CLASS 10 · FIRST FLIGHT · CHAPTER 7
Original concise and expanded responses for Valli’s bus journey, its comprehension and writing activities, and the accompanying comic ballad about Custard the Dragon.
35 worked answers · short steps first, explanations when you need them
Textbook pages
Question Before You Read Activity 1
Check each prediction against the story rather than ticking every transport-related phrase.
State the key point.
Passengers, getting on and off, tickets, seats, a roar and rattle, and slowing to a crawl appear in the story.
Question Before You Read Activity 2
Choose a few scenes and describe how movement changes the view.
State the key point.
A bus view may include fields, rivers, shops, people, trees, trains, and vehicles.
Question Oral Comprehension Check 1
State what she did and why it interested her.
State the key point.
She enjoyed watching the street from her doorway.
Question Oral Comprehension Check 2
Separate the thing she watched from the wish it created.
State the key point.
Watching the bus brought her joy; she most wanted to ride on it.
Question Oral Comprehension Check 3
List the practical details and the way she gathered them.
State the key point.
She learned the distance, fare, travel time, and return plan by listening to passengers and asking careful questions.
Question Oral Comprehension Check 4
Combine her questions, calculations, and timing.
State the key point.
She was planning to travel alone to town and return on the bus.
Question Oral Comprehension Check II.1
Notice her confidence and the conductor’s playful tone.
State the key point.
He teases her by calling her “madam” because she behaves independently like a grown-up passenger.
Question Oral Comprehension Check II.2
Explain the obstruction and list the landscape she can now see.
State the key point.
She stands to see over the canvas blind and views the canal, trees, mountains, sky, and fields.
Question Oral Comprehension Check II.3
Recall how she defends her independence.
State the key point.
She says she is not a child, has paid her fare, and is eight years old.
Question Oral Comprehension Check II.4
Use both Valli’s first impression and the woman’s questions.
State the key point.
She dislikes the woman’s appearance and finds her questions intrusive.
Question Oral Comprehension Check III.1
Mention the amount, her sacrifices, and how hard it was.
State the key point.
She saved sixty paise by not spending small coins on treats and toys; it was difficult, especially at the fair.
Question Oral Comprehension Check III.2
Describe the unusual scene and Valli’s reaction.
State the key point.
A cow ran in front of the bus and kept running as the horn frightened it.
Question Oral Comprehension Check III.3
Connect her goal, her fear, and her return plan.
State the key point.
She had come for the ride, felt afraid to explore alone, and had saved the return fare.
Question Oral Comprehension Check III.4
Think about her budget and her wish not to depend on anyone.
State the key point.
She has no spare money and does not want charity; this shows she is careful and independent.
Question Thinking about the Text 1
Use both direct statements about her wish and actions that prove it.
State the key point.
She deeply wanted to ride the bus; she studied the route, saved the fare, and carefully planned the trip.
Question Thinking about the Text 2
Organise the response into information, savings, and timing.
State the key point.
She learned distance, timing, and fare from passengers; saved sixty paise; and travelled while her mother napped.
Question Thinking about the Text 3
Use both confident actions and moments that show her age and feelings.
State the key point.
She is curious, determined, self-reliant, and proud, but still young and sensitive.
Question Thinking about the Text 4
Explain the humour and the contrast.
State the key point.
He jokingly calls her “madam” because she insists on acting like an adult passenger.
Question Thinking about the Text 5
Find actions and reactions that show delight.
State the key point.
She eagerly studies the bus and scenery, laughs at the cow, marvels at the town, and chooses to ride back.
Question Thinking about the Text 6
Compare the cow on the outward and return journeys.
State the key point.
She sees the cow dead and feels sad; the sight spoils her excitement.
Question Thinking about the Text 7
Connect her secret trip with her mother’s general remark.
State the key point.
She means that her bus journey happened without her family knowing, and people cannot know everything that happens.
Question Thinking about the Text 8
Use her descriptions and reactions as evidence.
State the key point.
The story highlights the sights, excitement, pride, and fears that matter to Valli as a child.
Question Speaking
Give each speaker a purpose and respond as the characters would.
State the key point.
Create a brief exchange with a clear situation, natural replies, and a respectful tone.
Question Writing
Select a topic, state your main idea, and support it with examples.
State the key point.
Choose one topic and organise a few connected details into a short personal piece.
Question Things to Do: Discussion 1
Compare immediate spending with saving for something important.
State the key point.
Answers vary; explain a spending choice and one saving goal.
Question Things to Do: Discussion 2
Keep the response respectful and focus on coping.
State the key point.
Give an event, the feeling it caused, and a helpful response.
Textbook pages
Question The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Question 1
List each character and match the animal with its name.
State the key point.
Belinda; Ink the kitten; Blink the mouse; Mustard the dog; Custard the dragon; and the pirate.
Question The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Question 2
Compare what the others say before the danger with what Custard does during it.
State the key point.
He asks for safety because he is afraid; others call him cowardly, though he later proves brave.
Question The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Question 3
Connect the teasing with Custard’s repeated request for safety.
State the key point.
They tease him for being afraid and asking for a safe cage.
Question The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Question 4
Name the device and give a short example.
State the key point.
Examples: simile (“like an engine”), alliteration, sound words such as “Meowch!”, and humorous exaggeration.
Question The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Question 5
Collect the physical details from the description.
State the key point.
He has sharp teeth, spikes, scales, a fiery mouth, chimney-like nose, and dagger-like claws.
Question The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Question 6
Compare the end words in each pair of lines.
State the key point.
The poem often uses AABB rhyming couplets, as in “house/mouse” and “wagon/dragon.”
Question The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Question 7
Choose comparisons and concrete details from the poem.
State the key point.
The fireplace mouth, chimney nose, iron-like tail, robin-like attack, and armed pirate create vivid pictures.
Question The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Question 8
Use features of the poem’s language and plot.
State the key point.
It is humorous because of its playful language and exaggerated action, while gently showing that actions prove courage.
Question The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Question 9
Identify the story elements and sound features.
State the key point.
A ballad tells a story in verse; include a few characters, a simple plot, rhythm, rhyme, and possibly a repeated line.