Page 1 - LN4- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

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 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. She decided to travel at least once 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.

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

A. Valli was planning secretively to fulfil 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 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 the 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.

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