Madam Rides The Bus
Answers to NCERT Questions
ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK
1. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Ans: Valli’s favourite pastime was to stand in the front
doorway of her house and watch what was happening outside in the street.
2. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her
strongest desire?
Ans: A source of unending joy for Valli was the sight of the
bus that travelled between her village and the desire was to ride on that bus.
3. What did Valli found out about the bus journey? How did
she find out these details?
Ans: Valli found out that the town was six miles away from
her village. The fare was thirty paise 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. She found out
these details by listening carefully to the conversations between her
neighbours and the people who regularly used the bus. She gained information by
asking them a few questions.
4. What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Ans: Valli was planning to travel on that bus.
5. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Ans: Valli was trying to behave more mature than her age.
She was trying to look overconfident and smart. The conductor was amused at her
behaviour and in an effort to tease her, calls her ‘madam’.
6. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see
now?
Ans: Valli stood up on her seat because her view was cut off
by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of her window. She stood up to
look over the blind. She saw that the road was very narrow, on one side of
which was a canal and beyond it were palm trees, grassland, distant mountains,
and blue sky. On the other side, there was a deep ditch and many acres of green
fields.
7. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a
child?
Ans: When the elderly man called her a child, Valli told him
that there was nobody in the bus who was a child. She had paid her fare of
thirty paise like everyone else.
8. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly
woman?
Ans: The elderly woman was having big earlobes with bigger
holes. She was chewing betel nut and the betel juice was about to seep out of
her mouth. She was giving a sight of unrefined elderly lady. That is why, Valli
did not want to make friends with her.
9. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it
easy for her?
Ans: Valli saved every coin that came her way. She made
great sacrifices by controlling her normal childish urges of having candies,
toys and joyrides. This must have been difficult for her. Kids find it very
difficult to savour a candy or to enjoy a toy.
10. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Ans: Valli saw a young cow, whose tail was high in the air,
turning right in front of the bus in the middle of the road. The bus slowed and
the driver sounded his horn loudly. However, the more he honked, the more
frightened the cow became and it kept running faster and faster, right in front
of the bus. Valli found it so amusing that she had tears in her eyes. At last,
the cow moved off the road.
11. Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Ans: Valli didn’t get off the bus at the bus station because
she had to go back on that same bus.
12. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a
drink? What does this tell you about her?
Ans: Valli did not want to go to the stall and have a drink
because she did not have any money for that. Even when the conductor offered
her a cold drink free of charge, she refused firmly and said that she only
wanted her ticket. This shows that Valli had a lot of self- will and pride.
Possibly, she did not want to take anything for free, particularly from a
stranger.
THINKING ABOUT THE TEXT
1. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and
phrases in the story that tell you this.
Ans: Valli’s deepest desire was to ride on the bus which she
saw every day. The sentences in the story which depict this are as follows: “Day
after day she watched the bus, and gradually a tiny wish crept into her head
and grew there: she wanted to ride on that bus, even if just once. This wish
became stronger and stronger, until it was overwhelming desire.”
2. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out
about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
Ans: Valli planned that she would take the one o’clock bus,
reach the town at one fortyfive, and be back home by two forty-five. She found
out that the town was six miles away from her village. The fare was thirty
paise one way. The trip to the town took fortyfive minutes. On reaching the
town, if she stayed in her seat and paid another thirty paise, she could return
home on the same bus. She had carefully saved whatever stray coins came her
way, resisting every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, etc. and
finally she had saved sixty paise.
3. 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 ___________.
(ii). “Yes, I ___________ go to town,” said Valli, still
standing outside the bus.
(iii). “There’s nobody here ___________,” she said
haughtily. “ I have paid my thirty
paise like everyone else.”
(iv). “Never mind,” she said, “I can ___________.” You don’t
have to help me. “ I am not
a child, I tell you,” she said, ___________.
(v). “You needn’t bother about me. I ___________,” Valli
said, turning her face towards
the window and staring out.
(vi). Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir,
I hope ___________.”
Ans:
(i). “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And the 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 have 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 am
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
towards the window and staring out.
(vi). Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir,
I hope to see you again.”
For Valli, the bus journey probably symbolised the adult
world. Like anyone else, she
spent her money to buy the ticket. She would have attained a
great sense of pride and
satisfaction in doing so. Therefore, though a child, Valli
wanted to be treated as a
grown-up in the bus. She had a great sense of respect which
prevented her from taking
anyone’s help. She felt she was able to take care of herself
very well, and was easily
irritated when anyone treated her as a child.
4. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
Ans: When the conductor stretched out his hand to help her
get on the bus, Valli said
commandingly that she could get on by herself, and she did
not require his help. She
did not act like a child, but as a grown-up girl and
therefore, the conductor called her
‘madam’. When the elderly man called her a child and asked
her sit down on her seat,
she replied that nobody was a child on the bus. She kept stressing
on the fact that she
had paid her fare like everybody else and therefore, she
should not be treated
differently.
5. Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was
enjoying her ride on the
bus.
Ans: The following lines in the text show that Valli was
enjoying her ride on the bus:
(i). “Valli devoured everything with her eyes.”
(ii). “One the one side there was the canal and, beyond it,
palm trees, grassland, distant
mountains, and the blue, blue sky. On the other side was a
deep ditch and then acres
and acres of green fields – green, green, green, as far as
the eye could see. Oh, it was
all so wonderful.”
(iii). “Everyone laughed, and gradually Valli too joined in
the laughter. Suddenly, Valli
clapped her hands with glee.”
(iv). “Somehow this was very funny to Valli. She laughed and
laughed until there were
tears in her eyes.”
(v). “Valli wasn’t bored to the slightest and greeted
everything with the same excitement
she’d felt the first time.”
6. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her
way back?
Ans: Valli refused to look out of the window on her way back
because she saw a young
cow lying dead by the roadside, where it had been struck by
some fast moving vehicle.
It was the same cow that was running in front of their bus,
during their trip to the town.
She was overcome with sadness. The memory of the dead cow
haunted her and
therefore, she refused to look out of the window.
7. What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing
with what you said
about things happening without our knowledge.”
Ans: Valli’s mother said that many things happen around us,
but we are usually
unaware of them. Valli had gone on a bus ride to town, all
alone, and had come back
without any harm. She did all this without the knowledge of
her mother. Hence, she
agreed with what her mother said.
8. The author describes the things that Valli sees from an
eight-year-old’s point of
view. Can you find evidence from the text for this
statement?
Ans: The author had described the things that Valli saw from
an eight-year-old’s point
of view. She was fascinated by the bus. Watching the bus
filled with new set of people
each time was a source of unending joy for her. Her
strongest desire was to ride the
bus. She saved the money by cutting on peppermints, toys,
and balloons, and even
resisting the temptation to ride merry-go-round at the fair.
When the author describes
the bus, the points he stresses on are the colour and look
of the bus. It was a ‘new bus’
painted a ‘gleaming white’. The overhead bars ‘shone like
silver’. The seats were ‘soft
and luxurious’. The descriptions that the author gives when
Valli looked outside are also
typical for an eight-year-old. The ‘blue, blue sky’ and the
‘acres and acres of green fields
– green, green, green’, show the enthusiasm of the kid on
looking at the different
colours. Valli clapped her hands in glee on watching a cow
run right in front of the bus.
She found it so funny that tears came into her eyes. On the
other hand, she was
overcome with sadness on her way back when she saw the same
cow lying dead. It had
been a ‘lovable, beautiful creature’ and later, it ‘looked
so horrible’. The memory of the
dead cow haunted her so much that she refused to look
outside the window. These are
typical reactions of a young child.
Additional Questions
Extract Based Questions
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the
questions that follow: (4 Marks each)
1. Suddenly she was startled by a voice. “Listen, child,”
said the voice, “you shouldn’t stand like that. Sit down.”
a. Who was ‘she’ and whose voice was it?
b. Why wasn’t she sitting?
c. What does Valli see?
d. What was Valli’s reaction when she was called a ‘child’
by an elderly person?
Ans:
a. She was Valli. The voice was that of an elderly man who
was concerned about Valli standing on the window seat.
b. As she sat on the seat, she found her view cut off by a
canvas blind that covered the lower part of the window. So she stood up on the
seat.
c. Valli sees the camel, green fields, palm trees, etc. with
her own eyes.
d. She was annoyed rather angry at the elderly person.
