Childhood dreams, no matter how small, hold special meaning. NCERT SolutionsClass 10 English First Flight Chapter 7, Madam Rides the Bus, narrates the delightful story of Valli, an eight-year-old girl whose greatest wish is to ride a bus. Written by Vallikkannan, the chapter describes how Valli carefully plans and saves money to take a solo bus journey to the nearby town and back without telling her mother. Through her innocent adventure, students witness the excitement of independence, childhood curiosity, and the life lessons that come with new experiences.This chapter is part of the comprehensive NCERT Solutions Class 10 English First Flight series, which covers all chapters in detail.
The NCERT Solutions for Madam Rides the Bus provided here offer simple, step-by-step answers to all textbook questions, helping students understand Valli's determination and personality, grasp the story's themes, learn narrative writing skills, resolve doubts quickly, and prepare confidently for school tests and board examinations.
Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 7 Question Answer
Q.
Activity
Look at the words and phrases given below. Then put a tick against the ones you think you will find in the text.
___ a set of passengers ___ get on the bus
___ get off the bus ___ platform
___ Tickets, please ___ a roar and a rattle
__ a row of seats ___ slowing down to a crawl
___ blowing a whistle
Q.
You must have travelled by bus more than once. What can you see from a fast-moving bus? Given below are some suggestions. Speak briefly about some of these scenes, or about other such scenes that you have seen; or write a sentence or two about them.
rivers green fields hills
roadside shops market places railway tracks
moving trains vehicles on the road trees
a crowd clothes in shops animals |
Q.
Oral Comprehension Check
What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Q.
What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Q.
What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Q.
What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Q.
Oral Comprehension Check
Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Q.
Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Q.
What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Q.
Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Q.
Oral Comprehension Check
How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Q.
What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Q.
Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Q.
Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her?
Q.
Thinking about the text
What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Q.
How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
Q.
What kind of a person is Valli? To answer this question, pick out the following sentences from the text and fill in the blanks. The words you fill in are the
clues to your answer.
(i) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised .
(ii) “Yes, I go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
(iii) “There’s nobody here ,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
(iv) “Never mind,” she said, “I can . You don’t have to help me.
”I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said, .
(v) “You needn’t bother about me. I ,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope.”
Q.
Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
Q.
Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.
Q.
Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Q.
What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.”
Q.
The author describes the things that Valli sees from an eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this statement?
Q.
Writing
Write a page — about three paragraphs — on one of the following topics.
Have you ever planned something entirely on your own, without taking grown-ups into your confidence? What did you plan, and how? Did you carry out your plan?
Q.
Have you made a journey that was unforgettable in some way? What made it memorable?
Q.
Are you concerned about traffic and road safety? What are your concerns? How would you make road travel safer and more enjoyable?
Download the PDF of NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 7 - Madam Rides the Bus
Class 10 Chapter 7 English First Flight Questions & Answers -Madam Rides the Bus
Activity (Page 94)
Q1.Look at the words and phrases given below. Then put a tick against the ones you think you will find in the text.
___ a set of passengers ___ get on the bus
___ get off the bus ___ platform
___ Tickets, please ___ a roar and a rattle
__ a row of seats ___ slowing down to a crawl
___ blowing a whistle
Solution:
All these phrases and words can be found in the text.
Q2.You must have travelled by bus more than once. What can you see from a fast-moving bus? Given below are some suggestions. Speak briefly about some of these scenes, or about other such scenes that you have seen; or write a sentence or two about them.
rivers green fields hills
roadside shops market places railway tracks
moving trains vehicles on the road trees
a crowd clothes in shops animals
Solution:
My parents decided to spend a week at Kufri. We boarded the bus from Delhi to go to Shimla. We reached the bus stand early in the morning. My father had to stand in a queue for some minutes to buy the tickets. We boarded it along with a crowd immediately. I was feeling a thrill of pleasure in my heart. I was fortunate in getting a seat near the window to see the shops and market places. At first there were green fields trees and animals.
After sometimes, the bus moved on a hilly terrain and seemed to be moving upwards. It passed through a number of dark tunnels. I however, did not feel afraid because my papa and mummy were also there with me. I saw rivers and hills along the roadside.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 97)
Q1.What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Solution:
Valli’s favourite pastime was to stand in the front doorway of her house and watch what was happening in the street outside
Q2.What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Solution:
The sight of the bus was a source of unending joy for Valli. The bus used to bring a new set of passengers every time it came from the town. She developed a strong desire to take a ride in the bus at least once.
Q3.What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Solution:
Valli tried to listen to conversations between her neighbours to get the desired information about the bus journey. She would ask some discreet questions here and there to get more information. She got the information about the distance of the town from her village and the total journey time.
Q4. What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Solution:
Valli was planning to have a bus ride to the nearest town. She was quite methodical in collecting all relevant details about the bus journey.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 100)
Q1.Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Solution:
Valli tries to behave mature than her age and tries to look over smart and overconfident. Her behaviour amuses the conductor and so he calls her ‘madam’ to tease her.
