Word Meaning, Summary, Important Questions Of Chapter 3 Two Stories About Flying | Class 10
Hindi Meaning Of Difficult Words | Chapter 3 Two Stories About Flying
| S.No. | Word | Meanings | Meanings (in hindi) | Synonyms |
| 1 | Ascending the sky | the act of rising up through the air | आकाश पर चढ़ना | flying in sky, rise up |
| 2 | Beckoning | gesture | इंगित | signal, wave, motion |
| 3 | Beneath | under | नीचे | down, below, underneath |
| 4 | Compass | instrument for telling direction | दिशा सूचक यंत्र | scope, range, extent |
| 5 | Flapped | (of a bird) move (its wings) up and down when flying or preparing to fly | फड़फड़ाया | flutter, agitate, swing |
| 6 | Frightened | terrified | डरा हुआ | fearful, afraid, scared |
| 7 | Herring | a soft-finned sea fish | एक प्रकार की मछली | amphioxus, cavally, Eel |
| 8 | Monstrous | horrible | राक्षसी | demonic, infernal |
| 9 | Runway | a strip of hard ground along which aircraft take off and land | मार्ग | route, path, passage |
| 10 | Shrieking | making a high-pitched piercing cry or sound | ज़ोर से चिल्लाना | howl, squeak, scream |
| 11 | Strangely | in a strange manner | अजीब तरह से | prodigiously, quizzically, rummily |
| 12 | Brink | the extreme edge of land before a steep slope or a body or water | किनारा | strand, edging, confines |
| 13 | Cackle | laugh in a loud, harsh way | खिलखिलकर हंसना | guffaw, chuckle, giggle |
| 14 | Cawed | utter a caw | जगाया हुआ | cackle, hoot, screech. |
| 15 | Commended | praised | प्रशस्त | expansive, smashing, nifty |
| 16 | Courage | boldness | साहस | adventure, daring, spunk |
| 17 | Cowardice | lack of bravery | कायरता | effeminacy, recreancy, poltroonery |
| 18 | Curvetting | perform a series of jumps on the hind legs | घटता हुआ | bounding, hopping, leaping, |
| 19 | Derisively | in a manner expressing contempt or ridicule. | उपहासपूर्वक | disdainful, insulting, mocking. |
| 20 | Desperate | full of disappointment | निराश | frustrated, hopeless, despondent |
| 21 | Devour | eat quickly | निगलना | ingest, swallow, ingulf |
| 22 | Expanse | a wide continuous area of something | चौड़ा क्षेत्र | stretch, sweep, tract |
| 23 | Followed | chased | पीछा करना | ensue, pursue, chevy |
| 24 | Glad | happy | प्रसन्न | cheery, complacent, hilarious |
| 25 | Halted | stopped | रुका हुआ | cease, finish, discontinue |
| 26 | Headlong | with the head foremost | लंबे समय तक | reckless, precipitate, rash |
| 27 | Hump | a rounded raised mass of earth or land | उभार | protuberance, lump, bump |
| 28 | Immediately | at once | तुरंत | instantly, quick, forthwith |
| 29 | Ledge | a narrow horizontal shelf projecting from a wall (or here) a cliff | पहाड़ से निकली चट्टान | shelving, projection, protrusion |
| 30 | Looking forward to | waiting eargerly | प्रतीक्षा करना | anticipating, awaiting, expecting, |
| 31 | Muster | gather | एकत्र होना | forgather, close up, congregate |
| 32 | Obedient | one who obeys | आज्ञाकारी | compliant, dutiful, meek |
| 33 | Plaintively | sad | शोकपूर्ण ढंग से | agonizingly, bitterly, dolefully |
| 34 | Plunge | jump or dive | डुबकी लगाना | dip, submersion |
| 35 | Preening | to clean its feathers | संवारना | tidy, arrange, plume |
| 36 | Ridges | a long, narrow hilltop, mountain range, or watershed | पर्वत पृष्ठ | mound, knoll, pimple |
| 37 | Scrapped | discard | फेंकना | emit, shove, plunk |
| 38 | Seagull | a bird that lives near the sea and has short legs, long wings, and white and grey feathers | सीगल | ….............. |
| 39 | Seized | grab | छीनना | snatch, shear, pillage |
| 40 | Shrilly | with a high pitched and piercing voice or sound | तीव्र कर्कश आवाज से | acute, high-pitched, loud. |
| 41 | Skim | touch lightly | हल्के से स्पर्श करें | cream, glide, move lightly |
| 42 | Soaring | flying or rising high in the air | उड़नेवाला | flying, volatile |
| 43 | Swooped | (especially of a bird) move rapidly downwards through the air | झूलकर उतरना | descend, sweep, pounce |
| 44 | Taunting | mocking | मज़ाक करना | droll, jest, poke fun |
| 45 | Twisted | shook | मुड़ गया | perverted, warped, deviant |
| 46 | Upbraiding | scold | फटकार | reprimand, castigation, Invective |
| 47 | Uttered | make a sound with one’s voice | मुंह से उत्पन्न करना | emit, let out, produce |
| 48 | Vast | big | विशाल | massive, cyclopean, decuman |
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About The Poet | Chapter 3 Two Stories About Flying
INTRODUCTION
Liam O’ Flaherty was an Irish novelist and short story writer. His short story. His First Flight’ is a delightful allegory about overcoming one’s fears in life. It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step. But for man, the single step is often the most arduous one. If we conquer our fears and take the first step with courage and confidence, we will realize that we have unlimited potential.
