NCERT Solution for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 Two Stories about Flying
His First Flight
Thinking about the Text
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 steps?
Answer:- Because it was his first flight, the baby bird was terrified of falling and injuring himself. He was concerned that his wings would not be able to support him as he flew. Yes, it is understandable that trying anything for the first time can be frightening. To take their first flight, all birds must be terrified.
Similarly, a human newborn feels terrified of taking the first step and finds it difficult to crawl or stand up without assistance.’
Question:- 2. “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
Answer:- The hungry seagull was a young one. It was this hunger that drove it to take to the air. When it watched its mother tearing at a chunk of fish that lay at her feet, it became even more hungry. It screamed at her, pleading with her to go get some food. It shrieked with delight and eagerness as its mother approached with food in her beak. She did, however, come to a halt in the middle of her journey. It was perplexed as to why she did not approach it. It dived at the food in its mother’s beak, unable to resist or control its hunger any longer. His hunger had overcome his anxiety of the vast expanse of sea beneath the rock at that point. Finally, this plummet was met with the body’s natural reaction, 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:- The young seagull was hesitant to take to the air. Even when it witnessed its siblings and sisters soar, and when its parents assisted and taught them, it lacked the bravery to take that first flight. It was for this reason that its father and mother were yelling at it and scolding it. If it didn’t fly, they threatened to starve it on its ledge. They did so in order for it to overcome its fear and learn to fly.
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:- Yes, while I was learning to ride a bicycle in class VI, I had a similar experience. I failed miserably in my first tries and developed a dread of riding that proved tough to overcome.
No amount of prodding or cajoling could persuade me to attempt it again, but my father supported and assisted me in overcoming my phobia, as he was adamant about my learning to cycle. He forced me to sit on a mound near the village and instructed me to place my hands on the handle and my feet on the paddle. It sped up, and I was able to appreciate it without anxiety, which increased my self-assurance.
As a result, after some practise, I conquered my fear of cycling and began riding a bicycle.
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:- While learning a new skill, we encounter some difficulties. We are hesitant to do a task or try something new because we are afraid of failing. In the case of the seagull, his parents persuaded him to take flight. In the example I provided in the last question, my father persuaded me to learn to cycle. So, at that time, I was supposed to learn to cycle because it was critical for me to overcome my phobia.
Yes, my success was inevitable because if someone is committed to accomplish something, they will succeed. Furthermore, as previously stated, practise makes perfect.
The Black Aeroplane
Thinking about the Text
Question:- 1. “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Answer:- The Dakota DS 088 plane’s pilot was eager to get home to England for a holiday with his family. His plane was immersed in a massive storm of black clouds as he flew. As a result, he chose to fly directly into the storm since he didn’t want to miss the chance to meet his family for a hearty English breakfast. As a result, he took the risk of flying into the storm, despite the fact that visibility was nearly non-existent.
Question:- 2. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
Answer:- Everything went black as he flew into the storm. Outside the plane, it was impossible to see anything. It leapt and twirled in the air. When he looked at his compass, he noticed that it was spinning in circles. It was no longer alive. Other instruments, like the radio, were also dead as a result of it. Suddenly, he noticed another jet. Its pilot waved him over and motioned for him to follow. He was relieved to have found someone to assist him. He was on his last tank of petrol, with barely enough to fly for five or ten minutes. The other pilot then began to descend, and he followed suit. He appeared out of the clouds and saw the runway, where he successfully landed his jet.
Question:- 3. Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
Answer:- After being caught in a dense storm of gloomy clouds, the pilot was relieved to arrive safely and was not sorry to leave the old Dakota. He was overwhelmed with gratitude for the pilot of the other black plane, and he desperately wanted to express his gratitude for his assistance in such a terrifying situation. He was truly sorry that he could not express his gratitude to his benefactor sufficiently for assisting him in landing safely on the runway.
Question:- 4. What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?
Answer:- When the narrator inquired about the other plane and its pilot, the women in the control room were taken aback. On the radar, she claimed, there was no areoplane.
Question:- 5. Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
Answer:- Probably the narrator’s own self was the one who got him through the storm. Because the woman at the control centre could only see his plane on the radar, there were no other planes in the storm. There was also no other plane flying that night. He could have been hallucinating because of his terror. He was an excellent pilot, and it’s possible that it was his own self who came to his aid.