CBSE Class 10 English Madam Rides the Bus Important Questions Set 04

Short Answer Questions

Question 1. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does it tell you about her? (CBSE AI 2015)
Answer: Valli didn’t want to go to the stall and have a drink because she was afraid that she would get lost if she got down from the bus. Besides, Valli had very limited money, just enough to buy a ticket for the return journey. It shows that she was cautious and sensible.

Question 2. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’? (CBSE AI 2015; Delhi Com. 2013)
Answer: The conductor called Valli ‘madam’ because even though she was just an eight-year-old girl, she behaved like a grown-up. She demanded respect and wanted to be treated like an adult because she too had paid her own bus fare like the other adults on the bus. The conductor, seeing Valli behave like that, treated her with respect, even though he did it to humour her.

Question 3. Give examples from the text to show that Valli was a good and meticulous planner. (CBSE Foreign 2015; Delhi 2014)
Answer: Valli was a good planner; it is evident from the way she planned her first ever bus journey. Although it took her months to finally make that journey, in the meanwhile Valli gathered all the required information, such as the distance covered, the bus fare, the arrival and departure times and the time taken to travel one way. She made some sacrifices to save money for the two-way journey. Valli even knew that noon would be the best time to travel because that was the time when her mother slept after lunch.

Question 4. How can you say that the conductor was a good-natured jolly fellow? Support your answer with examples. (CBSE Foreign 2014)
Answer: The conductor was a jolly person who liked to joke. When Valli refused his help and said she could get on by herself, he took it in good humour and started calling her ‘madam’. He made sure she was comfortable in her seat and warned her that she might fall if she did not sit. In town, he offered to get her a drink when he learned that she would be scared to go out alone, and he did not take offence when she refused. All this shows that he was a good-natured, jolly fellow.

Question 5. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now? (CBSE Delhi 2013)
Answer: A canvas blind that covered the lower part of her window obstructed her view outside the bus. She stood up on the seat in order to look over the blind. She noticed that the road was very narrow. On one side of it was a canal, and beyond it were palm trees, grasslands, distant mountains and the blue sky. On the other side there was a deep ditch and many acres of green fields.

Question 6. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Answer: Valli’s favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house and watching what was happening in the street outside.

Question 7. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Answer: The sight of the bus, that travelled between her village and the nearest town and filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for Valli. Her strongest desire was to ride the bus.

Question 8. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Answer: Valli listened carefully to the conversations between her neighbours and the people who regularly used the bus and she also asked a few discreet questions here and there. This way she picked up various small details about the bus journey. The town was six miles away from her village. The fare was thirty paise for one way. The trip to the town took forty-five minutes. On reaching the town, if she stayed in her seat and paid another thirty paise, she could return home on the same bus.

Question 9. What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Answer: Valli was planning to take a bus ride to the city and come back in the same bus.

Question 10. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Answer: The conductor is amused to see an eight year old who wants to behave like a grown up and in jest he calls her ‘madam’.

Question 11. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Answer: Valli found her view cut off by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of her window. So she stood up on the seat and peered over the blind. On one side, she sees the canal and beyond it, palm trees, grasslands, distant mountains and the blue sky. On the other side, she sees a deep ditch and then acres of green fields.

Question 12. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Answer: When the elderly man calls her a child, Valli gets annoyed and says that she is not a child as she has paid the full fare.

Question 13. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Answer: The elderly woman was repulsive to Valli with big holes in her ear lobes and ugly earrings in them. She could smell the betel nut the woman was chewing and see the betel juice that was threatening to spill over her lips at any time. So she did not want to become friends with the elderly woman.

Question 14. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Answer: Valli had saved up the money for her first journey by resisting every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons etc. At the village fair, she had resolutely stifled a strong desire to ride the merry-go-round, even though she had the money. Saving the money had not been easy for her.

Question 15. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Answer: On her journey to the city, Valli saw a young cow, tail high in the air, running very fast, right in the middle of the road, in front of the bus. The driver sounded his horn loudly but the more he honked, the more frightened the animal became and the faster it galloped — always right in front of the bus. This sight of the cow running made her laugh.

Question 16. Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Answer: Valli didn’t get off the bus because she was too scared to get down. Also, she just wanted to take a ride in the bus and go back to her village by the same bus.