The Black Airplane an amazing story written by Frederick Forsyth about a pilot who had lost control of the plane during a flight but was helped to land safely by a pilot. He was grateful to him for saving his life but was informed by the air traffic control that no other plane was detected by the radar during that night. The narrator was left wondering who the pilot of the black plane was but could not find any answers.
Short Summary Of Chapter 3 Two Stories About Flying In English
UMMARY
PART-I: HIS FIRST FLIGHT
-Liam O’ Flaherty
The young seagull looked down fearfully at the vast expanse of sea that stretched down beneath his ledge. He was hungry. His parents had flown away along with his brothers and his little sister, leaving him alone on the rock without food. They could all fly and he could not. He had tried several times to run forward to the brink of the ledge and flap his wings but he became afraid. His parents had tried countless times to make him fly. He felt that he was going to starve to death on his ledge. Seeing his mother approaching with food, he felt delighted. But she kept the fish just out of his reach but not out of his sight. Driven by hunger, he dived at the fish. But his mother flew upward and he started falling. He was terror-struck but he soon realized that he was actually flying. Thus he took his first flight.
PART-II: THE BLACK AEROPLANE
-Frederick Forsyth
The narrator of the old Dakota was caught in storm clouds. He lost his contact with the control room. In this troubling situation, his fuel was also running out. He lost all hope but suddenly a strange black plane appeared out of nowhere. The pilot of the black plane asked the writer to follow him. The writer landed safely. After his safe landing, he wanted to thank the pilot of the black plane. This shows his gratitude towards the pilot of the black plane. He was grateful to him for saving his life but was informed by the air traffic control that no other plane was detected by the radar during that night. The narrator was left wondering who the pilot of the black plane was but could not find any answers.
TITLE JUSTIFICATION
TITLE JUSTIFICATION
The title is apt as the story narrates how the little seagull finally took his first flight. He had great fear of flying as the heights and the oceans below scared him to death. He was coaxed and counseled by his mother. But his fear kept him confined to the ledge. His two brothers and sister had already made their flying debut the day, before but he could not muster the courage and confidence to fly away like them. Finally his hunger pushed him to take the plunge and fly. Thus the title is quite suitable. The title ‘The Black Airplane too is an apt one as it narrates an interesting, supernatural story about a phantom plane that helped the narrator to land safely and reach his destination.
THEME
THEME
‘His First Flight’ highlights the importance of independence, self-belief and confidence, and the need for motivation to attain goals. Necessity is the mother of invention, but it sometimes needs an initial push to channel efforts towards creation.
The story is also a allegorical statement that everyone needs to be independent even while staying involved in family life. The parents of the seagull had tried to coax and threaten him in different ways to be independent, but to no avail. The mother knew well that the trick was to arouse his need and she eventually pushed him to fly using his hunger. The story, ‘The Black Airplane’ explores the theme of a kind, supernatural agency which helped the narrator
while he was in distress in mid air. The narrator of the old Dakota was caught in storm clouds. He lost his contact with the control room. In this troubling situation, his fuel was also running out. He lost all hope but suddenly a strange black plane appeared out of nowhere. The pilot of the black place asked the writer to follow him. The writer landed safely.
Both stories are about different experiences of flying.
