CBSE Class 10 English Two Stories about Flying – I His First Flight Assignment

Two Stories about Flying – I His First Flight

INTRODUCTION—
This imaginary story conveys the message that one learns by taking courage and not by sitting idle. A young seagull is fed lovingly by his parents. But when the time comes for him to fly, he feels himself afraid. At last, his mother hits upon a plan by persuading him with food in her beak. And the seagull finally learns how to fly.

SUMMARY—
The young seagull was alone on his ledge. His two brothers and his sister had already flown away. When he wanted to fly, he could not do so. He was afraid of flying. When his brothers and sister flew, he failed to gather the courage to fly. He was really very sad. His father and mother came to him. They asked him to fly. They even rebuked him. They threatened if he did not fly, he would die of hunger there. But he could not move.
That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then, no one has come near him. He had watched his parents and brothers and sisters flying. His parents had been perfecting his brothers and sister how to dive for fish.They called him to fly. But he could not.

The sun was rising. It was getting very hot. He felt the heat. He had not eaten for long. He had found a dried piece of a fish tail. But it was not enough. There was not even a single piece of food anywhere for him. He had gone forward and backward on the ledge. But he couldn’t fly. He wanted to reach his parents. There was a deep sea below. The ridge was high.

The seagull closed his eyes standing on one leg. He had the other leg hidden under his wing. He pretended to sleep. He thought that his parents didn’t take notice of him. However, mother was looking at him. He saw her tearing at a piece of fish at her feet. He was mad to see the food. He gave out a sound to get it. His mother replied in a sound and looked at him. She picked a piece of the fish. She flew across to him with it. He leaned out tapping the rock with his feet. His mother flew across trying to get nearer to him. The seagull had the food within the reach of his beak. But he could not get at it.

The seagull waited a moment in surprise. He wondered why his mother did not come nearer. He was so mad with hunger that he dived at the fish. He fell outwards with a scream and downwards into space. His mother had swooped upwards. As he passed beneath her, he heard the swish of her wings. Then a great fear caught him. His heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted for a moment. The next moment, he felt his wings spread outwards. He felt the wind rushing against his breast feathers. It rushed under his stomach, and against his wings. He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring slowly downwards and upwards. He was no longer afraid.

The seagull gave out a joyous scream. He soared higher calling ‘ga, ga, ga’. His mother gave out ‘gaw col-ah’. Then his father flew over him screaming. Then he saw his brothers and sister flying around him.They were roaring and diving.

Then he completely forgot that he had not always been able to fly. He commended himself to dive and soar. He was near the sea now, flying straight over it. He saw a vast green sea beneath him. His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on the green surface of water ahead of him. They were calling him to do the same thing. He dropped his leg to stand on the green sea. But his legs sank into it. He cried with fear. He tried to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger. He could not rise. His feet sank into the green sea. His belly touched it but he sank no further. He was floating on it. Around him was his family, crying and praising him. It was offering him scraps of dog-fish. He had made his first flight.

Extract Based Questions 

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. 

1.He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer, and then maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish. With a loud scream he fell outwards and downwards into space.

Question. Whom was he waiting for?
a. his mother
b. his father
c. his sister
d. his brother
Answer : A

Question. Who is ‘He’?
a. The father seagull
b. The young seagull
c. The brother seagull
d. The neighbour seagull
Answer : B

Question. With a ___________ scream, he fell outwards and downwards into space.
a. slight
b. slow
c. high
d. loud
Answer : D

Question. What did he dive at?
a. at the crab
b. at the shark fish
c. at the bird
d. at the fish
Answer : D

2.He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his wing he closed one eye, then the other and pretended to be falling asleep. Still they took no notice of him. 

Question. What was the Seagull afraid of?
a. singing
b. eating
c. flying
d. dancing
Answer : C

Question. The young seagull pretended to be falling __________.
a. from the edge
b. and got hurt
c. asleep
d. from the height
Answer : C

Question. Trace a word from the passage which means ‘the edge of land before a steep slope’.
a. brink
b. pretended
c. asleep
d. stepped
Answer : A

Question. Who is ‘they’ in the above lines?
a. other birds
b. seagull’s parents
c. other seagulls
d. the fishes
Answer : B

3.He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise, exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no further. He was floating on it, and around him his family was screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog fish.

