TWO STORIES ABOUT FLYING

Main Points of the Story

1. The narrator was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England.
2. He called Paris control and was asked to turn 12 degrees west.
3. He thought he would be with his family and be in time for breakfast.
4. Everything was going well and it was an easy flight.
5. Suddenly he saw dark black storm clouds.
6. He took the risk and the plane went straight into the storm.
7. Everything looked black inside the mountains of clouds.
8. The old plane jumped and twisted in the air.
9. He couldn’t believe when he found his compass and other instruments totally dead.
10. Suddenly, another aeroplane appeared and he could see the face of the pilot.
11. The pilot of the black plane asked the narrator to follow him.
12. The narrator was frightened as there was fuel enough that could last only five to ten minutes.
13. Suddenly he came out of the clouds and saw two long straight lines in front of him.
14. It was a runway where he could land safely.
15. On landing, he asked the lady in the control room where he was and who the other pilot was.
16. The lady replied that no other aeroplane except his Dakota flew that night.
17. The pilot of the black aeroplane remained an unsolved mystery for the narrator.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS/ Quiz- Two Stories About Flying Part-I

1. What was coming up in the east behind the pilot?
      (A) the moon                                                         (B) the sun
      (C) the stars                                                          (D) all of the above
      Ans. (A) the moon
2. Which plane was the author flying?
      (A) Dakota                                                                         (B) Boing-47
       (C) Mig-29                                                                        (D) none of the above
      Ans. (A) Dakota
3. Which country was the pilot flying over?
     (A) England                                                            (B) France
     (C) India                                                                 (D) Italy
     Ans. (B) France
4. Which country did the pilot belong to?
    (A) England                                                            (B) France
    (C) India                                                                  (D) Italy
    Ans. (A) England
5. What happened when the pilot had covered a distance of 150 kilometres from Paris?
     (A) he saw another plane                                      (B) a strong wind began to blow
     (C) a heavy rain began to fall                                (D) there were storm clouds all around
     Ans. (D) there were storm clouds all around
6. Inside the clouds how was everything?
     (A) green                                                                (B) fresh  
     (C) black                                                                 (D) all of the above
    Ans. (C) black
7. What happened as the plane entered the storm clouds?
    (A) the aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air
    (B) the compass was dead
    (C) the other instruments were suddenly dead
    (D) all of the above
    Ans. (D) all of the above
8. When the author’s plane was caught in the storm who came to help him?
      (A) another aeroplane                                          (B) a helicopter
      (C) a god                                                               (D) all of the above
      Ans. (A) another aeroplane
9. How did the author follow the strange aeroplane?
      (A) like a disciplined soldier                                 (B) like an obedient boy
      (C) like a mischievous boy                                                (D) all of the above
       Ans. (B) like an obedient boy
10. What made the pilot frighten again while following the strange aeroplane?
       (A) the density of the storm                                 (B) the technical problem in the engine
       (C) the shortage of fuel                                       (D) all of the above
        Ans. (C) the shortage of fuel
11. What did the pilot notice when he was safe at the airport?
        (A) the other plane was still in the sky               (B) the sky was empty
       (C) the other plane was following him                (D) none of the above
        Ans. (B) the sky was empty
12. What was the advice of Paris control?
        (A) turn to twelve degrees east                          (B) turn to twelve degrees west
        (C) turn to twelve degrees south                                    (D) turn to twelve degrees north
        Ans. (B) turn to twelve degrees west
13. How many fuel tanks were there in the plane DS 088?
        (A) one                                                                (B) two
        (C) three                                                              (D) four
        Ans. (B) two
14. Did Paris Control hear the pilot the second time he called?
        (A) yes                                                                 (B) no
        (C) maybe                                                          (D) not know
        Ans. (B) no
15. Who is the author of the lesson ‘The Black Aeroplane’?
        (A) Cynthia Moss                                                             (B) Frederick Forsyth
        (C) Kofi Annan                                                     (D) Liam O’Flaherty
        Ans. (B) Frederick Forsyth

