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?
The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was its first flight. As we all know that the first attempt for any work is always challenging. Therefore, all young birds may feel afraid to make their first flights. Similarly, a human baby would also find it a challenge to take its first step.
Ques: “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
The young seagull was very hungry because of this hunger she was able to finally fly. When the Seagull saw her mother tearing at a piece of fish she cried to her to get her some food as well. When her mother came forward with food in her beak, she screamed with joy. However, she stopped midway. Not being able to control her hunger she dived at the food in its mother’s beak. At that moment, her hunger overpowered the fear of flying.
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Ques: “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. “Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
The young seagull had a fear of flying. But when she saw her brothers and sisters flying and their parents helping and guiding them, she was unable to gather enough strength to make the first flight. That is why her father and mother shrilly called and scolded her. They threatened to let her starve on the ledge if she did not fly. They did so because they wanted her to let go of her fear behind and learn to fly.
Ques: “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
The risk was to fly through the black storm clouds. The narrator took the risk because his home was calling him. He was dreaming of being at home and spend time with his family. He also wanted to get home in time to enjoy a good English breakfast.
Ques: Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
As the narrator flew into the storm, everything went black. He couldn’t see anything outside the plane windows. The plane jumped and twisted in the air. When he looked at his compass, it was turning round and round. Even the other instruments, including the radio, were dead. Suddenly, he saw another aeroplane. Its pilot waved at him and asked him to follow. The narrator was glad to find help. His plane didn’t have much fuel but he followed the pilot and came out of the clouds and saw the runway. He landed on the runway safely.
Ques: Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
After landing, the narrator was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota because he had a horrific experience flying that plane. Although he was happy that he landed the plane safely. That is why he was not sorry to walk away. Instead, he was keen to know where he was and who was the other pilot.
Ques: What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?
The narrator had asked the woman about the identity of the other pilot at the control center. She stared at him curiously, as no other plane was in the storm. She told him that that evening there was no other plane flying. His was the only plane she saw on the radar.
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Ques: Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
It was probably the narrator's own self that helped him through the storm. There was no other aircraft in the storm because the woman was only able to see his aircraft on the radar at the control center. Interestingly, that night, no other plane flew. He'd maybe been hallucinating in his panic. He was a good pilot, and maybe it was his own guts that came to his rescue.
Ques: Try to guess the meanings of the word ‘black’ in the sentences given below. Check the meanings in the dictionary and find out whether you have guessed right.
Go and have a bath; your hands and face are absolutely black .
The taxi-driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed the road when the traffic light was green.
The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest crimes against humanity.
Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter’s black comedy.
Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods to create false scarcity and then sell these in black.
Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue.
