NCERT Solution for class 10 English chapter 3 two stories about Flying , Explanation, summary ,Question and answers
Two stories about Flying by
(1. His first flight——-Liam O” Flaherly)
(2. Black Aeroplane —–Freederick Forsyth)
Two stories about Flying “ this chapter is divided into 2 parts we will go through all the main points and difficult words and summary and Explanation very carefully in this chapter
Before you Read”
Since the earliest times, humans have dreamt of conquering the skies here are two stories about Flying
- A young seagull afraid to Fly how does he conquer his fear?
- A pilot is lost in storm clouds does he arrive safe? who helps him?
Explanations
part I [His first Flight]
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 flag 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 Even when each of his brothers and his little sister whose wings were far shorter than his own ran to the brink flapped their wings and flew away he failed to muster up courage to take that plunge which appeared to him so desperate his father and mother had come around
Calling to him shrilly Upbraiding him threatening to let him starve on his ledge Unless he flew away but for the life of him he could not move 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 older 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 opposite cliff taunting him with his cowardice ,
The sun was now ascending the sky Blazing on his ledge that faced the south he felt the heat because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall 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 the sigh of the food maddened him how he loved to tear food that way scrapping his beak now and again to whet it,
Ga, ga ,ga , he cried begging her to bring him some food Gaw -col-ah she screamed back derisively but he kept calling plaintively and after a minute or so he uttered a joyful scream his mother has picked up a piece of the fish and was Flying across to him with it he learned out,
Eagerly taping the rock with his feet trying to get nearer to her as she flew across but when she was just opposite to him she halted her wings motionless the piece of fish in her beak almost within reach of his beak he waited a moment in surprise wondering why she did not come nearer and then maddened by hunger he dived at the fish with a loud scream he fell outwards and down wards into space 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 failing headlong now he was soaring gradually downwards and 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-oh 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 Curveting and banking and soaring and diving then he completely forgot that he had not always been able to Fly and Commended himself to dive and soar and curve shrieking shrilly,
He was near the sea now Flying straight over it facing straight out over the Ocean he saw a vast green sea beneath him with little ridges moving over it and he turned his beak sideways and cawed amusedly , 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 he had made his first flight,
part II [ The Black Aeroplane ]
The moon was coming up in the east behind me and stars were shining in the clear sky above me there wasn’t 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 my holiday and looking forward to being with my family I looked at my watch one thirty in the morning ,
I should call paris control soon, I thought As, I looked down past the nose of the aeroplane I saw the lights of a big city in front of me I switched on the radio and said paris control Dakota DS 088 here can you hear ,me? I m on my way to England Over,
The voice from the radio answered me immediately DS,088 I can hear you, you ought to turn twelve degrees west now DS 088 Over I cheeked the map and the compass switched over to my second and last fuel tank and turned the Dakota twelve degrees west towards England big English breakfast, Everything was going well-if was an easy flight ,
Paris was about 150 kilometres behind me when I saw the clouds storm clouds they were huge they looked like back mountains standing in front of me across the sky I knew I cloud 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”II take the risk I thought and flew that old Dakota straight into the storm , Inside the clouds everything was suddenly black it was Impossible to see anything outside the aeroplane the old aeroplane jumped and twisted In the air I looked at the compass I couldn’t believe
my eyes the compass was turning round and round and round it was dead it would not work, the other instruments were suddenly dead too, I tired the radio , Paris Control? paris control can you hear me? 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 very glad to see another person he lifted one hand and waved ,
follow me he was saying follow me” he known 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 till there in front of 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 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 friends in the black aeroplane but the sky was empty there 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 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?