2. ‘Listen, child,” said the voice, “you shouldn’t stand
like that. Sit down.” Sitting down, she looked to see who had spoken. It was an
elderly man who had honestly been concerned for her, but she was annoyed by his
attention. “There’s nobody here who’s a child,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid
my thirty paise like everyone else.”
a. Who is the child mentioned in the passage?
b. How did the girl prove to the elderly man that she was
not a child?
c. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly
woman?
d. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a
child?
Ans:
a. Valli is the child mentioned in the passage.
b. She said that she had paid thirty paise like every other
passenger and was not a child.
c. Valli didn’t like the physical appearance of the elderly
woman.
d. Valli told him that she was not a child as she had paid
the same amount of the bus ticket as everyone else had paid.
3. Valli wasn’t bored in the slightest and greeted
everything with the same excitement she’d felt the first time. But suddenly she
saw a young cow lying dead by the roadside, just where it had been struck by
some fast-moving vehicle.
a. While Valli was going back home, she saw something that
changed her mood. What was it?
b. How had the young cow met with this destiny?
c. What made Valli sad and depressed on her journey back to
the village?
d. What kind of a person is Valli?
Ans:
a. She saw a cow lying dead by the roadside.
b. It had been struck by some fast-moving vehicle.
c. On her return journey, Valli saw a dead cow lying in the
middle of the road.
d. Valli was a kind, compassionate, self-confident,
nature-loving and friendly girl.
4. The conductor nodded, and she was overcome with sadness.
What had been a lovable, beautiful creature just a little while ago had now suddenly
lost its charm and its life and looked so horrible, so frightening as it lay
there, legs spreadeagled, a fixed stare in its lifeless eyes, blood all over...
a. Why is ‘she’ overcome with sadness?
b. What had happened to the creature?
c. Why is she so sad?
d. When did she see the cow earlier?
Ans:
a. She had just seen a young cow dead.
b. It had been struck by a fast-moving vehicle.
c. The cow that was full of joy and life a while ago, is
lying dead-looking horrible.
d. She saw the cow earlier while going from her village on
her bus journey.
5. Over many days and months Valli listened carefully to
conversations between her neighbours and 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 from her
village. The fare was thirty paise one way — “which is almost nothing at all.”
a. What conclusion was made by Valli on the basis of
information?
b. What were the sources of information for her?
c. Whose conversations did Valli listen to?
d. What information did she want to get?
Ans:
a. The town was six miles from her village and the fare was
thirty paise one way.
b. Neighbours and people who regularly travelled by bus were
the sources of information.
c. Conversations between the neighbours and people who
regularly used the bus
d. She wanted to get all the details about the bus journey
including the distance from the town, the fare and the total time required to
reach the town and come back to the village, when the bus drove back after
having stopped in the town for some time.
6. After she had enough money saved, her next problem was
how to slip out of the house without her mother’s knowledge. But she managed
this without too much difficulty. Every day after lunch her mother would nap
from about one to four or so. Valli always used these hours for her
‘excursions’ as she stood looking from the doorway of her house or sometimes
even ventured out into the village; today, these same hours could be used for
her first excursion outside the village.
a. Who does ‘she’ refer to in the passage?
b. What was her new problem after saving enough money for
her bus ride?
c. When did Valli plan to slip out of the house without her
mother’s knowledge?
d. What did Valli normally use to do when her mother had her
daily nap?
Ans:
a. ‘She’ refers to Valli.
b. The new problem was how to escape without her mother’s
knowledge for the bus ride.
c. Valli planned to slip out of the house when her mother
would be having her afternoon nap which was normally from 1 to 4 p.m.
d. Valli used to go to the village for other excursions.
7. But for Valli, standing at the front door was every bit
as enjoyable as any of the elaborate games other children played. Watching the
street gave her many new unusual experiences. The most fascinating thing of all
was the bus that travelled between her and the nearest town. It passed through
her street each hour, once going to the town and once coming back. The sight of
the bus, filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of
unending joy for Valli.
a. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
b. Why did she watch the street?
c. What was the source of unending joy for Valli?
d. What gave Valli new unusual experiences?
Ans:
a. Standing at the door, and watching the street was Valli’s
favourite pastime.
b. She watched the streets because it gave her many new
unusual experiences.
c. The source of unending joy for Valli was to watch the bus
and the people going on the bus.
d. Watching the street gave her many new unusual
experiences.
