Long Questions and Answers
Question 1 : In such a fast moving world when we hear so many incidents happening with people, do you think Valli did right by not telling her mother about the bus journey?
Answer : No. I don’t think that Valli did the right thing in travelling alone to the town without informing her mother. By doing this, she put herself in a vulnerable (unsafe) position as she could have easily been a victim of child abuse had she come in contact with wrong people. In fact, she was lucky to return home safely. Children should always travel along with their parents or elders as they are easy targets for criminals.
We hear a lot of instances of crime committed against children these days like kidnapping, child abuse, molestation, rape etc.
Valli could have expressed her desire of travelling in the bus to her mother. I am sure that her mother would have fulfilled her wish by taking her on a bus ride. It might happen that her mother would not allow her that time. But being a caring mother, she would definitely take her on a ride of bus. Travelling alone is never safe because one has no idea about the routes and might get lost. So it is always better to inform your parents before doing such acts.
Question 2 : The people and surroundings are a great book to learn. Valli in the lesson ‘Madam Rides The Bus’ learns a lot from others. Mention the traits of her character which help her to learn from her surroundings.
Answer : Valli dreamt of riding on the bus. Her eagerness to fulfill her dream fired her curiosity. This curiousness led her to listen to the conversations of people going on the bus ride and asking discreet questions so that she could gather as much information as she can regarding the bus journey.
On the bus journey, Valli acted confidently and behaved maturedly. She did not consider herself to be any less than an adult. She focussed on fulfilling her dream and did not get tempted to go outside the bus and explore the town when the bus reached the town.
On the return journey, she learnt about death when she came to terms with the dead cow. This made her aware of the fact that death is a part of life and should be accepted as it is a natural phenomenon (incident or situation). Thus, the bus journey made her learn a lot of things.
Question 3 : Once we decide to achieve something, so many difficulties come in our way. With focused attention we can make that achievement. How did Valli succeed in fulfilling her desire of riding a bus?
Answer : In today’s era, it is really difficult to achieve something as we have to face so many hurdles (difficulties) which make us to stop doing our best to achieve our goals. Pressure of doing good, competition, parental and peer pressure and many a times our age are the barriers when it comes to doing something different and great. It is really difficult to get encouraged by the people around us when they got to know our ideas. But with focused attention we can get that achievement.
From the story, we can easily understand that with passion for doing something, we can achieve our goals. Valli an eight year old girl, decided to travel in the bus alone but for an eight year old girl it was not a safe idea. She as not different form others, except that she had certain characteristics that made her fulfil her dream of travelling in a bus to town.
She was a very confident and bold girl. She had always desired to fulfil her dream and for that she saved money for the fare of bus. She planned everything very carefully. She was a good observer and learner. All these qualities made her realise the dream of visiting the town. Hence, once should always remember that there is no age to learn and experience new things. Only with focused attention and planning one can achieve something in life.
Question 4 : What kind of person is Valli? Illustrate your answer from the text that you have read.
Answer : Valli was determined, confident and brave girl. she was also a good planner and executioner. She sacrificed a lot of things to achieve her dream. For example, she curbed the temptation to buy sweets and riding on the merry-go-round in the fair so that she could save money for the bus ride. Sacrificing all these things at such a tender age is very difficult for a child. She also behaved confidently in the bus and did not get hesitated and disturbed in the presence of elders.
When the bus reached the town, Valli did not succumb (surrender) to the temptation of going out to explore the town or having a drink. She did this as she had a limited amount of money which she wanted to save for her return journey. So, Valli used her money wisely. When the conductor offered her a drink, she showed good manners in refusing to have it. This shows that she was also a polite and careful girl as in today’s era it is really difficult to believe others. All these qualities make her different from other children of her age.