His First Flight Class 10, a short story written by Liam O’Flaherty has been arranged in the following with the recent trends of Question and Answers patterns that are found in previous English Question Paper of class 10 of CBSE.
About the Author:
Liam O’Flaherty (1896-1984) was a significant Irish novelist and short story writer. His most famous books include The Informer, Return of the Brute, House of Gold, etc. His First Flight, a short story that symbolizes the nervousness one experiences before doing something new, is regarded as one of his most famous works.
About the text:
This short story, His First Flight is about a young seagull and his experience of learning how to fly. The story focuses on how fear or hesitation must be overcome before one may achieve something significant, like the young seagull, who had to be brave to fly.
His First Flight: Class 10, CBSE Question Answers.
Question Answers from His First Flight have been prepared in the following for class 10 of CBSE. So, the students are asked to Consult First Flight: Textbook in English for Class X (NCERT), Page No 32, 33, 34, 35, 36.
Thinking about the Text (Page 36) His First Flight Class 10
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 step? [CBSE 2019]
Ans: The young Seagull was afraid to fly because he felt that his wings would not support him and he would fall from a great height.
Yes, when something is done for the first time, it is a bit challenging and fearful. All birds get afraid while making their first flight. However, it is also a fact that some birds are more timid than the other and consequently take more time to fly.
Just like a bird, a human baby is also afraid of taking the first step and finds it challenging.
Q.2. “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young Seagull to finally fly?
Ans: This. suggests that the young Seagull was hungry and when he saw food his hunger increased.
It was his hunger that ultimately compelled him to fly. His hunger intensified when he saw his mother tearing up a piece of fish that lay at her feet. He cried to her, begging her to get some food. So, she flew towards him with a fish in her beak and stopped at some distance. Unable to control himself, the young Seagull dived for food. Naturally, his wings spread out and he began to fly.
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: Unlike his younger siblings, the poor Seagull could not gather enough courage to take his first flight. Thus, his parents taunted him for being a coward. They threatened and cajoled him so that he might also take his first flight. and thought that hunger would make him fly looking for his food. They did this to remove his fear of flight.
Q.4. Have you ever had a similar experience, where your parents encouraged you to do something that you were too scared to try?
Ans: Yes. I had a similar experience while learning to ride a bicycle in class VI. In my initial attempts, I fell down every time and developed a fear of cycling which was difficult to overcome. My father encouraged me to overcome the fear and helped in learning cycling. He took me on a small hill near our village, made me sit and asked me to put my hands on the handle and feet on the pedals. When he pushed me, the cycle moved and I enjoyed it without fear, which developed my confidence. Thus, I overcame my fear of cycling and started riding a cycle regularly after a little practice.
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 the possibility of failure?
Ans: In the example I have given as an answer to the previous question, it is evident that initially my success was not guaranteed. I was afraid of failure and did not even want to try cycling, But I got encouragement and motivation to do so.
I had to try, regardless of the possibility of failure and put in efforts and hard work. With the willingness and determination, my success became guaranteed as when someone is determined, success is assured
Extra Short Answer( SA) Type Questions His First Flight.
[Carrying 2/3 marks]
Q.1. How did the Seagull’s parents try to make him fly? [CBSE 2019]
Ans: The young Seagull’s parents tried hard to make him fly. They scolded him and threatened him to let him starve. But the young Seagull could not gain courage to fly. Then, they taunted him, Finally, the young Seagull’s mother tempted him with food which resulted in making him fly,
Q.2. What had the young Seagull watched his parents doing the day before?
Ans: The day before, the young Seagull had watched his parents making his brothers and his sister perfect in the art of flying. They were teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish,
Q.3. When did the young Seagull get over his fear of flying over the sea?
Ans: The young Seagull got over his fear of flying over the sea when his mother taught him a bitter lesson, His family left him alone on the ledge to starve. His mother was tearing pieces of fish. By seeing his mother with food, his hunger increased. He was forced to attempt his first flight so as to take the food offered by his mother.
Q.4.What was the young Seagull’s experience during his first flight?
Ans: As the young Seagull fell from the ledge, he was filled with fear. But soon, his wings spread out and he found himself thing, upon realising that he was finally thing, the young Seagull was overjoyed. He screamed with joy as he was no longer afraid of flying.
Q.5. How did the young Seagull and his family celebrate his first flight? [CBSE 2016]
Ans: When the young Seagull started flying, he was filled with joy and delight. His family came near him and were flying around him. They celebrated the young Seagull’s first flight and screamed with joy and praised him. They even offered him pieces of dog.
Q.6. “The sight of the food maddened him”. What does this suggest? [CBSE 2020]
Ans: The phrase “The sight of the food maddened him suggests that the young Seagull was very hungry, As the young Seagull was afraid to fly, his parents refused to give him any food. So, when he saw food, his hunger increased.
Extract Text Based Questions from His First Flight
Read the following extracts carefully and choose the correct option.
1. 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.
(i) Whom does ‘he’ represent in the given extract?
(a) The seagull
(b) The pigeon
(c) The parrot
(d) The pilot
(ii) What were his parents teaching his brothers and sisters?
(a) To perfect the art of flying.
(b) To skim the waves.
(c) To dive for fish.
(d) All of the above
(iii) He couldn’t fly like his brothers and sister because
(a) he was very lazy.
(b) he was very scared of flying.
(c) he didn’t like to fly.
(d) None of the above
(iv) What had his elder brother done?
(a) He had caught his first herring.
(b) He was flying.
(c) He was taunting him.
(d) He was eating his fish.
(v) The word …… in the extract means to ‘move lightly just above the surface of the sea’.
(a) flying
(b) waves
(c) skim
(d) dive
Ans: (i) (a) The seagull
(ii) (d) All of the above
(iii) (b) he was very scared of flying.
(iv) (a) He had caught his first herring.
(v) (c) skim
Read the following extracts carefully and choose the correct option.
2. 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 could hear nothing. But it only lasted a 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.
(i) The Seagull had been feeling
(a) tired
(b) angry
(d) regretful
(c) hungry
(ii) Why did his mother stop midway while giving him the fish?
(a) She was mad at him.
(b) To get him to fly out of hunger.
(c) She didn’t want to give him the fish.
(d) She got tired.
(iii) Which word does ‘Seized’ not correspond to?
(a) Liberated
(b) Captured
(c) Annexed
(d) Confiscated
(iv) The phrase ‘his wings spread outwards’ means
(a) he fell off the cliff.
(b) he was drowning.
(c) he started flying.
(d) he was happy.
(v) The phrase ……… means ‘he became very frightened’.
(a) with a loud scream
(b) monstrous terror seized him
(c) his heart stood still
(d) he could hear nothing
Ans: (i) (c) hungry
(ii) (b) To get him to fly out of hunger.
(iii) (c) Annexed
(iv) (c) he started flying.
(v) (b) monstrous terror seized him
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ) His First Flight Class 10.
Q.1. What is the message of the lesson his first flight answers?
Ans: Through this story, the author probably aims at leaving a message – the need to overcome fear or hesitation for achieving something of significance. The young seagull, in the story His First Flight’ made his flight possible only when he was desperate to make a dash for food and ultimately overcame his fear.
Q.2. What is the Moral of the story his first flight class 10?
Ans: The Moral of the story might be – “To achieve something significance drive away fear and hesitation.”
