Two Stories About Flying (Chapter-3)

We know that the word 'fly' (of birds/insects) means to move through air using wings. Tick the words which have the same or nearly the same meaning.

Match the phrases given under Column A with their meanings given under Column B:

Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.

What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?

Why does the narrator say, "I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…"?

Describe the narrator's experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.

Try to guess the meanings of the word 'black' in the sentences given below. Check the meanings in the dictionary and find out whether you have guessed right.

1. Go and have a bath; your hands and face are absolutely black __________.

2. The taxi-driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed the road when the traffic light was green. __________

3. The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest crimes against humanity. __________

4. Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter's black comedy. __________

5. Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods to create false scarcity and then sell these in black. __________

6. Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue. __________

"I'll take the risk." What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?

In the case of a bird flying, it seems a natural act, and a foregone conclusion that it should succeed. In the examples you have given in answer to the previous question, was your success guaranteed, or was it important for you to try, regardless of a possibility of failure?

Have you ever had a similar experience, where your parents encouraged you to do something that you were too scared to try? Discuss this in pairs or groups.

Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?