Get free NCERT Solutions for the prose “Madam Rides the Bus” at Aasoka, the top online learning platform. Here, all the questions and their solutions are prepared by professionals to provide a thorough understanding of the chapter. The NCERT Solutions for Class 10th is carefully designed keeping in mind the latest syllabus and school curriculum.
The story “Madam Rides the Bus” provides an insight into a brave 8-year-old girl whose deep desire was to travel by bus as her favorite part on the street was the sight of a bus arriving and departing. Before traveling by bus, she needs all the information which includes collecting bus fares and planning to come home before her mother wakes up from her afternoon nap. Therefore, the story covers how she fulfills her desire and her experience of the bus ride.
Question 1:
What was Valli’s deepest desire ? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Answer:
Her deepest desire was to ride on the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. She would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus when it stopped at the street corner.
Question 2:
How did Valli plan her bus ride ? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare ?
Answer:
She planned her bus ride by picking up various details about the bus journey. She saved every little coin she could. Thus she was able to collect the fare for the journey.
Question 3:
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.
- “Stop the bus ! Stop the bus !” And a tiny hand was raised ................... .
- “Yes, I .................... go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
- “There’s nobody here ................. ,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
- “Never mind,” she said, “I can .......................... . You don’t have to help me.”
- “You needn’t bother about me. I ............. , ” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
- Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope ...... .”
Answer:
- commandingly
- simply have to
- who’s a child
- get on myself
- can take care of myself
- to see you again
Question 4:
Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’ ?
Answer:
Valli didn’t like to be treated like a child. So the conductor referred to her as ‘madam’ in a light-hearted manner.
Question 5:
Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.
Answer:
She laughed and laughed until there were tears in her eyes.
Question 6:
Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back ?
Answer:
The sight of the dead cow shocks her. All her enthusiasm is gone now. That is why she refuses to look out of the window.
Question 7:
What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.” ?
Answer:
She means to say that even her own journey to the town had not come to the knowledge of the two ladies. She also means that concepts like death and growing up are real even if we don't know or accept them.
Question 8:
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 ?
Answer:
The following lines show that the author describes the things from an eight-year-old’s point of view : “Trees came running towards them but then stopped .............. in the other direction.”