CBSE Class 10 English Madam Rides The Bus Worksheet

MADAM RIDES THE BUS 

                                     -VALLIKKANNAN

I. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1. There was a girl named Valliammai who was called Valli for short. She was eight years old and very curious about things. Her favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house, watching what was happening in the street outside. There were no playmates of her age and this was about all she had to do.

Question. Why did Valli choose a different pastime for her?
A. Because there were no playmates of her own age.
B. Because she did not like to play with other children.
C. Because she was very curious
D. She liked the company of her own.
Answer: A

Question. Which characteristic of Valli is mentioned in the extract?
A. Optimistic
B. Shyness
C. Introvert
D. Inquisitive
Answer: D

Question. Choose the statement that is not true according to the given extract.
A. Valli was an eight year old child.
B. Valli was a curious person.
C. Valli used to play with her friends on the street.
D. Her favourite pastime was to watch the street.
Answer: C

Question. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Answer: Her favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house, watching what was happening in the street outside.

Question. Fill in the blank
The reason behind Valli’s standing is_____________
Answer: she had no playmates to play with her

2. Day after day she watched the bus, and gradually a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there: she wanted to ride on that bus, even if it was just once. This wish became stronger and an overwhelming desire. Valli would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus when it stopped at the street corner. Their faces would kindle in her longings, dreams and hopes. If one of her friends happened to ride the bus and tried to describe the sights of the town to her, Valli would be too jealous to listen and would shout, in English: “Proud! Proud” Neither she nor her friends really understood the meaning of the word, but they used it often as a slang expression of disapproval.

Question. Why did Valli become jealous?
Answer: Vali becomes jealous when one of her friends describes the town sights.

Question. The word “gradually” means ___________
Answer: slowly

Question. Choose the correct codes that show the list of words that collocate with overwhelming (example overwhelming desire)
(1) response. (2) lies. (3)support (4) majority (5) pets (6) Places
A. (1), (5) and (6)
B. (1), (3) and (4).
C. (2) and (5)
D. (3), (5) and (6)
Answer: B

Question. Why did Valli stare wistfully at the people in the bus?
A. Because she had been watching the bus for a long time.
B. Because she was inspired by the people travelling on the bus.
C. Because she had a strong desire to take a ride on the bus.
D. Because she envied the people who could travel on the bus.
Answer: C

Question. “Valli would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus.” What is the meaning of wistfully?
A. Fearfully
B. Carefully
C. Willingly
D. Longing
Answer: D

3. Over many days and months Valley listened carefully to conversations between her neighbours and people who regularly used the bus, and she also asked a few discreet questions here and there. This way she picked up various small details about the bus journey. The town was 6 miles from her village. The fare was 30 Paise one-way “which is almost nothing at all”, she heard one well-dressed man say, but to Valli, who scarcely saw that much money from one month to the next, it seemed a fortune. The trip to the town took 45 minutes. On reaching town, if she stayed in her seat and paid another 30 paise, she could return home on the same bus. This meant that she could take another 1 o’clock afternoon bus, reach the town at 1:45, and be back home by about 2:45.

Question. How did Valli pick up small details about the bus journey?
A. Listening to conversations of neighbours
B. Asking a few discreet questions
C. Both A and B
D. None of the above
Answer: C

Question.The synonym of ‘discreet’ used to extract is
A. Carefully
B. Cautious
C. Details
D. Regularly
Answer: B

Question. Why did Valli listen to the conversations?
A. Because she was curious.
B. Because she wanted to travel by bus.
C. Because it was her hobby.
D. Because she had nothing else to do.
Answer: B

Question. In how much time Valli could reach the town in the bus?
Answer: She could reach the town in 45 minutes

Question. pick the option that correctly classifies facts (F) and opinions (O) of the students below.
(1) I think Valli was an active listener
(2) I think Valli was a curious person
(3) I think Valli was an intelligent girl as per her age
(4) I think Valli was very irritating for the neighbours
A. Facts 1,2 and opinion 3,4
B. Facts 2,3, 4 and opinion 1
C. Facts 3 and Opinions 1,2,4
D. Facts 1,2,3 Opinion 4
Answer: D

