees, grassland, distant mountains, and the blue, blue sky. On the other side was a deep ditch and then acres and acres of green fields-green, green, green, as far as the eye could see.

Q1: Why did Valli stand up on her seat?
Ans: Valli stood up on her seat because she wanted to look outside.

Q2: Where was she going?
Ans: She was going to the city.

Q3: How was Valli feeling?
Ans: Valli was feeling happy and enjoying her ride. 

Q4: Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as- looked through.
Ans: peered

7. Direction: Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
Suddenly she was startled by a voice “Listen child,” said the voice, you shouldn’t stand like that. Sit down” Sitting down, she looked to see who had spoken. It was an elderly man who had honestly been concerned for her, but she was annoyed by his attention. “There’s nobody here who’s a child” she said haughtily, “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.” The conductor chimed in, “Oh, sir, but this is a very grown-up madam. Do you think a mere girl could pay her own fare and travel to the city all alone?”

Q1: What did somebody say to Valli?
Ans: Somebody said to Valli that she should not stand like that and asked her to sit down.

Q2: What did the elderly man advise the child?
Ans: The elderly man advised the child to sit down.

Q3: What did the conductor chime in about Valli?
Ans: The conductor chimed in about the girl calling her as a grown-up woman.

Q4: Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as- proudly.
Ans: haughtily.

8. Direction: Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
An elderly woman came and sat beside her “Are you all alone, dear?” She asked Valli as the bus started again. Valli found the woman absolutely repulsive- such big holes she had in her ear lobes, and such ugly earrings in them! And she could smell the betel nut the woman was chewing and see the betel juice that was threatening to spill over her lips at any moment. Ugh!- who could be sociable with such a person?

Q1: What did the elderly woman try to do?
Ans: The elderly woman tried to befriend Valli.

Q2: Why did Valli find the woman repulsive?
Ans: Valli found the woman absolutely repulsive as she had big holes in her ear lobes and ugly earrings in them. She was also chewing betel nut.

Q3: What did the woman ask her?
Ans: The woman asked Valli if she was all alone.

Q4: Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as- causing dislike.
Ans: repulsive