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Madam Rides the Bus (Story)

NCERT Textbook Questions & Answers

Chapter 7. (Story) Madam Rides the Bus

This section contains the NCERT textbook questions and answers based on Madam Rides the Bus. The answers are written in simple, accurate, and exam-oriented language according to the latest CBSE syllabus.

NCERT Textbook Questions & Answers

The following questions are based on Madam Rides the Bus. Read them carefully to understand Valli's curiosity, confidence, and the valuable lessons she learns from her first bus journey.

Oral Comprehension Check

Question 1. What was Valli's favourite pastime?

Answer:

Valli's favourite pastime was standing at the front door of her house and watching the activities on the street. She especially enjoyed observing the bus that travelled between her village and the nearby town.

Question 2. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?

Answer:

Watching the bus arrive and leave the village was a source of unending joy for Valli. Her strongest desire was to travel on that bus all by herself at least once.

Question 3. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?

Answer:

Valli learned that the town was six miles away, the journey took forty-five minutes, and the fare was thirty paise for one side. She collected this information by carefully listening to the conversations of passengers and villagers who regularly travelled by bus.

Oral Comprehension Check

Question 4. What do you think Valli was planning to do?

Answer:

Valli was planning to travel alone by bus to the nearby town. She secretly saved money, selected the right time for the journey, and made careful arrangements so that no one in her family would know about her plan.

Question 5. Why does the conductor call Valli 'Madam'?

Answer:

The conductor called Valli "Madam" in a humorous and affectionate manner because she behaved like a confident and responsible adult. He appreciated her confidence and treated her politely throughout the journey.

Question 6. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?

Answer:

Valli stood up on the seat because she was too short to see outside through the window while sitting. Standing on the seat allowed her to enjoy the beautiful views of green fields, canals, palm trees, distant hills, and other scenes along the road.

Question 7. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?

Answer:

Valli politely replied that she was not a child and that she had paid the full fare like any other passenger. She wanted to be treated as an independent traveller.

Oral Comprehension Check

Question 8. Why didn't Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?

Answer:

Valli did not wish to talk to the elderly woman because she found her untidy appearance and chewing of betel leaves unpleasant. She preferred to enjoy the journey by quietly looking out of the window.

Question 9. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?

Answer:

Valli carefully saved sixty paise by avoiding small pleasures such as buying toys, balloons, peppermints, and visiting the fair. It was not easy because she had to control her desires and spend money very carefully.

Question 10. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?

Answer:

On her way to the town, Valli saw a young cow running playfully in front of the bus. Its funny movements made her burst into laughter.

Question 11. Why didn't she get off the bus at the bus station?

Answer:

Valli did not get off the bus because her only wish was to enjoy the bus ride. She had not planned to visit the town, so she remained on the bus and bought another ticket for the return journey.

Question 12. Why didn't Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her?

Answer:

Valli refused the conductor's offer because she wanted to save every paisa for the return ticket. This shows that she was careful, practical, disciplined, and determined to achieve her goal without wasting money.

Question 13. What was the most fascinating thing that Valli saw on the return journey?

Answer:

On the return journey, Valli saw the same cow that had been happily running earlier now lying dead on the roadside after being hit by a speeding vehicle. This unexpected sight deeply shocked and saddened her.

Question 14. How did Valli avoid her mother's questions after she returned home?

Answer:

After returning home, Valli behaved normally and quietly listened to the conversation between her mother and aunt. She smiled knowingly but did not reveal anything about her bus journey, successfully keeping her adventure a secret.

Thinking About the Text

Question 1. What was Valli's deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.

Answer:

Valli's deepest desire was to ride on the bus to the nearby town all by herself. The story shows this through expressions such as "the sight of the bus filled each day with a new set of hopes," "a strong desire," and "she wanted to ride on that bus even if just once." These phrases clearly show how eagerly she wished to fulfil her dream.

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:

Valli planned her bus ride very carefully. She learned that the town was six miles away, the journey took forty-five minutes, and the one-way fare was thirty paise. She saved sixty paise for the return journey by avoiding unnecessary expenses such as buying toys, balloons, peppermints, and visiting the fair. She also chose the afternoon when her mother would be asleep so that she could travel without anyone knowing.

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.

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, indignantly.

(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."

These expressions show that Valli was confident, independent, determined, intelligent, and self-respecting.

Question 4. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as 'madam'?

Answer:

The conductor calls Valli "Madam" playfully because she behaves like a grown-up passenger. She is confident, speaks seriously, pays the full fare herself, and insists that she should not be treated as a child.

Question 5. Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.

Answer:

Valli's enjoyment is shown through lines describing how she laughed happily at the running cow, kept looking eagerly through the window, admired the green fields, canals, palm trees, and distant hills, and smiled throughout the journey. Her excitement clearly shows that she was thoroughly enjoying her first bus ride.

Question 6. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?

Answer:

Valli refuses to look out of the window because she is deeply shocked after seeing the dead cow lying on the roadside. The cheerful scene she had enjoyed earlier now fills her with sadness, and she loses interest in looking outside.

Question 7. What does Valli mean when she says, "I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge"?

Answer:

Valli means that many things happen in life without others knowing about them. She secretly completed her bus journey without informing her mother, so she quietly agrees with her mother's remark while keeping her own adventure a secret.

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:

Yes. The story is presented through the eyes of an eight-year-old child. Valli is fascinated by simple things such as the colourful bus, green fields, canals, palm trees, the running cow, and the excitement of travelling alone. She laughs innocently at the playful cow but becomes deeply saddened after seeing it dead. These reactions reflect the curiosity, innocence, imagination, and sensitivity of a young child.