CBSE Class 10 English Two Stories about Flying– II Black Aeroplane Worksheet

Two Stories about Flying– II. Black Aeroplane

GIST
The Black Aeroplane is about a pilot who is flying an old Dakota aeroplane and is happy and to be able to be home with his family in time for breakfast. He is flying from Paris to London. But suddenly he sees some huge black storm clouds that look like black mountains in front of him. He does not have enough fuel to go around the clouds. He takes the risk and flies right into it. Suddenly it is pitch dark and impossible to see anything. The instruments stop working and he has lost contact with Paris Control. Very soon he sees another black aeroplane near him and the pilot motions for him to follow and leads the way. Soon he comes out of the clouds and sees two long straight lines of lights in front of him and that was a Runway! He looks back to thank his friend but cannot see the other plane anywhere. After landing he asks the lady at the Control room about the other plane, but she’s surprised and says that there were no other plane in the skies that night, and his was the only plane flying in the storm. The pilot is puzzled! Who could it have been he wonders.

Choose the correct answer.

Question. How did he behave before the other aeroplane?
(i) Like an expert pilot
(ii) Like a shy person
(iii) Like an obedient child
(iv) As a trainer
Answer. C

Question. Why did the narrator start to feel frightened again?
(i) His plane was low on fuel.
(ii) His compass was lost.
(iii) The plane’s engine had malfunctioned.
(iv) None of these
Answer. A

Question. What was the narrator sure of?
(i) His Dakota was old.
(ii) The distance from his home.
(iii) To reach in time for French breakfast.
(iv) To reach in time for English breakfast.
Answer. D

Question. What was the narrator’s response when the other pilot said to follow him?
(i) The narrator ignored his instruction and did not follow him.
(ii) He tried hard to follow him but was unable to see the other plane.
(iii) He could not follow the other plane as it disappeared after a moment.
(iv) He followed the pilot like an obedient child.
Answer. D

Read the extracts below and answer the questions that follow.

1. Everything was going well — it was an easy flight. 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. “I
ought to go back to Paris,” I thought, but I wanted to get home. I wanted that breakfast.
‘I’ll take the risk,’ I thought, and flew that old Dakota straight into the storm.

Questions:

Question. Based on the given extract, choose the option that lists the meme which would be the most appropriate response to “…it was an easy flight”?

(i) Option 1
(ii) Option 2
(iii) Option 3
(iv) Option 4
Answer. C

Question. How would you describe the “risk” the narrator took?
(i) Calculated
(ii) Impetuous
(iii) Unavoidable
(iv) Navigable
Answer. B

Question. In what way might the reference to the Dakota as “old” be relevant?
(i) Its antique value made it expensive and precious to the narrator.
(ii) It is employed by the narrator as a term of endearment.
(iii) It did not have enough fuel to fly around the storm clouds.
(iv) Its ability to negotiate the storm clouds might have been dangerous.
Answer. D

Question. Read the statements given below, and then select the option that best describes the given statements.
Statement I – The narrator’s desire to reach home and see his family made him complacent.
Statement II – The narrator was unaware of the threat that the adversarial storm clouds presented.
Statement III – The narrator’s decision making was quick but irresponsible as well as dangerous.
(i) Statement I is False, Statement II is True, Statement III cannot be inferred.
(ii) Statements I and III are True, Statement II cannot be inferred.
(iii) Statement I cannot be inferred, Statement II is False, Statement III is True.
(iv) Statements I and II are False, Statement III is True.
Answer. C

Question. Select the correct option to fill in the blanks below:
risk: risky :: ______ : _______
(i) danger: dangerously
(ii) hazard : hazardous
(iii) peril : imperilled
(iv) caution : precaut
Answer. B

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

1. The moon was coming up in the east, behind me, and stars were shining in the clear sky above me.There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was happy to be alone high up above the sleeping countryside.

