Class X English Madam Rides the Bus

First Flight -Vallikkannan

I. Answer the following:

1. 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 nearest town, filled with a new set of passengers each
time it passed through her street. Her strongest desire was to ride on the village bus
at least once.

2. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these
details?
Ans: Valli found out that the bus went to the town which was six miles away from
her village and took forty-five minutes. She also found out that the fare was thirty
paise one way.

She picked up 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 discreet questions.

3. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?

Ans: Valli was trying to behave more mature than her age. She was trying to look
overconfident and smart. When the conductor tried to help her get on the bus, she
replied that she would manage and doesn't need his help. The conductor was a jolly
man. He was amused at her behaviour and in an effort to tease her called her
‘madam’.

4. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Ans: Valli stood up on her seat because her view was obstructed by a canvas blind
that covered the lower part of her window. As she was short, she had to stand up to
look over the blind. She saw that the road was very narrow, on one side of which
there was the canal and beyond it were palm trees, grassland, distant mountains,
and the blue sky. On the other side, there was a deep ditch and many acres of green
fields.
5. 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
on the bus who was a child. Valli thought she was a grown up and didn't like to be
called a child .She told him that she too had paid her fare of thirty paise like
everyone else.

6. Why didn't Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Ans: Valli found that elderly woman absolutely repulsive. She saw that the woman
had big holes in her earlobes with ugly earrings in them. She was chewing betel
nut and the betel juice was about to spill over her lips. She was giving a sight of
unrefined elderly lady. That is why Valli did not want to make friends with her.

7. 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 and
managed to save sixty paise by resisting every temptation such as buying
peppermints, toys, balloons and the like. It had been really difficult particularly on
the day of the village fair as she had to stifle her strong desire to ride the merry-go-
round. Kids find it difficult not to savour a candy or to enjoy a toy.

8. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Ans: Valli saw a young cow, whose tail was high in the air, running right in front
of the bus in the middle of the road. The bus slowed and the driver sounded his
horn loudly. The more incessantly bus driver honked, the more furious its scamper
became, 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.

9. Why didn't Valli get off the bus at the bus station?
Ans: Valli did not get off the bus at the bus station because she was afraid of
getting lost and also she had to go back on that same bus. She took out another
thirty paise from her pocket and handed the coins to the conductor. She just wanted
to ride on the bus. She also wanted to reach home before her mother found her
missing.

10. Why didn't Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this
tell you about her?
Ans: Valli was a wise little girl who did not want to mingle with strangers. Also
she had no spare money. Even when the conductor offered her a cold drink free of
charge, she refused firmly and said that she only wanted her ticket.

It shows that Valli had a fair share of self-respect and took her decisions
cautiously.
11. 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 very intelligently gathered the information and then planned her bus
ride. She decided to take the one o’clock afternoon bus, reach the town at one
forty-five, and be back home by about two forty-five. She found out that the town
was six miles 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 had carefully
saved whatever stray coins came her way, resisting every temptation to buy
peppermints, toys, balloons, and the like, and finally she had saved sixty paise.

12. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Ans: Valli was a sensitive girl. The image of the dead cow had dampened her
enthusiasm. It was the same cow that was running in front of their bus, during her
trip to the town. She was overcome with sadness. The memory of the lovable
creature returned repeatedly to her mind and she refused to look out of the window.

13. What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you
said about things happening without our knowledge.”
Ans: Valli returned back home with memory of the dead cow still fresh in her
mind. So, when she heard her mother and aunt talking, she too agreed that one
cannot understand the mysteries of life. But when questioned about it, she didn’t
want to reveal her trip to the town. In order to cover the facts, she said the above-
mentioned statement.

14. What kind of a person is Valli?

Ans: For Valli, the bus journey probably symbolized 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 on the bus. She had a great sense of self 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. 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 in the middle of the
road in front of the bus. But her enjoyable bus ride became a nightmare on her
return journey. The sight of the dead cow haunted her, dampened her spirits and
saddened her. Valli, on the whole, can be described as a curious, joyful,
disciplined, smart, bold, and at the same time, a mature girl.