NCERT Solutions for Madam Rides the Bus Class 10 First Flight English
Book Solutions1
What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Answer
As Valli had no playmate of her age, so her favourite pastime was to stand in her doorway and watch the street. The street outside used to be full of activities which were enough to keep her amused and engaged.
2
What was a source of unending joy for Valli ? What was her strongest desire ?
Answer
The bus was a source of unending joy for her. The bus used to bring a new set of passengers every-time it came from the town. The diversity of people, their activities were a treat to watch for Valli. Her strongest desire was to take a ride in the bus at least once.
3
What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Answer
Valli tried to listen to her neighbours to get the desired information about the bus journey. She would ask some discrete questions to get more information. She got information about distance of the town from her village and the total journey time it usually took.
4
What do you think Valli was planning to do ?
Answer
Valli had a plan to fulfil her strongest desire which was to go on a bus ride.
1
Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Answer
Valli is trying to behave more mature than her age. She is trying to look overconfident and smart. The conductor is amused at her behaviour and in an effort to tease her calls her as 'madam'.
2
Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Answer
Valli's view was obstructed because of a canvas blind on the window and because of her short height as well she was unable to see outside. She stood up on her seat to have a better view of the scenery outside. She could see a canal with palm trees, grasslands, distant mountains and blue sky as backdrop. On the other side, there was a ditch followed by a vast tract of greenery.
3
What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Answer
Valli doesn't like to be called a child. She thinks that she is grown up. She says that she has paid her full fare the way adults do. This is typical behaviour shown by many kids of Valli's age.
4
Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Answer
The elderly woman was having big earlobes with bigger holes. She was chewing betel nut and the betel juice was about to seep out of her mouth. She was giving a sight of unrefined elderly lady. That is why Valli did not want to make friends with her.
1
How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Answer
Valli saved every coin that came her way. She made great sacrifices by controlling her normal childish urges of having candies, toys and joyrides. This must have been difficult for her. Kids find it very difficult to resist a candy or to enjoy a toy.2
What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Answer
A scared cow was running for her life in the middle of the road. It was jumping with its tail up. The more incessantly the bus driver honked the more furious the cow became. Valli could not control her laughter after seeing this.
3
Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station ?
Answer
She did not know anything about the town so was afraid of getting lost. Moreover, her meticulous savings plan allowed her enough money to buy only tickets for her journey. Additionally, she had to return before her mother could find her missing.
4
Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink ? What does this tell you about her ?
Answer
She did not want to take obligation from the conductor. This indicates that she is taught not to accept anything from strangers. She may be a small child but she knows how to behave properly in the outside world.
1
What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Answer
Valli's deepest desire was to enjoy a ride on the bus. Terms like 'overwhelming desire and 'wistfully' show that Valli was desperate to ride the bus.
2
How did Valli plan her bus ride ? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
Answer
Valli had to plan on two aspects. The first aspect was saving enough money to arrange for two-way fare. The second aspect, was to give a slip to her mother because a child of her age would not be allowed to go all alone. She came to know about the distance of the town and total time of journey. She also gathered information about the fare.
3
What kind of a person is Valli? To answer this question, pick out the following sentences from the text and fill in the blanks. The words you fill in are the clues to your answer.
(i) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised ______.
(ii) “Yes, I _____ go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
(iii) “There’s nobody here _____,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
(iv) “Never mind,” she said, “I can _____. You don’t have to help me. “I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said, ______.
(v) “You needn’t bother about me. I _____,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope _____.”
Answer
(i) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly.
(ii) “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
(iii) “There’s nobody here who’s a child,” she said haughtily. I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
(iv) “Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself. You don’t have to help me. “I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said, irritably.
(v) “You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope to see you again.”
4
Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’ ?
Answer
The conductor is just trying to make fun at Valli because she is trying to behave like an adult. Many a time, we see small children trying to behave like adults and many of us enjoy this sight.
5
Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.
Answer
The following lines in the text show that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus:
(i) “Valli devoured everything with her eyes.”
(ii) “On the 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. Oh, it was all so wonderful!”
(iii) “Everyone laughed, and gradually Valli too joined in the laughter. Suddenly, Valli clapped her hands with glee.”
(iv) “Somehow this was very funny to Valli. She laughed and laughed until there were tears in her eyes.”
(v) “Valli wasn’t bored to the slightest and greeted everything with the same excitement she’d felt the first time.”
6
Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Answer
On her way back, Valli witnessed a horrific incidence. The cow which was playful during the onward journey had died in an accident. Valli felt very sad at the plight of the cow. Due to this, she did not like looking out of the window on her way back.
7
What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.”
Answer
While making this statement, Valli was trying to hide the fact about her bus ride. She was also feeling elated at having made a successful attempt of her plan.
8
The author describes the things that Valii sees from an eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this statement?
Answer
The author has described the things that Valli saw from an eight-year-old’s point of view. She was fascinated by a bus. Watching the bus filled with a new set of people each time was a source of unending joy for her. Her strongest desire was to ride the bus. She saved money by cutting on peppermints, toys, and balloons, and even resisting the temptation to ride the merry-go-round at the fair. When the author describes the bus, the points he stresses on are the colour and look of the bus. It was a ‘new bus’, painted a ‘gleaming white’. The overhead bars ‘shone like silver’. The seats were ‘soft and luxurious’. The descriptions that the author gives when Valli looked outside are also typical for an eight-year-old. The ‘blue, blue sky’ and the ‘acres and acres of green fields − green, green, green’ show the enthusiasm of a kid on looking at different colours. Valli clapped her hands in glee on watching a cow run right in front of the bus. She found it so funny that tears came into her eyes. On the other hand, she was overcome with sadness on her way back when she saw the same cow lying dead. It had been a ‘lovable, beautiful creature’ and later it ‘looked so horrible’. The memory of the dead cow haunted her so much that she refused to look outside the window. These are the typical reactions of a young child.
Or
There are many incidents which show the world from an eight-year-old's perspective. For example; for an adult the fare of the bus may be peanuts, but for a small child it can be a fortune. Similarly, the way a child can enjoy as simple a thing as a six mile bus ride; can never be understood by most of the adults.