Question. How was the sky that day?
a. clear
b. cloudy
c. slightly clear
d. slightly cloudy
Answer.a. clear

Question. What is the reason of narrator’s happiness?
a. he won the lottery
b. he got the freedom
c. he was alone
d. he was going to meet his friends
Answer.c. he was alone

Question. The narrator was also a ___________ who was flying an aeroplane.
a. driver
b. pilot
c. astronaut
d. writer
Answer.b. pilot

Question. What is the meaning of “sleeping countryside”?
a. the country was sleeping
b. calm and quiet
c. all lights were off
d. people were sleeping
Answer. b. calm and quiet

2. “Suddenly I came out of the clouds and saw two long straight lines of lights in front of me. It was a runway ! An airport ! I was safe ! I turned to look for my friend in the black aeroplane.”

Question. Name the plane in which narrator was flying.
a. Jet Airways
b. Indian Airlines
c. Dakota
d. Emirates Airlines
Answer.c. Dakota

Question. He was amazed to see a ____________.
a. runway
b. airport
c. parking place
d. safe road
Answer.a. runway

Question. Which word in the passage is the opposite of the word ‘unsafe’ ?
a. light
b. runway
c. straight
d. airport
Answer. c. straight

Question. He turned to look for his ___________ in the black aeroplane.
a. brother
b. relative
c. neighbour
d. friend
Answer.d. friend

3. There was no answer. The radio was dead too. I had no radio, no compass, and I could not see where I was. I was lost in the storm. Then, in the black clouds quite near me, I saw another aeroplane. It had no lights on its wings, but I could see it flying next to me through the storm. I could see the pilot’s face – turned towards me. I was very glad to see another person. He lifted one hand and waved.

Question. What was dead and could not answer?
a. compass
b. radio
c. aeroplane
d. wings of aeroplane
Answer.b. radio

Question. The writer was ___________ to see another person.
a. sad
b. upset
c. excited
d. glad
Answer.d. glad

Question. The writer was ___________ to see another person.
a. sad
b. upset
c. excited
d. glad
Answer.d. glad

Question. Whom does ‘He’ refer to ?
a. narrator’s friend
b. The astronaut
c. The other pilot
d. The stranger
Answer.c. The other pilot

Question. Which word in the passage means ‘an instrument to find direction’ ?
a. amplifier
b. speedometer
c. compass
d. radio
Answer.c. compass

Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow:

I was starting to feel frightened again. But then he started to go down and I followed through the storm. Suddenly I came out of the clouds and saw two long straight lines of lights in front of me. It was a runway! An airport! I was safe! I turned to look for my friend in the black aeroplane, but the sky was empty. There was nothing there. The black aeroplane was gone. I could not see it anywhere. I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota near the control tower. I went and asked a woman in the control centre where I was and who the other pilot was. I wanted to say ‘Thank you’. She looked at me very strangely, and then laughed. “Another aeroplane? Up there in this storm? No other aeroplanes were flying tonight. Yours was the only one I could see on the radar.” So, who helped me to arrive there safely without a compass or a radio, and without any more fuel in my tanks? Who was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane, flying in the storm, without lights?

Question. What debacles were faced by the pilot?
(1) Engine making noise
(2) Low fuel
(3) Storm
(4) Air Traffic Signal Misinterpretation
(5) Stabilizer not working
a. Only (1)
b. (1) and (2)
c. (2) and (3)
d. (1), (4) and (5)
Answer. c

Question. Select the most appropriate option for (1) and (2).
(1) I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota near the control tower.
(2) The narrator had a scary experience with the Dakota.
a. (1) is true (2) is false.
b. (2) is the opposite of (1).
c. (1) furthers the meaning of (2).
d. (1) and (ii) can’t be inferred from the above text.
Answer. c

Question. How did the pilot find the guidance to reach and land upon the runway?
a. The pilot was guided by another mysterious black plane.
b. The pilot was guided by Air traffic controller to landing.
c. The pilot drove himself up to runway on his own.
d. The pilot entered into worm hole and travelled time through it.
Answer. a

Question. Select the option which displays an example of "starting to feel frightened…"
a. He was excited to go for rides in amusement park.
b. He was anxious for his son living in abroad.
c. He was feeling gloomy because of job loss.
d. He was afraid to realize that his vehicle’s brakes are malfunctioning in rainy weather.
Answer. d

