VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA

QUESTION BANK

CLASS : 10

LITERATURE

FIRST FLIGHT

1.A LETTER TO GOD

- G L FUENTES

Main Points

• Lencho was a farmer.

• His corn fields needed rain for a good harvest.

• It did rain and Lencho was very happy

• But his happiness was short lived as there was a hailstorm which destroyed his entire

crop

• Lencho was in despair as his family would starve that year

• But he had strong faith in God and he wrote a letter addressed to God asking for hundred

pesos

• The post master who saw this letter was moved by Lencho’s faith and decided to help him.

• He managed to collect 70 pesos from the employees in the post office and with his own

contribution

• He sent this amount to Lencho as if God had sent it

• Lencho was not very happy when he opened the envelope containing 70 pesos

• He wrote another letter to God asking for 30 pesos

• He requested God to send this amount directly to him and not through the post office as he

suspected that the people in the post office had taken 30 pesos

Answer the following in about 40-50 words each.

1.Why did Lencho’s happiness change into deep concern?

2.Why did the postmaster decide to answer Lencho’s letter?

3.Why did the post master sign the letter ‘God’?

4.Why was Lencho angry after he counted the money?

Answer Key-A letter to God

1. As Lencho had predicted the rain did come. Naturally, the rain gladdened his heart. He could see

better prospects of a good crop. However, his happiness was short-lived. The rain turned into a

hailstorm which completely destroyed everything— leaves, trees, and the standing crops. This

heavy loss put Lencho into a deep concern.

2.After laughing at the very idea of a letter to God, the postmaster became serious soon. He was

impressed with the unshaken faith of the sender in God. He wished he had the faith of the man who

wrote that letter to God. So, in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster decided

to answer the letter.

3. The postmaster was moved by reading Lencho’s letter addressed to God. He did not want to shake

his faith in God. So, he decided to help Lencho. He gave a part of his salary and asked other

employees to help and managed to collect 70 pesos. He signed the letter ‘God’ in order to preserve

the man’s faith in God.

4. Lencho had deep faith in God. He demanded a hundred pesos as an immediate help from God.

However, his happiness was short-lived when he counted the money. The sum was short by 30

pesos. Lencho believed that God did send him a hundred pesos but the dishonest post office

employees had stolen 39 pesos.

2. NELSON MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

- Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Main Points:

• The inauguration ceremony of the first non-racial government was held in the Union

• Buildings in Pretoria.

• Politicians and dignitaries from more than 140 countries attended the ceremony.

• Nelson Mandela was then sworn-in as the President of the Republic of South Africa.

• For decades South Africa had been the seat for white supremacy.

• The blacks were considered as outlaws.

• Their victory over ‘apartheid’ was a common victory for justice, peace and freedom.

• Nelson Mandela was overwhelmed with a sense of history.

the world.

• The decades of oppression and exploitation of the blacks produced heroes like Tambos,

Sisulus and others in South Africa.

• Mandela learned the meaning of courage from such brave comrades who were ready to

sacrifice their lives for the freedom of their people.

• Every man has twin responsibilities —responsibilities towards his family and for his

people and country.

• If any black tried to live like a free human being, he was punished and isolated from his

family and community.

• Mandela realised that not only he but his brothers and sisters were deprived of freedom.

• His desire for the freedom and dignity of his people made him a rebel.

• He realised that freedom is indivisible.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING IN ABOUT 40-50 WORDS EACH:

Q.1. What, according to Mandela, is ‘true freedom’?

ANS: When Mandela was a boy, freedom for him meant to run freely in the fields and to swim in

the streams. As a young man, he wanted basic and honourable freedoms, e.g., to earn his living,

too many and to have a family. According to Mandela, true freedom means freedom not to be

obstructed in leading a lawful life.

Q.2. Why does Nelson Mandela call himself simply the sum of those African patriots who had

gone before him?

ANS: Nelson Mandela gratefully acknowledges the sacrifices of thousands of his people who

fought against the apartheid regime. Their suffering and courage can never be cemented or repaid.