 
VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q.1. Why was the pilot happy? Give two reasons.
 Ans. He was happy because he was flying up above the sleeping countryside. Secondly, he was going to be
with his family.
Q.2. Why did the pilot call the Paris Control Room the first time?
Ans. He called the Paris Control Room to guide him on his way to England.
Q.3. What was the advice of the Paris Control?
Ans. The Paris Control advised him to turn twelve degrees west.
Q.4. How many fuel tanks were there on the plane? How much fuel was left?
Ans. There were two fuel tanks on the plane. There was fuel for five or ten minutes only.
Q.5. What did the pilot encounter 150 kilometres from Paris?
Ans. He encountered big stormy clouds 150 kilometres from Paris.
Q.6. Why did the pilot fly straight into the storm instead of returning to Paris?
Ans. He did not return to Paris because he wanted to get home.
Q.7. Did Paris control hear the pilot the second time he called? Why?
Ans. The Paris Control did not hear him because his radio had gone dead.
Q.8. Which plane was the narrator flying?
Ans. He was flying the old Dakota plane DS088.
Q.9. Which country was the narrator flying his plane over?
Ans. He was flying his plane over France.
Q.10. What type of story is the ‘Black Aeroplane ?’
Ans. It is a mysterious story.
Answer the following questions in 30.40 words:
1. What happened when the author turned the aeroplane twelve degrees west towards England?  
Ans. The author saw the huge storm clouds that looked like black mountains standing in front of him across
the sky.
2. Explain the statement: ‘I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like an obedient child.
Ans. The pilot came across huge storm clouds. He could neither go above them nor go around them due to
lack of fuel. Then, he saw a black plane without lights on wings, flying near his plane. Its pilot waved and
signalled him to follow him. The author did not have much choice but to follow him.
3. “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the pilot of the old Dakota take it?
Ans. The risk is that of going through the storm in the narrator’s old Dakota aeroplane. He flew through as he
did not have fuel to fly around them, and couldn’t fly over them. Also, he wanted to get home for a big
English breakfast.
4. Why did the pilot think of going back to Paris?
Ans. The pilot came across huge storm clouds that seemed to him like black mountains. He could neither go
above them nor go around them due to lack of fuel. That was when he thought of returning to Paris.
5. Which two options did the pilot of’ the Dakota plane have when he encountered the storm clouds on his
way? What did he decide to do? Why?
Ans. The two options he had were: either to go back to Paris or to go through the storm clouds. He decided to
go through the storm clouds because he wanted to reach home and spend the holiday with his family.
6. Why could the woman in the control room not help the pilot of Dakota?
Ans. When the pilot of the Dakota plane asked the woman in the control centre about the black aeroplane
and its pilot, she could not help him because she had seen no other plane flying that night on the radar.
7. Describe the black clouds from the point of view of the pilot.
Ans. The writer was going from France to England. He was flying his Dakota aeroplane. When he had gone
150 kilometres from France, he saw storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing
in front of him across the sky.
8. Recount the experience of the pilot of the Dakota inside the black clouds.
 Ans. The pilot found that everything was black inside the clouds. It was impossible to see anything outside
the aeroplane. The old aeroplane rolled and jumped in the air. The compass and other instruments stopped
working. Suddenly his radio also went dead.
9. HOW did the black aeroplane rescue the first pilot?
Ans. The pilot of the black aeroplane waved his hand. He gestured the first pilot to follow him. The writer
followed him. He followed the black plane for half an hour. Suddenly, his plane was out of the clouds. He
could see the lights of the airport and landed his aeroplane. In this way, the black aeroplane rescued the first
pilot.
10. Was the pilot of the Dakota able to meet the pilot of the black?
Ans. No, he was not able to meet the pilot of the black aeroplane. When he was going to land his plane, he
looked behind him. But the black plane was not there. The sky was empty. The woman at the control centre
told him that no other planes were flying on that stormy night.
11. Describe the black clouds from the point of view of the pilot.
 Ans. The writer was going from France to England. He was flying his Dakota aeroplane. When he had gone
150 kilometres from Paris, he saw storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing
in front of him across the sky.  
12. Why did the writer feel frightened once again?
 Ans. The pilot of the black plane waved to the writer to follow him. The writer flew his plane behind him for
half an hour. He found that there was fuel in his aeroplane for five or ten minutes more. So he felt frightened
once again.
