NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 Two Stories About Flying

Last Updated on February 2, 2023 by Admin

Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 Two Stories About Flying.

His First Flight By Liam O’ Flaherty

About the author

Liam O’Flaherty (born on 28 Aug. 1896, Inishmore, Ireland and died on 7 Sept. 1984, Dublin, Ireland) was a major Irish novelist, short-story writer and must be ranked as one of the foremost socialist writers in the first part of the 20th century, writing about the common people’s experience and from their perspective.

Summary

‘His First Flight’ written by Liam O’ Flaherty is a story of a young seagull who is afraid of flying. A family of seagulls lived on a ledge. A young seagull is left alone as he is afraid to fly and is one among the slow learners. All that this young seagull needed was motivation. By way of punishment, his family left him alone on the ledge and flew away. They upbraided him, taunted him for cowardice and even threatened to let him starve. He remained hungry for twenty-four hours and was unable to shed off his fright of flight. He cried begging his mother to bring him some food.

She picked up a piece of fish in her beak and flew across him and stood just in front of him. The piece of fish in her beak was almost within the reach of his beak. The young seagull was mad with hunger. He dived at the fish. The next moment he found himself falling outwards and downwards into space. Instinctively, he spread his wings and flapped them. He soared upwards and all his fear was gone. It was a joyous moment for his family. He forgot that he was ever afraid of flying.

Before You Read

Since the earliest times, humans have dreamt of conquering the skies. Here are two stories about flying.

I. A young seagull is afraid to fly. How does he conquer his fear?

II. A pilot is lost in storm clouds. Does he arrive safe? Who helps him?

[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. 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.]

[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 sight 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 had picked up a piece of the fish and was flying across to him with it. ]

[He leaned out eagerly, tapping 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 downwards 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 falling 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-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 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.]

Thinking About The Text

Q.1 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?

Ans: The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was its first flight. It is a well known fact that doing something for the first time is challenging. Therefore, all young birds must be afraid to make their first flights. Similarly, a human baby would also find it a challenge to take its first step.

Q.2 “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?

Ans: The young seagull was very hungry. His mother had a piece of fish in her beak. She was tearing at a piece of fish that lay at her feet in order to tease the young seagull. Because the sight of the food “maddened” him, he wanted to snatch a piece of fish from his mother’s beak. It cried to her, begging her to get some food. When its mother came towards it with food in her beak, it screamed with joy and anticipation. However, she stopped midway. The young Seagull wondered why she did not come nearer. The young seagull dived towards the food not realizing that he was already flying. This hunger compelled him to finally take his first flight.

Q.3 “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly.” Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?

Ans: The young seagull’s parents threatened and cajoled him to fly because he was afraid to fly. Even when the young Seagull saw his brothers and sisters flying, with the help of their parents who were helping and teaching them, it could not gather enough courage to make its first flight.

Young Seagull’s parents wanted him to become self dependent. They knew that he would never be able to do anything if didn’t learn to fly. He would become completely dependent upon others for basic necessities of life. That is why its father and mother were calling to it shrilly and scolding it. They threatened to let it starve on its ledge if it did not fly.

Q.4 Have you ever had a similar experience, where your parents encouraged you to do something that you were too scared to try? Discuss this in pairs or groups.

Ans: (Read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.)

Q.5 In the case of a bird flying, it seems a natural act, and a foregone conclusion that it should succeed. In the examples you have given in answer to the previous question, was your success guaranteed, or was it important for you to try, regardless of a possibility of failure?

Ans: (Read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.)

Black Aeroplane By Frederick Forsyth

About the Author

The Black Aero plane is written by Frederick Forsyth who was born on 25 August 1938 in Ashford which is a town in the county of Kent, England. He is an English novelist, journalist, former spy and occasional political commentator. He is best known for thrillers such as ‘The Day of the Jackal’ (thriller novel), ‘The Odessa File’ (thriller), ‘The Fourth Protocol’ (thriller novel), ‘The Dogs of War’ (novel), ‘The Devil’s Alternative’ (novel), ‘The Fist of God’ (1994 suspense novel), ‘Icon’ (thriller novel), ‘The Veteran’ (short story collection), ‘Avenger’ (political thriller novel), ‘The Afghan’ (2006 thriller novel), ‘The Cobra’ (2010 thriller novel) and ‘The Kill List’ (novel pub.2013).

