Page 1 :
1. His First Flight, Text book Questions - Answers, 1. Why was the young seagull afraid to fly?, The young seagull is afraid to fly because he thought that his wings would never support him, 2. What did the parents do to motivate the young bird when it failed to muster up enough courage to, fly?, The Young bird’s father and mother have tried their best to encourage him to make him fly., They had come around calling him shrilly, scolding him, even threatened to starve him unless he, flew away., 3. How did the parents support and encourage the young seagull’s brothers and sister?, The parents supported and encouraged the young seagull’s brothers and sister for, perfecting them in the art of flight. They taught them how to skim the waves and how to dive for, fish., 4. Cite an instance which shows the pathetic condition of the young bird., The young bird was in a pathetic condition. He had nothing to eat and can’t bear the heat of, the sun. He had searched for food everywhere even in the nest where he and his brothers and, sister had been hatched. But there was not a single scrap of food left., 5. How did the bird try to reach its parents without having to fly?, The bird tried to reach its parents by trotting back and forth from one end of the ledge to the, other. His long gray legs stepping daintily, trying to find some means of reaching his parents, without having to fly., 6. Why could the seagull not succeed in its attempt?, The seagull not succeed in its attempt because there was a deep, wide crack between him and, his parents. There was nothing to walk., 7. Do you think that the young sea-gull’s parents were cruel?, The young sea-gull’s parents were not cruel to him. They had great love for it. They wanted to, motivate the bird to fly., 8. Can you justify the attitude of the parents?, The parents want to teach him how to fly. For this he must have confidence and a feeling of, self-reliance. The parents would not live for ever. They wanted to make him self-reliant and earn, food for himself., 9. Your parents sometimes behave in the same manner. They may seem cruel and unrelenting., Does it mean that they do not love you?

Page 2 :
Our parents sometimes behave in this cruel and unrelenting manner. This is only to make us, self- reliant. It is not because they do not love us. They want to train us to become independent, and self-reliant. If they fail to act this way, we are likely to become helpless in life., 10. What prompted the young seagull to fly finally?, It was extreme hunger that made the young seagull fly at last. The mother bird had a piece of, fish between her beaks, but she wanted him to come flying to it., 11. Why was the young bird terrified? How did it overcome its fear?, The sea gull terrified because while he was diving at his mother to have the food, he falls, downwards into space. He felt that his heart stood still and he could hear nothing. The next, moment, he felt his wings spread outwards. He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the, air. He was not falling headlong now. Thus he overcome the fear., 12. How did the family support the young seagull?, The mother flew past him. The father flew over him. His two brothers and sister flew around, him., 13. Why couldn't the young seagull stand on the green sea?, The young seagull could not stand on the green sea because his legs would go down the, water. But when his belly touched the water, it would not sink., 14. Do you think that the bird’s parents loved him? Why?, Yes, Young seagull’s parents loved him very much. His mother bird showed a piece of fish and, began to tear it in order to motivate the bird to fly. When he began to fly the seagull’s mother, swooped past him making a loud noise. His father flew over him screaming and his two brothers, and sister flying around him, soaring and diving. This shows his family’s love towards him., , Glossary:___________________________________________________________________, ledge (n), , : a narrow horizontal, Projection from a vertical surface, , muster up (v), , : gather, , skim (v), , : glide, , trot (v), , : run at a moderate pace, , precipice (n), , : very steep rock face/cliff, , preen (v), , : clean, , whet (v), , : sharpen, , plaintively (adv), , : sadly, , monstrous (adj), , : frightening

Page 3 :
, , Muster, , : gather, , Plunge, , : jump or dive, , Shrilly, , : with a high pitched and piercing voice, , Herring, , : a soft-finned sea fish, , Devour, , : eat quickly, , Cackle, , : laugh in a loud, harsh way, , Cowardice, , : lack of bravery, , Brink, , : end, , Desperate, , : without hope, , Swooped, , : climbed upwards, , Soaring, , : climbing, , Commenced, , : began, , Shrieking, , : shouting, , Beckoning, , : calling, , Exhausted, , : tired, , What is the theme of the story ‘His First flight‘?, Theme of the story is how important is courage and self-confidence for facing challenges of, life., , , , What is the message of his first flight?, ‘His First Flight’ is a parable. The seagulls convey the message of self-confidence, motivation, and self- reliance. The mother seagull motivates the young one enough to get him to learn flying., The baby seagull realises the importance of belief and faith.