Question. What was the timing of the afternoon nap taken by Valli’s mother?
(a) 1 to 3
(b) 1 to 4
(c) 2 to 4
(d) 2 to 3
Answer. B

Question. How long would it take Valli to complete her journey on the bus as calculated by her?
(a) An hour and a quarter minutes
(b) One and a half hour
(c) One hour and forty-five minutes
(d) Two hours
Answer. C

Question. What was the next challenge once she’d saved enough money?
(a) Tell her mom about it
(b) Know about the timings
(c) Buy a ticket
(d) To sneak out of the house
Answer. D

Question. What was the season when Valli did travel?
(a) Summer
(b) Winter
(c) Spring
(d) Monsoon
Answer. C

Question. The bus crawled to a halt_____.
(a) To avoid a crash
(b) A woman halted the bus
(c) A tiny hand was raised
(d) To take in passengers
Answer. C

Question. The first thing Valli did on stopping the bus.
(a) Shout at the driver
(b) Hand over the fare
(c) Jump into the bus
(d) Ask the conductor the route
Answer. B

Question. In the lesson Madam Rides the Bus, pick the apt word which means overwhelming desire.
(a) immense
(b) Huge
(c) Large
(d) Feeble
Answer. A

Question. The ideal word for luck in the passage is________.
(a) Chance
(b) Destiny
(c) Fortune
(d) Rich
Answer. C

Question. How did she collect information about the bus?
(a) By checking the bags of passengers every time.
(b) By asking some discreet questions.
(c) By checking the luggage of passengers every time.
(d) None of these
Answer. B

Question. In the lesson Madam Rides the Bus, pick the apt word which means stretched out a hand in the context?
(a) Exercise
(b) Extend
(c) Expand
(d) Relax
Answer. B

Question. “Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself. You don’t have to help me.” How would you describe Valli’s character traits?
(a) Frightened
(b) Self-conscious
(c) Self-dependent
(d) Feeble
Answer. C

Question. What did the conductor call Valli?
(a) Cute Girl1
(b) Madam
(c) First Passenger
(d) None of these
Answer. B

Question. “Oh, please don’t be angry with me, my fine madam,”said the conductor _______
(a) Respectfully
(b) Annoyingly
(c) Jokingly
(d) Wittingly
Answer. C

Question. In the lesson ‘Madam Rides the Bus’, relate the words jolly: angry: slack: ___________.
(a) Less
(b) Busy
(c) Careless
(d) Loose
Answer. B

Question. Valli tried to avoid everyone’s eyes since____
(a) She was overcome with anger
(b) She was overcome with fear
(c) She was avoiding stares
(d) She was overcome with shyness
Answer. D

Question. Instead of an old rickety bus in the excerpt, the writer chose to describe a new freshly painted bus. What can the reason be for this?
(a) The writer wanted Valli to be happy riding a new bus.
(b) A new bus always will be fast, so that Valli could return home in time.
(c) The writer wanted to emphasize that modernity was well ensconced all around the village, except the village itself.
(d) The writer wants us to focus on the contrast between the old village and the new bus.
Answer. C

Question. What does the sentence ‘Valli devoured everything with her eyes’ in the Madam Rides the Bus specify according to the author?
(a) She was constantly eating and watching
(b) She was just looking out
(c) She was enjoying the ride
(d) She was bored through the ride.
Answer. C

Question. ______________was hindering Valli’s views from the window.
(a) The tall trees
(b) The windshield
(c) The Canvas blind
(d) The Shining overhead bars
Answer. C

Question. Why did Valli stand up?
(a) She wanted to enjoy the ride
(b) She wasn’t able to look outside properly
(c) She liked standing
(d) She was tired of sitting
Answer. B

Question. ‘So she stood up on the seat and peered over the blind’ showed that_______.
(a) Valli was adamant
(b) Valli was angry
(c) Valli was disturbed
(d) Valli was destructive
Answer. A

Question. The bus was now going along the bank of a canal. Here bank refers to______
(a) Edge
(b) Financial Institution
(c) Bridge
(d) Flyover
Answer. A

II. Answer the following in about 40 to 50 words

Question. What was the most fascinating thing that Valli saw on the street?
Answer: The most fascinating thing that Valli saw on the street was the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. It passed through her street each hour, once going to the town and once coming back.

