MADAM RIDES THE BUS
VALLIKKANNAN
ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK
1) What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Ans: Valli’s favourite pastime was looking
outside at the street while standing in the front door of her house.
2) What was the source of unending joy for Valli?
What was her strongest desire?
Ans: The source of unending joy for Valli was
to see the bus that went between her village and the nearest village, occupied
each time with another set of travelers. Her strongest desire was to ride the
bus like other travelers.
3) What did Valli find out about the bus
journey? How did she find these details?
Ans: Valli discovered that the bus journey to
the town required 45 minutes and the one way fare charge cost 30 paisa. She
listened cautiously to the discussions between her neighbors and people who
consistently utilized the bus and asked a couple of discreet questions to a
great extent. This way she got small details about the bus journey from her
village to the town.
4) What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Ans: Valli was intending to go to the town
and afterward return back by the same bus. The fare charge was 30 paise one way
and the ride required forty five minutes. She was aware about her mother
routine and planned that to board bus at 1:00 pm and she would return back by
same bus as 2:45 pm.
ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK
1) Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Ans: The conductor called Valli ‘madam’
because she acted like a lady. She declined his help and was extremely fast in
her responses to the conductor's questions. This made on the conductor to call
her, madam.
2) Why
does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Ans: Valli sought to look outside the bus. She discovered
her sight blocked by the canvas blind that covered the lower part of the
window. To have a better view she stood up on the seat and looked over the
blind. She saw a canal, palm trees, meadow, mountains, green fields and the
sky.
3) What
does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Ans: Valli answered that there was no one in the bus who
was a child. She disclosed to her that she had paid her fare of 30 paise like
others.
4) Why
didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Ans: Valli did not want to make friends with the elderly
woman because she looked very terrible. She had huge ear holes and was wearing
ugly earrings. Aside from this, she was biting betel and her mouth was
additionally filled up with betel juice.
ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK
1) How did Valli save money for her first
journey? Was it easy for her?
Ans: Valli had meticulously saved each stray
coin that came her way by opposing each impulse to purchase peppermints, toys,
balloons, and so on. It had been extremely challenging for her. Indeed, even at
the village fair she did not be on the merry-go-round. In this manner, she had
the option to save sixty paise for her first bus journey which she had desired
from a long time.
2) What did Valli see on her way that made
her laugh?
Ans: Valli saw a young cow, tail high
noticeable all around running exceptionally quick right in the center of the
road before the bus. The driver sounded his horn over and over so the cow moves
away. Yet, the more he blared, the more scared the cow became and quicker it
galloped. This all appeared to be extremely funny to Valli and she laughed and
laughed till there were tears in her eyes.
3) Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus
station?
Ans: Valli didn’t
get off the bus at the bus station because she had planned that she simply
sought to ride on the bus. She would spend through thirty paise on her bus
fare, go to the town and afterward return by a same bus before her mom woke up.
4) Why didn’t Valli want go to the stall have
a drink? What does this tell you about her?
Ans: Valli didn’t
want to go to the stall have a drink because she had saved just sixty paise for
the outing trip. She would not like to waste any money on the as she needed to
return by a same bus at any cost. Thus, when the conductor recommended her to
get down and have a drink she declined. He offered to bring one for her yet she
actually rejected. Overall her act tells that she was respectful and well
mannered girl.
THINKING ABOUT THE
TEXT
1) What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the
story that tell you this.
Ans: Valli’s
deepest desire was to go on a bus ride from her village to the town. ‘Source of
unending joy’, ‘stare wistfully’, and ‘kindle in her longings, dreams and
hopes’ are the words and phrases in the story that tell this.
2) How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did
she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
Ans: Over numerous days and months, Valli
listened cautiously to discussions between her neighbors and people who
consistently utilized the bus service and asked a couple of discreet questions
to a great extent. She came to realize that the town was six miles from her
village, the bus trip charge was thirty paise and the time required was forty
five minutes to reach that town. She also planned to remain in that bus on the
off chance and returned by a same bus, it would just cost her sixty paise. She
meticulous saved every single penny she got, opposing all impulse to purchase
peppermints, toys, and so forth and surprisingly a ride on the merry-go-round
at the village fair to save sixty paise. It was a secret trip which she had
arranged without the knowledge of her mother.
3) What
kind of 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.
Ans: Valli was a confident, determined and well mannered girl.
She was only eight years old but she had lot of confidence that she travelled
all alone from her village to town.
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.
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.”
4) Why
does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘Madam’?
Ans: The
conductor referred Valli as ‘madam’ because she acted like a lady. She declined
his help and was extremely fast in her responses to the conductor's questions.
This made on the conductor to call her, madam.
5) Find
the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the
bus.
Ans: Valli thoroughly enjoyed her ride in the bus. The
following lines from the text tell us about it.
i) Oh, it was all so wonderful!
ii) Suddenly Valli clapped her hands with glee.
iii) Somehow this was very funny to Valli. She laughed
and laughed until there were tears in her eyes.
iv) Struck dumb with wonder, Valli gaped at everything.
v) She saw a cow running very fast, in front of the bus.
vi) She saw so many things on her way-a canal, palm
trees, grasslands, and distant mountains.
6) Why
does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Ans: Valli refused to look out of the window on her way
back because she saw the dead body of the cow that was running towards the bus
when she was going to the town. This made her unhappy and terrified.
7) What
does Valli means when she says… “I was just agreeing with you what you said
about things happening without our knowledge”.
Ans: Valli was attempting to conceal the reality about
her bus ride. She was additionally feeling thrilled at making a successful
attempt at her plan.
