Class 10 English Madam Rides the Bus Chapter 5 Solutions
Selected Question Answers
Q.1. What was Valli’s favorite pastime? HSLC ’16
Ans: Valli’s favorite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house and watching the happenings on the street.
Q.2. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Ans: Valli felt endless joy watching the bus that went between her village and the nearby town. Her greatest desire was to ride on that bus.
Q.3. What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Ans: Valli was planning to travel to the town by bus.
Q.4. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Ans: When the conductor offered to help Valli get on the bus, she said she could manage by herself. She acted like a grown-up, so the conductor called her ‘madam.’
Q.5. What did Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Ans: When the elderly man called her a child, Valli said she was not a child because she had paid the thirty paise fare just like others.
Q.6. Why did not Valli like to make friends with the elderly woman?
or
Why did Valli find the old woman who sat beside her in the bus ‘repulsive’? HSLC ’20
Ans: Valli found the elderly woman sitting beside her very unpleasant. The woman had big holes in her earlobes with ugly earrings, and she was chewing betel nut, which smelled bad. Valli also saw betel juice almost spilling from the woman’s lips.
Q.7. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Ans: Valli saved every small amount of money that came her way. She avoided buying things like peppermints, toys, or balloons. Eventually, she saved sixty paise. It was not easy for her to save the money. She had to control her desires and avoid temptations.
Q.8. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh? HSLC ‘15, 17, 20
Ans: Valli saw a young cow running in front of the bus with its tail high in the air. The driver slowed down and honked loudly, but the cow got more scared and ran faster. Valli found this very funny and laughed so much that tears came out of her eyes.
Q.9. How did Valli acquire many unusual experiences?
Ans: Valli often stood in the doorway of her house and watched what happened in the street. She enjoyed this as much as other children enjoyed playing games. Watching the street gave her many unusual experiences.
Q.10. How much distance was the town from Valli’s village? What was the bus fare for a trip Valli’s village to the town? HSLC ’19
Ans: From Valli’s village the town was about six miles away. The bus fare for a trip from Valli’s village to the nearest town was thirty paise.
Q.11. What sort of person was the conductor?
Ans: The conductor was a jolly sort, fond of joking.
Q.12. Who was Valli?
Ans: Valli was an ehight -year-old village girl who lived with her mother.
Q.13. How old was Valli?
Ans: Valli was eight years old.
Q.14. What fascinated Valli most?
Ans: The bus that traveled between her village and the nearest town fascinated Valli the most.
Q.15. How was Valli different from other girls of her age?
Ans: Unlike other children who liked playing games, Valli enjoyed watching the street. This made her different from other girls her age.
Q.16. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? or What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her overwhelming desire? HSLC ’18
Ans: The bus that went between her village and the nearest town brought her endless joy because it carried new passengers each time. Valli’s greatest desire was to ride on the bus.
Q.17. What was the full name of Valli?
Ans: The full name of Valli was Valliammai.
Q.18. Describe the bus in which Valli traveled. HSLC ’19
Ans: The bus was beautiful. It was painted white with green stripes along the sides. The overhead bars shone like silver. There was a lovely clock above the windshield. The seats were soft and very comfortable. It ran between the village and the nearest town.
Q.19. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow: HSLC ‘16 It was a new bus, its outside painted a gleaming white with some green stripes along the sides. Inside, the overhead bars shone like silver. ……………….. On the other side was a deep ditch and then acres and acres of green field- green, green, green, as far as the eye could see.
(i) What was the inside of the bus like?
(ii) Why did Valli stand up on the seat?
(iii) What could be seen outside as the bus was going along the bank of a canal?
Ans: (i) The inside of the bus was fine. Its overhead bars shone like silver. The seats were soft and luxurious.
(ii) Valli stood up on the seats because when she started to look outside, she found her view cut off by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of the window.
(iii) One could see palm trees, grassland, distant mountains, and the blue sky on one side. On the other side, a deep ditch and green field could be seen outside as the bus was going along the bank of a canal.
Q.20. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: HSLC ’15
(a) Over many days and months Valli listened carefully to conversations between her neighbor and people who regularly used the bus and she also asked a few discreet questions here and there…………………. On and on Valli went her thoughts as she calculated and recalculated, planned, and replanned. Questions:
(i) What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
(ii) What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Ans: (i) Valli found out about the bus journey from his neighbors. Over many days and months, Valli listened carefully to the conversations between her neighbors and people who regularly took bus journeys from the village to the town. She also asked a few questions here and there. In this way, she found out about the bus journey.
(ii) Valli was planning to take a bus journey from her village to the town. She came to know that it took thirty paise to go and another three paise to come back by bus. So she saved some sixty paise and planned to take her journey by bus.