Question 17. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her?
Answer: Valli didn’t want to get down at the city stop and go to the stall for a drink because she was scared and also, did not have enough money. This tells us that she was careful not to venture into something she had no idea about.

Question 18. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Answer: Valli’s deepest desire was to ride on the city bus, for just once. “Day after day, she watched the bus pass by and gradually a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there. This wish became stronger and stronger, until it was an overwhelming desire. Valli would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus”.

Question 19. What kind of a person is Valli? To answer this question, pick out the following sentences from the text and fill in the blanks. The words you fill in are the clues to your answer.
(i) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly.
(ii) “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
(iii) “There’s nobody here who’s a child,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
(iv) “Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself. You don’t have to help me.” I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said, irritably.
(v) “You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope to see you again.”
Answer: Though Valli is small, she is a very confident girl. She meticulously plans about the journey and then undertakes it. She doesn’t like being called a child as she believes that she is a grown up and can travel on her own. She is careful not to be friendly with strangers, though she does come to trust the conductor by the end of the journey. She gets irritated very soon.

Question 20. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
Answer: The conductor is amused to see an eight year old wanting to behave like a grown up and in jest he calls her ‘madam’.

Question 21. How did Valli fulfil her desire to ride a bus to the town and back? (Board Question)
Answer: Valli was an eight-year-old girl who had a strong desire to take a bus ride. She heard the people around talking about bus rides and silently gathered all the information required before she took her first ride. She saved every single penny possible so that she could take a return journey in the bus. Eventually, one afternoon when Valli’s mother was taking an afternoon nap post lunch, Valli sneaked out of the house for her first bus ride.
She boarded the bus on her own and shunned the conductor when he offered help and called her ‘madam’. She stood up on the seat to enjoy the views around the bus when she could not see them clearly while sitting.
On her return journey, she enjoyed the same natural sights around but her face fell when she saw a dead cow hit by a fast moving vehicle. The memory of the dead cow haunted Valli. She no longer wanted to see out of the window and kept sitting on her seat until her village came. She got down and wished the conductor to see him again. The conductor smiled. He told Valli that whenever she felt like riding the bus she could come and join them.

Question 22. Why did Valli shout in English ‘proud, proud’?
Answer: If one of her friends happened to ride the bus and tried to describe the sights of the town to her, Valli would be too jealous to listen and would shout, in English: “Proud! proud!” Neither she nor her friends really understood the meaning of the word but they used it often as a slang expression of disapproval.

Question 23. How did Valli slip out of the house without her mother’s knowledge?
Answer: Every day, after lunch, her mother would nap from about one to four or so. Valli always used these hours for her ‘excursions’ and this is when she slipped out of the house without her mother’s knowledge.

Question 24. Why does Valli stand upon the seat ? What does she see now ? (Board Question)
Answer: Valli’s view was obstructed by a canvas blind which covered the lower part of the window and so she was forced to stand up on the seat. She noticed the canal on one side, palm trees, grassland, distant mountains and the blue sky and a deep ditch and acres of green fields on the other side.

Question 25. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does it tell you about her?
Answer: Valli had accumulated only sixty paise, which was the cost of her bus ride between her village and the nearest town. She did not have enough money to spend at the stall. This shows that Valli was a firm and decisive little girl.

Question 26. What made Valli sad?
Answer: On the ride to the city, Valli was amused by a cow who was running right in the middle of the road in front of the bus. On the way back, she saw the same cow dead by the roadside hit by a speeding vehicle. This saddened her.

Question 27. How did Valli react when she saw the dead cow by the roadside ?
Answer: Valli was extremely excited about her bus journey. She had carefully planned and saved money for this journey. On her return journey, when she saw the dead cow on the roadside, she turned somber. She lost her enthusiasm on seeing the dead cow. She became pensive and built negative views towards life.

