Chapter 3 of the Class 10 English textbook, First Flight is titled “Two Stories About Flying”. It contains two inspiring pieces: His First Flight by Liam O'Flaherty and Black Aeroplane by Frederick Forsyth. The first piece describes a young seagull who learns to fly, demonstrating some courage and overcoming fear. The second piece is a mystery about a pilot's weird experience flying in a storm. Both stories have important lessons to learn about our lives, and they also develop your reading and comprehension skills.
The NCERT Solutions are developed with the latest CBSE guidelines and also conform to the latest NCERT syllabus. Our solutions allow you to understand each question properly to help you prepare for exams. Whether you are preparing for your school test, your final board exam, or even your English Olympiad, this chapter will help you.
Gain access to our NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 3 Two Stories About Flying which will explain all the questions in simple terms. Download the free PDF from below:
This chapter includes two distinct stories that share the same theme of flying and overcoming your fears. Here are the main ideas covered :
Part 1
Thinking About the Text
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?
Ans. The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was his first flight and he feared of falling and hurting himself. He thought that his wings would not support him while flying. Yes, it is natural that doing something for the first time is a bit challenging and fearful. All birds must be afraid to make their first flight. Similarly, a human baby is also afraid of taking the first step and find it challenging when he learns to crawl or stand up without support.
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. It was this hunger that ultimately compelled it to fly. Its hunger intensified when it saw its mother tearing at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. 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. It wondered why she did not come nearer. Not being able to resist or control its hunger any longer, it dived at the food in its mother's beak. At that moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expanse of sea beneath the cliff. Finally, this plunge was followed by the natural reaction of its body, i.e. to fly.
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 seagull's parents had tried everything but he was reluctant to fly due to fear of falling down. He looked at his brothers and sister but wouldn't make any efforts. That's why the whole family had left him alone and threatened and cajoled him to come but every effort went in vain.
Part 2
Thinking About the Text
1. "I'll take the risk". What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Ans. A huge storm was brewing up and the author was keen to reach his home to spend his holiday with his family. So, he decided to fly through the storm as he did not want to miss the chance to meet his family at breakfast. Thus, he took the risk even when the visibility was almost zero in the storm.
2. Describe the narrator's experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
Ans. As the pilot (author) entered the storm, his plane started jumping and twisting. He could not see anything outside the plane as it was black. When he looked at the compass and other instruments they had stopped to function due to storm. It was a terrible and fearsome experience for him. The fuel tank was almost empty and he could not fly for more than ten minutes. Then he saw another black aeroplane by his side and the pilot of the plane signalled him to follow. It was a surprise for the narrator as the other black plane was having no light. He followed him without any choice and landed safely on the runway.
3. Why does the narrator say, "I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…"?
Ans. The narrator says so because the old Dakota carries him on the verge of death with dead compass, dead radio and dead other instruments. 'Now it was of no use. Moreover, he wanted to get home for a good big English breakfast.
4. What made the woman in the Control Centre look at the narrator strangely?
Ans. The woman in the Control Centre looked at the narrator strangely because the narrator asked her about the black aeroplane and she had seen no one except the narrator's in the sky during the storm. Even the radar showed only the narrator's plane that night in the psky.
5. Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
Ans. It is very difficult to say about the unknown pilot who helped the narrator. But probably it was the narrator himself that helped him to overcome the fear in the storm as no other plane was seen in the radar except the narrator's Dakota plane. In that fearsome situation, he might have been hallucinating. He himself was a good pilot and brave enough who helped himself land safely
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