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
Liam O’Flaherty seems to be a keen observer of life and he believed that man has a lot to learn from nature. He has given a humane touch to the seagull’s plight so that the reader is reminded of the nervousness he might experience before doing something new. All we have to fear is fear itself. Once man conquers his fears for he can find that he has unimaginable potential.
The story, Black Airplane conveys an observation that there are kind and compassionate supernatural powers and probably man is never alone even in the skies.
CHARACTER SKETCH
CHARACTER SKETCH
- Nelson Mandela
Mandela was a great leader who was endowed with great abilities of the head and the heart. He was a great visionary and a man of deep conviction. Pained by the rampant injustice perpetrated by the whites, he dreamed of the impossible-equality for his people.
During childhood the meaning of freedom for Mandela was quite simple. He considered it to be free to run in the fields, to swim in the clear stream, free to roast mealies and ride the board backs of slow moving bulls. When he grew up his thoughts on freedom became more profound as he observed that his entire community was discriminated against. He soon realized that his boyhood freedom was an illusion. He came to believe that freedom had to be for all and not only for him. Thus his thoughts and convictions grew and he came to believe that freedom was indivisible and a natural right of all human beings. These experiences led to his joining the African National Congress. Mandela strongly asserts that the oppressor and the oppressed both need to be liberated from hatred and injustice as both are robbed of their humanity. Both of them are really the victims of hatred. Everyone is obliged to discharge their duties whether personal or social. but without freedom a man cannot do so. The person who disallows this freedom of any man is really an oppressor and a prisoner of hatred. His hatred robs him of humanity. But this is the same with a person who is oppressed by other. He too is the victim of his hatred. So the greatest lesson for man to learn is to neither oppress, nor be oppressed as both are sins against humanity. Thus he had profound ideas about equality and justice and devoted his life to realize them.
GLOSSARY
- Dawned- begin, realize;
- Supremacy-dominance
- Confer-(here) give emancipation/freedom from restriction;
- Deprivation- state of not having one’s rightful benefits;
- Discrimination-being treated differently or unfavorably;
- Spectacular array- an impressive display:
- Despised-had a very low opinion of;
- Bedecked- decorated;
- Wrought-done, achieved;
- Profound-deep and strong;
- Inclinations- natural tendencies of behavior
- Inevitably-unavoidably;
- Illusion-something that appears to be real but is not;
- Transitory-not permanent
- Curtailed- reduced.
TYPE I: REFERENCE TO CONTEXT (VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS)
TYPE I: REFERENCE TO CONTEXT (VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS)
Read the extracts and answer the following question
PART-I: HIS FIRST FLIGHT
- The great expanse of sea stretched down beneath and it was such a long way down miles down He felt certain that his wings would never support him:
Questions
(i) Who is referred to as ‘he’?
(ii) What did he feel?
(iii) What did he see beneath him?
(iv) Why did he feel so scared?
Answers
(i) The young seagull is referred to as ‘he’.
(ii) He felt that his wings would not support him
(iii) Beneath him, he saw a vast expanse of sea.
(iv) He felt scared as it was his first flight that he had made after a long period of fear.
- 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.
Questions
(i) Whose father is referred to here?
(ii) How did the father upbraid him?
(iii) Why did his parents threaten him?
(iv) Who could not move and why?
Answers
(i) The young seagull’s father is referred to here.
(ii) He upbraided him for being so fearful that he could not take his first flight.
(iii) The mother and father threatened the young seagull that they would leave him alone on the ledge to starve.
(iv) The young seagull could not move as he was terrified to take his first flight.
- 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.
Questions
(i) Who is ‘he’ in the above lines?
(ii) What was the weather like?
(iii) What is the reference to his ledge”?
(iv) Why had he not eaten since the previous nightfall
Answers
(i) In the above lines he refers to the young seagull.
(ii) The weather was hot as the sun was “blazing.
(iii) ‘His ledge’ refers to the ledge on which the young seagull was sitting
(iv) He had not eaten since the previous nightfall as he had been left alone and was too scared to fly and catch his own food.
- But he kept calling plaintively, and after a minute or so he uttered a joyful scream. His mother had picked up a piece of the fish and was flying across to him with it.
Questions
(i) Who is ‘he’ in the above lines?
(ii) What were his feelings initially?
(iii) Why did he scream joyfully?
(iv) Why was he so joyful?