Question 28. How is the title appropriate? Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
Answer: “Madam Rides the Bus” is a story of an eight-year-old girl named Valliammai who took her first bus journey to the town. She was a curious girl who had a strong desire to go to the nearest town by riding on a bus. She was mature, smart, logical and self-reliant beyond her age. She was a great planner and thriftily saved every penny that came her way for her first bus journey. With several planning and calculations, she saved money for her first ride and boarded the bus. That's why the title is appropriate. When one fine spring day Valli boarded the bus, the conductor, seeing her confidence, allowed her to board the bus. He was a jolly fellow and understood that Valli spoke with pride. So he called her ‘madam’ and offered a seat as well. He asked others to make way for the ‘madam’.

Question 29. "On and on went her thoughts as she calculated and recalculated, planned and replanned." How did Valli find out about the journey and prepare herself for it?
Answer: Watching the bus day after day, Valli developed an overwhelming desire to have a ride on that bus. Valli carefully listened to the conversations between her neighbours and daily passengers who had travelled on the bus and through casual questions learnt about small details about the journey that the town was six miles away from her village and it took forty-five minutes to reach there. The fare was thirty paise for one way and one could keep sitting on the bus and return to the village by paying another thirty paise. She saved every paisa by resisting her desire to visit the village fair and have a ride in the merry-go-round. Finally, she managed to save sixty paise to go ready for her first bus journey. Then she planned how she would slip out of the house.

Long Answer Questions

Question 1. Valli posed herself to be very confident when the conductor offered her help to ride the bus. Later on she felt shy when all laughed at her. What does this tell you about Valli’s character? What do we learn from her character?
Answer: Valli posed to be very confident in front of the conductor when he offered her help to ride the bus. This shows her confidence, intelligence and careful nature. But when everybody laughed at her, she felt shy. She was innocent too. Being aware of that fact that she was travelling for the first time, she was taking every precaution not to be fooled by anybody. Although she should not have travelled alone yet it was wise on her part to behave confidently. Sometimes, situations arise when a child has to travel or live alone. In such a situation, it is necessary for children to get training in order to be self-confident. She teaches us to be confidant, compassionate and sympathetic towards others.

Question 2. Valli dared to travel alone in the bus and behaved haughtily with everyone who showed care and concern for her. Why do you think she was behaving in such a way? Was it proper on her part to go to the city without the knowledge of her mother? What advice would you give to such children?
Answer: As Valli was travelling alone in a bus for the first time, it was natural on her part to behave like this. Initially she seemed haughty but later on she joined other people, though maintaining a distance. In fact, Valli was a very confident and mature girl. She saved her pocket money and planned carefully for the journey. She knew that the world outside was strange to her so she was being extra cautious. I appreciate her sense of responsibility but it was also not proper on her part to go out alone without telling her parents. Children must confide in their parents in whatever they do. Our elders have experience and knowledge and under their guidance, we can make our life a success.

Question 3. The sight of the dead cow filled Valli with sadness. The harsh reality of life and death are shown through this episode. What kind of life do you think one must have to live peacefully until death comes?
Answer: On her way to the town, Valli saw a young cow running helter-skelter. She got very amused and laughed a lot. But while on her return journey to the town, she saw the same cow lying dead in a pool of blood by the side of the road. Valli got very upset and lost her enthusiasm of looking outside the window. The episode reveals the fact that life is transitory. Death is uncertain. God has given us a very precious life so we must not waste it in doing wrong deeds. Our aim in life should be to live happily with our friends, neighbours and relatives. Leaving all the negative thoughts like anger, jealousy, greed and pride, etc. a person can feel calm, and peaceful at heart. Death is a harsh reality but life is beautiful. We must not lose an opportunity to live it to the fullest by getting entangled in the webs of life.

Question 4. Imagine you are Valli. On your return journey the sighting of a dead cow changed your mood. You were very upset. Write a diary entry expressing your feelings. Or
As Valli, make a diary entry about your experience of riding the bus alone for the first time. (CBSE 2022)
Answer: Dear Diary,
Date: 17 July, Saturday
A dream came true today when a long cherished wish of riding the bus was fulfilled. It was a wonderful and exciting experience. While going to the city watching a small cow filled me with joy. I laughed wholeheartedly. It was funny to see her, running in front of the bus. On my journey back, I saw a dead cow lying on the road. I asked the conductor if that was the same cow. When I came to know that it was the same cow, I was so upset that I lost all the charm of the beauty outside. A cow that filled me with joy and happiness only a moment ago was lying dead! I could see the blood coming out of its nose. It was so haunting that I could not enjoy my journey back.

