a. Why did the seagull fail to fly?
The young seagull hesitated and feared to fly. He thought that his wings would not support him. Hence, the seagull failed to fly.
b. What did the parents do when the young seagull failed to fly?
His parents, brothers, and sister encouraged him and scolded him. They threatened him to go without food.
c. What was the first catch of the young seagull’s older brother?
The first catch of the young seagull’s older brother was herring, a type of fish.
d. What did the young seagull manage to find in his search for food on the ledge?
The young seagull managed to find dried pieces of mackerel’s tail and eggshell.
e. What did the young bird do to seek the attention of his parents?
The young bird 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. He would trot back and forth from one end of the ledge to the other, his long grey legs stepping daintily to seek the attention of his parents.
f. What made the young seagull go mad?
The sight of food made the young seagull go mad.
g. Why did the young bird utter a joyful scream?
The seagull was quite hungry and yearned for food. When he saw a piece of fish in the beak of his mother, the sight was quite tempting and he suddenly dived at the fish, forgetting that he didn’t know how to fly and uttered a joyful scream, falling outwards and downwards into space.
h. Did the mother bird offer any food to the young bird?
No, the mother bird did not offer any food to the young bird.
i . How did the bird feel when it started flying for the first time?
The bird was seized with fear for a moment and could feel the tips of his wings cut through the air. The next moment, he was fearless, though he felt a bit dizzy, flapped his wings to soar up and down with a joyous scream.
j . What did the young bird’s family do when he started flying?
They were flying around him, praising, soaring, and diving together with him.
10th English Guide: His First Flight Textbook Questions and Answers
A. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.
Question 1. How was the young seagull’s first attempt to fly?
The young seagull was very hungry. So he dived at the fish that was in his mother’s beak. But he fell into space and became terribly afraid. His heart stood still. He could hear nothing for just a minute. The next moment, he felt his wings spread outwards and began to fly up and down fearlessly into the sky.
Question 2. How did the parents support and encourage the young seagull’s brothers and sisters?
The seagull’s parents flew with his brothers and sister. They helped them in the perfect art of flying. They taught them to glide on the waves and dive for fish.
Question 3. Give an instance that shows the pathetic condition of “the young bird”?
The young bird, starving for a day, finds a dried piece of mackerel’s tail at the far end of his ledge. He searches in vain for the area where he was hatched and gnaws at the dried pieces of eggshell. He is in a pathetic state, calling plaintively when he is unable to reach his mother, tearing at a piece of fish.
Question 4. How did the bird try to reach its parents without having to fly?
The bird walked from one end of the ledge to the other to reach its parents without flying.
Question 5. Do you think that the young seagull’s parents were harsh to him? Why?
No, the young seagull’s parents weren’t harsh to him. They were just teaching him a lifetime learning experience, which is vital for his survival.
Question 6. What prompted the young seagull to fly finally?
The sight of food maddened him, and he dived at the fish. This prompted the young seagull to fly finally.
Question 7. What happened to the seagull when it landed on the green sea?
When the young seagull landed on the green sea, he completely forgot that he had not always been able to fly and shrieked shrilly, turning his beak sideways and crowed amusedly. He screamed with fright when he dropped his legs to stand on the green sea and sank into it.
Additional Questions and Answers
Question 1. What prevented the young seagull from flying with his siblings?
The fear prevented the young seagull from flying with his siblings.
Question 2. What appeared to him so desperate?
His failure to gather up the courage to take the plunge appeared to him so desperate.
Question 3. What had the young bird watched the previous day?
The young bird 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 dive for fish.
Question 4. How did the young bird fall into space?
The young bird fell outwards and downwards into space with a loud scream.
Question 5. Why did his heart stand still?
His mother had swooped upwards. As he passed beneath her, he heard the swish of her wings. Then a monstrous terror seized him, and his heart stood still.
Question 6. What was his family doing when the young bird was floating on the sea?
When the young bird was floating on the sea, his family was screaming, praising him, and their beaks were offering him scraps of dogfish.
Question 7. What happened to the young seagull at last?
The young seagull had made his first flight at last.
B. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.
Question 1. Describe the struggles undergone by the young seagull to overcome its fear of flying.