Answers
(i) In the above lines he’ refers to the young seagull.
(ii) Initially he was sad, sorrowful and plaintive.
(iii) He screamed joyfully as his mother came with a piece of fish.
(iv) He was so joyful as he had been hungry for a long time and now he saw his mother coming with some food.
- His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no farther. He was floating on it, and around him his family was screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog fish.
Questions
(i) Who is being talked about in the above lines?
(ii) Why was the family praising him?
(iii) What happened when his belly touched the sea?
(iv) Who was offering dogfish?
Answers
(i) In the above lines the young seagull is being talked about.
(ii) The family was praising him as he had just taken his first flight.
(iii) When his belly touched the sea, he floated on it.
(iv) The parents were offering dogfish.
PART-II: THE BLACK AEROPLANE
- I checked the map and the compass, switched over to my second and last fuel tank, and turned the Dakota twelve degrees west towards England.
Questions
(i) What is the Dakota?
(ii) Where was the narrator going?
(iii) What actions did the narrator take?
(iv) Why was the narrator going to England?
Answers
(i) The Dakota is an airplane.
(ii) The narrator was going to England.
(iii) The narrator checked the map and the compass, switched over to second and last fuel tank.
(iv) He was going to England to join his family.
- Paris was about 150 kilometres behind me when I saw the clouds. Storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of me across the sky I knew I could not fly up and over them, and I did not have enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south.
Questions
(i) What did the pilot see when he was 150 km away from Paris?
(ii) What does the author compare the clouds to?
(iii) Why was he alarmed?
(iv) Where was the writer going?
Answers
(i) The pilot saw stormy clouds when he was about 150 kilometers away from Paris.
(ii) The author compares the clouds to black mountains.
(iii) He was alarmed that he did not have enough fuel to fly around the stormy clouds to the north or south.
(iv) The narrator was going to England from Paris.
- “I ought to go back to Paris, I thought, but I wanted to get home. I wanted that breakfast.
Questions
(i) Where was the narrator coming from?
(ii) Where was the narrator’s home?
(iii) When did the narrator think of going back to Paris?
(iv) Why does he mention the breakfast?
Answers
(i) The narrator was coming from Paris.
(ii) His home was in England.
(iii) He thought of going back to Paris when he saw the dark stormy clouds ahead and realized he was running out of fuel.
(iv) He had hoped to reach England and join his family for a large English breakfast. That is why he mentions breakfast.
- He turned his airplane 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 airplane like an obedient child.
Questions
(i) Who is I’ in the above lines?
(ii) What was the pilot trying to do?
(iii) Why was the writer happy?
(iv) What is the figure of speech used in the above lines?
Answers
(i) ‘I’ refers to the writer.
(Ii) He was trying to turn the airplane to the north in front of the writer’s plane so that it would be easier for the writer to follow him.
(iii) The writer was happy to follow him as he needed help to come out of the stormy clouds.
(iv) In the above lines metaphor has been used as the writer likens himself to a small obedient child.
- She looked at me very strangely, and then laughed. “Another airplane? Up there in this storm? No other airplanes were flying tonight. Yours was the only one I could see on the radar.”
Questions
(i) Who is ‘she’ in the above lines?
(ii) What did the writer ask her?
(iii) What reply did the narrator get?
(iv) Why did she look at the author strangely?
Answers
(i) In the above lines ‘she’ refers to the woman at the air traffic control center.
(ii) The writer asked her to meet the pilot of the black airplane.
(iii) She replied that no other airplanes were flying that night and that his was the only one flying.
(iv) She looked at the author strangely as she thought it a bizarre story that the writer should have seen a black airplane with a pilot as there was no other airplane flying that night.
TYPE II: SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (30-40 WORDS EACH)
Answer the following questions:
PART-I: HIS FIRST FLIGHT
- “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
Ans. The young seagull was famished. It was this hunger that ultimately compelled it to fly. Its hunger became keener when it saw its mother tearing a piece of fish that lay at her feet. It cried to he begging her to get some food. When its mother came towards it with food in her beak, it screamed with joy and anticipation. However, she stopped midway. It wondered why she did not come neater Not being able to resist or control its hunger and longer, it dived at the food in its mother’s beak. A that moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expanse of sea beneath the cliff. Finally he took his first flight and fulfilled his natural instinct.
