CBSE Class 10 English Two Stories about Flying – I His First Flight Assignment

Two Stories about Flying – I His First Flight

INTRODUCTION—
This imaginary story conveys the message that one learns by taking courage and not by sitting idle. A young seagull is fed lovingly by his parents. But when the time comes for him to fly, he feels himself afraid. At last, his mother hits upon a plan by persuading him with food in her beak. And the seagull finally learns how to fly.

SUMMARY—
The young seagull was alone on his ledge. His two brothers and his sister had already flown away. When he wanted to fly, he could not do so. He was afraid of flying. When his brothers and sister flew, he failed to gather the courage to fly. He was really very sad. His father and mother came to him. They asked him to fly. They even rebuked him. They threatened if he did not fly, he would die of hunger there. But he could not move.
That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then, no one has come near him. He had watched his parents and brothers and sisters flying. His parents had been perfecting his brothers and sister how to dive for fish.They called him to fly. But he could not.

The sun was rising. It was getting very hot. He felt the heat. He had not eaten for long. He had found a dried piece of a fish tail. But it was not enough. There was not even a single piece of food anywhere for him. He had gone forward and backward on the ledge. But he couldn’t fly. He wanted to reach his parents. There was a deep sea below. The ridge was high.

The seagull closed his eyes standing on one leg. He had the other leg hidden under his wing. He pretended to sleep. He thought that his parents didn’t take notice of him. However, mother was looking at him. He saw her tearing at a piece of fish at her feet. He was mad to see the food. He gave out a sound to get it. His mother replied in a sound and looked at him. She picked a piece of the fish. She flew across to him with it. He leaned out tapping the rock with his feet. His mother flew across trying to get nearer to him. The seagull had the food within the reach of his beak. But he could not get at it.

The seagull waited a moment in surprise. He wondered why his mother did not come nearer. He was so mad with hunger that he dived at the fish. He fell outwards with a scream and downwards into space. His mother had swooped upwards. As he passed beneath her, he heard the swish of her wings. Then a great fear caught him. His heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted for a moment. The next moment, he felt his wings spread outwards. He felt the wind rushing against his breast feathers. It rushed under his stomach, and against his wings. He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring slowly downwards and upwards. He was no longer afraid.

The seagull gave out a joyous scream. He soared higher calling ‘ga, ga, ga’. His mother gave out ‘gaw col-ah’. Then his father flew over him screaming. Then he saw his brothers and sister flying around him.They were roaring and diving.

Then he completely forgot that he had not always been able to fly. He commended himself to dive and soar. He was near the sea now, flying straight over it. He saw a vast green sea beneath him. His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on the green surface of water ahead of him. They were calling him to do the same thing. He dropped his leg to stand on the green sea. But his legs sank into it. He cried with fear. He tried to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger. He could not rise. His feet sank into the green sea. His belly touched it but he sank no further. He was floating on it. Around him was his family, crying and praising him. It was offering him scraps of dog-fish. He had made his first flight.

Extract Based Questions 

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. 

1.He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer, and then maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish. With a loud scream he fell outwards and downwards into space.

Question. Whom was he waiting for?
a. his mother
b. his father
c. his sister
d. his brother
Answer. a. his mother

Question. Who is ‘He’?
a. The father seagull
b. The young seagull
c. The brother seagull
d. The neighbour seagull
Answer. b. The young seagull

Question. With a ___________ scream, he fell outwards and downwards into space.
a. slight
b. slow
c. high
d. loud
Answer.d. loud

Question. What did he dive at?
a. at the crab
b. at the shark fish
c. at the bird
d. at the fish
Answer.d. at the fish

2.He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his wing he closed one eye, then the other and pretended to be falling asleep. Still they took no notice of him. 

Question. What was the Seagull afraid of?
a. singing
b. eating
c. flying
d. dancing
Answer.c. flying

Question. The young seagull pretended to be falling __________.
a. from the edge
b. and got hurt
c. asleep
d. from the height
Answer. c. asleep

Question. Trace a word from the passage which means ‘the edge of land before a steep slope’.
a. brink
b. pretended
c. asleep
d. stepped
Answer.a. brink

Question. Who is ‘they’ in the above lines?
a. other birds
b. seagull’s parents
c. other seagulls
d. the fishes
Answer.b. seagull’s parents

3.He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise, exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no further. He was floating on it, and around him his family was screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog fish.

Question. His family was praising him because he had made a ____________ flight.
a. smart
b. extra-ordinary
c. successful
d. unsuccessful
Answer.c. successful

Question. What was the family offering him?
a. grains
b. small fish
c. scraps of dog fish
d. bread crumbs
Answer.c. scraps of dog fish

Question. Find the synonym of the word ‘tired out’ from the passage.
a. attempted
b. strange
c. sank
d. exhausted
Answer.d. exhausted

Question. Who was tired and weak with hunger?
a. The young seagull
b. Mother seagull
c. Father seagull
d. Brother seagull
Answer.a. The young seagull

Short Answer Type Questions :

Question. The young seagull was afraid of flying. Why ? 
Answer. The young seagull was afraid of flying as it was a steep fall to the sea, the sea expanse was vast and he thought that his wings would not support him, and he would die. So he avoided to fly and preferred staying back alone on his ledge.

Question. How did the seagull feel when his belly touched the green sea ?
Answer. When the seagull’s belly touched the green sea, he was scared that he would sink. He tried to fly but could not. He was exhausted and weak due to hunger.

Long Answer Type Questions :

Question. What role was played by the family of the seagull to train him in the art of flying ?
Answer.
To train the young seagull in the art of flying, the entire family helped out. His sister and brothers encouraged him to muster up courage and try to fly. The parents called out in a shrill voice, along with cajoling and scolding him in turn. Then they threatened to let him starve. When all this proved unsuccessful, his mother tempted him by flying close to his ledge with a piece of fish in her mouth. Maddened by hunger, he dived forward to get that piece and fell into space. To save himself, he spread his wings and found that he was able to fly. Thus, the entire family helped him in making him to learn the art of flying. His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on the green surface of water ahead of him. They were calling him to do the same thing. They were flying around him. They were roaring and diving. When he was tired and weak with hunger, he could not rise. Then his family came around him crying and praising him. They offered him scraps of dog-fish because he had made his first flight successfully.

Question. Imagine you are the seagull’s mother. You wanted him to fly and your plan worked. Write a page in your diary to describe how he ventured into his flight.
Answer.
Monday : 25th June, 20xx
10:30 p.m.

Dear Diary
Today I am feeling very happy. Finally, all my children are able to fly. Coaxing the youngest one was in deed a real ordeal. He just refused to get off the ledge. We tried every method but failed. After nearly 24 hours, I could see that he was feeling really hungry. So I decided to play a trick on him. I took a piece of fish in my mouth and flew close to the ledge. Maddened by hunger, he stepped forward to get the fish, lost his balance and fell outwards. Instinctively, he spread his wings and found that he could fly.
Even my husband and other children supported him. When he was near the sea, while flying straight over it, all of us landed on the green surface of water ahead of him. We all started calling him to do the same thing. He dropped his leg to stand on the green sea. But his legs sank into it. He cried with fear. He tried to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger. He could not rise. We all started crying and praising him. At last we offered him scraps of dog-fish. He had at last made his first flight successful with great effort. It was the proud moment of my life. Now I am relaxed.

Good night Diary.