Question. What do we get to know about the narrator’s mental state when he says the following?
“Who was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane, flying in the storm, without lights?”
a. Narrator was happy that he does not have to say thanks to anyone.
b. Narrator was wondering over mysterious disappearing of the plane that helped him.
c. Narrator was happy that his life is saved.
d. Narrator was angry with the sudden disappearing of plane that guided him to runway.
Answer. b

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

1. He turned his aeroplane 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 aeroplane like an obedient child.

Question. Why did the pilot of the Dakota follow him like an obedient child?
Answer.He was lost and all his instruments had stopped working. He wanted to find a way out of the storm/He wanted to get out of the storm safely.

Question. Who does ‘He’ refer to in the first sentence?
Answer.The pilot of the Black aeroplane

Question. Where was the pilot at this time?
Answer.The pilot was inside the black storm cloud

Question. Why did ‘He” of the black aeroplane bring his plane in front of the Dakota aeroplane?
Answer.The pilot was trying to guide the author out of the storm clouds by asking him to follow him.

2. I knew I could not fly up and over them, and I didn’t have enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south. “I ought to go back to Paris.” I thought, but I wanted to get home.

Question. Why could he not fly over on either side of storm clouds?
Answer.There was not enough fuel left in the Dakota – aero plane for him to fly around the clouds

Question. What does ‘them’ in the first sentence refer to?
Answer.‘Them’ means the big black clouds 

Question. Which country was the pilot of the plane flying towards?
Answer. The Pilot was flying towards England.

Question. Why did he not go back to Paris?
Answer.He wanted to get home and enjoy breakfast with his family  

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. “I’ll take the risk” What is the risk ? Why does the pilot of the old Dakota take it ? 
Answer. The risk was of flying the old Dakota aeroplane into the storm. The pilot took it as he wished to reach home as soon as possible and to be present at the breakfast table with his family in the morning. 

Question. What shocked the narrator after landing safely ? 
Answer. The narrator was shocked to land safely after struggling against the black storm. Besides, he wanted to thank the other pilot who showed him the way, but he too nowhere to be seen. It was a sort of secret help, of which no one was aware.

Question. What did the narrator feel inside the clouds?
Answer. When the narrator entered the clouds, it became impossible to see outside the aeroplane. The aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air and all the instruments like compass etc. stopped working due to the weather conditions. He could not see anything and he was worried whether the fuel would last till he landed.

Question. How does a leopard behave when he sees someone?
Answer : A leopard has black spots all over its body. As soon as it sees someone, it leaps over him at once. There will be no use of crying with pain. It will not show any mercy, but keep on pouncing continuously on its victim.

Question. How can you distinguish between a hyena and a crocodile?
Answer : It is not easy to distinguish among wild animals. But a hyena and a crocodile can easily be distinguished. A hyena laughs as it swallows its victim, whereas a crocodile will have tears as it kills its victim. 

Question. Why was the woman in the control room shocked when the narrator asked her about another aeroplane?
Answer : The woman in the control room was shocked when the narrator asked about another aeroplane because there was no such plane flying in the sky that night as she saw none on the radar. It was an extremely stormy night and no one had taken the risk of flying in the storm.

Long Answer Type Questions 

Question. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm. 
Answer.The narrator was in a hurry to reach England although he had little fuel. He felt home sick and missed his home. So, he took the risk to fly on low fuel. Suddenly, he lost contact with Paris due to cloudy storm. Inside the clouds, every thing was suddenly black. It was impossible for him to see anything outside the aeroplane. His plane jumped and twisted in the air. He looked at the compass and to his surprise, it was moving round and round. It was dead. All the other instruments were dead. He tried the radio but in vain. He was lost in the storm. Just then a black aeroplane appeared. He was helped by the mysterious pilot and was able to land safely. The other aeroplane had no lights on its wings, but the narrator could see it flying next to him. He could see other pilot’s face. He lifted one hand and waved at the narrator and asked him to follow him. Narrator’s fuel was getting over. But the other pilot guided him down and made his safe landing. After that, the pilot and the aeroplane, both disappeared.