Introduction:
Liam O’Flaherty is an Irish novelist and short-story writer. One of the best stories of him is “His First Flight”. This story is a parable about overcoming fears in life.
The young seagull:
The young seagull was one of the four offspring. He was not courageous. He was alone on the ledge. His parents, brothers and sister had flown away. He was afraid of flying. The little bird felt that his wings would not support him.
The reaction of parents:
The young bird’s parents, brothers and sister not only scolded, but also encouraged him. But he did not have enough courage to fly. He was left alone for many hours. He could find nothing except the dried pieces of eggshells. He felt that he was starving to death.
The young one’s first flight:
The young bird was hungry. He begged his mother to bring a piece of fish. His parents wanted to teach him to fly. The mother seagull picked up a piece of fish. She flew across him. The sight of food maddened him. He cried and screamed. His wings opened up automatically. He flapped his wings. He realised that he was flying.”
Encouragement of the family:
The young bird’s family was very happy. His mother divided him. His father flew over him. His brothers and sisters were flying around him. His family joined him in his first flight. They praised him for his effort. He was offered scraps of dogfish.
Conclusion:
This story speaks about the reluctance and courage of the bird.
“Confidence is the key to success”
(OR)
Title: His First Flight
Author: Liam O’Flaherty
Theme: The secret of happiness is courage.
The young seagull was alone on the ledge. He was afraid to fly. His parents, brothers and sister encouraged and scolded him. But he did not have enough courage to fly. The little bird felt that his wings would not support him. He was left alone for many hours, and he ate nothing. So he was very hungry. He begged his mother to bring a piece of fish.
His parents wanted to teach him to fly. The mother seagull picked up a piece of fish and flew across him. The sight of food maddened him. He dived. He cried and screamed. His wings opened up automatically. He flapped his wings. He realised that he was flying. His family joined him on his first flight. They praised him for his efforts. Thus, his first flight became a success.
(OR)
The young seagull was afraid of flying.
The parents motivated the bird to fly.
But he didn’t fly.
One day, he was hungry.
The mother seagull picked up a piece of fish.
He tried to catch the food.
He started to fly.
The seagull learnt the art of flying.
Question 2. Your parents sometimes behave like the young bird’s parents. They may seem cruel and unrelenting. Does it mean that they do not care for you? Explain your views about it with reference to the story.
Introduction:
Parents are role models for children. They love their children. Whenever the children make a mistake, they are advised to be good.
My brother and sister:
This incident took place when I was young. My elder brother and sister were good swimmers. All of them used to swim in the sea. But I never swam in the sea. My father wanted me to swim.
My experience:
I was afraid of the sea. One day, my father took me to the sea and asked me to swim. He was cruel. I drank seawater and felt very bad. I thought that I would drown and die in the sea. I felt that I was drowning after a struggle.
Conclusion:
After some minutes, I found I was swimming. All clapped their hands and appreciated me for my success. Now I am a good swimmer. I think that my parents were not cruel, but they were wise.
(OR)
Title: His First Flight
Author: Liam O’Flaherty
Theme: Overcoming fear
Parents are role models for children. They love their children. They develop good habits and life skills in them. Whenever the children make a mistake, they are advised to be good. They want them to go out and explore the world. This incident took place when I was young. My elder brother and sister were good sportspeople. They were also good swimmers. In those days, we used to go to the beach on weekends.
All of them used to swim in the sea. But I never swam in the sea. My father wanted me to learn swimming. One day, he took me into the sea and asked me to swim. He seemed to be cruel.
I thought that I would drown and die in the sea. I drank seawater and felt very bad. My father left me alone for a moment. I felt that I was drowning after a great struggle. I found myself swimming. All clapped their hands and appreciated me for my success. Now I am a good swimmer.
“Confidence is the key to success”
(OR)
I was young, and we used to go to the beach.
My brother and sister are good swimmers.
My parents also swim well.
I don’t swim as I was afraid of water.
But my father wanted me to learn swimming.
One day, he took me into the sea.
I thought that I would die.
He taught me to swim, but I found it difficult.
I drank seawater and began to drown.
After a big struggle, I came up.
All praised me that I learned swimming