About the lesson

The story “The Black Aero plane” offers a psychological insight into a character under stress.  It is an interesting account of the narrator’s encounter with the pilot of a black aeroplane who comes to his rescue in distress.

[कहानी “द ब्लैक एयरो प्लेन” तनाव ग्रस्त व्यक्ति में मनोवैज्ञानिक अंतर्दृष्टि को दर्शाती है। इस कहानी में  Black Aeroplane के पायलट के साथ कथाकार (narrator) की मुठभेड़/ आमना-सामना होने  का एक दिलचस्प वर्णन है जो संकट के समय उसके बचाव में आता है।]

A pilot was flying an old Dakota aeroplane at night. (Dakota= a type of plane). The stars were shining and there was not a trace of clouds.  The sky was clear and the plane was flying over France and going back to England.  The pilot was extremely happy.  He was lost in the dreams of his holiday and family.  Around 1:30 a.m. he called Paris Control Room to enquire about the route and location.  The Control Room instructed him to turn twelve degrees west.  The pilot checked the map and the compass, switched over to his second and last fuel tank and turned the plane twelve degrees west towards England. He expected to join his family for the breakfast.

[एक पायलट रात में एक पुराने डकोटा हवाई जहाज को उड़ा रहा था। आकाश में तारे चमक रहे थे और बादलों का निशान नहीं था। आसमान साफ था और विमान फ्रांस से उड़ान भर रहा था और वापस इंग्लैंड जा रहा था। पायलट बेहद खुश था। वह अपनी छुट्टी और परिवार के सपनों में खो गया था। लगभग 1:30 बजे उसने  मार्ग और स्थान के बारे में पूछताछ करने के लिए पेरिस कंट्रोल रूम को फोन किया। कंट्रोल रूम ने उसे बारह डिग्री पश्चिम की ओर मुड़ने का निर्देश दिया। पायलट ने map और कम्पास की जाँच की। अपने दूसरे और आखिरी ईंधन टैंक switched over किया। और विमान को बारह डिग्री पश्चिम इंग्लैंड की ओर मोड़ दिया। उसने  अपने परिवार के साथ नाश्ते में शामिल होने की उम्मीद की।]

When Paris was 150 km behind, the pilot saw the black storm clouds approaching the plane. He could not fly over them. Also he didn’t have enough fuel to fly around them south or north. Initially, he thought of going back to Paris  but his strong urge to meet his family members led him straight into the storm. It was absolutely dark inside the clouds. The plane was jumping and twisting in the air.  All the instruments had stopped working. The pilot lost his contact with the ground staff because his compass and radio had stopped functioning.

[जब पेरिस 150 किमी पीछे था, पायलट ने काले तूफानी बादलों को विमान के करीब आते देखा। वह उनके ऊपर से उड़ नहीं सकता था। इसके अलावा, उनके पास दक्षिण या उत्तर की ओर उड़ने के लिए पर्याप्त ईंधन नहीं था। शुरू में, उसने  पेरिस वापस जाने के बारे में सोचा लेकिन उसकी अपने परिवार के सदस्यों से मिलने की तीव्र इच्छा उसे  सीधे तूफान से होकर गुजरने को बाध्य कर दी। बादलों के अंदर बिल्कुल अंधेरा था। विमान हवा में उछल-कूद कर रहा था। सभी उपकरण काम करना बंद कर दिये थे। पायलट ने ग्राउंड स्टाफ से अपना संपर्क खो दिया क्योंकि उसके कंपास और रेडियो ने काम करना बंद कर दिया था।]

Suddenly he saw another aeroplane quite near him. That strange black aeroplane had no lights on its wings.  The pilot of the black aeroplane asked him to follow him. The pilot flew in the clouds for half an hour.  He had only fuel left to fly another fifteen minutes. The pilot was frightened.  Suddenly the black aeroplane descended (moved downward) and the pilot followed him. Finally, the black aeroplane guided him to an airport for landing. The pilot was thrilled to see the runway but when he turned his head to thank the pilot of the black aeroplane,  he couldn’t see him anywhere. 

