NCERT Solution for Class 10 English Prose 3: Two Stories About Flying

The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was his first flight and he feared of falling and hurting himself. He thought that his wings would not support him while flying. Yes, it is natural that doing something for the first time is a bit challenging and fearful. All birds must be afraid to make their first flight.
Similarly, a human baby is also afraid of taking the first step and finds it challenging when he learns to crawl or stand up without support.’

The young seagull was very hungry. It was this hunger that ultimately compelled it to fly. Its hunger intensified when it saw its mother tearing at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. It cried to her, begging her to get some food. When its mother came towards it with food in her beak, it screamed with joy and anticipation. However, she stopped midway. It wondered why she did not come nearer. Not being able to resist or controfits hunger any longer, it dived at the food in its mother’s beak. At that moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expanse of sea beneath the cliff. Finally, this plunge was followed by the natural reaction of its body, i.e. to fly.

Seagull’s parents had tried everything but he was reluctant to fly due to fear of falling down. He looked at his brothers and sister but wouldn’t make any effort. That's why the whole family had left him alone and threatened and cajole him to come but every effort went in vain.

(Suggested Answer) Yes, I had a similar experience while learning to ride a bicycle in class VI. In my initial attempts, I fell down everytime and developed a fear of cycling which was difficult to overcome.
No amount of provoking and cajoling could let me try it again, but my father encouraged me to overcome the fear and helped me as he was adamant on my learning cycling. He took me on a mound near the village and made me sit and asked me to put my hands on the handle and feet on the paddle. It sped down and I enjoyed it without fear which developed my confidence.

Thus, I overcame my fear of cycling and started riding a cycle after a few practice

We face some problems in the initial stage while learning new skills. Due to the fear of failure, we hesitate to perform a task or to do something new. In case of the seagull his parents cajoled him to fly. In the example I have given in the answer to the previous question, I was cajoled by my father to learn cycling. So, at that stage, I was to learn cycling as it was very important for me to overcome my fear.
Yes, my success was guaranteed because if someone is determined to do something then success is assured. Moreover, as said, practice makes a man perfect.

II. The Black Aeroplane

A huge storm was brewing up and the author was
keen to reach his home to spend his holiday with his family. So, he decided to fly through the storm as he did not want to miss the chance to meet his family at breakfast. Thus he took the risk even when the visibility was almost zero in the storm.

As the pilot (author) entered the storm, his plane started jumping and twisting. He could not see anything outside the plane as it was black. When he looked at the compass and other instruments they had stopped functioning due to the storm. It was a terrible and fearsome experience for him. The fuel tank was almost empty and he could not fly more than ten minutes. Then he saw another black airplane by his side and the pilot of the plane signaled him to follow. It was a surprise for the narrator as the other black plane was having no light. He followed him without any choice and landed safely on the runway.

Seagull’s parents had tried everything but he was reluctant to fly due to fear of falling down. He looked at his brothers and sister but wouldn’t make any effort. That's why the whole family had left him alone and threatened and cajole him to come but every effort went in vain.

The woman in the Control Centre looked at the
narrator strangely because the narrator asked him about the black aeroplane and she saw no one except the narrator’s in the sky during the storm. Even the radar showed only the narrator’s plane that night in the sky.

It is very difficult to say about the unknown pilot who helped the narrator. But probably it was the narrator himself that helped him to overcome the fear in the storm as no other plane was seen in the radar except the narrator’s Dakota plane. In that fearsome situation, he might have been hallucinating. He himself was a good pilot and brave enough who helped himself land safely.

1.A. The meaning of ‘black ’ in this sentence is that the face and hands are dark because of dust and dirt.
2.A. Here, ‘black’ refers to an angry look.
3.A. “Here, ‘blackest’ refers to the darkest and cruelest crime against humanity.
4.A. Here, ‘black’ refers to dark and gloomy comedy.
5.A. The meaning of ‘black’in this sentence is that the shopkeepers sell the described goods ‘at a higher price’.
6.A. Here, ‘black’means that the criminal suffered excessive beating at the hands of the villagers.

1. (c),
2. (e),
3. (a),
4. (b),
5. (d).