Question. How did Valli save money to travel by bus?
Answer: Saved the money to travel by bus by controlling every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons and even a ride on the merry-go-round at the village fair to save money for her bus journey.

Question. Who was Valli? Why did she keep standing in front of the door?
Answer: Valli was an eight year old girl who was very curious. She kept standing in front of the door as there were no playmates of her age. So, she used to keep on watching the street outside her house.

Question. Where was the town located? What was the fare to travel there by bus?
Answer: The town was located 6 miles away from Valli’s village. The fare to travel to town by bus was 30 Paise for one way.

Question. What did Valli keep on planning and calculating continuously?
Answer: Valli kept on planning and calculating continuously. She planned and calculated how much time it would take to reach the town and the fare that would be required in completing her journey.

Question. Describe the bus in which Valli sat.
Answer: The bus in which Valli sat was new. Its outside was painted a gleaming white with some green strips along the sides. Inside, the overhead bars shone like silver. There was a beautiful clock above the windshield and its seats were soft and luxurious.

Question. How was the view outside the bus when it went through the road?
Answer: The view outside the bus when it went through the narraownroad was beautiful. Valli saw that on one side was a canal beyond which there were palm trees, grasslands distant mountains and the blue sky. On the other side, there were a deep ditch and acres of green fields.

Question. Why did the conductor want Valli to sit?
Answer: The conductor wanted Valli to sit as she might fall and hurt herself when the bus took a sharp turn. No, Valli did not listen to him continued till the next bus stand.

Question. How did Valli feel on seeing the dead cow on the road?
Answer: On seeing the dead cow on the road, Valli felt sad. She thought that a lovable, beautiful creature just a little while ago had now suddenly lost its charm and its life. It looked so horrible and frightening. After that, she did not even look outside the bus.

Question. Why did smile to herself? Did her mother and aunt had any chance of knowing the secret of her smile?
Answer: Valli smiled to herself when she realised that her mother and aunt would never, know about her journey. They did not know anything about Valli’s bus journey and had no chance of knowing Valli’s secret.

Question. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Answer: standing on the door, sight of the bus and passengers

Question. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Answer: conversations held between her neighbours and the passengers. Sometimes she also asked questions from them.

Question. Why didn‘t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Answer: for her big holes in the ears, earrings was very ugly. She was chewing the betel-nut. Its juice could fall at any moment. She was putting irrelevant questions to Valli.

Question. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Answer: a young cow right in front of the running bus.
-The driver slowed it down. He sounded the horn very loudly time and again.
-more he honked, the more the cow was frightened and galloped faster. This made Valli laugh.

Question. What did Valli refuse to take? Why didn‘t Valli get off the bus at the bus station?
Answer: She refused to see the sights and the cold drink. She was afraid to move alone. She was wise.

Question. What kind of person is Valli? Substantiate your answer from the incidents in the text that you have read.
Answer: Valli was determined, confident and brave girl. she was also a good planner and executioner. She sacrificed a lot of things to achieve her dream. Arrangement of bus fare, Incidents from bus. Self-assured,Said no to temptations, cow incident.