Q 21. Statement 1: Valli loved standing at the front door. Statement 2: Her playmates were of her age.
- (a) Statement 1 is true and statement 2 is false
- (b) Statement 1 is false and Statement 2 is true
- (c) Statement 1 and Statement 2 are true
- (d) Both statement 1 and statement 2 are false. ? HSLC ’24
- Ans: (a)
22. ‘On and on went her thoughts as she calculated and recalculated, planned and replanned and recalculated, planned and replanned.’ What was the planning about?
- (a) It was about a birthday party
- (b) It was about a bus ride
- (c) It was about a picnic
- (d) It was about a school event HSLC ’24
- Ans: (b)
Q.23. What kind of person was the bus conductor? How did he address Valli? HSLC ’23
Ans: The bus conductor was very funny and was friendly with the passengers. He addressed Valli as ‘Madam’. From the very moment that she stopped the bus, Valli tried to behave as an adult. Thus to make a joy of her, the conductor addressed her as ‘Madam.
Multiple Choice Questions
Choose the correct answer from the options given below each question
1. What amused Valli the most?
- (A) The sight of a cow running in front of the bus.
- (B) The sight of people running in front of the bus.
- (C) The sight of a dog running in front of the bus.
- (D) The sight of buffalo running in front of the bus.
- Ans: (A)
2. What did Valli do one fine spring day?
- (A) Caught the car to the town.
- (B) Caught the bus to the village.
- (C) Caught the bus to the town.
- (D) Caught the car to the village.
- Ans: (C)
3. What would make Valli jealous?
- (A) Strangers traveling by bus
- (B) Hearing stories of her friend’s bus journey
- (C) Her mother traveling the bus
- (D) All of the above
- Ans: (B)
4. Why did Valli find the woman repulsive?
- (A) she had large piercings in her ears
- (B) she wore ugly earrings
- (C) she was chewing betel nut which could spill out any moment
- (D) all of the above
- Ans: (D) all of the above
- (A) He merely asked her to sit
- (B) He asked why she’s alone
- (C) He shouted at her
- (D) None of the above
- Ans: (A)
- (A) He was funny
- (B) He was grumpy
- (C) He was quiet
- (D) All of the above
- Ans: (A)
- (A) 7(B) 8
- (C) 9.(D) None of these
- Ans: (B)
- (A) Ruskin Bond (B) Vallikkannan
- (C) Vikram Seth(D) Anandamurthi Ans: (B)
- 9. How much money did Valli pay for bus fare?
- (A) Forty paise (B) Sixty paise
- (C) Ten paise (D) Hundred paise
- Ans: (B)
- (A) Bus ride (B) Truck ride
- (C) Car ride (D) Cycle ride
- Ans: (A)
- (A) To have friends
- (B) To buy a car
- (C) To travel by bus
- (D) None of these
- Ans: (C)
- (A) Vallikkannan(B) Valliammai
- (C) Valliannai (D) Vallikannam
- Ans: (B)
- (A) To stand at the front doorway and look into the street.
- (B) To stand at the front doorway and look at every passenger.
- (C) To stand at the back doorway and look at every passenger.
- (D) None of the Above
- Ans: (A)
- (A) Balloons
- (B) Merry go round
- (C) Toys
- (D) Peppermint
- Ans: (B) Merry go round
- (A) She wasn’t able to look outside properly
- (B) She wanted to enjoy the ride
- (C) She liked standing
- (D) She was tired of sitting
- Ans: (A)
- (A) Water (B) Soft Drink
- (C) Pizza (D) Burger
- Ans: (B)
- (A) Cute Girl
- (B) Madam
- (C) First Passenger
- (D)None of the Above
- Ans: (B)
- (A) By checking the bags of passengers every time.
- (B) By asking some discreet questions.
- (C) By checking the luggage of passengers every time.
- (D) None of the Above
- Ans: (B)
- (A) She was afraid
- (B) She didn’t want to
- (C) She didn’t have the time
- (D) She didn’t like the city
- Ans: (A)
- (A) To sneak out of the house
- (B) Know about the timings
- (C) Buy a ticket
- (D) Tell her mom about it
- Ans: (A)
- (A) She was bothered about Valli
- (B) She liked Valli
- (C) She was poking her nose
- (D) She was bored
- Ans: (A)
- (A) mery-go-round(B) ribbons
- (C) snakes(D) lollipops
- Ans: (A)
- (A) cows grazing in the field
- (B) Children playing in the park
- (C) the bus that traveled between her village and the nearest town
- (D) None of the above
- Ans: (C)
