Madam Rides The Bus

Question 1.
What was Valli’s favourite pastime?

Answer:
Valli’s favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house and looking
at the street outside.
Question 2.
What was the source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Answer:
The sight of the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town, filled
each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for Valli. Her
strongest desire was to ride the bus.
Question 3.
What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find these details?
Answer:
Valli found out that the bus journey to the town took 45 minutes and the one-way fare
costed 30 paisa. She listened carefully to the conversations between her neighbours
and people who regularly used the bus and asked a few discreet questions here and
there. This way she picked up various small details about the bus journey.
Question 4.
What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Answer:
Valli was planning to go to the town and then return back by the same bus. The fare
was 30 paise one way and the ride took forty five minutes. In this way, she planned
that she would be back by 2:45 pm if shf took the bus at 1:00 pm.
Page 122
Question 1.
Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Answer:
The conductor called Valli ‘madam’ because she behaved like a woman. She
declined his help and was very quick in her answers to the conductor’s questions.
This made the conductor call him madam.
Question 2.
Why does Valli stand up on the seat?
(or)
What does she see now?
Answer:
Valli wanted to look outside the bus. She found her view blocked by the canvas blind
that covered the lower part of the window. In order to have a better view she stood
up on the seat and peered over the blind. She saw a canal, palm trees, grassland,
mountains, green fields and the sky.
Question 3.
What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Answer:
Valli replied that there was nobody in the bus who was a child. She told her that she
had paid her fare of 30 paise like
Question 4.
Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Answer:
Valli did not wanted to make friends with the elderly woman because she looked
quite repulsive. She had big earholes and was wearing ugly earrings. Apart from this,
she was chewing betel and her mouth was also filled with betel juice.
Page 125
Question 1.
How did Valli save money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Answer:
Valli had very painstakingly saved every stray coins that came her way by resisting
every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, etc. It had been very difficult for
her. Even at the village fair she resisted the temptation to be on the merry-go-round.
Thus, she had been able to save sixty paise for her first bus journey.
Question 2.
What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Answer:
Valli saw a young cow, tail high in the air running very fast right in the middle of the
road in front of the bus. The driver sounded his horn again and again so that the cow
moves away. But the more he honked, the more frightened the animal became and
faster it galloped. This all seemed very funny to Valli and she laughed and laughed
till there were tears in her eyes.
Question 3.
Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Answer:
Valli had planned that she only wanted to ride on the bus. She would spend thirty
paise on her fare, go to the town and then come back by the same bus before her
mother woke up. She didn't have time or money to go to see the town.
Question 4.
Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you
about her?
Answer:
Valli had saved only sixty paise for the trip.
She didn’t want to waste any money as she had to come back by the same bus at
any cost. So, when the conductor suggested her to get down and have a drink she
refused. He also offered to get her a drink but still she refused. This tells us that she
was a well-mannered girl.
Thinking About The Text

(Page 127)
Question 1.
What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell
you this.
Answer:
Valli’s deepest desire was to go on a bus ride. The words and phrases in the story
that tell this are ‘source of unending joy’, ‘stare wistfully’, and ‘kindle in her longings,
dreams and hopes’.
Question 2.
Have you made a journey that was unforgettable in some way? What made it
memorable?
Answer:
I have gone on many trips and excursions, but one journey which I can’t forget is my
trip to Hemkund and Badrinath. The scenery over there was mesmerising and as you
leave Delhi, you enjoy cool fresh air and see breathtaking lush green fields. The bus
ride takes you on winding narrow roads, with rivers flowing on one side and
mountains on the other. To reach Hemkund Sahib, one has to travel 14 kms by foot.
Everywhere there are crowds of devotees, chanting holy names and moving up the
hill. When I reached the shrine, it was enveloped in clouds. The water in the holy
tank was ice cold. The moment you step in it your tiredness vanishes. After that we
went to Badrinath by bus. It was also a very nice place. There were many hot springs
over there.

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Question 1.

What was Valli’s favourite pastime?

Thinking About The Text

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