13. Why was the narrator happy and what was he dreaming of?
Ans. It was a clear and cloudless night. The moon had come up in the east. Stars were shining above. The
narrator was happy. He was flying high up above the sleeping countryside. He was dreaming of his holiday
and being with his family.
14. Why and when did he call Paris control-room?
Ans. It was one thirty in the morning. He wanted to call Paris control. He switched on the radio and told that
Dakota DS 088 was on his way to England. The narrator got the necessary instruction that he needed. He was
asked to turn twelve degrees west towards England.
15. What did he find when he checked the map and the compass?
Ans. The narrator checked the map and the compass. He switched over to his second and last fuel tank. He
turned the Dakota twelve degrees west towards England. He thought that he would be in time for breakfast.
Everything was going well and it was an easy flight.
16. Why didn’t he return to Paris when he saw the storm clouds?
 Ans. Paris was 150 kilometres behind him when he saw the storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like
black mountains standing in front of him. He could not fly up and over them as he didn’t have enough fuel. He
thought of going back to Paris but changed his idea. He decided to go to England to be in time for breakfast.
17. The narrator had two options before risking himself entering the storm clouds? Why didn’t he choose
them?
Ans. Definitely, the narrator had two options before him if he didn’t want to take the risk of entering the
storm cloud. He could turn back and go to Paris which was about 150 kilometres behind him. Another option
was to fly up and over the dark clouds. But he didn’t choose any of the options. He wanted to be in England
to have his breakfast in time. He couldn’t fly around the clouds to the north or south as he didn’t have
enough fuel to fly.
18. What did he do when he was inside the clouds?
Ans. The narrator took the risk of entering the black storm clouds. Inside them, everything was suddenly
black. Nothing could be seen outside. The old plane jumped and twisted in the air. He couldn’t believe his
eyes when his compass was dead. His other instruments didn’t work and were dead too. He tried to contact
Paris control on the raids but received no answer.
19. How was the narrator lost in the storm clouds and what did he try to do to come out of them?
Ans. The narrator had entered the storm clouds. Nothing was seen outside. Everything suddenly turned black.
The old plane jumped and twirled in the sky. He looked at the compass. It was dead. He tried other
instruments but they also refused to work. He tried the radio to contact Paris control but no answer came
from there.
20. Who rescued the narrator when he was hopelessly lost in the storm clouds?
Ans. There seemed no hope for the narrator. He was hopelessly lost in the storm clouds. His compass and
other instruments were dead. Even Paris control didn’t respond. In such a hopeless situation, the narrator
saw another aeroplane flying next to him. It had no light on its winds but he could see the pilot’s face. The
pilot came to his help. When he said “Follow me,” the narrator followed him like an obedient child.
21. How and when did the narrator feel that he was safe now?
Ans. When the pilot of another plane came to the narrator’s help, he was extremely happy. When he said
“Follow me,” the narrator obeyed him like an obedient child. The strange black aeroplane was still guiding
him. The narrator got worried as the old Dakota had petrol enough to fly for five or ten minutes. Suddenly
when he was going down, he found himself out of clouds. He saw two long straight lines of lights of the
runway. There was an airport where he could land safely.
22. Did the narrator meet the pilot of the black aeroplane? How did he and his aeroplane disappear in the
sky?
 Ans. No, the narrator didn’t meet his rescuer. When he was out of the storm clouds, he looked back. He
found no trace of the aeroplane. Nor did he see the face of the pilot. Only God knows where they
disappeared. Even the control room couldn’t record their presence.
23. Why did the narrator want to meet the woman in the control tower? Did he get any information about
the mysterious disappearance of the black aeroplane and its pilot?
Ans. The narrator didn’t know how the pilot and the black aeroplane disappeared in the space. He wanted
some definite information from the woman in the control room about them. She told him that on that stormy
night no plane was in the sky except his old Dakota. So, the narrator couldn’t know anything about the
mysterious man who helped him to arrive safely without a compass or a radio.
24. What is the message that Frederick wants to give to the readers through the lesson ‘The Black
Aeroplane’?
Ans. Never say ‘die’ till the end. Never lose hope in the most hopeless situation. No one knows who may
come to save you. The narrator was really in such a hopeless situation when he lost contact with Paris control
and all his instruments and the compass was dead. Then came the mysterious pilot of the black aeroplane to
guide the narrator to safety.

