Extract 1 of His First Flight

The young seagull was alone on his ledge. His two brothers and his sister had already flown away the
day before. He had been afraid to fly with them. Somehow when he had taken a little run forward to the
brink of the ledge and attempted to flap his wings he became afraid. The great expanse of sea stretched
down beneath, and it was such a long way down-miles down. He felt certain that his wings would never
support him; so he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at
night.

Question 1: What was the young seagull afraid of?

(i) the vultures and the eagles.

(ii) the dolphins and the sharks.

(iii) flying over the sea.

(iv) the big ships and boats sailing in the sea.

Question 2: What did the young seagull feel about his wings?

(i) his wings were strong enough to help him cross the sea.

(ii) his wings would never support him.

(iii) his wings were very strong and huge.

(iv) his wings acted as floaters.

Question 3: Where had his young brother and sisters flown?

(i) They had flown to the nearby river.

(ii) They had flown to their relatives in the next continent.

(iii) They had flown and had reached a jungle.

(iv) They had flown into the sea as they had perfected in the art of flight.

Question 4: Which word in the passage means 'a narrow flat piece of rock that sticks out from a cliff?

(i) expanse

(ii) beneath
(iii) ledge

(iv) flap

Extract 2 of His First Flight

That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then nobody had come near him. The day before, all day long, he
had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight,
teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish. He had in fact, seen his older brother
catch his first herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents circled around raising a proud
cackle. And all the morning the whole family had walked about on the big plateau midway down the
opposite cliff taunting him for his cowardice.

Question 1: For how long had the young seagull been alone?

(i) two days

(ii) since morning

(iii) for the last twelve hours.

(iv) for the last twenty four hours.

Question 2: Why was the whole family taunting the young seagull?

(i) for leaving them alone

(ii) for being so foolish

(iii) for his false sense of bravery

(iv) for his cowardice

Question 3: What had the parents taught the seagull's brothers and sister?

(i) The parents had taught them to nice to other seagulls.

(ii) The parents had taught them to share their food with the young seagull.

(iii) The parents had taught them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish.
(iv) The parents had taught them to catch a herving fish and devour it.

Question 4: Which word in the stanza means 'eat up quickly'?

(i) herring

(ii) cowardice

(iii) cackle

(iv) devour

Extract 3 of His First Flight

He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under
his wing, he closed one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. Still they took no notice
of him. He saw his two brothers and his sister lying on the plateau dozing with their heads sunk into
their necks. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him.
She was standing on a little high hump on the plateau, her white breast thrust forward. Now and again,
she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped each side of her beak on the rock. The
sight of the food maddened him. How he loved to tear food that way, scrapping his beak now and again
to whet it.

Question 1: What did the Seagull pretend?

(i) happy without his family

(ii) asleep

(iii) sick

(iv) enjoying alone at the rock with his friends

Question 2: Which word in the passage means "grooming"?

(i) Thrust

(ii) Whet

(iii) Preening
(iv) Scrapped

Question 3: What was his father doing?

(i) Sitting on the rock

(ii) Flying with his mother

(iii) Preening his feather

(iv) Dozing

Question 4: What maddened him?

(i) The sight of his mother

(ii) the sight of his father

(iii) the sight of food

(iv) None of the above

Extract 4 of His First Flight

He felt certain that his wings would never support him; so he bent his head and ran away back to the
little hole under the ledge where he slept at night. Even when each of his brothers and his little sister,
whose wings were far shorter than his own, ran to the brink, flapped their wings, and flew away, he
failed to muster up courage to take that plunge which appeared to him so desperate. His father and
mother had come around calling to him shrilly, upbraiding him, threatening to let him starve on his
ledge unless he flew away.

Question 1: What did the seagull's brothers and sister do?

(i) They screamed and flew away

(ii) They ran to brink, flapped their wings and flew away.

(iii) They at and waited for seagull.

(iv) None of the above

Question 2: What did the young seagull's parents tell him?

(i) they would stay with him.

(ii) they would never leave him.

(iii) they would let him starve if he couldn't fly.

(iv) they would send him to the other country..