Question. His family was praising him because he had made a ____________ flight.
a. smart
b. extra-ordinary
c. successful
d. unsuccessful
Answer : C

Question. What was the family offering him?
a. grains
b. small fish
c. scraps of dog fish
d. bread crumbs
Answer : C

Question. Find the synonym of the word ‘tired out’ from the passage.
a. attempted
b. strange
c. sank
d. exhausted
Answer : D

Question. Who was tired and weak with hunger?
a. The young seagull
b. Mother seagull
c. Father seagull
d. Brother seagull
Answer : A

Reference to Context

1. ‘His father and mother had come around calling to him shrilly, upbraiding him, threatening to let him starve on his ledge unless he flew away. But for the life of him, he could not move.’

(a) Choose the answer that lists the CORRECT option about the inner feel that the seagull had before flying.
(i) option 1
(ii) option 2
(iii) option 3
(iv) option 4
Answer : A

(b) Why are the father and mother angry?
(i) seagull is not eating
(ii) seagull is not flying
(iii) seagull is not jumping
iv) nseagull is not swimming
Answer : B

(c ) What are they threatening to do if he doesn’t listen?
(i) starve him
(ii) abandon him
(iii) scold him
(iv) push him
Answer : A

(d) Why is the seagull unable to fly?
(i) he doesn’t like flying
(ii) he is scared
(iii) he doesn’t know how to fly
(iv) his wings are heavy
Answer : B

(e) Which of the following expressions is INCORRECT with respect to the word ‘scolding’ ?
(i) threatening
(ii) ledge
(iii) shrilly
(iv) upbraiding
Answer : B

2. He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise, exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no further. He was floating on it, and around him his family was screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog fish.

(a) How did the seagull feel when his belly touched the green sea?
(i) he felt excited
(ii) he felt joyous
(iii) he was scared that he would sink
(iv) none of these
Answer : C

(b) Why was he so scared to dive?
(i) because it was his last flight
(ii) because he was sick
(iii) because he had no legs
(iv) because it was his first flight
Answer : D

(c ) An antonym for the word ‘scrap’ is:
(i) whole
(ii) piece
(iii) chunk
(iv) bits
Answer : A

(d) A synonym for the word ‘flapping’ is:
(i) calm
(ii) still
(iii) shake
(iv) soothe
Answer : C

(e) Why did his family praise him?
(i) because he successfully made his first flight
(ii) because he caught a fish
(iii) because he grabbed his own food
(iv) none of these
Answer : A

3. “I ought to go back to Paris”, I thought, but I wanted to get home. I wanted that breakfast. I’ll take the risk’, I
thought, and flew that Old Dakota straight into the storm. Inside the clouds everything was suddenly black.
It was impossible to see anything outside the aeroplane.
The old aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air. I looked at the compass. I couldn’t believe my eyes :
the compass was turning round and round. It was dead. It would not work! The other instruments were suddenly dead, too.

(a) “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk?
(i) to fly the old Dakota airplane into the storm.
(ii) to go back to his home
(iii) to stop the flight
(iv) none of these
Answer : A

(b) What difficulties did the narrator face while flying in the storm?
(i) It was so dark all around
(ii) all the instruments of his aero plane stopped working.
(iii) both (i) and (ii)
(iv) none of these
Answer : D

(c ) Where was the pilot headed?
(i) towards his next stop
(ii) towards his home
(iii) towards the airport
(iv) none of these
Answer : B

(d) Why did he take the risk?
(i) to land the airplane
(ii) to save his life
(iii) to go to his home
(iv) none of these
Answer : C

(e) ______________ is the synonym of ‘twisted’
(i) curled
(ii) simple
(iii) even
(iv) straight
Answer : A

Question. Read the extracts given below and comment on the similarity in the nature of the scientists expression and creativity of both the young girls mentioned in the extracts.
(a) The sun was now ascending the sky, blazing on his ledge that faced the south. He felt the heat because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall. He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his leg. (His first flight)
(b) The moon was coming up in the east, behind me, and stars were shining in the clear sky above me.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was happy to be alone high up above the sleeping countryside.
(The Black Aeroplane)
Answer : In the first extract, the time of the day is mentioned to show the sick feeling of the seagull because he had not eaten since the previous night and so the heat of the sun was adding to his discomfort. The seagull could not fly like his siblings and the heat of the sun was making him feel more miserable. He ultimately stood on one leg to get some escape from the scorching heat.
In the second extract, night time is mentioned when the moon is up in the sky. At this hour, the atmosphere is cool and pleasant and adds to the happy mood of the narrator as he looks forward to be with his family and have breakfast with them. The moon and the stars furthers the happiness and makes him treasure the feeling that he is high up in the sky when the whole world is sleeping.

