“His First Flight” is a lesson of Textbook “Bliss” approved by West Bengal Board of Secondary Education for Students of Class 9. Here all the Activity Questions are done by teachers.
Exercise 1
Tick the correct answer from the given alternatives.
(1) At night the seagull slept in a little
(a) nest
(b) hole
(c) turret
(d) burrow
Answer: At night the seagull slept in a little — hole.
(2) The ledge faced the
(a) north
(b) south
(c) east
(d) west
Answer: The ledge faced the — south.
(3) The colour of the seagull’s body was
(a) red
(b) black
(c) blue
(d) grey
Answer: The colour of the seagull’s body was — grey.
(4) The two brothers and sisters of the seagull were lying on the
(a) pain
(b) plateau
(c) valley
(d) hill
Answer: The two brothers and sisters of the seagull were lying on the — plateau.
(5) The mother seagull had picked up a piece of
(a) meat
(b) insect
(c) fish
(d) straw
Ans: The mother seagull had picked up a piece of — fish.
Exercise 2
Answer the following questions within fifteen words:
(a) What was the first catch of the seagull’s older brother?
Answer: Herring was the first catch of the young seagull’s older brother.
(b) Why did the seagull feel the heat?
Answer: The seagull felt heat because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall.
(c) What did the seagull dive at the fish?
Answer: Maddened by hunger, the seagull dived at the fish.
(d) What happened when the seagull soared upwards?
Answer: When the seagull soared upwards, he uttered a joyous scream and flapped the wings again.
Exercise 3
Answer following within twenty-five words:
(a) Why was the seagull afraid when he ran forward to the brink of the ledge?
Answer: When the seagull ran towards the brink of the ledge, he became afraid of falling into the sea below. He thought his wings would never support him.
(b) What were the seagull’s two brothers and sister doing on the plateau?
Answer: The seagull’s two brothers and sisters were lying on the plateau. They were dozing with their heads sunk into their wings.
(c) What happened after the seagull’s feet sank into the sea?
Answer: When the seagull’s feet sank into the sea, his belly touched the water and he sank no further. He was then floating on the sea.
Grammar in use:
Exercise 4
Change the parts of speech of the given words in the chart:
| Noun | Verb | Adjective | Adverb |
| beauty | beautify | Beautiful | beautifully |
| danger | endanger | dangerous | dangerously |
| carefulness | care | careful | carefully |
| strength | strengthen | strong | strongly |
Exercise 5
Rewrite the sentences changing the form of the underlined words as directed:
1.) He is known for his honesty. (Change into adjective form)
Answer: He is known for his honest nature.
2.) She spoke with kindness. (Change into adverb form)
Answer: She spoke kindly.
3.) The sun shone brightly. (Change into noun form)
Answer: The sun shines with brightness.
4.) She gave a wise judgment. (Change into verb form)
Answer: She judged wisely.
Composition:
Exercise 6
Write a paragraph within 100 words on the water cycle using the following flow-chart:
water evaporates from water bodies – rises as vapour – gets heavier – condenses,
forms clouds – falls to earth as rain
Answer:
Water cycle is an important process in nature. It goes through some process. To begin with, water is evaporated from water bodies like rivers, lakes, etc. Then it rises as vapour. Then the water gets heavier. It then condenses and forms clouds. After this, the cloud becomes cool. The clouds fall on the earth in the form of rain.
Exercise 7
Write a summary of the following passage within 100 words:
Communication is part of our everyday life. We greet one another, smile or frown, depending on our moods. Animals too, communicate. Just like us, interaction among animals can be both verbal and non-verbal. Singing is one way in which birds can interact with one another. Male blackbirds often use their melodious songs to catch the attention of other blackbirds. These songs are usually rich in notes, encoding various kinds of messages. Songs are also used to keep off other birds from their territory, usually a place where they dwell. Large mammals in the oceans sing too, according to adventurous sailors. Enormous whales groan and grunt while smaller dolphins and porpoises whistle and click. These sounds are surprisingly received by other mates as far as several hundred kilometers away. Besides singing, body language also forms a large part of animals’ communication mode. Dominant hyenas exhibit their power by raising the fur hackles on their necks and shoulders, while the submissive ones normally surrender to the powerful parties by crouching their head low and curling their lips a little, revealing their teeth in friendly smile. Insects such as wasps armed with poisonous bites or stings usually have brightly painted bodies to remind other predators of their power.
Answer:
Communication plays a key role in everyone’s lives, be it humans or animals or birds. The way humans communicate through certain words or gestures, animals too do the same thing. They also use both verbal and non-verbal ways to communicate with each other. Singing is one way in which birds can interact. While some birds like male blackbirds use their melodious songs. According to some sailors, large mammals in the oceans sing too. Enormous whales groan and grunt while smaller dolphins and porpoises whistle and click. Body language has an important place in animals’ communication. Even insects bite as a form of communication.
Bohot mazee