Important Long/ Detailed Answer Type Questions- to be answered in about 100 -150 words

1. The narrator made every possible endeavour to save himself. He did not lose hope in direct situations.
What values helped him endure the critical situation bravely? Discuss in 100-120 words.                                                
Or
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 to be able to move ahead in life in 100-120 words.                                                                                  
Ans. 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 enter his plane in 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 in order to save his fuel.
2. Your friend was the pilot who was flying from Paris to England when he was lost in the storm clouds.
Narrate his experience to your family and tell them how he was rescued by a strange black plane and its pilot.
Ans. Last week, my friend, who is a pilot had a mysterious experience.
During his flight from Paris to England, he was lost in the storm clouds. His compass, radio and other
instruments had gone dead. He did not know which direction to go. He was lost and panicked (too much
frightened).
Then, he saw a strange black aeroplane without lights on wings, flying near his plane. Its pilot lifted one hand,
waved and signalled my friend to follow him. He guided my friend through the storm clouds and helped him
land safely when my friend looked back to thank the pilot of the black aeroplane, he found neither the pilot
nor the aeroplane.
When he asked the control about the strange black plane and its pilot. The reply was, no other plane was
seen on the radar except his Dakota. Then who rescued him? There was no answer. It was a mystery.
3.”Everything was going well. It was an easy flight.” What went wrong suddenly?
Or
Describe the flight of the Dakota aeroplane until it landed safely at the airport.
Ans. The flight of old Dakota started in Paris and headed towards England. It was an easy flight, the sky was
clear and the weather fine. When it reached 150 km away from Paris, it suddenly confronted huge black
storm clouds. He had limited fuel only to take him to England. He could go back to Paris but he decided to
take the risk and go through the storm clouds because he wanted to spend the holiday with his family.
In the storm clouds, it was pitch day. His compass, radio and some other instruments stopped working. He
could not contact Paris control room to know the direction. Suddenly he saw a black aeroplane. Its pilot
guided and brought him safely out of storm clouds. He saw the runway and landed at the airport.
4. The author asks a question at the end, “Who was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane?” Try to answer
this question.
Ans. “The Black Aeroplane’ is an interesting story. The writer is a pilot. One day, he was returning from France
in his Dakota aeroplane. He was going to England. Suddenly, he saw huge storm clouds on his way. He had
not much fuel in his plane. So he could not fly around the clouds. He took a risk and entered the clouds. His
compass and other instruments failed. His radio also went out of order. The writer’s life was in danger.
Suddenly, he saw a black aeroplane near him. The pilot of the plane gestured him to follow him. The writer
followed him and landed his plane safely. But when he looked back, he did not find the black aeroplane
anywhere. The woman at the control tower told him that there had been no other plane that night. Then who
saved the writer’s life? Who was the pilot of the black aeroplane? The writer had no answer to these
questions. Thus it is a mysterious story.
5. Describe the flight of the pilot before he encountered dark clouds.
Or
Describe the flight of the Dakota aeroplane until it landed safely at the airport.
 Ans. The writer of this story is a pilot. One night he was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France. It was a
starry night. He was going to England. He hoped to spend his holiday with his family. It was an easy journey
and he was in a joyful mood. He looked at his watch. It was one thirty in the morning. Through his wireless,
he contacted the Paris Control. They told him to turn twelve degrees west. He did as he was advised to do. He
was 150 kilometres from Paris. Suddenly the writer saw huge black clouds before him. It was not possible to
fly up and over the clouds. He had not much fuel with him. So it was not possible to fly around the big
mountains of clouds to the right or left. He decided to take the risk and flew his aeroplane straight into the
clouds.
6. How was the writer rescued?
 Ans. The writer flew his aeroplane into the big dark clouds. As he entered the clouds, everything suddenly
went black. He found that his compass had ceased to work. He tried to contact the Paris Control for
directions. But he was shocked to find that his radio had also stopped working. Suddenly, the writer saw a
black aeroplane near him. He could also sec the pilot in it. The pilot waved the writer to follow him. He
followed the black aeroplane like an obedient child. Now it was half an hour since the writer had been
follow-, the black aeroplane. He was worried because the fuel in his plane could last only five or ten minutes.
But just’ then the black aeroplane started to go down and the writer followed it. Suddenly the writer was out
of the doods. He could see the lights of the runway of the airport. The writer landed his Dakota aeroplane. In
this, may, he was rescued.
7. Why and when did the narrator say that ‘everything was going well it was an easy flight’?
Ans. After the old Dakota left Paris 150 kilometres behind, it enjoyed smooth sailing in the air. Everything was
going well. The narrator was enjoying rather an easy flight. The moon was coming up in the east and stars
were shining in the clear sky. The aeroplane was flying up above the sleeping countryside. It was flying over
France back to England. The narrator was dreaming of his holiday and looking forward to being with his
family. He contacted Paris control. He was asked to tum 12 degrees west. He looked at his watch. It was only
thirty in the morning. It was only after he had left Paris 150 kilometres behind when he faced the terrible
storm clouds. Before this, it was really an enjoyable and safe journey.
8. The narrator had two options of avoiding the terrible storm clouds. Why didn’t he use them? Was his
decision of flying straight into storm clouds a sound decision? Give a reasoned answer.
Ans. The narrator could see black mountains of clouds all around him. They were storm clouds. He had two
options and by using them he could avoid the terrible storm clouds. He could go back to Paris. He had left
Paris 150 kilometres behind. He wanted to go back but the temptation of having an early breakfast at home
stopped him. He couldn’t fly up and above the storm clouds either. He didn’t have enough fuel to fly around
them to the north or south.
It seems that flying back to Paris would have been the best option in those circumstances. He couldn’t fly
north and south of the storm as he hadn’t enough fuel in the second tank. His decision of flying straight into
the storm clouds was motivated by his having an early English breakfast with his family. It was rather a bold
but risky decision. He would have been in deep trouble, had the pilot of the strange black aeroplane not
helped him to safety.
9. Describe the appearance of the strange black aeroplane in the most hopeless situation. How did the
pilot of the black aeroplane help the narrator to come out of the storm clouds and land safely?
Ans. The narrator was really in deep trouble. The huge mountains of black clouds were around him. The old
Dakota aeroplane was jumping and twisting in the air. His compass was dead. The other instruments were
dead too. Nothing worked for him. Even his efforts to contact Paris control failed. The radio was dead too. In
such a hopeless situation, the sudden appearance of a mysterious black aeroplane was like God’s sent help
for him. There were no lights on the wings of that black aeroplane. The narrator could see the pilot’s face. He
was saying “Follow me”. The narrator was totally lost. He thought that the pilot was trying to help him. So he
followed the black aeroplane like an obedient child. He was frightened as he had fuel enough to last for five
or ten minutes. Suddenly, he came out of the clouds. He saw two long straight lines of lights in front of him. It
was a runway. “An airport!” he cried. He was out of danger and could land safely. He turned to look for his
rescuer in the black aeroplane, but the sky was empty.
10. Who was the rescuer in the strange black aeroplane? Did the lady in the control room help the narrator in
knowing anything about the man who helped him to land safely?
Ans. Who saved the narrator when he had lost all contacts on the radio with Paris control? Who was the pilot
of the black aeroplane who helped the narrator to land safely without a compass, without the radio and
without much fuel? These questions remained unsolved puzzles. Even the lady in the control room couldn’t
detect any other plane on the stormy night other than the old Dakota on the radar. The mysterious pilot of
the black aeroplane was like God’s help sent to the narrator to land safely. The narrator was in real trouble
before the mysterious black aeroplane appeared near him. He was lost among the mountains of black clouds
in front of him. To make things worse his compass became dead. The other instruments became dead too. He
couldn’t contact Paris control as the radio was dead too. God knows what would have been his condition, had
the pilot of the black aeroplane not guided him out of storm clouds to safety

