The story “Madam Rides the Bus” by Vallikkannan is a heartwarming tale of an eight-year-old girl named Valli, who fulfills her dream of riding a bus to the nearest town. This story is part of the SEBA Class 10 English syllabus and is frequently asked in the HSLC exams. Here, we provide important questions and answers from previous years’ exams to help students prepare effectively.
Madam Rides the Bus: Important Questions and Answers
1. What was Valli’s favourite pastime? (H.S.L.C. 2016)
Answer: Valli’s favourite pastime was to stand in the front doorway of her house and watch the bus filled with new passengers traveling from the nearest town to her village.
2. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Answer: Valli found out that:
- The town was six miles away from her village.
- The bus fare was thirty paise one way.
- The round trip would take one hour and forty-five minutes.
She gathered these details by listening to conversations between her neighbors and regular bus passengers.
3. What was the source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Answer:
- The source of unending joy for Valli was watching the bus and the activities outside her house.
- Her strongest desire was to ride on the bus.
4. What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Answer: Valli was planning to travel by bus to the nearest town.
5. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Answer: The conductor called Valli ‘madam’ because she behaved like a grown-up lady. She refused his help to board the bus and insisted on paying her own fare.
6. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?
Answer: Valli stood up on the seat to look through the window, as the lower part was covered by a canvas blind. She saw a canal, palm trees, grassland, distant mountains, and the blue sky on one side, and a deep ditch with green fields on the other side.
7. What did Valli tell the elderly man when he called her a child?
Answer: Valli told the elderly man that she was not a child because she had paid her fare like the other passengers.
8. Why did Valli not like to make friends with the elderly woman?
Answer: Valli found the elderly woman repulsive because she had big holes in her earlobes with ugly earrings and was chewing betel nut, which threatened to spill over her lips.
9. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Answer: Valli saved money by resisting temptations to buy peppermints, toys, and balloons. She also avoided riding the merry-go-round at the village fair. It was not easy for her, as she had to suppress her desires.
10. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh? (H.S.L.C. 2015/2017)
Answer: Valli saw a young cow running in front of the bus, its tail high in the air. The more the driver honked, the more the cow ran, which amused Valli and made her laugh.
11. Why did Valli not get off the bus at the bus station?
Answer: Valli did not get off the bus because her only desire was to ride the bus, not to visit the town. She was also afraid of getting lost in the city.
12. Why did Valli not want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does it tell you about her?
Answer: Valli did not want to go to the stall because she had no extra money for a drink. This shows that she was self-respecting and disciplined.
13. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find out the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Answer: Valli’s deepest desire was to ride the bus. The words and phrases that indicate this are:
- “The sight of the bus filled each day with a new set of passengers was a source of unending joy for Valli.”
- “Day after day she watched the bus, and gradually a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there.”
14. Why did Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Answer: On her return journey, Valli saw a dead cow by the roadside, which was the same cow she had seen running earlier. The sight saddened her, and she lost her enthusiasm, so she refused to look out of the window.
15. What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge”?
Answer: Valli meant that many things happen in the world without our awareness, just as her bus journey happened without her mother’s knowledge.
16. Who was Valli?
Answer: Valli was an eight-year-old village girl whose full name was Valliammai.
17. What was the source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire? (H.S.L.C. 2018)
Answer:
- The source of unending joy for Valli was watching the bus and its passengers.
- Her strongest desire was to ride on the bus.
Also See: Tea From Assam Question Answer
Conclusion
The story “Madam Rides the Bus” beautifully captures the innocence, curiosity, and determination of a young girl. By focusing on these important questions and answers, students can gain a deeper understanding of the story and perform well in their HSLC exams.
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