Rohit Yadav
Thinking about Text
1. 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?
Answer
The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was its first flight. It is a well-known fact that doing something for the first time is challenging. Therefore, all young birds must be afraid to make their first flights. Similarly, a human baby would also find it a challenge to take its first step.
2. “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
Answer
The young seagull was very hungry. It was this hunger that ultimately compelled it to fly. Its hunger only intensified when it saw its mother tearing at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. It cried to her, begging her to get some food. When its mother came towards it with food in her beak, it screamed with joy and anticipation. However, she stopped midway. It wondered why she did not come nearer. Not being able to resist or control its hunger any longer, it dived at the food in its mother’s beak. At that moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expanse of sea beneath the cliff. Finally, this plunge was followed by the natural reaction of its body, i.e., to fly.
3. “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. “Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
Answer
The young seagull was afraid to fly. Even when it saw its brothers and sisters flying, and its parents helping and teaching them, it could not gather enough courage to make that first flight. That is why its father and mother were calling to it shrilly and scolding it. They threatened to let it starve on its ledge if it did not fly. They did so because they wanted it to leave its fear behind and learn to fly.
Question 4. 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.
– (Suggested Answer) Yes, I had a similar experience while leaning to ride a bicycle in class VI. In my initial attempts, I fell down everytime and developed a fear of cycling which was difficult to overcome.
No amount of provoking and cajoling could let me try it again, but my father encouraged me to overcome the fear and helped me as he was adamant on my learning cycling. He took me on a mound near village and made me sit and asked me to put my hands on the handle and feet on the paddle. It sped down and I enjoyed it without fear which developed my confidence.
Thus, I overcame my fear of cycling and started riding a cycle after a few practice
Question 5. 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?
–
We face some problems in the initial stage while learning new skills. Due to the fear of failure, we hesitate to perform a task or to do something new. In the case of the seagull, his parents cajoled him to fly. In the example I have given in the answer of the previous question, I was cajoled by my father to learn cycling. So, at that stage, I was to learn cycling as it was very important for me to overcome my fear.
Yes, my success was guaranteed because if someone is determined to do something then success is assured. Moreover as said, practice makes a man perfect.
The Black Aeroplane
By Fredrick Forsyth
Thinking about the Text
1. “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Answer
The risk was to fly through the black storm clouds. The narrator took the risk because he wanted to reach Paris to celebrate Christmas with his family.
2. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
Answer
As he flew into the storm, everything went black. It was impossible to see anything outside the plane. It jumped and twisted in the air. When he looked at his compass, he saw that it was turning round and round. It was dead. Along with it, the other instruments, including the radio, were also dead. Suddenly, he saw another aeroplane. Its pilot waved at him, asking him to follow. He was glad to find a helper. He was using his last fuel tank and there was only enough fuel to fly five or ten minutes. Then, the other pilot started to go down and he followed. He suddenly came out of the clouds and saw the runway, on which he then landed his plane safely.
3. Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
Answer
He was delighted to land safely out of dark stormy clouds, therefore, he was not sorry to walk away for his plane. He felt bad, when he was no able to thank his guide, his mentor who saved him from from frightening situations, but he was so happy after landing that he didn’t feel sorry for not being able to thank the guide pilot.
4. What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?
Answer
The woman in the control room was surprised when the narrator asked about the other aeroplane and its pilot. She said that there was no aeroplane seen on the radar.
5. Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
Answer
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
1. 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 absolutelyblack __________.
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 in black and blue.__________
Answer
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 excessive beating at the hands of the villagers.
Question 2. Look at these sentences taken from the lesson you have just read:
(a) I was flying my old Dakota aeroplane.
(b) The young seagull had been afraid to fly with them.
In the first sentence, the author was controlling an aircraft in the air. In the second sentence, the seagull was afraid to move through the air, using its wings.
Match the phrases given under Column A with their meanings given under Column B:
* A * B
1. Fly a flag (a) Move quickly/
suddenly
2. Fly into a rage (b) Be successful
3. Fly along (c) Display a flag on a
long pole
4. Fly high (d) Escape from a place
5. Fly the coop (e) Become suddenly
very angry
1. (c),
2. (e),
3. (a),
4. (b),
5. (d).
MCQs
Question 1.
Why was the aeroplane twisting in the air?
(a) As it was dark night
(b) As it was a stormy night
(c) Due to lightning
(d) None of the Above
Answer
(b) As it was a stormy night.
Question 2.
What was the purpose behind calling Paris Control?
(a) To know about air traffic
(b) To know the direction of the route
(c) To know the details about landing
(d) None of the Above
Answer
(b) To know the direction of the route
Question 3.
Why was the seagull exhausted?
(a) Due to running fast
(b) Due to strange exercise
(c) Due to Crying
(d) None of the Above
Answer
(b) Due to strange exercise
Question 4.
What was the seagull afraid of?
(a) Running
(b) Swimming
(c) Flying
(d) None of the Above
Answer
(c) Flying
Question 5.
Who give Young Seagull a piece of fish?
(a) Brother Seagull
(b) Mother Seagull
(c) Father Seagull
(d) None of the Above
Answer
(b) Mother Seagull
Question 6.
The pilot was not able to ___ anything
(a) see
(b) hear
(c) speak
(d) all of them
Answer
(a) see
Question 7.
Why didn’t the pilot turn the aeroplane back towards Paris?
(a) He wanted to meet his family
(b) He wanted to go on a holiday
(c) He did not want to miss the breakfast
(d) He did not like Paris
Answer
(c) He did not want to miss the breakfast
Question 8.
Which of the pilot’s instruments stopped working first?
(a) compass
(b) radio
(c) both stopped together
(d) both were working
Answer
(a) compass
Question 9.
What food did the seagull’s mother get for it?
(a) earthworms
(b) fish
(c) insects
(d) rodents
Answer
(b) fish
Question 10.
What was the pilot not sorry about?
(a) missing his holiday
(b) driving the plane into the storm
(c) risking the lives of fellow passengers
(d) both 2 and 3
Answer
(d) both 2 and 3
Question 11.
What risk did the pilot take?
(a) flying back to Paris
(b) missing the breakfast he desired
(c) he took no risk
(d) flying his old Dakota straight into the storm
Answer
(d) flying his old Dakota straight into the storm
Question 12.
Which control station did he contact on his way?
(a) Paris
(b) India
(c) England
(d) he didn’t contact any
Answer
(a) Paris
Question 13.
The pilot was flying from _____ to _____.
(a) England, France
(b) England, India
(c) France, England
(d) France, India
Answer
(c) France, England
Question 14.
Why did his mother stop midway while giving him the fish?
(a) she was mad at him
(b) to push him to fly out of hunger
(c) she didn’t want to give him the fish
(d) she got tired
Answer
(b) to push him to fly out of hunger
Question 15.
The sight of ________ maddened him.
(a) his brothers flying
(b) his siblings enjoying without him
(c) food
(d) all of the above
Answer
(c) food
Question 16.
What did his parents threaten him with if he didn’t flew away?
(a) to never talk to him
(b) to punish him
(c) to starve him
(d) to abandon him
Answer
(c) to starve him
Question 17.
The lesson “His First Flight” is about a ______
(a) pilot
(b) seagull
(c) parrot
(d) pigeon
Answer
(b) seagull
Question 18.
Who is the author of “His First Flight”?
(a) Liam O’ Flaherty
(b) Frederick Forsyth
(c) Roal Dahl
(d) Paulo Coehlo
Answer
(a) Liam O’ Flaherty
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