Page 1 :
Madam Rides the Bus- Question and Answers, 1. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?, A. Valli’s favourite pastime was to gaze at the hustle and bustle of the street., , 2. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?, A. Valli enjoyed watching the bus and its new set of passengers every time it crossed the, village. It gave her a never ending joy. Her strongest desire was to travel in the bus and take a, ride to the nearby town and back., , 3. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?, A. Valli found out that the town was six miles from the village and it cost thirty paise to travel one, side. It took forty five minutes to reach town and the same bus could bring you back as well., Once she decided to travel by bus, even if just once, she started listening to her neighbour’s, conversations about their bus rides very carefully. In the process, she would herself ask some, careful questions here and there in order to enhance her knowledge about the journey., , 4. What do you think Valli was planning to do?, A. Valli was planning secretively to fulfill her desire of travelling by bus without her mother, noticing., , 5. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?, A. Well prepared and proud Valli got annoyed if someone called her a child or treated her like, one. On the other hand, the bus conductor was of the joking sort and began addressing her, ‘madam’ as she was grown enough, bought her ticket and could take care of herself., , 6. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?, A. Valli was short in height and thus, when she tried looking out of the window, the window, blinds would come her way obstructing her outside view. Thus, she decided to stand on her
Page 2 :
seat. She saw that the bus was moving on a very narrow road. It had a canal on one side,, beyond which palm trees, mountains and blue sky could be seen. On the other side, there was, a deep ditch followed by greenery as far as one could see., , 7. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?, A. On being advised by a concerned old man to sit down, Valli told him that she was not a child, and she could take care of herself. She told him that she was just as capable and responsible, like other passengers as she had paid the fare of thirty paise for the ticket., , 8. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?, A. Valli was already annoyed with how everyone was treating her like a child. When that elderly, woman came and showed concern about her, it irritated her further. Moreover, she had large, holes in her earlobes with ugly earrings that Valli developed strong dislike for. The lady was, chewing betel nut and it’s juice could have spilled any moment, automatically making her a less, socially desirable person according to Valli., , 9. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?, A. Undoubtedly, she had put innumerable amount of effort in planning and saving for her first, ever bus journey. It was a dream ride for her. She resisted every temptation ranging from, peppermints, toys, balloons to merry-go-round at the village fair. After so many efforts, she, finally saved sixty paise. No, it was not easy for her., , 10. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?, A. Valli saw a cow that was running along the road and came in front of the bus. As the driver, honked, it started running in front of the bus. The more the driver blew the horn, faster did it run, but did not get out of the way. This was funny for Valli and she kept on laughing till she had tears, in her eyes., , 11. Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Page 3 :
A. Valli didn’t get off the bus on reaching the town because she only boarded the bus with the, intention of taking a ride to and from the nearby town. Moreover, she was too afraid to even, casually have a look at her surroundings as she was all alone., , 12. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her?, A. Valli was too afraid to get off the bus alone. Moreover, she didn’t have enough money to buy, herself a drink. Therefore, she didn’t intend on going to the stall for a drink. This shows that Valli, was a responsible and careful child who was aware that getting off the bus without an adult, could get her in trouble. Moreover, as she did not have the money, she denied the treat offered, by the conductor which showed that she was a mature child., , 13. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this., A. Valli’s deepest desire was to travel by bus. Words and phrases like “the most fascinating, thing of all” and “source of unending joy” have been used to describe Valli’s deepest desire., , 14. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save, up the fare?, A. Once she decided to travel by bus, she started listening to her neighbour’s conversations, about their bus rides very carefully. In the process, she would herself ask some careful, questions here and there in order to enhance her knowledge about the journey. Valli found out, that the town was six miles from the village and it cost thirty paise to travel one side. It took forty, five minutes to reach town and the same bus could bring you back as well. She collected the, money with utmost determination. She resisted every temptation ranging from peppermints,, toys, balloons to merry-go-round at the village fair. After so many efforts, she finally saved sixty, paise., , 15. 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., “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised ________., “Yes, I ______ go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus., “There’s nobody here _________ ,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone, else.”
Page 4 :
“Never mind,” she said, “I can _______. You don’t have to help me. ”I’m not a child, I tell you,”, she said, ., “You needn’t bother about me. I ________,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and, staring out., Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope ________.”, A., “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly., “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus., “There’s nobody here who’s a child ,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone, else.”, “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, ., “You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face toward the, window and staring out., Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope to see you again.”, These words show that Valli is a mature, determined and independent girl. Although she is only, eight years of age, she has confidence and can take care of herself., , 16. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?, A. When the conductor gave Valli a hand in order to help her climb the bus, Valli denied. She, further denied all the help that she was being offered, because she considered herself not to be, a child. Moreover, the conductor was of the joking sort and thus, started addressing Valli as a, grown up ‘madam’., , 17 Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus., A. The text which tells that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus is as followsOh, it was all so wonderful!, Suddenly Valli clapped her hands with glee., Somehow this was very funny to Valli. She laughed and laughed until there were tears in her, eyes., Struck dumb with wonder, Valli gaped at everything., , 18. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Page 5 :
A. On her way back to the village, Valli saw a lifeless cow lying on the road. It was the same cow, that was so joyful on their journey to the town. She got devastated as to how something that, was so full of life at one moment can turn into something horrible in just a blink of an eye.Thus,, she sat on her seat silently after this and refused to look out of the window., , 19. What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things, happening without our knowledge.”, A. Valli agreed to her mother’s statement that things happened without our knowing about them., She meant to say that her mother was ignorant about her bus ride.