Question 3: Name the chapter.

(i) His first flight

(ii) Nelson Mandela

(iii) The diary of a young girl

(iv) Amanda

Question 4: Which word in the passage means 'scolding/reapproaching'?

(i) Flapped

(ii) Upbraiding

(iii) Courage

(iv) Appeared

Extract 5 of His First Flight

He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer, and then, maddened by
hunger, he dived at the fish. With a loud scream he fell outwards and downwards into space. Then a
monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted a minute.
The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. The wind rushed against his breast feathers, then
under his stomach, and against his wings.

Question 1: Why did seagull wait a moment in surprise?

(i) he thought his siblings would come to him.

(ii) he thought his friends would feed him but they didn't.

(iii) his parents ignored him completely.

(iv) None of the above.

Question 2: What happened when he dived at the fish?

(i) he felt that it would be an amazing experience

(ii) he felt that he would die

(iii) he felt he would faint

(iv) he fell outwards and downwards into the space..

Question 3: What did he feel about his wings?

(i) he felt his wings will not supporting him.

(ii) he felt his wings will help him reach high in the sky.

(iii) he felt his wings were frozen.

(iv) None if the above..

Question 4: Which word in the passage means same as 'extreme fear?

(i) Seized

(ii) Moment
(iii) Maddened

(iv) Terror

Extract 6 of His First Flight

His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on this green flooring ahead of him. They were
beckoning to him, calling shrilly. He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs sank into it. He
screamed with fright and attempted to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with
hunger and he could not rise, exhaustedly the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and
then his belly touched it and he sank no farther. He was floating on it, and around him his family was
screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog-fish.

Question 1: What has been called the green flooring?

(i) The green sea

(ii) The blue water

(iii) The dirty water

(iv) The frozen water

Question 2: What had the seagull's parents and brothers do?

(i) took him with them

(ii) landed on the sea surface

(iii) did not help him

(iv) played some games with him

Question 3: Why did he scream with fright?

(i) he was not able to fly

(ii) his legs touched water surface

(iii) his food was not ready

(iv) None of the above

Question 4: Which passage in the words means same as 'tired'?

(i) Error

(ii) Floating

(iii) Flooring

(iv) Exhausted

Extract 7 of His First Flight

He just felt a bit dizzy. Then he flapped his wings once and he soared upwards. "Ga, ga, ga, Ga, ga, ga,
Gaw-col-ah," his mother swooped past him, her wings making a loud noise. He answered her with
another scream. Then his father flew over him screaming. He saw his two brothers and his sister flying
around him curveting and banking and soaring and diving. Then he completely forgot that he had not
always been able to fly, and commended himself to dive and soar and curve, shrieking shrilly.

Question 1: The extract refers to the many movements of the young gull's brothers and sister. Choose
the option that correctly sequences these movements.

(i) The young gull's brothers and sister flew by tilting their wings, rose high, made darting movements
and plunged headfirst.

(ii) The young gull's brothers and sister flew by plunging headfirst, making darting movements, titled
their wings and rose high.

(iii) The young gull's brothers and sister flew with darting movements, titled their wings, rose high and
plunged headfirst.

(iv) The young gull's brothers and sister flew by rising high, plunging headfirst, making darting
movements and tilting their wings.

Question 2: How would you describe the screams of the gulls in the given extract?

(i) Elation
(ii) Bewilderment

(iii) Shock

(iv) Protection.

Question 3: Pick the most appropriate reason why the young gull felt dizzy.

(i) He hadn't eaten anything for a day.

(ii) He was dizzy with excitement.

(iii) He was wary of heights.

(iv) He was flying for the first time.

Question 4: The line "he completely forgot that he had not always been able to fly" implies the:

(i) great confidence the young gull had in his skills.

(ii) naturalness of the act of flying for the young gull.

(iii) satisfaction and joy of flying together as a family.

(iv) desire of the young gull to leave his fears behind..

Question 5: Which of the following mirrors the use of the literary device in "shrieking shrilly"?

(i) Sparkling saga

(ii) Singing soft

(iii) Slippery sloppily

(iv) Sneeze silently