Mandela humbly believes that he was simply the sum of all those African patriots who had gone

before him.

Q.3. After achieving political emancipation what does Mandela want to do in South Africa?

ANS: South Africa and the blacks have achieved their political emancipation. Mandela pledges to

liberate his people from the bondage of poverty, want, suffering, gender and other discriminations.

South Africa will never ever experience the oppression of one by another.

He wishes the reign of freedom will never die in South Africa.

Q.4. What did the playing of two national anthems symbolise?

national anthems were played. The whites’ song `Nkosi Sikelel-i-Africa’ and the black sang ‘Die

Stem’. Neither group knew the lyrics of the anthem they once despised. They would soon know

the words by heart.

3.TWO STORIES ABOUT FLYING

PART I- HIS FIRST FLIGHT- Liam O Flaherty

MAIN POINTS

• A young seagull was afraid to take his first flight.

• He lacked confidence; he doubted the ability of his own wings to carry him in the air.

• His parents tried their level best to make him fly.

• His parents tried their level best to make him fly.

• since he did not even make an attempt to fly, they threatened not to give him anything to

eat.

• The young seagull did not eat anything for a long time.

• It tried to evoke the sympathy of its parents by standing on one leg at the edge of the ledge

and pretended to fall asleep.

• The mother bird used a tactic.

• The mother bird took a fish and tore it into pieces and went in front of the young seagull.

• The mother bird took a fish and tore it into pieces and went in front of the young seagull.

• The young one who was hungry wanted it desperately that it jumped to catch the fish.

• The mother bird did not take it close to the young bird that as he jumped to catch its food,

it fell off the ledge.

• Though afraid at first, he could feel his wings spreading and helping him fly.

• He took his first dive and then soared high in the air.

• His parents and siblings encouraged him with appreciating loud cries.

• The story of the seagull is the story of overcoming one’s fear to succeed. One learns by

taking courage and not by sitting idle, he must trust his abilities because fear is only an

illusion that holds us back.

• The young seagull could fly only when he let his guards down and did not think of the

outcome but only gather the courage to reach his goal.

• When he overcomes his fear, he forgets that he was afraid of flying. He did everything he
used to worry about.

• He flew directly over the sea and saw the green area and the mountains below him. He

yelled happily, happy for the victory.

Short Answers

i. Why was the young bird terrified? How did it overcome its fear?

Answer:

The young bird never had the confidence that its wings would support him in the air when it flies.

As threatened, when the parent bird stopped providing food, he was hungry and the sight of the

food made him forget where he was. He dived at the fish his mother was carrying. When he dived,

he fell outwards and downwards into space. When it realised it is in the air, it got terrified but as

wind rushed against his breast feathers and his stomach and wings; he could feel the tips of his

wings cutting through the air. He was not falling how. He was soaring and understood his wings

can carry him to the heights. He thus overcame his fear.

ii. The young seagull “failed to muster up the courage to take that plunge”. In what way can

the reference to the ‘plunge’ here be both literal and metaphorical? Explain.

ANSWER: The literal meaning of plunge is ‘a sudden jump’. Metaphorically ‘plunge’ can be

understood as diving deep into something new. So, this was applied to him correctly in both the

senses. Literally, he had to dive from the hill Cliff in order to fly in the air and metaphorically he

dived into a new act of flying.

iii. The ‘fight or flight response’, that is, to stay and face a situation or run from it- is an

automatic reaction to an event perceived as stressful or harmful. How would you evaluate

the young gull’s response to finding himself off the ledge?

ANSWER: When he realised that he dived off the ledge, he was full of terror. His heart stopped

beating momentarily. But soon after he felt his Wings open outwards. He could feel the wind on

his chest feathers. He was no more falling headway down the sea. He realised that he could

fly like his family. He flew with all might and pride and started feeling the joy of being on his

own.

iv. “For most gulls, it was not flying that mattered, but eating. For this gull, though, it was

not eating that mattered, but flight.” Evaluate this statement with respect to the young

seagull.

