1.5 His First Flight (Comprehensive Reading and Writing skill)

18 June, 2020

Comprehensive Reading and Writing skill

Read the passage carefully and do the activities.

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. 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. But for the life of him he could not move.

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.

A1. State whether the following

       statements are true or false.

   i.  Nobody had come near the seagull             for twenty four days.

  ii.  The young seagull was afraid to fly.

 iii.  The young seagull's parents had

        threatened him to starve if he didn't            fly away.

 iv.  The young seagull had three siblings.

A2. Complete the diagram -

A3. Write antonyms from the passage for         the following -

    i. longer            x

   ii. succeeded    x

  iii. soothing        x

  iv. uncertain       x

A4. Do as directed.

    i. The young seagull's parents                         upbraided him to starve unless he

      flew away.

     Choose the correct option to remove           unless without changing meaning.

  a) The young seagull's parents did not             upbraid hoto starve if he flew away.

  b) The young seagull's parents upbraided

       him to starve if he flew away.

  c) The young seagull's parents                        upbraided him to starve if he did not

      fly away.

 ii.  He had watched his parents flying              about with his brothers and sister.

      Rewrite beginning with -

      His parents ..................................

A5. What are you afraid of doing or                     learning? Why?

__________________________________________

  Answers -

24 June, 2020

__________________________________________

A1. i. False

ii.  True

iii.   True

IV.  True

A2.  The young seagull's parents scolded

        him to starve unless he flew.

          His parents  perfected his siblings              in the art of flying. 

         They taught them how to skim the               waves and how to dive for fish.

A3.   i.  shorter

   ii.    failed

iii.      threatening

iv.      certain

A4.   i.  The young seagull's parents                         upbraided him to starve if he did                 not fly away.    

ii.        His parents had been watched by             him  flying about his brothers and               sister.

A5.    Your personal response to the                     question is expected.       

_________________________________________                                     Purushottam Thoke