Q2.Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Solution:
Valli’s view gets obstructed because of a canvas blind on the window. Also, because of her small height she is unable to look over the blind. Thus, she stands up on her seat to have a better view of the scenery outside. Now she could see a canal with palm trees, grasslands, distant mountains and blue sky as backdrop. On the other side is a ditch followed by vast tract of greenery.
Q3. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Solution:
Valli doesn’t like to be called a child as she thinks that she is a grownup. So when the elderly man calls her a child, she tells him that she has paid her full fare like everyone else and she was not a child.
Q4.Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Solution:
The elderly woman had big holes in her earlobes and ugly earrings in them. She was chewing betel nut and the betel juice was about to seep out of her mouth. Her demeanour wasn’t that of a refined elderly woman, which was why Valli did not want to make friends with her.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 103)
Q1.How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Solution:
For her first journey, Valli saved every coin she received. Also, she controlled her wishes to have candies, toys and joyrides. It was a great sacrifice on her part as generally kids find it very tempting to savour a candy or to enjoy a toy.
Q2.What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Solution:
A young cow was running dangerously in the middle of the road. It was jumping with its tail up. The more incessantly the bus driver honked, the more furious its scamper became. Seeing this Valli could not control her laughter.
Q3.Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Solution:
Valli did not get off the bus because she didn’t know anything about the town and so she was afraid of getting lost. Moreover, her meticulous savings plan allowed her enough money to buy only the tickets for her journey. She also had to return home before her mother could find her missing.
Q4. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her?
Solution:
Valli did not want to take the obligation from the conductor by taking the drink. This indicates that she is taught not to take anything from strangers. She may be a small child but she knows how to behave properly in the outside world.
Thinking about the text (Page 105)
Q1.What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Solution:
Valli’s deepest desire was to take a ride in the bus at least once. The following words and phrases in the story depict this:
“Day after day she watched the bus, and gradually a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there: she wanted to ride on that bus, even if just once. This wish became stronger and stronger, until it was an overwhelming desire.”
Q2. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
Solution:
Valli had developed a strong desire to ride the bus at least once. She was quite methodical in collecting all the relevant details about the bus journey.
She planned that she would take the one o’clock afternoon bus, reach the town at one forty-five, and be back home by about two forty-five, as during that time her mother usually slept. She got the information about the distance of the town from her village, the total journey time and the fare of the journey. She saved carefully whatever stray coins came her way, resisting every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, etc. Eventually, she managed to save sixty paise for her bus ride.
Q3.What kind of a person is Valli? To answer this question, pick out the following sentences from the text and fill in the blanks. The words you fill in are the clues to your answer.
(i) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised .
(ii) “Yes, I go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
(iii) “There’s nobody here ,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
(iv) “Never mind,” she said, “I can . You don’t have to help me.
”I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said, .
(v) “You needn’t bother about me. I ,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope.”
Solution:
(i) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly.
(ii) “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
(iii) “There’s nobody here who’s a child,” she said haughtily. I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
(iv) “Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself. You don’t have to help me. “I’m not a child, I tell you,”
she said, irritably.
(v) “You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope to see you again.”
Valli’s deepest desire was to ride the bus. She paid her own money to buy the ticket, like everyone else. It was a matter of great pride and satisfaction for her to be able to plan her bus ride. Thus, though a child, Valli wanted to be treated as a grown-up in the bus, and was easily irritated when anyone treated her as a child. Also, she refused to take anyone’s help as she had a sense of self-respect.
Q4. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
Solution:
Valli tries to behave mature than her age in order to look smart and confident amidst the adults in the bus. She says that she can get on the bus on her own and that she doesn’t need anyone’s help. Her behaviour amuses the conductor, and so she calls her ‘madam’.
Q5. Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.
Solution:
The following lines in the text show that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus:
(i) “Valli devoured everything with her eyes.”
(ii) “On the one side there was the canal and, beyond it, palm trees, grassland, distant mountains, and the blue, blue sky. On the other side was a deep ditch and then acres and acres of green fields − green, green, green, as far as the eye could see. Oh, it was all so wonderful!”
(iii) “Everyone laughed, and gradually Valli too joined in the laughter. Suddenly, Valli clapped her hands with glee.”
(iv) “Somehow this was very funny to Valli. She laughed and laughed until there were tears in her eyes.”
(v) “Valli wasn’t bored to the slightest and greeted everything with the same excitement she’d felt the first time.”
Q6. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Solution:
Valli refuses to look out of the window on her way back home because she sees the same young cow lying dead by the roadside that ran in front of their bus on their trip to town. Though the bus moves, the sight of the dead cow makes her overcome with sadness. The memory of the dead cow haunts her; thereby, dampening her enthusiasm.
Q7. What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.”
Solution:
Valli had gone on a bus ride to town all alone, and had come back without any harm. She did all this without the knowledge of her mother. Thus, she agrees with her mother when she says, ”So many things in our midst and in the world outside. How can we possibly know about everything?”