Question 5. Valli is a very sensitive girl. She is different from ordinary people who are becoming more and more callous and insensitive to the joys and sufferings of the people around them. She grieves the accidental death of the young cow. Do you think the values of being sensitive and sympathetic are missing from our society? What do you learn from Valli? Or
Valli is very organised, bold and at the same time very sensitive. Comment. (CBSE 2021(C))
Answer: It is true that Valli is a very sensitive girl. She is different from ordinary people who are becoming more and more callous and insensitive to the joys and sufferings of the people around them. She grieves the accidental death of the young cow. She was very happy while going to the city. She was happy seeing the young cow and enjoyed her activity. When she was back and found the cow dead, she was very upset and grieved by her death. It shows that she was very sensitive. No doubt the values of being sensitive and sympathetic are missing from our society. These values must be restored and inculcated in the new generation. Today we find people very callous and insensitive towards the victim of road accidents. In some cases, the victim is not given any help and dies on the road itself. We must be sensitive towards them. Valli gives us a lesson that we should be sensitive to our surroundings and people.

Question 6. Curiosity is the mother of learning. If one has an urge to know more about anything, one learns many things. Valli also has an urge to know more and more about things and her surroundings which makes her an intelligent, confident and mature girl. What traits of her character make her so? What do you learn from her character?
Answer: Curiosity is the mother of learning. If one has an urge to know more about anything, one learns many things. Valli also has an urge to know more and more about things and her surroundings. The people and surroundings are a good book to learn. Valli in the lesson, ‘Madam Rides the Bus’ learns a lot from others. She is a small inquisitive girl of eight years. She always enjoys standing in the front door of the house to watch various activities going in the house. She is very confident. She has a deep urge to travel by bus so she listened carefully to the conversation of the neighbours. She has a lot of questions and does not hesitate in asking them. She sometimes asks discreet questions to get details about the journey. While on her journey to the town she becomes friendly with the conductor who gives her a lot of information. Her curious nature makes her intelligent and confident. I, as a student, learn from her that we should have an urge to know more. It makes one confident and intelligent.

Question 7. Curiosity is the mother of learning. If one has the urge to know more about anything, one learns many things. Valli from ‘Madam Rides the Bus’ also has the urge to know more and more about things and her surroundings, which makes her an intelligent, confident and mature girl, much like Rajvir from ‘Tea from Assam’. What traits of their character make them stand out?
Answer: Curiosity is the mother of learning. If one has the urge to know more about anything, one learns many things. Valli has the urge to know more and more about things and her surroundings.
She has a deep urge to travel by bus, so she listens carefully to the conversation of her neighbours. She asks discreet questions to get details about the journey. On her journey to the town, she becomes friendly with the conductor, who gives her a lot of information. Her curious nature makes her intelligent and confident.
Pranjol invited his friend Rajvir to spend some days with him in his hometown in Assam. On reaching there, Rajvir was stunned by the beauty of the tea plantations. It was an entirely new experience for him, while for Pranjol these were a common sight, so he showed little interest in Rajvir’s excitement. Rajvir had been reading a lot about Assam, the legends associated with tea and the second flush of tea leaves to satisfy his curiosity. Just like Valli, he absorbed everything new.

Question 8. What was Valli’s obsession? How did she prepare and save money for her first bus journey? Or How did Valli plan for her first bus journey?
Answer: The most fascinating sight for Valli was seeing the bus that travelled from her village to the nearest town. A tiny wish crept into her head. She wanted to ride on that bus, at least for once. This wish became stronger until it was an overwhelming desire. She listened to the conversations of her neighbours and people. They regularly used the bus. She found out after questioning them that the both ways fare was sixty paise. It took forty-five minutes to reach the town. It was six miles from her village. After gathering all necessary details, Valli started saving money thriftily. She saved every coin that came her way. It was not an easy job for a girl of eight years. She had to resist her temptation of buying peppermints, toys, balloons and having a ride on the merry-go-round. When the money problem was solved, another problem was solved quite easily. She planned her journey during one to four o’clock when her mother took a nap in the afternoon. All such elaborate planning led Valli to have an enjoyable first bus journey.