ANSWER: Flying comes naturally in most birds, but in this story the seagull never tried to fly and
remained hungry due to his fear. Later on, hunger overpowered the fear and he jumped to grab the

piece of fish in his mother’s beak. The fear of flight faded at the sight of food and compelled him

to take his first flight. Thus, it can be said that the argument given in the question does not apply

even to this seagull. As it was eating that mattered more for this seagull too.

4. From the Diary of Anne Frank-

Main Points:

• Writing in a diary is a strange experience for Anne Frank. She writes only to lighten

the burden on her heart. She feels that paper has more patience than people. She wants

to keep a diary as she doesn't have a friend.

• Anneliese Marie 'Anne' Frank (12 June 1929 – February/March 1945) was a German

– born Jewish girl who wrote while in hiding with her family and four friends in

Amsterdam during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.

• She had a keen sense of humour. She could invent amusing argument for any subject.

• She was mature in her thoughts and presented herself as a promising writer.

• Anne felt very strongly about the freedom of women and that women should get them

due respect.

• Anne Frank learned how to enjoy even the smallest bits of life, like the sun, or the sound

of birds.

• In this lesson, Anne talks about being lonely and having no one to talk to despite being

surrounded by family and around 30 people whom she called her “friends”.

• She takes the decision of writing her feelings in a diary. It is unusual for her to write in

a diary but she is really in need of a true friend. Thus, she decides to name her diary

“kitty”

• She describes her family and early childhood when they all migrated, her early

schooling. After giving a brief account of her background, she comes to the present

day where she tells us about the result day.

• Everyone in the class is nervous about their result and boys are even making bets.

Anne was quite sure about herself and her friends.

• She had a good equation with all the teachers except her math professor, who was

constantly annoyed at her for her talking habits.

• Mr. Keesing gave her punishments in the form of essays on weird topics such as
“Chatterbox” to which she replied with full wit. She wrote essays that were funny and

explained that this was a trait that she inherited from her mother and not much could be

done about it.

• He kept on giving her essays until she wrote a satire. After that third and last

assignment, Mr Keesing never pointed her out for talking.

Short Answer Questions.

1) What do you think about Anne ‘s talent for writing essays which she wrote convincingly, when

punished by the teacher?

Ans: Anne was a young and talented girl. She was inquisitive and thirsty for knowledge. She had a

flair for writing and tried to put her best foot forward. She took her friend, Sanne’s help to script the

third one. She suggested Anne to write her essay in the form of a verse. Anne did the same. She

wrote her third essay in a verse form, which her teacher, Mr. Keesing, appreciated a lot. This shows

that she was a determined and strong spirited girl.

2) Explain the emotion vested in Anne’s statement, “...I was plunked down on the table as a

birthday present for Margot.”

Ans: It might show the love between two sisters. It also implies that Anne was shifted to Holland

just to please Margot. It might show her humorous nature wherein she presented things in a funny

way.

3) Clarify why it is fair to say that Mr Keesing was innovative with his punishments.

Ans: Mr Keesing punished Anne Frank in a unique style. Despite being a Maths teacher he asked

her to write an essay on the topic chatterbox so that she understands the ill effects of non-stop

talking and behaves in a disciplined manner.

4) What does Anne write in her first essay?

Ans: - Anne Frank supports herself by stating that talking is a student’s trait and she will try to
control it. But she also says that she has got it from her mother and such inherited traits cannot be
curbed.

5) What does Anne Frank tell about her family in her diary?

Ans:- Anne Frank tells that she has very lovely and caring family. Her parents and her elder sister
love her a lot. There are about thirty people nearby her whom she can call friends. She has loving
aunts and a good home but she wants to have a true friend with whom she can share her feelings
and thoughts.

6) Describe Anne’s love for her grandmother.

Ans:- When Anne’s grandmother died, she stated that no one could understand her intensity of her
love for her grandma. She also said that no one could imagine how much she thought of her.

Lighting up extra candle for her during her birthday showed her love for grandmother.