Question. Describe the effective use of humour in the poem How to tell wild animals. What are the poetic liberties taken by the poet in the poem?
The poet, in the poem ‘How to tell Wild Animals’ creates humour by describing various beasts of prey.
Answer : The way the poet explains the things is very funny yet interesting. The poet has depicted the wildlife very vividly and in a lively manner. While reading the poem, the readers enjoy the poet’s work and it leaves them refreshed and happy. The humour used in the poem is suggestive and mild. If the Asian Lion ‘roars’ at you as you are dying, the Bengal Tiger is a ‘noble’ wild beast that ‘greets’ you when you are roaming round in the jungle. The leopard will show no mercy and it will do no good to roar with pain. The bear gives you a very hard ‘hug’ and if you have any doubts whether it is a bear, it will give you just one more caress. The poet humorously says that hyenas come with ‘merry smiles’; but if they ‘weep’ they are crocodiles. Similarly, the poet takes many liberties to make the poem impressive. In order to rhyme with ‘lion’ the poet changes the word dying to ‘dyin’. Instead of leapt and leap the poet writes ‘lept’ and ‘lep’. All these changes make the poem more interesting and enjoyable.

Question. The narrator does not lose hope and follows the pilot in the black aeroplane knowing well that he might be taking a huge risk. What qualities does he possess to endure this critical situation bravely?
Answer : Gradually a black aeroplane approaches and the pilot signals to him to follow him. Knowing well that it is a risky move he still continues to follow and to his delight and relief he reaches an airport safely. However he cannot see the other aeroplane anywhere and nor can the lady at the Control room help him. His brave act led him to safety. His Faith in himself and perhaps the Almighty enabled him to emerge safely from the gruelling situation.

Question. The narrator knew that he could not fly up due to storm and lack of fuel but still, he continued. What kind of person was he? Was it not in his nature to accept defeat? Discuss the values one should possess to accept failures and still be able to move ahead in life.
Answer : The author’s plane did not have enough fuel. He knew that because of the paucity of fuel, he could not fly up and over the clouds nor he could fly around them to the north or south. But then he decided to take the risk to fly into the clouds because he wanted to go home and wanted to join his family at breakfast. This shows that he was a family-loving person. He was courageous as he knew that it would be risky to enter the clouds, but he did so nevertheless.

1. Read the following extracts and answer the following question

A) I see her back, and reflect it faithfully
She rewards me wit tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes

i) Who is ‘her’ here in the above stanza?
ii) What does the mirror reflect in ‘it’
iii) ‘She rewards me with tears’ Explain.

B) Evidently the wrong animal had been hit, and the beast of prey had succumbed to heart failure, caused by the sudden report of the rifle,accelerated by senile decay.

i) What was the reason of tiger’s death?
ii) What was the first thing noticed by Lousia Mebbin?
iii) How did Miss Packletide react?

C)“I suppose we are in some danger?” said Miss Mebbin.
She was not actually nervous about the wild beast, but she had a morbid dread of performing as atom more service than she had been paid for.

i) Why does Miss Mebbin say this?
ii) What kind of a woman is she as reflected here?
iii) How does Mrs Packletide react to it?

2. Read the following questions and answer them briefly in 30 - 40 words.

a) How is the mirror “a lake”?
b) Why is the mirror compared to a four-cornered god?
c) Explain how is the mirror ‘exact’ and has no ‘preconceptions’
d) Mrs Packletide was a good shot. Discuss?
e) How was the tiger shooting arranged? What kind of a tiger was chosen for the purpose?
f) What make Mrs Packletide decide to give a party in Loona Bimbertons honour

3. Sylvia Plath’s ‘Mirror’ gives out clear values of truth and exactness . Indirectly, it shows their worth in human life and obviously the key message is that one must adopt these values in life. How do you react to this and what is your opinion about these values? Write your answer in about 150 words stressing on its key passage on values treated in the poem and their relevance.

4. Write down the character sketch of Anne Frank