Class 10 English: Madam Rides The Bus (Questions and Answers)
Q1: Justify the title ‘Madam Rides the Bus’.
Answer: The title is justified as Valli fulfils her dream of enjoying a ride on a bus. She is called ‘madam’ by the conductor as the self-respecting girl wants to be treated as an adult and has paid equally like others. She gets annoyed when any other person gives advice to her about her safety or stops her from standing in her seat. She also refuses to accept any favour from the conductor.
Q2: What is the theme of the chapter ‘Madam Rides the Bus’?
Answer: Through Valli, the author has depicted the curious nature of children and how they want their curiosity and desire to be satisfied. Valli dreams of taking a ride on the bus. Her eagerness to fulfil her desire makes her plan the bus ride meticulously and gain first-hand experience of a bus ride.
Q3: What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Answer: Valli’s favourite pastime was to stand in the front doorway of her house and watch what was happening in the street outside.
Q4: What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Answer: A source of unending joy for Valli was the sight of the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town, filled with a new set of passengers each time it passed through her street. Her strongest desire was to ride on that bus.
Q5: What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Answer: Valli found out that the town was six miles from her village. The fare was thirty paise one way. The trip to the town took forty-five minutes. On reaching the town, if she stayed in her seat and paid another thirty paise, she could return home on the same bus. She found out these details by listening carefully to the conversations between her neighbours and the people who regularly used the bus. She also gained information by asking them a few questions.
Q6: How did Valli Valli plan a Bus Ride?
Answer: Valli planned a bus trip to the town. She saved sixty paise for the fare. This was not easy as she had to resist the temptation of candy, peppermint and merry-go-round. She intended to have the bus ride during the non-busy hours, during the afternoon nap time of her mother so that the latter did not get to know about her trip.
Q7: Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Answer: Valli is trying to behave more mature than her age. She is trying to look overconfident and smart. The conductor is amused at her behaviour and in an effort to tease her calls her ‘madam’.
Q8: Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Answer: Valli stood up on her seat because her view was cut off by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of her window. She stood up to look over the blind. She saw that the road was very narrow, on one side of which there was the canal and beyond there were palm trees, grassland, distant mountains, and the blue sky. On the other side, there was a deep ditch and many acres of green fields.
Q9: What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Answer: When the elderly man called her a child, Valli told him that there was nobody on the bus who was a child. She had paid her fare of thirty paise like everyone else.
Q10: What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Answer: When the elderly man called her a child, Valli told him that there was nobody on the bus who was a child. She had paid her fare of thirty paise like everyone else.
Q11: What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Answer: Valli saw a young cow, whose tail was high in the air, running right in front of the bus in the middle of the road. The bus slowed and the driver sounded his horn loudly. However, the more he honked, the more frightened the cow became and it kept running faster and faster, right in front of the bus. Valli found it so amusing that she had tears in her eyes. At last, the cow moved off the road
Q12: Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Answer: She did not get off the bus at the bus station because she had to go back on that same bus. She took out another thirty paise from her pocket and handed the coins to the conductor. She just wanted to ride on the bus.
Q13: Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her?
Answer: Valli did not want to go to the stall and have a drink because she did not have any money for that. Even when the conductor offered her a cold drink free of charge, she refused firmly and said that she only wanted her ticket. This shows that Valli had a lot of self-will and pride. Possibly, she did not want to take anything for free, particularly from a stranger.
Q14: 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 clues to your answer.
(i) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised ________________.
(ii) “Yes, I ____________ go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
(iii) “There’s nobody here ____________,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
(iv) “Never mind,” she said, “I can ___________. 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 _____________,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope ______________.”
Answer:
(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, irritably.
(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.”
For Valli, the bus journey probably symbolised the adult world. Like anyone else, she spent her money to buy the ticket. She would have attained a great sense of pride and satisfaction in doing so. Therefore, though a child, Valli wanted to be treated as a grown-up on the bus. She had a great sense of self-respect which prevented her from taking anyone’s help. She felt she was able to take care of herself very well and was easily irritated when anyone treated her as a child.
Vocabulary
devoured: to absorb wholly
peered: to look narrowly or curiously at something
ditch: a long, narrow open hole that is dug into the ground, usually at the side
startle: to surprise someone suddenly and usually not seriously
concerned: feeling worried, troubled or anxious
annoyed: to cause someone to feel slightly angry
haughtily: proudly
chimed in: to break into a conversation or discussion especially to express an opinion mimicking: copying the speech of someone
bump: an obstacle or a small raised area on a road
irritably: in a way that causes annoyance or anger
repulsive: causing strong dislike or disgust
ear lobe: the soft part of the ear that hangs down from the bottom
sociable: likely to be with and talk to other people
curtly: said or done in a quick and impolite way
drivel: to talk in a very foolish or silly way
bother: worry
painstaking: diligent care and effort
thriftily: to spend more carefully
temptation: a strong urge or desire to have or do something
resisting: to prevent yourself from doing something that you want to do resolutely
stifled: suppressed/controlled with determination
excursion: a short trip especially for pleasure
ventured out: went cautiously, courageously
cutting across: to cross or traverse, making a shorter route
Hamlet: a small village
gobbling: to take greedily
pedestrian: a person travelling on foot
obstacle: something that stands in the way of or holds up progress
glee: joy
honking: to horn
galloped: (of an animal) to run very fast
speck: a very small amount
rattle: to make a rapid succession of short, sharp noises
traversed: travel across or through
thoroughfare: the main road in a town
glittering: shining
gape: to look at someone or something with your mouth open in surprise or wonder merchandise: things for sale
amused: to get the attention of someone in a pleasant way as time passes
shrugged: to raise (one’s shoulders) slightly and momentarily to express doubt, ignorance or indifference
struck: hit
nodded: move your head down and then up especially to show agreement, approval or greeting
horrible: ugly
frightening: terrifying
spread-eagled: lying with your arms and legs stretched out
haunted: to return repeatedly to the mind
dampen: to make feelings, especially of excitement or enjoyment, less strong
enthusiasm: a feeling of energetic interest in a particular subject or activity and an eagerness to be involved in it
glued: stuck; fixed
chatterbox: one who speaks a lot
chit: a confident young woman
midst: in the middle of
poke your nose: take an interest in something that does not concern you
👉See Also:
Poem: Amanda (Summary, Theme, Q & A and MCQs)
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