Grammar Exercise
Now try to guess the Meaning 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-drive 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 shopkeeper store essential goods to create false scarcity and then sell these in black————
- Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue—————-
Answers”
- The Meaning of black” in this sentences is that the face and hands are dark with dust and heat
- here’ black refers to an angry look
- here’ blackest refers to the darkest and cruellest crime against humanity
- here’ black refers to dark and gloomy comedy
- the meaning of black in this sentences is that the shopkeepers sell the described goods at a higher price,
- here’ black Mean that the criminal suffered excessive beating at the hands of the villagers
II. Look at these sentences taken from the lesson you have just read
(a) I was Flying my old Dakota aeroplane
(b) The young segull had been afraid to Fly with them
In the first sentences the author was controlling an aircraft in the air another example, is children are Flying kites In the second sentences the Seagull was afraid to move through the air using its wings,
Match the phrases given under column A with their Meaning give under Column B
| A | B |
| 1. Fly a flag | -Move quickly/ suddenly |
| 2. Fly into rage | – be successful |
| 3. fly along | -Display a flag on a long pole |
| 4.fly high | -Escape from a place |
| 5. fly the coop | -Become suddenly very angry |
Answers
| A | B |
| 1.fly a flag | -display a flag on a long pole |
| 2.fly into rage | -become suddenly very angry |
| 3. fly along | -move quickly/ suddenly |
| 4. fly high | -be successful |
| 5. fly the coop | -Escape from a place |
Summary of part I
In this story there is a young Seagull who is fed loving by his parents the time comes when he must learn how to fly his Siblings have learnt the art of flying but he is afraid to fly so his family leaves him alone on the ledge they threaten him that he will atarve but the young bird refuses to fly when 24 hours have passed he starts feeling hungry suddenly he sees his mother eating a fish this sight increases his hungry his mother his upon an idea tempts him with food in her beak In order to get the food the hungry Seagull comes to the edge of the rock and falls down front it he gets terrified but this fear lasts only a minute he opens his wings and starts Flying he is happy to sea that he does not fall into the sea his family Members screem with joy after some time they land on the Sea (green flooring ) he drops his legs and starts praise him and give him pieces of fish to eat In this way the young Seagull makes his first flight when he takes courage
summary of part II The black Aeroplane
This is a story about a pilot one night he was flying his old Dakota aeroplane (Ds 088) over france he was going to England he wished to spend his holiday with his family at about one thirty in the Morning he contacted the paris control centre (room) they told him to turn twelve degrees west when he was 150 kms from paris he’ suddenly Saw huge black clouds in front of him he decided to take the risk and flew him plane right into the compass radio the clouds he found that his compass radio and other instruments had ceased to work suddenly he saw a black aeroplane near him the pilot of the strange plane waved him to follow him the writer followed like an obedient child he was worried because the fuel in the tank could last only 5 or 10 minutes but soon the written was out of the clouds he could see the lights of the runway of the airport he landed Safely he went to the control centre and asked a woman looked at the writer strangely and told him that his plane was the only one on the radar so in the end of the story many Questions remained unanswered and mysterious in the pilots mind
Question and answers
Question:1 what happened when he the young Seagull dived at the fish picked up by his mother?
Answer:‘ when the young Seagull dived at the fish he fell outwards and downwards with a scream his monstrous terror siezed him and his heart stood still soon his wings spread outwards and he could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air,
Question:2 How did the Seagull feel when his belly touched the green sea?
Answer” when the Seagull ‘s belly touched the green sea he was scared that he would sink” he tired to fly but could not he was exhausted and weak due to hunger,
Question:3 why was the young Seagull afraid?
Answer” the Seagull was afraid as he was unable to fly he felt that his legs were not strong enough
Question:4 what did the young Seagull do to attract his mother”s attention?
Answer” In order to attract his mother’s attention the young Seagull stood on one leg and pretended to be falling asleep on the brink of the ledge ,
Question:5 the young Seagull was afraid of Flying why?
Answer” the young Seagull was afraid of flying as it was a steep fall to the sea, the sea expanse was vast and he thought that his wings would not support him,
Question:6 Describe the sky when Dakota, took off from paris?
Answer” when Dakota took off from paris the sky was quite clear the moon was coming up in the east and the stars were shining there were no cloud in the sky,
Question:7 I”II take the risk ? what is the risk? why does the pilot of the old Dakota take it?
Answer” the risk of flying the old Dakota airplane 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,
Question:8 what difficulties did the narrator face while the flying in the storm?
Answer” The difficulties that the narrator faced were that all the instruments of his aeroplane were stopped working he could not see any thing as there were dark clouds all around
Question:9 A pilot lost in the storm clouds does he arrive safe? who hels him?
Answer” yes the pilot arrives safe on the runway he is helped by another pilot of a mysterious plane he vanishes soon after the narrator landed on the airport
Question:10 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 was seen no where,