(Page 36)
Question 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 step?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid to
fly because it was his first flight and he feared of falling and hurting
himself. He thought that his wings would not support him while flying. Yes, it
is natural that doing something for the first time is a bit challenging and
fearful. All birds must be afraid to make their first flight.
Similarly, a human baby is also afraid of taking the first step and find it
challenging when he learns to crawl or stand up without support.’
Question 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 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 controfits 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.
Question 3.
They were beckoning to him,
calling shrilly.” Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and
cajole him to fly?
Answer:
Seagull’s parents had tried everything but he was reluctant to fly due to
fear of falling down. He looked at his brothers and sister but wouldn’t make
any efforts. Thats why the whole family had left him alone and threatened and
cojoled him to come but every effort went in vain.
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.
Answer:
(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 a
possibility of failure?
Answer:
We face some problems in the initial stage while learning new skill. Due to
the fear of failure, we hesitate to perform a task or to do something new. In
case of the seagull his parents cajoled him to fly. In the example I have
given in the answer of 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.
II. The Black Aeroplane
Thinking about the Text
(Page 40)
Question 1.
“I’ll take the risk”. What is
the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Answer:
A huge storm was brewing up and
the author was
keen to reach his home to
spend his holiday with his family. So, he decided to fly through the storm as
he did not want to miss the chance to meet his family at breakfast. Thus he
took the risk even when the visibility was almost zero in the storm.
Question 2.
Describe the narrator’s
experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
Answer:
As the pilot (author) entered
the storm, his plane started jumping and twisting. He could not see anything
outside the plane as it was black. When he looked at compass and other
instruments they had stopped to function due to storm. It was a terrible and
fearsome experience for him. The fuel tank was almost empty and he could not
fly more than ten minutes. Then he saw another black aeroplane by his side and
the pilot of the plane signalled him to follow. It was a surprise for the
narrator as the other black plane was having no light. He followed him without
any choice and landed safely on the runway.
Question 3.
Why does the narrator say, “I
landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
Answer:
Seagull’s parents had tried
everything but he was reluctant to fly due to fear of falling down. He looked
at his brothers and sister but wouldn’t make any efforts. Thats why the whole
family had left him alone and threatened and cojoled him to come but every
effort went in vain.
Question 4.
What made the woman in the
Control Centre look at the narrator strangely?
Answer:
The woman in the Control Centre
looked at the
narrator strangely because
the narrator asked him about the black aeroplane and she saw no one except the
narrator’s in the sky during the storm. Even the radar showed only the
narrator’s plane that night in the sky.
Question 5.
Who do you think helped the
narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for
your answer.
Answer:
It is very difficult to say about the unknown pilot who helped the narrator.
But probably it was the narrator himself that helped him to overcome the fear
in the storm as no other plane was seen in the radar except the narrator’s
Dakota plane. In that fearsome situation, he might have been hallucinating. He
himself was a good pilot and brave enough who helped himself land safely.
Thinking about Language
(Page 40)
Question 1.
Study the sentences given
below.
(a) They looked like black
mountains.
(b) Inside the clouds,
everything was suddenly black.
(c) In the
black clouds near me, I saw another aeroplane.
(d) The strange black aeroplane was there.
The word ‘black’ in sentences (a) and (c) refers to the very darkest colour.
But in (b) and (d) (here) it means without light/with no light.
‘Black’ has a variety of meanings in different contexts. For example:
(a) ‘I prefer black tea’ means ‘I prefer tea without milk’.
(b) ‘With increasing pollution the future of the world is black’ means With
increasing pollution the future of the world is very depressing/without
hope’.
Now, 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.
Questions.
1. Go and have a bath, your
hands and face are absolutely black____ .
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____.
6. Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue____.
Answers:
1.A. The meaning of ‘black ’ in
this sentence is that the face and hands are dark because of dust and dirt.
2.A. Here, ‘black’ refers to an angry look.
3.A. “Here, ‘blackest’ refers to the darkest and cruellest crime against
humanity.
4.A. Here, ‘black’ refers to
dark and gloomy comedy.
5.A. The meaning
of ‘black’in this sentence is that the shopkeepers sell the described goods
‘at a higher price’.
6.A. 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 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 |
Answer:
1. (c),
2. (e),
3. (a),
4. (b),
5. (d)