[अचानक उसने अपने पास एक और हवाई जहाज देखा। उस अजीब काले हवाई जहाज के पंखों पर रोशनी नहीं थी। काले हवाई जहाज के पायलट ने उसे उसका पीछा करने के लिए कहा। पायलट ने आधे घंटे तक बादलों में उड़ान भरी। उसके पास केवल पंद्रह मिनट उड़ने के लिए ईंधन बचा था। पायलट भयभीत था। अचानक Black Aeroplane नीचे उतरा और पायलट ने उसका पीछा किया। अंत में, Black Aeroplane ने लैंडिंग के लिए उसे एक हवाई अड्डे की ओर निर्देशित किया। पायलट रनवे देखकर रोमांचित हो गया लेकिन जब उन्होंने काले हवाई जहाज के पायलट को धन्यवाद देने के लिए अपना सिर घुमाया वह उसे कहीं भी नहीं देख सकता था।]

After landing, the pilot immediately rushed to the Control Centre and enquired about the black aeroplane which guided him all the way to the airport. The woman on duty at the Control Centre told him that no other plane was seen flying that night. She had seen only his plane on the radar. The pilot was surprised to hear all this and kept on wondering who had helped him to arrive and land safely without a compass or a radio  and without any more fuel left in his tank.  He kept thinking about that strange black aeroplane and its mysterious pilot.

[लैंडिंग के बाद पायलट तुरंत कंट्रोल सेंटर पहुंचा और उस Black Aeroplane के बारे में पूछताछ की, जिसने उसे हवाई अड्डे तक पहुचने में हर तरह से निर्देशित/मदद  किया। कंट्रोल सेंटर में ड्यूटी पर मौजूद महिला ने उन्हें बताया कि उस रात कोई अन्य विमान उड़ान भरते हुए नहीं देखा गया था। उसने रडार पर केवल उसी का  विमान (Plane) देखा था। पायलट यह सब सुनकर हैरान रह गया और सोचता रहा कि किसने उसे बिना कम्पास या रेडियो के सुरक्षित रूप से वहाँ तक आने और उतरने में मदद की थी। और उसके टैंक में और अधिक ईंधन भी नहीं बचा था। वह उस अजीब  काले हवाई जहाज (Black Aeroplane) और उसके रहस्यमय पायलट के बारे में सोचता रहा।]

Additional Questions

Q.1 Who helped the narrator to reach safely?

Ans: The narrator’s own self helped him land safely through the storm. The woman of the control centre also agreed that only his plane could be seen on the radar. In his fear, he might have been in hallucination.

Q 2. Why was the pilot happy? Give two reasons.

Ans: The pilot was happy for the following two reasons:

(i) He was alone high up above the sleeping countryside.

(ii) He was dreaming of his holiday and looking forward to being with his family.

Q 3. (i) Why did the pilot call the Paris Control the first time?

(ii) What was the advice of the Paris Control?

Answer:

(i) The first time, the pilot called the Paris Control Room to enquire about the location of the plane and the route to be followed.

(ii) The Paris Control advised him to turn twelve degrees west towards England.

Q 4. How many fuel tanks were there in the plane? How much fuel was left?

Ans: There were two fuel tanks in the plane. The pilot had already switched over to second and the last tank so there was enough fuel only to fly back to England.

Q 5. What did the pilot encounter while 150 km away from Paris?

Ans: The pilot encountered black stormy clouds, 150 kilometres away from Paris.

Q 6. Why did the pilot fly straight into the storm instead of returning to Paris?

Ans: The pilot had a strong desire to get back home and have breakfast with his family. That is why, the pilot took the risk and flew straight into the storm instead of going back to Paris.

Q 7. Did the Paris Control hear the pilot, the second time he called? Why?

Ans: No, because when the pilot tried to contact the Paris Control Room, he failed to do so as his radio was dead.

Q 8. Describe the black clouds from the point of view of the pilot.

Ans: When Paris was about 150 kilometres behind me, I saw the black clouds in front of me. They were huge clouds looked like black mountains standing in front of me across the sky. They were stormy and I could not fly up and over them.

Q 9. How did the black aeroplane rescue the first pilot?

Ans: The pilot of the black aeroplane guided the first pilot and helped him arrive safely at the airport.

Q 10. Was the pilot of the Dakota able to meet the pilot of the black aeroplane?

Ans: No, the pilot of the Dakota could not meet the pilot of the black aeroplane. He even went to the Control Room to find who the other pilot was, but he could not find him. The black aeroplane disappeared without being seen by anyone even on the ‘radar’.

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