This post ‘Madam Rides the Bus NCERT Solutions Class 10 English’ provides NCERT solutions for Class 10th English First Flight Chapter 7 Madam Rides the Bus. I recommend first read the summary of Madam Rides the Bus to understand the questions of this chapter better.
BEFORE YOU READ (Activity 1)
Phrases you will find in the text:
| Phrase | In the text? |
|---|---|
| a set of passengers | ✔ |
| get on the bus | ✔ |
| get off the bus | ✔ |
| platform | ✘ |
| Tickets, please | ✘ |
| a roar and a rattle | ✔ |
| a row of seats | ✘ |
| slowing down to a crawl | ✔ |
| blowing a whistle | ✔ |
ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 97)
Q.1. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Ans. Valli’s favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house and watching the street outside. There were no playmates of her age on her street, so this was all she had to do.
Q.2. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Ans. The sight of the bus that passed her street every hour, filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for her. Her strongest desire was to ride on that bus at least once.
Q.3. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Ans. She found out that the town was six miles away, the fare was thirty paise one way and the trip took forty-five minutes. She could take the one o’clock bus, reach town at 1:45 and return home by about 2:45. She learnt all this by listening carefully to the conversations of her neighbours and regular bus travellers, and by asking a few careful questions here and there.
Q.4. What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Ans. Valli was planning to travel to the town alone by bus and return by the same bus, without telling her mother.
ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 100)
Q.1. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Ans. The conductor was a jolly man, fond of joking. Valli behaved like a grown-up; she refused his help, paid her own fare and travelled alone. So he teasingly called her ‘madam’.
Q.2. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Ans. A canvas blind covered the lower part of her window and cut off her view, so she stood up on the seat to see outside. She saw a canal, palm trees, grassland, distant mountains and the blue sky on one side; on the other side there was a deep ditch and acres and acres of green fields.
Q.3. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Ans. She said haughtily that there was nobody there who was a child, and that she had paid her thirty paise like everyone else. Later she said irritably that she was not a child, but eight years old.
Q.4. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Ans. Valli found the woman repulsive. She had big holes in her ear lobes with ugly earrings, and she was chewing betel nut whose juice was about to spill over her lips. The woman also asked too many prying questions.
ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 103)
Q.1. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Ans. She saved every stray coin that came her way and resisted the temptation of buying peppermints, toys and balloons. In this way she saved sixty paise. It was not easy. At the village fair she had to control her strong desire to ride the merry-go-round, even though she had the money.
Q.2. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Ans. She saw a young cow running fast with its tail high in the air, right in the middle of the road in front of the bus. The more the driver honked, the more frightened the cow became and the faster it galloped. Valli laughed till there were tears in her eyes.
Q.3. Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Ans. She had money only for the return ticket, and she was afraid to see the sights of the town alone. She had come only for the joy of the bus ride, so she paid another thirty paise and returned by the same bus.
Q.4. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her?
Ans. She did not have extra money, and she firmly refused when the conductor offered to treat her. This shows that Valli was self-respecting, independent and had great self-control. She did not want any favour from others.
Madam Rides the Bus Thinking About the Text Question Answer
Q.1. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Ans. Valli’s deepest desire was to ride on the bus that went to the town. Words and phrases that show this:
- a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there
- it was an overwhelming desire
- she would stare wistfully at the people getting on and off the bus
- their faces would kindle in her longings, dreams and hopes
Q.2. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
Ans. Valli listened to the talk of neighbours and regular travellers and asked careful questions. She learnt that the town was six miles away, the fare was thirty paise each way and the trip took forty-five minutes. She planned to take the one o’clock bus while her mother slept from one to four, and be back by about 2:45. She saved the fare by collecting stray coins and by resisting the temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons and even a merry-go-round ride at the fair. In this way she saved sixty paise.
Q.3. Fill in the blanks:
| See sentences in your Textbook | Answer |
|---|---|
| (i) | commandingly |
| (ii) | simply have to |
| (iii) | who’s a child |
| (iv) | get on by myself … irritably |
| (v) | can take care of myself |
| (vi) | to see you again |
What kind of a person is Valli?
These words show that Valli was a bold, confident and self-willed girl. She was curious, determined, independent and self-respecting, and behaved far more maturely than her eight years.
Q.4. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
Ans. The conductor was fond of joking. Since Valli talked and behaved like a grown-up lady, paying her own fare, refusing help and travelling alone, he playfully addressed her as ‘madam’ throughout the journey.
Q.5. Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.
Ans.
- Valli devoured everything with her eyes.
- She stood up on the seat and peered over the blind.
- Oh, it was all so wonderful!
- Suddenly Valli clapped her hands with glee.
- She laughed and laughed until there were tears in her eyes.
- Struck dumb with wonder, Valli gaped at everything.
Q.6. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Ans. On the way back, she saw the same young cow lying dead by the roadside, struck by a fast-moving vehicle. The lovely creature that had made her laugh a little while ago now looked horrible. She was filled with sadness, and the memory haunted her, so she no longer wanted to look out of the window.
Q.7. What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.”
Ans. Valli meant that her whole bus journey to the town and back had taken place without her mother’s knowledge. She was secretly enjoying the fact that no one knew about it. It also hints at the deeper truth she had just learnt: that we may know about death, but we cannot really understand it.
Q.8. The author describes the things that Valli sees from an eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this statement?
Ans. Yes. Examples:
- The bus seemed on the point of gobbling up other vehicles and pedestrians.
- Trees came running towards the bus, stood helpless for a moment and then rushed away.
- The overhead bars shone like silver and the seats felt soft and luxurious.
- The green fields looked green, green, green as far as the eye could see.
- The cow galloping in front of the bus seemed very funny to her. These childlike, imaginative descriptions show a small child’s way of seeing the world.
