HIS FIRST FLIGHT

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS

Pg 36

Question 1.
Why was the young seagull afraid to fly?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was his first flight and he feared falling and hurting
himself. He thought that his wings would not support him while flying.

Question 2.
“The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull
to finally fly?
Answer:
The young seagull was very hungry. It was this hunger that ultimately compelled him to fly. His
hunger intensified when he saw his mother tearing at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. He cried to
her, begging her to get some food. When his mother came towards him with food in her beak, he
screamed with joy and anticipation. However, she stopped midway. He wondered why she did not
come nearer. Not being able to resist or control his hunger any longer, he dived at the food in his
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.

Question 3.
They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly.” Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him
and cajole him to fly?
Answer:
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 effort from his end. That’s why the whole
family had left him alone and threatened him to come but every effort went in vain.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Why did the young seagull not go with the rest of his family?
Answer:
The young seagull did not go with the rest of his family because he was afraid to fly.

Question 2.
How did seagull’s parents try to make him fly? Answer:
Seagull’s parents tried everything to make him fly. They screamed, scolded and threatened to
let him starve on the ledge unless he flew away.

Question 3.
What had the young seagull watched his parents doing the day before?
Answer:
The day before , the young seagull had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and
sister, perfecting them in the art of flying and teaching them how to skim the waves and how
to dive for fish.

Question 4.
What was the young seagull’s mother doing before him? Answer:
The young seagull’s mother was standing on the plateau, her white breast thrust forward. She
tore a piece of fish that lay at her feet, then she scrapped each side of her beak on the rock.

Question 5.
When did the seagull get over his fear of flying over the sea?
Answer:
The seagull was afraid of flying over the sea because he thought that he would drown. His
family decided to teach him a lesson. They left him unattended. The mother tore at a piece of
fish that lay at her feet now and then in front of him , yet at a distance. Since the seagull was
extremely hungry, he was compelled to attempt his first flight in order to get food. He was
successful. This is when he got over his fear of flying over the sea.

Question 6.
Describe the young seagull’s expression when he saw his mother with food. Answer:
The young seagull uttered a joyful scream because he thought that his mother was bringing
food for him. He tried to come nearer to her as she flew across.

Question 7.
Why did the young seagull feel very miserable on the ledge?
Answer:
The young seagull felt very miserable on the ledge as he was alone and his family had

already flown away. He was feeling very hungry and had nothing to eat. His condition was
worsening because he could not even dive for fish.

Question 8.
How did the young seagull and his family celebrate his first flight?
Answer:
When the young seagull started flying and got over his fear, his family screamed around him
out of joy. They praised him and offered him scraps of dog-fish out of delight as he made a
successful attempt

Question 9.
Describe the first flight of the young seagull.
Answer:
The young seagull dived at the fish due to hunger and fell outwards and downwards into
space. He thought he would drown but his wings spread outwards automatically. He moved
downwards and outwards and landed safely on the sea and floated on it without any fear.

Long Answer () Type Questions

Question 1.
Describe the tricks used by the seagull family to help the young seagull overcome his fear and
fly.
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid of flying because he thought that his wings won’t support him
and he would drown. When his family left him alone of the ledge, he felt alone and was very
hungry. They tried hard to make him fly but he never showed the courage to try. His mother
knowingly tore a piece of fish near him and flew across to him with it. She came close to him
but did not go very near. Already mad with hunger, he dived at the fish but fell into space.
After sometime his wings spread outwards and he began to fly. His family landed on the sea
ahead of him. They beckoned him so he landed on the sea and began to sink into water but
when his belly touched the water, he floated without any fear and difficulty.

Question 2.
Do you think that the seagull’s family loved him? Justify their attitude towards him? Answer:
The young seagull had two brothers and a sister. His parents flew with them to leave him
alone on the ledge as he could not muster up the courage to fly with them. His parents could
have fed him.But, they refused to give him any food. They wanted him to fly and dive for his
food. They threatened to let him starve. They did so because they loved him.
The parents were right in what they did because they wanted to teach him the importance of
confidence and self-reliance. One can’t depend on their parents all his life to be fed. Thus, it
was important for him to learn to fly, dive and search his own food. So, the attitude the
seagull family showed to him was actually their love, care and concern for him.

Question 3.
Why was the young seagull pretending to be asleep? What did he actually observe while
doing so?
Answer:
The young seagull came to the brink of the ledge. He stood there on one leg with the other leg
hidden under his wing. He closed his one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling
asleep. He did so because he wanted to know whether they were interested in him or not but
he observed that his family was not noticing him. He saw his brothers and sister lying on the
plateau. They were dozing. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his
mother was looking at him. Now and then, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. Then
she scrapped each side of the back on the rock.

Question 4.
Fear and lack of confidence stops one from learning new things. Do you agree? How did
these two traits of the young seagull make him a coward? How did he overcome these short
comings?
Answer:
Yes, It is true that fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things as in the
story, the young seagull lacked the value of courage and confidence in his character. He was
too scared to fly. His family tried hard to make him fly but he refused to do so because of his
fear of sinking in the seawater. They even scolded him for his cowardice. They tried to tempt
him with food but he was not willing to learn flying. Once he dived, his fear disappeared and
he enjoyed his first flight. It is a fact that unless we try for something and overcome our fear,
we can’t learn anything. Confidence and motivation are two most important traits that make
any learning possible.