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
The young seagull was alone on his ledge. His two brothers and his sister had already flown away the day
before. He had been afraid to fly with them. Somehow when he had taken a little run forward to the brink of
the ledge and attempted to flap his wings he became afraid. The great expanse of sea stretched down
beneath, and it was such a long way down miles down. He felt certain that his wings would never support
him; so he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night.
(a) Why was the young seagull afraid?
(b) What did the young seagull feel about his wings?
(c) Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as ‘the verge’.
(d) Pick out the word from the passage which means ‘a narrow flat piece of rock that sticks out from a cliff’.
Answer:
(a) The young seagull was afraid of flying over the sea.
(b) The young seagull felt that his wings would never support him.
(c) The word is ‘brink’.
(d) The word is ‘ledge’.

Question 2.
That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then nobody had come near him. The day before, all day long, he had
watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching
them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish. He had in fact, seen his elder brother catch his first
herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents circled around raising a proud cackle. And all the
morning the whole family had walked about on the big plateau midway down the opposite cliff taunting him
for his cowardice.
(a) The young seagull had been alone for how much time?
(b) Why was the whole family taunting the young seagull?
(c) Find the word which can be replaced by ‘consume’ in the passage?
(d) The word ‘bravery’ is an antonym of ……….

Answer:
(a) For twenty four years, the young seagull was alone.
(b) The whole family was taunting the young seagull for his cowardice.
(c) The word is ‘devour’.
(d) The word is ‘cowardice’.

Question 3.
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.
He saw his two brothers and his sister lying on the plateau dozing with their heads sunk into their necks. His
father was preening the feathers on his white back.
Only his mother was looking at him. She was standing on a little high hump on the plateau, her white breast
thrust forward.
Now and again, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped each side of her beak on the
rock.
(a) What did the young seagull do out of his ledge?
(b) What was seagull’s father doing?
(c) Find out the word in the passage which mean the same as ‘to sharpen’.
(d) What does plateau mean?