8. Her first journey—what careful, painstaking, elaborate
plans she had to make for it. She had thriftily saved whatever stray coins came
her way, resisting every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, and the
like, and finally she had saved a total of sixty paise. How difficult it had
been, particularly that day at the village fair, but she had resolutely stifled
a strong desire to ride the merry-go-round, even though she had the money.
a. Who does ‘her’ refer to in the passage?
b. Where was her first journey made to?
c. What did she do to make it a reality?
d. How did she save the money for the bus fare?
Ans:
a. ‘Her’ refers to Valli.
b. Her first journey was made to the town.
c. She made careful, painstaking and detailed plans to make
it a reality.
d. She thriftily saved every penny, resisted temptation to
buy things for her liking or taking a ride on the merry-go-round.
9. But suddenly she saw a young cow lying dead by the roadside,
just where it had been struck by some fast-moving vehicle. “Isn’t that the same
cow that ran in front of the bus on our trip to town?” she asked the conductor.
The conductor nodded, and she was overcome with sadness.
a. Whom does ‘she’ refer to?
b. How does the presence of the cow affect her mood during
her return journey?
c. What kind of a person is Valli?
d. When was Valli overcome with sadness?
Ans:
a. ‘She’ refers to Valli, an eight-year-old girl.
b. She was sad and sat quietly after seeing the dead cow.
c. She is a kind and sensitive girl. Her spirits are
dampened and she becomes sad to see a dead cow.
d. When the conductor nodded in support of her query, Valli
was overcome with sadness.
10. The bus rolled on now cutting across a bare landscape,
now rushing through a tiny hamlet or past an odd wayside shop. Sometimes the
bus seemed on a point of gobbling up another vehicle that was coming towards
them or a pedestrian crossing the road. But lo! somehow it passed on smoothly,
leaving all obstacles safely behind. Trees came running towards them but then
stopped as the bus reached them and simply stood there helpless for a moment by
the side of the road before rushing away in the other direction.
a. Where was the bus going?
b. What was the speed of the bus?
c. How did trees look to Valli from the running bus?
d. What trait of Valli’s character is reflected through the
way she successfully planned her journey?
Ans:
a. The bus was going to the town.
b. The bus was going very fast.
c. Trees seemed running towards them but then stopped as the
bus reached them and stood there helpless by the side of the road.
d. The meticulous way with which Valli planned her bus
journey reflects her management quality.
Short Answer Questions (30-40 words: 2 Marks each)
1. How did Valli react when she saw the dead cow by the
roadside?
Ans: On her return journey, Valli saw a dead cow lying in
the middle of the road. It was lying sprawled in a pool of blood, legs spread
out, and lifeless eyes staring a horrible scene. She felt sad and this made her
lose all the enthusiasm.
2. What was the most fascinating thing for Valli?
Ans: The most fascinating thing for Valli was the bus that
travelled between and the nearest town.
3. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her
way back?
Ans: Valli refused to look out of the window on her way back
because the memory of the dead cow haunted her, dampening her enthusiasm.
4. Why does Valli find information about the bus to the
town?
Ans: Valli gathered information about the bus because she
wanted to take a ride in the bus. She was fascinated by it.
5. Why was the conductor of the bus amused while talking to
Valli?
Ans: The conductor of the bus was a jolly person who was
fond of joking. On two instances, he was amused while talking to Valli who
pretended to be a grown-up lady.
6. Give examples from the text to show that Valli was a
meticulous planner.
Ans: Valli was a meticulous planner. She listened carefully
to the conversations between her neighbours and people who regularly used the
bus, and also asked discreet questions. She picked up various small details
about the bus journey and then planned it.
7. How can you say that the conductor was a good-natured
jolly fellow?
Ans: The conductor was a fun loving, jolly fellow. For
instance, when Valli refused his help to board the bus, he said jokingly,
“Don’t be angry with me, fine madam… Everyone move aside please — make way for
madam.”
8. What information did Valli collect for her first bus
ride?
Ans: Valli gathered all the minute details about the bus
journey. She gathered that she required sixty paise to buy tickets for the up
and down journey, and that the bus would take ninety minutes from village to
town and back. She carefully listened to the conversations of the passengers
and villagers to get the details.
9. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her
strongest desire?
Ans: Valli’s source of unending joy was to have a bus ride.
That was her tiny wish which grew into a strong desire with the passage of time.
Her desire turned into a longing as she wistfully stared at the faces of the
passengers who got on or off the bus.
10. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Ans: Valli’s favourite pastime was to stand in the front
doorway of her house. She did not play like most other children because there
were no playmates of her age on her street. Watching the street also gave her
many unusual experiences which were equally enjoyable.
11. Give two reasons why Valli found the elderly woman on
the bus, repulsive.
Ans: Valli did not want to make friend s with the elderly
woman because she found her repulsive as she had big holes in her earlobes and
was wearing ugly earrings. She could not stand the beetle nut the woman was
chewing.
12. Why did Valli not get off from the bus when it stopped
at the bus stand?
Ans: Valli’s sole purpose was to enjoy the bus ride. She
neither had the money to buy anything from the shops at the town nor the
courage to get down at the bus stand in the city.
13. What was the conductor’s advice to Valli?
Ans: Calling Valli a child ,the conductor requested her to
sit down. It will make her comfortable. Standing up, again and again, could
make her fall and get hurt because the bus may make sharp turns.
14. How did Valli manage to leave the house?
Ans: Valli knew that after lunch, her mother would take a
nap for about one to four or so. It was Valli’s habit to engage these hours for
her excursions and move outside the village.
15. What did Valli calculate and plan?
Ans: Valli calculated and planned that if she took one
o’clock afternoon bus, she would reach the town at one forty-five. On reaching
town, if she stayed in her seat and paid another thirty paise, she could return
home by the same bus by two forty-five.
16. What type of a person was the conductor?
Ans: The conductor was a very wise man and knew how to
tackle and talk with the passengers. He was fond of jokes and in his jolly
tone, interrogated Valli many times.
Long Answer Questions (100-150 words: 8 Marks each)
1. Write a character sketch of Valli.
Ans: Valli was an eight-year-old girl born in a small
village. However, she was a very curious girl. She spent her time standing in
the front doorway of her house, watching what was happening in the street
outside. Watching the street gave her many new and unusual experiences. Her
curiosity about travelling on the bus to the town urged her to plan a bus trip.
She was very meticulous in planning for the trip. She calculated the distance
between her home and the town, and the time it took for a trip up and down by
bus. She was a determined girl. She saved money by resisting temptations to buy
her
favourite things like peppermint, balloons, toys, etc. and
suppressing her keen desire to
ride merry-go-round at the village fair. Valli also proved
to be very impressive and bold
by finally deciding to ride in the bus. Her childish
innocence veiled by her smart and
bold outlook which amused the conductor who offered her a
seat in the bus. Valli
thoroughly enjoyed her ride to the town, and laughed and
clapped when the young cow
ran on the middle of the road in front of the bus. But her
enjoyable bus ride became a
nightmare on her return journey. She saw the same cow lying
dead on the road. This
sight haunted her, dampened her spirits, and saddened her. This
is typical of the
tendency of a matured person. She refused to look out of the
window thereafter. Valli,
on the whole, can be described as a curious, joyful,
disciplined, smart, bold, and at the
same time, a mature girl.
2. “Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself.” “You
don’t have to help me,”
said Valli to the conductor. She shows extraordinary courage
in making the bus
journey all alone. Taking inspiration from Valli’s
character, write how ability and
courage to take risk are essential to fulfil one’s dream.
Ans: Valli is an eight-year-old village girl. She is
fascinated by the bus that comes to the
village every hour. She develops a desire and then a
longing, turning into a firm
determination to ride the bus. She meticulously plans for it
and saves money for the bus
journey. Then she boards the bus without anyone’s help. She
travels all alone,
confidently and independently and finally returns home
successfully. Her self-dependence and self-respecting nature help her to
nurture her goal. She enjoys her
journey. Similarly, to achieve goals in life, we need to
have such values in us. One
should be confident and self-dependent. Proper planning and
strong determination lead
to success. Enthusiasm and excitement to achieve the goal
are also needed to nurture
our goals in life.
3. Valli was so overcome with sadness to see the dead cow
that she lost all
enthusiasm. Do you feel the same way? If you feel concerned
about the plight of
animals falling prey to the fast-moving traffic, what
efforts will you make to make
travelling on roads a safer activity?
Ans: While going to town, Valli saw a cow running in the
middle of the road in front of
the bus. The more the driver honked the horn, the faster it
galloped. Valli laughed to see
that. On her return journey, Valli saw the same cow, lying
sprawled in a pool of blood,
with legs spread out, and lifeless eyes, staring. It
saddened her making her lose all
enthusiasm.