- “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
Ans. The young seagull was afraid to fly. Even when saw its brothers and sisters flying, and its parents helping and teaching them, it could not gather enough courage to make that first flight. That why its father and mother were calling to it shrilly and scolding it. They threatened to let it starve on its ledge if it did not fly. They did so because they wanted it to leave its fear behind and learn to fly.
- What had the young seagull watched his parents doing the day before?
Ans. The day before the young seagull had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister, perfecting in the art of flying and teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish.
- What was the young seagull’s mother doing before him?
Ans. The young seagull’s mother was standing on the plateau, her white breast thrust forward. She tore piece of fish that lay at her feet, then she scrapped each side of it and held it in front of the young seagull, so that he would fly in order to catch it.
- Describe the young seagull’s expression when he saw his mother with food.
Ans. The young seagull uttered a joyful scream because he thought that his mother was bringing food for him. He tried to come nearer to her as she flew across.
- Why did the young seagull feel very miserable on the ledge?
Ans. The young seagull felt very miserable on the ledge as he was alone and his family had already flow away. He was feeling very hungry and had nothing to eat. His condition was worsening because he could not even dive for fish.
- How did the young seagull and his family celebrate his first flight?
Ans. When the young seagull started flying and got over his fear, his family screamed around him out of joy. They praised him and offered him scraps of dog-fish out of delight as he had made a successful attempt. Describe, in brief, the first flight of the young seagull. Ans. The young seagull dived at the fish due to hunger and fell outwards and downwards into space. He spread thought of getting drowned but his wings outwards automatically. He moved downwards and outwards and landed safely on the sea and floated on it without any fear.
- He had made his first flight. How was the flight important to the seagull?
Ans. The flight was indeed very important to the seagull as it dignified his conquest over his fear. The young seagull was afraid to fly. Even when it saw its brothers and sisters flying, and its parents helping and teaching them, it could not gather enough courage to make that first flight. Finally he did fly and overcame his fear of flying.
- How did the seagull finally fly?
Ans. The young seagull dived at the fish due to hunger and fell outwards and downwards into space. He thought of getting drowned but his wings spread outwards automatically. He moved downwards and outwards and landed safely on the sea and floated on it without any fear
- What did the seagull feel, when he sat isolated on the ledge?
Ans. The young seagull felt very miserable on the ledge as he was alone and his family had already flown away. He was feeling very hungry and had nothing to cat. His condition was worsening because he could not even dive for fish.
- What role did the family of the young seagull play in overcoming his fear of flying?
Ans. The young seagull was afraid to fly. Even when it saw its brothers and sisters flying, and its parents helping and teaching them, it could not gather enough courage to make that first flight. That is why its father and mother were calling to it shrilly and scolding it They threatened to let it starve on its ledge if it did not fly. They did so because they wanted it to leave its fear behind and learn to fly,
- How did the young seagull and his family react when they saw the young seagull flying?
Ans. When the young seagull started flying after getting over his fear, his family screamed around him out of joy. They cheered him and offered him scraps of dog-fish out of delight as he had made a successful attempt.
- How did the young seagull react to the sight of the food that his mother dangled before him?
Ans. The young seagull uttered a joyful scream because he thought that his mother was bringing food for him. He was maddened with hunger. So he tried to come nearer to her as she flew across taking the food away from his reach.
PART-II: THE BLACK AEROPLANE
- “I’ll take the risk. What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Ans. The writer who was flying to England encountered dark clouds in front of him. He did not have enough fuel to take a longer route in order to avoid the clouds. So he decided to risk to fly through the stormy clouds because he wanted to enjoy his holiday with his family back in England.
- Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the airplane into the storm.
Ans. When the writer entered the clouds, it became impossible to see outside the airplane. The airplane jumped i twisted in the air and all the instruments like compass, etc, stopped working due to the weather conditions.
- Why does the narrator say. “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”
Ans. When the narrator landed on the runway after a stormy flight, he was relieved to be alive and did not wish to see the Dakota, the airplane, as it was a reminder of the nightmare he had experienced in the storm.
- What made the woman in the control center look at the narrator strangely?
Ans. The woman in the control room looked at the narrator strangely when the writer asked her about another airplane. The radar had detected no such plane flying in the sky that night, so she found the narrator’s mention of another plane very strange and alarming.
- Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
Ans. Probably, it was the narrator’s own self that helped him through the storm. There was no other plane in the storm as the woman at the control center could see only his plane on the radar. Also, no other plane was flying that night. It seems that in his fear, he might have been hallucinating. He was a good pilot, and it might have been his own self that came to his help.
On the other hand it could be seen as a case of supernatural intervention. The narrator was in dire need of help as he was running out of fuel. Probably the pilot was a friendly and kind ghost of a pilot who had died in distress and helped those in dire distress like the narrator.
- Why did the woman in control room get shocked when the writer asked about another airplane?
Ans. The woman in the control room was quite shocked when the writer asked her about another airplane. The radar had detected no such plane flying in the sky that night so she found the narrator’s mention of another plane very strange and alarming.
- Why did the writer want to meet the pilot of the black airplane?
Ans. The writer wanted to meet the pilot of the black airplane to thank him as he had saved the life of the writer by helping him come out from the storm. He had guided him so that the narrator was finally able to land safely on the runway.
- Describe author’s feeling while he was flying his airplane back to England.
Ans. While he was flying his airplane back to England, the author was very happy because he wanted to spend his holiday with his family at home.
- How much fuel was there in the airplane when the writer started flying?
Ans. When the writer started flying there was sufficient fuel in the tanks of the airplane to reach England safely.
- What risky decision did the writer take?
Ans. The writer decided to risk to fly through the stormy clouds because he wanted to enjoy his holiday with his family back in England.
- What did the writer feel inside the clouds?
Ans. When the writer entered the clouds, it became impossible to see outside the airplane. The airplane jumped and twisted in the air and all the instruments like compass etc. stopped working due to the weather conditions.
- What did the writer, see inside the black clouds?
Ans. The writer saw a black airplane which had no lights on its wings. The writer could see the face of the pilot in the black clouds who was waving and signaling him to follow him to get out of the storm.
- Why did the writer follow the pilot of another airplane?
Ans. The writer followed the pilot of another airplane because the narrator had lost the way in the storm and was unable to see anything. The pilot of another airplane was helping him to get out of the storm and land safely.
- What did the woman in control room tell the narrator ?
Ans. The woman in the control room was shocked when the writer asked her about the other airplane because there was no such plane flying in the sky that nig as she saw on the radar.
- What prompted the writer to meet the pilot of another black airplane?
Ans. The writer wanted to meet the pilot of another black airplane in order to thank him as he had saved the life of the writer by helping him come out of the storm. The writer had been helpless. It was the kin pilot who guided him out of the dangerous situation in the skies.
TYPE III: LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (100-120 WORDS EACH)
Answer the following questions:
PART-I: HIS FIRST FLIGHT
- 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 take its first steps?
Ans. The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was its first flight. It is a well known fact that doing something for the first time is challenging. Therefore all young birds must be afraid to make their first flights. Similarly, a human baby would also find it challenge to take its first step. First steps are always difficult because they require one to step out of one comfort zone. They help a person to evolve and learn new skills and knowledge. The seagull was earlier scared to try out his natural ability to fly but once he attempted it he realized that it was a cakewalk for him.
- Describe the tricks used by the seagull’s family help the young seagull overcome his fear and fly.
Ans. The young seagull was afraid of flying because he thought that his wings won’t support him and be would drown. When his family left him alone the ledge, he felt alone and was very hungry. They tried hard to make him fly but he never showed the courage to try. His mother knowingly tore a piece of fish near him and flew across to him with it. She came close to him but did not go nearer. Already maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish but fell into space. After sometime his wings spread outwards and he began to fly. His family landed on the sea ahead of him. They beckoned him so he landed on the sea and began to sink into water but when his belly touched the water, he floated without any fear and difficulty.
- The seagull’s mother eventually helped her child overcome his fear of flying. Comment
Ans. The young seagull was famished. It was this hunger that ultimately compelled it to fly. Its hunger became keener when it saw its mother tearing at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. cried to her, begging her to get some food. When its mother came towards it with food in her beak, it screamed with joy and anticipation. However, she stopped midway. It wondered why she did not come nearer. Not being able to control its hunger any longer, it dived at the food in its mother’s beak. At that moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expanse of sea beneath the cliff. Finally, he took his first flight and fulfilled his natural instinct. Thus his mother had thought of a perfect strategy to enable the young seagull to take his first flight.
- Fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things. Do you agree? How did these two traits of the young seagull make him coward? How did he overcome these short comings?