Answer:
(a) The young seagull pretended to be falling asleep and watched his brothers and sister lying on the plateau.
(b) The seagull’s father was preening the feathers on his white back.
(c) The word is ‘preening’.
(d) A plateau is an area of land that is higher than the land around it.

Question 4.
Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted a
minute. The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. The wind rushed against his breast feathers,
then under his stomach, and against his wings. – He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He
was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually downwards arid outwards, He was no longer afraid.
He just felt a bit dizzy. Then he flapped his wings once and he soared upwards. “Ga, ga, ga, Ga, ga, ga, Gaw-
col-ah,” his mother swooped past him, her wings making a loud noise. He answered her with another scream.
Then his father flew over him screaming. He saw his two brothers and his sister flying around him curving and
banking and soaring and diving. [CBSE 2016]
(a) What did the young seagull feel the next moment?
(b) What did the young seagull’s mother do?
(c) Find out the word from the passage that means the same as ‘fly high in the air’.
(d) Find out from the passage a word that means ‘to grab’.

Answer:
(a) The next moment young seagull felt his wings spread outwards.
(b) The young seagull’s mother swooped past him and made a loud noise with her wings.
(c) The word is ‘soaring’.
(d) The word in ‘seized’.

Question 5.
His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on this green flooring ahead of him. They were beckoning
to him, calling shrilly. 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 farther. He was floating on it, and around him his family was screaming, praising him and their beaks
were offering him scraps of dog-fish.
(a) What does the phrase, ‘this green flooring’ refer to?
(b) What made the young seagull tired?
(c) Find out the word that means the same as ‘inviting’.
(d) The word ……… means a small piece/amount of something.

Answer:
(a) ‘The green flooring’ refers to the green surface of the sea.
(b) The young seagull was tired because he was weak with hunger and he made a successful attempt for his
first flight.
(c) Beckoning.
(d) Scrap.

Story II The Black Aeroplane

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Question 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. I was flying my old
Dakota aeroplane over France back to England. I was dreaming of my holiday and looking forward to being
with my family. I looked at my watch at one thirty in the morning.
I should call Paris Control soon. I thought. As 1 looked down past the nose of the aeroplane, I saw the lights of
a big city in front of me.
(a) How was the weather when the pilot started flying his aeroplane?
(b) Why was the pilot flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England?
(c) Find out the word similar in the meaning to ‘hoping with pleasure’.
(d) Choose from the passage the word which means ‘land outside towns or cities’.

Answer:
(a) When the pilot started flying his aeroplane, it was a clear weather as the moon was up in the east, stars
were shining and there wasn’t any cloud in the sky.
(b) The pilot was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England because he wanted to enjoy his
holiday and morning breakfast with his family.
(c) Looking forward to.
(d) The word is countryside.

Question 2.
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-1 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. CBSE 2016
(a) What happened when the pilot was about 150 kilometres away from Paris?
(b) What does the author compare the clouds to?
(c) Find out the word similar in meaning as sufficient.
(d) The word ‘elephantine’ is similar in meaning to the word ………

Answer:
(a) The pilot saw storm clouds when he was about 150 kilometres away from Paris.
(b) The author compares the clouds to black mountain.
(c) The word is ‘enough’.
(d) The word is ‘huge’.

Question 3.
“He knows that I am lost”, I thought ‘He’s trying to help me.
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.
After half an hour the strange black aeroplane was still there in front of me in the clouds. Now, there was
only enough fuel in the old Dakota’s last tank to fly for five or ten minutes more. I was starting to feel
frightened again. But then he started to go down and I followed through the storm.
(a) Why was the pilot happy to find his aeroplane behind another aeroplane in the black clouds?
(b) Why was the pilot frightened again?
(c) Find the opposite of ‘insufficient’ from the passage.
(d) What does a ‘storm’ mean?

Answer:
(a) The pilot was happy to find his aeroplane behind another aeroplane in the black clouds because another
pilot was helping him come out of the storm clouds.
(b) The pilot felt frightened again because the fuel was not sufficient to reach the destination as it was only
enough for next five or ten minutes.
(c) Enough.
(d) A storm is a very bad weather with strong winds and rain, thunder and lightning.