Question. The day before, all day long, he had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish. He had, in fact, seen his older brother catch his first herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents circled around raising a proud cackle.
(a) Why was the young seagull alone? What was the reason for his family treating him with so much derision?
(b) Give the synonym of skim.
Answer : (a) He was alone because his family had been flying and he wasn’t. His family was treating him in such a way because he had shown fear of flying.
(b) Bounce or Browse.

Question. Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted a minute.
The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. The wind rushed against his breast feathers, then under his stomach, and against his wings. – He could feel the
tips of his wings cutting through the air. He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually downwards arid outwards, He was no longer afraid.
(a) Why did a monstrous terror seize the young seagull? Do you think his fear about his wings was justified?
(b) Which word in the passage mean “slowly and steadily”?
Answer : (a) The young seagull felt the fear when he first tried to fly. No. Instead his wings cut easily through the wind and supported him. 
(b) Gradually.

Question. “He knows that I am lost”, I thought ‘He’s trying to help me. He turned his aeroplane slowly to the north, in front of my Dakota, so that it would be easier for me to follow him. I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like an obedient child. After half an hour the strange black aeroplane was still there in front of me in the clouds. Now, there was only enough fuel in the old Dakota’s last tank to fly for five or ten minutes more. I was starting to feel frightened again. But then he started to go down and I followed through the storm.
(a) Why was he happy behind the strange aeroplane like “an obedient child”? What made the pilot afraid again?
(c) Find a word similar in meaning as biddable.
Answer : (a) The pilot followed the strange black plane like an obedient child because he was lost in the storm clouds and he was glad of the help. The pilot was frightened because he was going low on fuel.
(b) Obedient.

Short Answer Type Questions :

Question. The young seagull was afraid of flying. Why ? 
Answer : The young seagull was afraid of flying as it was a steep fall to the sea, the sea expanse was vast and he thought that his wings would not support him, and he would die. So he avoided to fly and preferred staying back alone on his ledge.

Question. How did the seagull feel when his belly touched the green sea ?
Answer : When the seagull’s belly touched the green sea, he was scared that he would sink. He tried to fly but could not. He was exhausted and weak due to hunger.

Question. Where did the author go after landing? Why?
Answer : The author went to the control centre. He went there to ask where he was and who the other pilot was?
He met a woman there to know about it all. But she looked at him very strangely. Then she laughed as she told him that there was no other plane except his.

Question. How does the author describe the young seagull’s fear of flying?
Answer : The young seagull was afraid of flying. Everytime he flapped his wings, he would get scared. He thought he would die if he tried to fly. The sea stretched down beneath him. He felt certain that his wings would never support him. So he would bend his head and run away back to the little hole everytime.

Question. How did the young seagull’s parents teach him to fly?
Answer : After one day of scolding and cajoling the young seagull to fly, the parents were fed up. The young seagull was hungry and when he called for his mother, she flew towards him with some food. The seagull in his hunger just dived towards the food and learnt to fly.

Question. How did the young seagull’s family celebrate his first flight?
Answer : The young seagull's family saw that he was now flying. He had conquered his fear of flying. His family celebrated his first flight. He was floating on the green sea. His family was screaming around him and they were praising him. That showed their joy over his successful flight. They offered scraps of dogfish to him out of delight to celebrate his success.

Question. What was going in the mind of the author when he was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France?
Answer : The author was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France during one night. The sky was cloudless. He was dreaming of his holiday, thinking of his breakfast. He was looking forward to being with his family. He was about to come home at that time in England. So, he was in a jolly mood.

Question. What did the seagull call the surface of the sea? Did he land on it confidently?
Answer : The young seagull referred to the sea surface as green flooring. When he landed on it, his feet just sank in and he thought he would drown but soon realised that he floated over it and was even able to paddle along.