Q8.The author describes the things that Valli sees from an eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this statement?
Solution:
There is no doubt whatsoever that the author has described the things that Valli saw from an eight-year-old’s point of view. It was fascinating for her to watch the bus fill with a new set of people each time. It was a source of unending joy for a girl of her age. Her strongest desire was to ride the bus.
She saved money by cutting on peppermints, toys and balloons, and even resisting the temptation to ride the merry–go-round at the fair. Also, the author describes the bus by highlighting its colour and look. He describes it as a ‘new bus’, ‘painted a gleaming white’. The overhead ‘bars shone like silver’. The seats were ‘soft and luxurious’.
The author again describes the scene outside from eight-years-old Valli’s perspective: ‘the blue, blue sky’, ‘acres and acres of green fields’. He beautifully described typical reactions of a young child on different situations
Writing (Page 106)
Write a page — about three paragraphs — on one of the following topics.
Q1.Have you ever planned something entirely on your own, without taking grown-ups into your confidence? What did you plan, and how? Did you carry out your plan?
Solution:
It was during my winter vacation, I wanted to plan my father's birthday. So I requested my mother to help me make the plan to celebrate his birthday. I saved my pocket money, and my sister Siyona also helped me. We saved our monthly pocket money and didn't go out for our weekly outings for some time. In this way, we were able to save two thousand rupees for his birthday party. We arranged everything without letting father know anything. On his birthday we pretended as if we didn't remember his birthday at all. Before he came back from office we arranged everything like cake, decorations, flowers, and even invited few of his best friends. When he came back, he got the pleasant surprise.
Q2.Have you made a journey that was unforgettable in some way? What made it memorable?
Solution:
I have gone on many trips and summer camps, but one journey which I can't forget is my trip to Leh and Laddakh. The scenery over there was mesmerizing and as you leave Srinagar, you enjoy cool fresh air and see breathtaking scenes. The road trip is very exciting as roads are narrow. We reached Khardungla Pass. It was snowing there. There was a tea shop on the snow mountain. The wind was ice cold. Every moment of that trip is memorable
Q3.Are you concerned about traffic and road safety? What are your concerns? How would you make road travel safer and more enjoyable?
Solution:
As we all know that road accidents, injuries and deaths have become very common in today’s days. The main reason for such accidents on the road is the ignore of road traffic rules and road safety measures by the people. Regarding road accidents, we always hear in the news or by our friends, due to driving in the wrong direction, lack of road safety rules and measures, fast speed, drunk driving etc. To reduce the number of everyday road accidents, the government has set up various types of road traffic and road safety rules for all those who use road to protect them. We must obey all those rules and controllers such as the use of protective movement, use of safeguards, keeping the speed limit correct, understanding the road marks etc.Due to the use of cell phones or other electronic equipment during the drive, the danger of road accidents has increased due to the driver’s distraction. In such cases, traffic rules and laws help you to avoid road accidents and injuries. Road safety measures are weapons that can save you from expensive traffic jurisdictions, serious crimes, removal of driving licenses etc. Pedestrians also know the rules for walking on the road such as proper use of the crosswalk, the use of the zebra crossing etc.
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 7 - FAQs
Q1. How did Valli plan and prepare for her bus journey?
Valli was a very determined and careful planner despite being only eight years old. She spent months collecting information about the bus by listening carefully to conversations between neighbors and asking discreet questions to passengers. She learned that the bus ride to town took forty-five minutes and cost thirty paise one way, meaning she needed sixty paise for a round trip. Valli resisted all temptations like buying toys, candies, or going to the fair, and saved every small coin she could find. She calculated that the entire journey would take about three hours, which meant she could go and return during her mother's afternoon nap without being discovered. Her meticulous planning shows remarkable maturity and determination for such a young child.
Q2. What made Valli's bus journey both exciting and sad?
Valli's journey was filled with excitement as she finally fulfilled her long-cherished dream. She enjoyed everything—the comfortable seat, the scenic views outside, the canal, palm trees, grasslands, and distant mountains. She was particularly thrilled to see a young cow running in front of the bus, finding it extremely funny. However, the same adventure turned sad on her return journey when she saw the same cow lying dead by the roadside, probably hit by some speeding vehicle. This sight deeply disturbed Valli and made her silent and thoughtful. The joyful experience suddenly taught her a harsh reality about life and death, taking away her childish enthusiasm and making her unexpectedly mature.
Q3. What important life lessons does Valli learn from her bus ride?
Through her solo adventure, Valli learns several valuable lessons about life. She experiences the thrill of independence and realizes that achieving dreams requires careful planning, patience, and sacrifice. The tragic sight of the dead cow teaches her that life is unpredictable and fragile—something that brings joy one moment can disappear the next. She also learns to be self-reliant and confident when the conductor offers help, showing she can handle situations independently. For students preparing for exams, it's important to understand Valli's character transformation from an excited child to a thoughtful person, and how this single journey represents her first step toward understanding the complexities of the real world beyond her protected childhood.