Question 4.
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? CBSE 2016
(a) Why did the writer go to the Control center immediately?
(b) Why was the writer shocked after hearing the woman’s word?
(c) Find out the word in the passage that means the same as ‘peculiar’.
(d) Which part of speech does the word ‘tonight’ belong to?
Answer:
(a) The writer went to the Control center to ask about the black aeroplane so he could thank the pilot for
saving his life.
(b) The writer was shocked after hearing the woman’s word because she told him that there was no other
aeroplane flying that night as she had seen on the radar.
(c) Strange.
(d) ‘Tonight’ is an adverb.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Story I His First Flight

Question 1.
Why did the young seagull not go with the rest of his family?
Answer:
The young seagull did not go with the rest of his family because he was afraid to fly.

Question 2.
How did seagull’s parents try to make him fly?
Answer:
Seagull’s parents tried everything to make him fly. They screamed, scolded and threatened to let him starve
on the ledge unless he flew away.

Question 3.
What had the young seagull watched his parents doing the day before?
Answer:
The day before the young seagull had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister,
perfecting in the art of flying and teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish.

Question 4.
What was the young seagull’s mother doing before him?
Answer:
The young seagull’s mother was standing on the plateau, her white breast thrust forward. She tore a piece of
fish that lay at her feet, then she scrapped each side of her beak on the rock.

Question 5.
When did the seagull get over his fear of flying over the sea?
Answer:
The seagull was afraid of flying over the sea because he thought that he would drown. His family decided to
teach him a lesson. They left him unattended. The mother tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet now and
then in his front. Since the seagull was hungry too much, he was . compelled to attempt his first flight in order
to get food. He was successful. This is when he got over his fear flying over the sea.

Question 6.
Describe the young seagull’s expression when he saw his mother with food.
Answer:
The young seagull uttered a joyful scream because he thought that his mother was bringing food for him. He
tried to come nearer to her as she flew across.

Question 7.
Why did the young seagull feel very miserable on the ledge?
Answer:
The young seagull felt very miserable on the ledge as he was alone and his family had already flown away. He
was feeling very hungry and had nothing to eat. His condition was worsening because he could not even dive
for fish.

Question 8.
How did the young seagull and his family celebrate his first flight? [CBSE 2016]
Answer:
When the young seagull started flying and got over his fear, his family screamed around him out of joy. They
praised him and offered him scraps of dog-fish out of delight as he made a successful attempt

Question 9.
Describe the first flight of the young seagull.
Answer:
The young seagull dived at the fish due to hunger and fell
outwards and downwards into space. He thought of getting drowned but his wings spread outwards
automatically. He moved downwards and outwards and landed safely on the sea and floated on it without
any fear.

Story II The Black Aeroplane [2 Marks each]

Question 1.
Describe author’s feeling while he was flying his aeroplane back to England?
Answer:
The author was very excited while he was flying his aeroplane back to England because he wanted to spend
his holiday with his family at home.

Question 2.
How much fuel was there in the aeroplane when the writer started flying?
Answer:
There was sufficient fuel in the tanks of the aeroplane to reach England safely when the writer started flying.

Question 3.
What risk did the writer take while flying? Why?
Answer:
The writer decided to risk to fly through the storm clouds because he wanted to enjoy his holiday with his
family back in England.

Question 4.
What did the writer feel inside the clouds?
Answer:
When the writer 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.

Question 5.
What did the writer,see inside the black clouds?
Answer:
The writer saw a black aeroplane which had no lights on its wings. The writer could see the face of the pilot in
the black clouds who was waving and signalling him to follow to get out of the storm.

Question 6.
Why did the writer follow the pilot of another aeroplane? [CBSE 2016]
Answer:
The writer followed another aeroplane because he had lost the way in the storm and was unable to see
anything. The pilot of another aeroplane was helping him to get out of the storm and land safely.
Question 7.
Why did the woman in control room get shocked when the writer asked about another aeroplane?
Answer:
The woman in the control room was shocked when the writer asked about another aeroplane because there
was no such plane flying in the sky that night as she saw on the radar.