Question. What questions came into the mind of the pilot after the woman told him that there was no other aeroplane except his?
Answer : The author was amazed to hear the woman. She told him that he was the only one to fly the aeroplane.
There was no other aeroplane except his. The questions were : who helped him to land safely without a compass or a radio or any more fuel in his tanks? Who was the pilot on that black aeroplane flying in the storm, without lights? The pilot was confused, amazed and shocked. He could not believe his ears.

Question. Who rescued the pilot of Dakota in the storm? How?
Answer : A pilot in a black aeroplane rescued the Dakota and its pilot in the storm. The black aeroplane beckoned the pilot of Dakota to follow him and took him out of the storm to a safe airport.

Question. What did the young seagull’s mother do when he cried to bring him some food?
Answer : The young seagull cried for some food. It was because he was greatly hungry. He felt the fear of flying. His mother screamed back but he kept calling her. She picked up a piece of fish and then flew across to him. He leaned out trying to get near her. It was to get food from her but she halted with the fish in her beak.

Question. What did the inside of the cloud look like when the author decided to fly straight into them?
Answer : The clouds were thick and dark. Everything inside the clouds was black. The aeroplane jumped and twisted into the air. The compass turned round and round. All this was a signal of danger to life. Other instruments were dead. The radio was also dead. The pilot could not see where he was. He was lost in the storm.

Long Answer Type Questions :

Question. What role was played by the family of the seagull to train him in the art of flying ?
Answer : To train the young seagull in the art of flying, the entire family helped out. His sister and brothers encouraged him to muster up courage and try to fly. The parents called out in a shrill voice, along with cajoling and scolding him in turn. Then they threatened to let him starve. When all this proved unsuccessful, his mother tempted him by flying close to his ledge with a piece of fish in her mouth. Maddened by hunger, he dived forward to get that piece and fell into space. To save himself, he spread his wings and found that he was able to fly. Thus, the entire family helped him in making him to learn the art of flying. His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on the green surface of water ahead of him. They were calling him to do the same thing. They were flying around him. They were roaring and diving. When he was tired and weak with hunger, he could not rise. Then his family came around him crying and praising him. They offered him scraps of dog-fish because he had made his first flight successfully.

Question. Justify the title for the story ‘His First Flight’.
Answer : The story ‘His First Flight’ is about a young seagull who is reluctant to take his first flight off a ledge. His sister and brothers have all learnt to fly the previous day buy he is scared to take the first step off the ledge. His parents try everything to make him take the plunge but to no avail. Then his mother uses his hunger and gets him to take off the ledge. His first flight is thrilling for him and his family rejoices with him. The story is about the young seagull’s first flight and so the title is justified.

Question. What was the author thinking of and looking forward to while flying his Dakota in clear sky? What happened then?
Answer : The author was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France. He was on his way to England. It was one thirty in the morning. The moon was coming up in the east. The stars were shining in the clear sky. The author was happy to be flying high up above the sleeping countryside. He was dreaming of his enjoyable holidays in France. He wanted to be with his family. He wanted to be at the breakfast table with his family. So he contacted the Paris Control. It directed him to turn twelve degrees west. Then suddenly he saw huge stormy clouds. They looked like black mountains. He could not understand now to cross hem. This left him confused and scared. He was terrified and did not known how to cross them.

Question. Describe how the young seagull made his maiden flight?
Answer : The young seagull was greatly afraid of flying. His parents, brothers and sister had left him alone for twenty-four hours. He was very storming. He had no self-confidence to fly. His parents rebuked him. So he called out to his mother. Who came with a piece of fish. She offered it to him. But he was not able to catch it. So he dived for it in desperation. He fell outwards and downwards. But the next moment he felt his wings had spread outwards. The wind rushed past him. He screamed in joy because he was finally flying. It was his maiden flight.

Question. Describe in brief the journey of the author in his aeroplane.
Answer : The author was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England. Then he suddenly saw stormy dark clouds. He could not understand what to do. But he flew straight into the storm. He couldn’t see anything outside his aeroplane The compass didn’t work. Suddenly, he saw another pilot. Who asked him to follow his plane? After half an hour, he came out of the clouds. He landed safely. He asked the lady at the airport about the black aeroplane but she told him that there was no such aeroplane. He couldn’t understand anything about the aeroplane.