Ans. Yes, it is true that fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things as in the story, the young seagull lacked the courage and confidence. He was too scared of flying His family tried hard to make him fly but he refused to do so because of his fear of sinking in the seawater. They even scolded him for his cowardice. They tried to tempt him with food but he was not willing to learn flying. Once he dived, his fear disappeared and he enjoyed his first flight a fact that unless we try for something and overcome our fear, we can’t learn anything new. Confidence and motivation are two most important traits that make any learning possible.
- What is the theme of the story. “His First Flight?
Ans. His First Flight’ highlights the importance of independence, self-belief and confidence, and the need for motivation to attain goals. Necessity is the mother of invention, but it sometimes needs an initial push to channel efforts towards creation.
The story is also an allegorical statement that everyone needs to be independent even while staying involved in family life. The parents of the seagull had tried to coax and threaten him in different ways to be independent, but to no avail. The mother knew well that the trick was to arouse his need and she eventually pushed him to fly using his hunger.
- Comment on how the story of the seagull’s flight conveys an important message to the readers.
Ans. Liam O Flaherty seems to be a keen observer of life and he believed that man has a lot to learn from nature. He has given a humane touch to the seagull’s plight so that the reader is reminded of the nervousness he too might experience before doing something new. The parents of the seagull had tried to coax and threaten him in different ways to be independent, but to no avail. The mother knew well that the trick was to arouse his and she eventually pushed him to fly using his hunger. All we have to fear is fear itself. Just like the seagull, if man conquers his fears he can unlock his unimaginable potential.
PART-II: THE BLACK AEROPLANE
- How did the writer get out of the storm in the night to land safely?
Ans. The writer was flying his old Dakota airplane from Paris to England, when he saw huge, black clouds He was lost in the storm. Suddenly, he saw a black airplane by his side, which had no lights, on its wings.
The pilot looked at him and waved at him. He motioned to the writer to follow him as he had lost the way, Lost in the stormy clouds and running out of fuel, he happily obeyed him like a child. After some time the pilot of the other plane started to land The writer followed him blindly through the storm and came out of the clouds. He was overjoyed when. he saw the lights of the runway and finally landed safely.
- What is the theme of the story The Black airplane?
Ans. The story, Black airplane explores the theme of a kind, supernatural agency which helped the narrator while he was in distress in midair. The narrator of the old Dakota was caught in stormy clouds. He lost his contact with the control room. In this troubling situation, his fuel was also running out. He lost all hope but suddenly a strange black plane appeared out of nowhere. The pilot of the black plane asked the writer to follow him. He was overjoyed when he saw the lights of the runway and finally landed safely. He wanted to thank the pilot who had helped him in such a troublesome situation, but he was informed that no other airplane was flying at that time.
- Describe the narrator’s horrifying experience while he was flying to England. How was he saved?
Ans. The writer was flying his old Dakota airplane from Paris to England, when he saw huge, black clouds. He was lost in the storm. Suddenly, he saw a black airplane by his side, which had no lights, on its wings.
The pilot looked at him and waved at him. He motioned to the writer to follow him as he had lost the way. Lost in the storm clouds and running out of fuel, he happily obeyed him like a child. After some time the pilot of the other plane started to land. The writer followed him blindly through the storm and came out of the clouds. He was overjoyed when he saw the lights of the runway and finally landed safely.
- Comment on the surreal experience of the narrator.
Ans. The writer was flying his old Dakota airplane from Paris to England, when he saw huge, black clouds. He was lost in the storm. Suddenly, he saw a black airplane by his side, which had no lights, on its wings.
The pilot looked at him and waved at him. He motioned to the writer to follow him as he had lost the way. Lost in the stormy clouds and running out of fuel, he happily obeyed him like a child. After some time the pilot of the other plane started to land. The writer followed him blindly through the storm and came out of the clouds. He was overjoyed when he saw the lights of the runway and finally landed safely. On landing he wanted to thank the kind pilot who had helped him navigate a difficult situation, but to his horror, he was informed by the woman at the air traffic control that there was no other airplane flying at that time. Thus he had a surreal experience which was beyond explanation and left him shocked and speechless.
QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE
- How much fuel was there in the airplane when the writer started flying?
- What did the writer experience inside the clouds?
- Why did the writer follow the pilot of another airplane?
- Describe the first flight of the young seagull.
- Describe the author’s feeling and thoughts while he was flying his airplane back to England?