I. His First Flight

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Thinking about the Text

Q1. 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: The young seagull was afraid to fly because he felt his wings would not support him. It’s natural for all young birds to be afraid, but some may be more timid than others. A human baby also finds taking its first steps a huge challenge.

Q2. “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
Answer: This suggests that the young seagull was extremely hungry. What compelled him to fly was his mother flying to him with a piece of fish but stopping just out of his reach. Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish, which forced him to flap his wings and start flying.

Q3. “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly.” Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
Answer: They were trying to force him to overcome his fear and learn to be independent. They knew he could fly and that his hunger would eventually push him to take the risk.

Q4. 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: This is a personal experience question. You can talk about a time when you were afraid to do something and how your parents encouraged you to overcome your fear.

Q5. 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: Success is never guaranteed when you try something new. It’s always important to try, regardless of the possibility of failure. Failure is a part of learning.

Writing

Write a short composition on your initial attempts at learning a skill. You could describe the challenges of learning to ride a bicycle or learning to swim. Make it as humorous as possible.
Answer: This is a writing task. You can write a short composition describing your experience of learning a new skill, focusing on the funny moments and the challenges you faced.

II. The Black Aeroplane

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Thinking about the Text

Q1. “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Answer: The risk is flying the old Dakota aeroplane straight into the massive storm clouds. He takes the risk because he is dreaming of his holiday and wants to get home for breakfast.

Q2. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
Answer: As the narrator flew into the storm, everything turned black. The plane jumped and twisted, and all his instruments, including the compass and radio, stopped working. He was completely lost.

Q3. Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
Answer: He says this because he was so relieved and exhausted after his terrifying experience. He was happy to be on solid ground and away from the old plane.

Q4. What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?
Answer: The woman looked at him strangely because she told him that when she checked the radar, she could only see his aeroplane flying in the storm. The black aeroplane that helped him was a mystery to her.

Q5. Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
Answer: This is an opinion question. Some believe it was a real plane that was not on the radar, while others think it was a hallucination caused by stress, or a mysterious act of a guardian angel. There is no clear answer in the story.

Thinking about Language

Q1. Look at these sentences given below. Now, try to guess the meanings of the word ‘black’.

Q2. Match the phrases given under Column A with their meanings given under Column B:

Q3. We know that the word ‘fly’ (of birds/insects) means to move through air using wings. Tick the words which have the same or nearly the same meaning.

Answer: swoop (✓), flit (✓), flutter (✓), ascend (✓), float (✓), ride (✓), skim (✓), dart (✓), hover (✓), glide (✓), descend (✓), soar (✓), shoot (✓), spring (✓), sail (✓), flap (✓).