Question. Suddenly I came out of the clouds and saw two straight lines of lights in front of me. It was a runway! An airport! I was safe! I turned to look for my friend in the black aeroplane but the sky was empty. [The Black Aeroplane]
Answer : In these two instances, both the protagonists needed help. In The Apostrophe starts Black Aeroplane Apostrophe end, the pilot was helped by a stranger in a black aeroplane in the storm, without lights which steered through the dark clouds. The pilot had been told that there was no other aeroplane in the air other than his and ultimately he was not clear who had helped him. The identity of the person is open to interpretation and though help is not asked for, he still receives it and was thankful for it.

Question. Do you agree that the story ‘The Black Aeroplane’ is a mystery? Justify.
Answer : A mystery is something about which we don’t know anything. There is some information, event or thing that is unexplained. A mystery raises more questions than answering them. The story ‘The Black Aeroplane’ is a mystery because by the end of the story there are more questions about who was in the black aeroplane? Where did the plane go after helping the narrator? And so on. Apart from the narrator, no one else has seen the plane and even in the thick of a storm, the plane just disappeared without a trace. Therefore, the story about the black aeroplane is a mystery.

Question. Was it the imagination of the pilot of Dakota aeroplane or a supreme power which helped the first pilot in landing safely? Do you think that there is always a supreme power that helps us in adversity?
Answer : The pilot of the old Dakota aeroplane was caught in the black stormy clouds. Suddenly, a black aeroplane comes to his rescue. In the modern age of science and technology some people may reject the idea of a supreme power helping a person in crisis. It may be the imagination of the Dakota pilot. When in distress, he lost all hopes. Maybe his own imagination guided him to go ahead and land safely.
I support this because the statement of the woman in the control room further confirms the non-existence of any black aeroplane on the radar. So there was neither any black aeroplane nor any pilot, it was purely the imagination of the Dakota pilot.
I personally feel the presence of supreme power in our own acts. At the time of adversity our own power helps us.

Question. Read the extracts given below and comment on the similarity in the nature of the scientists expression and creativity of both the young girls mentioned in the extracts.
(a) The sun was now ascending the sky, blazing on his ledge that faced the south. He felt the heat because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall. He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his leg. (His first flight)
(b) The moon was coming up in the east, behind me, and stars were shining in the clear sky above me. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was happy to be alone high up above the sleeping countryside.
(The Black Aeroplane)
Answer : In the first extract, the time of the day is mentioned to show the sick feeling of the seagull because he hadnot eaten since the previous night and so the heat of the sun was adding to his discomfort. The seagull could not fly like his siblings and the heat of the sun was making him feel more miserable. He ultimately stood on one leg to get some escape from the scorching heat. In the second extract, night time is mentioned when  the moon is up in the sky. At this hour, the atmosphere is cool and pleasant and adds to the happy mood of the narrator as he looks forward to be with his family and have breakfast with them. The moon and the stars furthers the happiness and makes him treasure the feeling that he is high up in the sky when the whole world is sleeping.

Question. Imagine you are the seagull’s mother. You wanted him to fly and your plan worked. Write a page in your diary to describe how he ventured into his flight.
Answer :
Monday : 25th June, 20xx
10:30 p.m.

Dear Diary
Today I am feeling very happy. Finally, all my children are able to fly. Coaxing the youngest one was in deed a real ordeal. He just refused to get off the ledge. We tried every method but failed. After nearly 24 hours, I could see that he was feeling really hungry. So I decided to play a trick on him. I took a piece of fish in my mouth and flew close to the ledge. Maddened by hunger, he stepped forward to get the fish, lost his balance and fell outwards. Instinctively, he spread his wings and found that he could fly.
Even my husband and other children supported him. When he was near the sea, while flying straight over it, all of us landed on the green surface of water ahead of him. We all started calling him to do the same thing. He dropped his leg to stand on the green sea. But his legs sank into it. He cried with fear. He tried to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger. He could not rise. We all started crying and praising him. At last we offered him scraps of dog-fish. He had at last made his first flight successful with great effort. It was the proud moment of my life. Now I am relaxed.

Good night Diary.