Question 8.
Why did the writer want to meet the pilot of another black aeroplane?
Answer:
The writer wanted to meet the pilot of another black aeroplane to thank him as he had saved the life of the
writer by helping him come out from in the storm.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions

Story I His First Flight

Question 1.
How did the mother make the young seagull come out of his fear and teach him the art of flying?
(or)
How did the seagull family help the young seagull overcome his fear and fly?
(or)
Why was the young seagull afraid of flying? What compelled the seagull to finally fly?
(or)
Describe the tricks used by the seagull family to help the young seagull overcome his fear and fly.
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid of flying because he thought that his wings won’t support him and he would
drown. When his family left him alone of the ledge, he felt alone and was very hungry. They tried hard to
make him fly but he never showed the courage to try. His mother knowingly tore a piece of fish near him and
flew across to him with it. She came close to him but did not go nearer. Already mad by hunger, he dived at
the fish but fell into space. After sometime his wings spread outwards and he began to fly. His family landed
on the sea ahead of him.They beckoned him so he landed on the sea and began to sink into water but when
his belly touched the water, he floated without any fear and difficulty.

Question 2.
Do you think that the seagull’s family loved him? Justify their attitude towards him?
Answer:
The young seagull had two brothers and a sister. His parents flew with them to leave him alone on the ledge
as he could not muster up the courage to fly with them. His parents could have fed him.
But, they refused to give him any food. They wanted him to fly and dive for his food. They threatened to let
him starve. They did so because they loved him.
The parents were right in what they did because they wanted to teach him the importance of confidence and
self-reliance. One can’t depend on their parents all his life to be fed. Thus, it was important for him to learn
to fly, dive and search his own food. So, the attitude the seagull family showed to him was actually their love,
care and concern for him.

Question 3.
Why was the young seagull pretending to be asleep? What did he actually observe while doing so?
Answer:
The young seagull came to the brink of the ledge. He stood there on one leg with the other leg hidden under
his wing. He closed his one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. He did so because he
wanted to know whether they were interested in him or not but he observed that his family was not noticing
him. He saw his brothers and sister lying on the plateau. They were dozing. His father was preening the
feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him. Now and then, she tore at a piece of fish that
lay at her feet. Then she scrapped each side of the back on the rock.

Question 4.
How did the young seagull get over his fear of sea water and what was his family’s reaction on it?
Answer:
The young seagull had made his maiden flight successfully. When he was near the sea. he was flying straight
over it. He observed a vast green sea all around him. He turned his beak sideways and cawed amusedly. His
family was very happy and landed ahead of him. They beckoned to him.
When he landed on the sea, he began to sink but he tried in despair and his belly touched the water and he
sank no further. He was floating on water. This way he got over his fear of seawater and his family praised
him a lot and offered him the dog-fish as a reward.

Question 5.
Fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things. Do you agree? How did these two traits of the
young seagull make him coward? How did he overcome these short comings?
Answer:
Yes, It is true that fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things as in the story, the young
seagull lacked the value of courage and confidence in his character. He was too scared of flying. His family
tried hard to make him fly but he refused to do so because of his fear of sinking in the seawater. They even
scolded him for his cowardice. They tried to tempt him with food but he was not willing to learn flying. Once
he dived, his fear disappeared and he enjoyed his first flight.
It is a fact that unless we try for something and overcome our fear, we can’t learn anything. Confidence and
motivation are two most important traits that make any learning possible.

Story II The Black Aeroplane [8 Marks each]

Question 1.
How did the writer get out of the storm in the night to land safely? [CBSE 2016]
Answer:
The writer was flying his old Dakota aeroplane when he saw the black clouds. He was lost in the storm.
Suddenly, he saw a black aeroplane by his side, which had no lights, on its wings.
The pilot instructed the writer to follow as he had lost the way. He obeyed him like a child. He was very
happy to follow him. After some time the pilot of another plane started to land. The writer followed him
blindly through the storm and came out of the clouds. He saw the lights of the runway and landed safely.

Question 2.
Why was the writer happy when he decided to fly in the night?
Answer:
The writer was very happy when he decided to fly that night because he was going home to his family to
enjoy his holiday. When he started, everything seemed to be perfect. The sky was clear, no clouds could be
seen and the stars were shining. It all made it an easy task for the writer to fly that night over the sleeping
countryside of Paris. His assumption of everything being in place made him happy.

Question 3.
The pilot wanted to thank another pilot after his safe landing. Why? What values of the writer are reflected
from his action?
Answer:
The pilot (writer) of the old Dakota was caught in the storm. He lost his contact with the control room. In this
troubling situation, his fuel tank was also empty. He lost all his hopes but suddenly a black strange plane
appeared. The pilot of the black place asked writer to follow him. The writer landed safely. After his safe
landing, he wanted to thank the pilot of the black plane. This shows his gratitude towards the pilot of the
Black Plane. He was thankful to him for saving his life. It shows that the pilot of Dakota had a value of
gratefulness in his character.