NCERT Solutions for Black Aeroplane (Two Stories about Flying) Class 10 First Flight English
Book Solutions1
“I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk ? Why does the narrator take it ?
Answer
A huge storm was brewing up but 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. Thus he took the risk even when the visibility was almost zero in the storm.
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 the compass and other instruments they had stopped functioning due to storm. It was a terrifying 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. The author was happy to find someone to help him steer through the storm. He followed him without any choice and surprisingly the pilot of the other plane guided him to the runway and the narrator was able to land his plane safely.
3
Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
Answer
The narrator describes his experience of flying in the storm as a terrifying one. He was flying an old Dakota which was not sophisticated plane. He was too happy to land safely and he took a sigh of relief when he came out of the plane.
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 hadn't seen any other plane in the sky except the narrator's during the storm. Even the radar showed only the narrator's plane that night in the sky.
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 who helped him 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 to help himself land safely.
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 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 to create false scarcity and then sell these in black. _______
6. Villagers had beaten the criminal 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.
2
Match the phrases given under Column A with their meanings given under Column B:
|
A |
B |
||
|
1. |
Fly a flag |
− |
Move quickly/suddenly |
|
2. |
Fly into rage |
− |
Be successful |
|
3. |
Fly along |
− |
Display a flag on a long pole |
|
4. |
Fly high |
− |
Escape from a place |
|
5. |
Fly the coop |
− |
Become suddenly very angry |
Answer
|
A |
B |
||
|
1. |
Fly a flag |
− |
Display a flag on a long pole |
|
2. |
Fly into rage |
− |
Become suddenly very angry |
|
3. |
Fly along |
− |
Move quickly/suddenly |
|
4. |
Fly high |
− |
Be successful |
|
5. |
Fly the coop |
− |
Escape from a place |
3
We know that the word ‘fly’ (of birds/insects) means to move through air using wings. Tick the words which have the same or nearly the same meaning.
|
swoop |
flit |
paddle |
flutter |
|
ascend |
float |
ride |
skim |
|
sink |
dart |
hover |
glide |
|
descend |
soar |
shoot |
spring |
|
stay |
fall |
sail |
flap |
Answer
The words which have the same or nearly the same meaning as ‘fly’ are as follows:
swoop, flit, float, dart, soar, hover, sail skim, glide, flutter