Question. Compare Valli‘s journey to the city with her journey back home. Why was there a change in her mood?
Answer: Valli‘s introduction into the mystery of life and death.
-While on her way to the city Valli saw a cow running very fast in the middle of the road, right in front of the bus. Valli enjoyed the scene. She kept on laughing initially and her eyes were filled with tears. She saw life in the form of a small cow. This is what life gives us—happiness, enjoyment. Valli enjoyed the scene.
-On her way back home, she saw a dead cow lying on the road. It was hit by some speeding vehicle. She recognised it. It was the same cow that filled her life with fun and joy only a few minutes before. She was overcome with the feelings of sadness. She realised how death can change the things.
―What had been a lovable, beautiful creature just a little while ago had now suddenly lost its charm and its life and looked so horrible, so frightening.‖ -The memory of the dead cow haunted Valli and she did not enjoy her remaining journey

Question. The bus conductor was a jolly, caring and a good hearted person. Quote incidents from the text to support the statement.
Answer: an amiable person, with good manners and a general inclination to help and spread happiness.
-He exhibits genuine concern for a young girl, who is travelling alone, by making sure that she is comfortably seated and also offering to buy her something to drink.
-He takes it in a good spirit when Valli demands respect and does not wish to be treated as a child.

Question. Once we decide to achieve something, so many difficulties come in our way. With focused attention we can make that achievement. How did Valli succeed in fulfilling her desire of riding the bus?
Answer: It is true once we decide to achieve something, many difficulties came in our way to stop us from doing our best to achieve our goals. However, with focused attention we can make our achievement. The story “Madam Rides the Bus” prove this fact to be true.
In the story,Valliammai or Valli, an eight year old girl develops a strong desire to take a ride on the bus that travelled from her street every day. As a confident and bold girl she not only gathered all knowledge about the journey but also meticulously planned the trip.
With extreme self-control, she saved the money she would require for round trip in the bus. She controlled her desire to buy peppermints, toys, balloons and even did not take a ride on the merry-go-round in the village fair.
Then she properly plans to take the journey quitely when her mother is taking her afternoon nap. Finally, she was able to fulfill her dreams. Her passion, self dependent and self respecting nature helped her to take the journey safely. Thus it is true that which focused attention, determination and planning one can achieve everything in life.

Question. “Valli was a mature girl ahead of her age.” Justify the statement with instances from the text.
Answer: Valli was an eight year old curious girl who developed a strong desire to take a bus ride. In the story, Valli emerged as a clever, sensitive, self-respecting and fun loving girl. With determination and passion she worked towards fulfilling her desire.
Not only did she Just to gather all the information required for the bus journey but also sacrificed many things to achieve it. She control her simple desires of buying toys, balloons, to track to take a ride on the bus.
During the bus journey, Valli proved to be mature, confident, bold and practical girl beyond her age. She was full of excitement and enthusiasm with which she enjoyed the scenes outside the bus. Even the cow filled her with extreme joy.
She was also a keen observant, intelligent and sensitive girl, she was friendly, polite as well as careful. She not only refuses to take a cold drink from a strange man but also
shows how good manners while talking to the conductor.
Her nature is evident when she is saddened by the dead cow lying by the roadside. All these characteristics shows that she is different from other children of her age.

Question. Curiosity is the mother of learning. If one has an urge to know more about anything, one learns many things. Valli also has an urge to know more and more about things and her surroundings which makes her an intelligent, confident and mature girl. What traits of her character makes her so?
Answer: Curiosity is the mother of learning. If one has an urge to know more about anything, one learns many things. In the story, “Madam Rides the Bus”, Valli also has the urge to know more and more about things and her surroundings. She is a curious eight year old girl who observes her surroundings and learns a lot from others.
She stands on the front door of her house and enjoyed looking at the various activities around her house. When she develops a strong desire to ride in the bus, her curious nature helps her a lot. It allows her to listen to the conversations of other people who have travelled in the bus. She could even confidently ask questions so that she could gather as much information as she can, regarding the bus journey.
While on her journey, she behaved friendly with the bus conductor and maturedly handled herself throughout the bus journey. Her curious nature makes her intelligent and confident.

Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 10 English Madam Ride The Bus Worksheet