I also feel the same when I see animals falling prey to the
fast-moving traffic. We should
take some serious steps to make road travel safer. Firstly,
stray animals should be kept
away from busy roads. Proper shelters should be made for
them. Secondly, traffic laws
should be implemented strictly. Whosoever violates the
traffic rules must be penalised
with fines, punishments and other legal provisions, as and
when required. Rash driving
must be kept under a check. If an animal falls prey to a
road accident, it must be rushed
to the animals’ hospital immediately.
4. Valli’s journey to the city is also her induction into
the mystery of life and
death. Elaborate.
Ans: Valli gets introduced to the mystery of life and death
on her first bus journey in the
outside world. She was wonderstruck and enjoyed the beauty
of the outside world. She
clapped, laughed and enjoyed when she saw a young cow
running in the middle of the
road, in front of the bus. The driver sounded the horn to
warn it, but the more he
honked, the faster it galloped. Valli found it funny and
amusing. She laughed till tears
came into her eyes. On her way back, she saw the same cow
lying dead on the road.
Some fast speeding vehicle must have hit it. It was a
horrible sight. It looked quite
frightening. It was laying with legs spread out, a fixed
stare in its lifeless eyes and blood
around it. The image of the dead cow haunted her, dampening
her spirits and making
her sad.
5. Who was Valli? What was her overwhelming desire?
Ans: Valli was an eight-year-old girl. She was a curious
girl. She wanted to know many
things. She did not have playmates of her own age. Her
favourite pastime was standing
in the front doorway of her house to see what was happening
outside. The most
fascinating thing of all was the bus that passed through the
street each hour. The bus
travelled between her village and the nearest town. The
sight of the bus was a source of
unending joy for Valli. It was a great joy for her to watch
new sets of passenger’s every
time the bus passed through the street. As she watched the
bus day after day, she
developed a wish to have a ride on that bus. Her wish became
stronger and stronger
until it was an overwhelming desire.
6. What did Valli notice after she boarded the bus?
Ans: Valli looked around in the bus. It had a soft and
comfortable seat. It had a beautiful
clock above the windscreen. The overhead bars shone like
silver. Then she tried to look
outside. She found her view cut off by a curtain that
covered the lower part of her
window. So she stood on her seat to enjoy the outside scene.
The bus was going along
the bank of a canal. She saw palm trees, mountains and the
blue sky. On the other
side, there were green fields. Suddenly, an elderly man
warned Valli not to stand on the
seat. She called her a child and said that she could fall
and get hurt. But Valli did not
care for him. She told him proudly that she was not a
‘child’. She had paid the full fare
like the others. The conductor told the man that Valli was a
grown-up madam. Valli
looked at the conductor angrily and said that she was not a
madam.
Self- Assessment Test
Extract Based Questions
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the
questions that follow.
1. There was a girl named Valliammai who was called Valli
for short. She was eight
years old and very curious about things. Her favourite pastime
was standing in the front
doorway of her house, watching what was happening in the
street outside. There were
no playmates of her own age on her street, and this was
about all she had to do.
a. How did Valli pass her time?
b. Write one personality trait of Valli from the above
extract.
c. Who is the girl referred to in the passage?
d. What did she do in the doorway of her house?
2. Valli devoured everything with her eyes. But when she
started to look outside, she
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. The bus
was now going along the
bank of a canal and beyond it, palm trees, grassland,
distant mountains, and the blue,
blue sky.
a. Is Valli travelling to some definite place?
b. Why does Valli stand on her seat?
c. Why could Valli not enjoy the outside scene?
d. Which trait of Valli’s character is reflected in this
passage?
Short Answer Questions
1. What details did Valli pick up about the bus journey? How
did she pick up these
details?
2. What made Valli sad on her return journey?
3. What was the most fascinating thing for Valli?
4. Valli was an eight-year-old girl who was very curious
about things. What was her
favourite pastime?
5. What did Valli’s mother say about the things happening
without our knowledge?
Long Answer Questions
1. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it
easy for her? Justify.
2. Justify the statement with instances that Valli was a
mature girl and ahead of her age.
3. Describe Valli’s return journey.
Comments
Post a Comment
Let QNA know what you feel ...