Chapter 3: Two Stories about Flying (containing His First Flight and The Black Aeroplane) and the poems How to Tell Wild Animals and The Ball Poem, prepared for SEBA Board Exam preparation.
Part I: His First Flight (by Liam O’ Flaherty)
1. Why was the young seagull alone on his ledge?
A. His parents had abandoned him
B. He was sleeping
C. His brothers and sister had already flown away
D. He was injured
2. What was the young seagull afraid of?
A. The other birds
B. The vast green sea beneath
C. The heat of the sun
D. The storm clouds
3. How long had the seagull been alone on the ledge?
A. Two days
B. Twenty-four hours
C. A week
D. Twelve hours
4. What were the seagull’s parents doing to him to make him fly?
A. Bringing him sweets
B. Calling to him shrilly and upbraiding him
C. Pushing him off the ledge
D. Ignoring him completely
5. What food did the seagull’s mother catch?
A. A crab
B. An insect
C. A piece of herring
D. A worm
6. Who was the only one looking at the young seagull on the ledge?
A. His father
B. His brothers
C. His sister
D. His mother
7. What “maddened” the young seagull?
A. The heat of the sun
B. The sight of the food
C. The noise of the sea
D. The flying birds
8. What happened when the seagull dived at the fish?
A. He caught it immediately
B. He fell outwards and downwards into space
C. He fell back onto the ledge
D. He landed on the water
9. After the “monstrous terror” left him, what did the seagull feel?
A. His wings spreading outwards
B. Pain in his legs
C. Extreme hunger
D. Sleepy
10. What does the word “curveting” mean in the context of the story?
A. Sleeping soundly
B. Leaping like a horse
C. Eating fish
D. Swimming underwater
11. When the seagull landed on the green sea, what happened to his legs?
A. They broke
B. They stood firm
C. They sank into it
D. They floated
12. The family offered the young seagull scraps of ______ after his first flight.
A. Herring
B. Dog-fish
C. Starfish
D. Bread
13. The word “upbraiding” means:
A. Praising
B. Scolding
C. Ignoring
D. Feeding
Part II: The Black Aeroplane (by Frederick Forsyth)
14. Which aeroplane was the narrator flying?
A. Cessna
B. Boeing 747
C. Old Dakota DS 088
D. Airbus A320
15. Where was the pilot flying to?
A. Paris
B. England
C. New York
D. Germany
16. What was the pilot dreaming of while flying?
A. Buying a new plane
B. A long holiday
C. His holiday and being with his family
D. Escaping the storm
17. At what time did the narrator call Paris Control?
A. 1:30 in the morning
B. 12:00 midnight
C. 6:00 in the evening
D. 1:30 in the afternoon
18. What instruction did Paris Control give the pilot?
A. Turn 12 degrees North
B. Turn 12 degrees West
C. Turn 15 degrees East
D. Return to Paris
19. What did the storm clouds look like to the narrator?
A. White cotton balls
B. Black mountains
C. A dark tunnel
D. A thick blanket
20. Why didn’t the pilot return to Paris when he saw the storm?
A. His radio was broken
B. He didn’t have a map
C. He wanted to get home for breakfast
D. He was afraid of Paris
21. Which instrument stopped working first inside the storm?
A. The engine
B. The radio
C. The compass
D. The lights
22. What was strange about the black aeroplane the narrator saw?
A. It was very small
B. It had no lights on its wings
C. It was red in color
D. It was flying upside down
23. The pilot of the black aeroplane told the narrator to:
A. Go back
B. Land immediately
C. Follow him
D. Turn East
24. How much fuel was left in the Dakota when the narrator saw the runway?
A. Enough for one hour
B. Enough for five or ten minutes
C. The tank was full
D. The tank was empty
25. When the narrator landed and looked for his friend, what did he see?
A. The black aeroplane landing behind him
B. The sky was empty
C. The pilot waving from the tower
D. The black aeroplane crashing
26. What was the reaction of the woman in the control centre when asked about the other pilot?
A. She was angry
B. She cried
C. She looked strangely and laughed
D. She gave him the pilot’s address
27. According to the radar, how many planes were flying that night?
A. Two
B. Three
C. Only the narrator’s Dakota
D. None
Poem 1: How to Tell Wild Animals (by Carolyn Wells)
28. If a beast roars at you while you are dying in the East, it is the:
A. Bengal Tiger
B. Asian Lion
C. Leopard
D. Bear
29. Which animal has black stripes on a yellow ground?
A. The Asian Lion
B. The Leopard
C. The Bengal Tiger
D. The Hyena
30. How does the Leopard attack its prey?
A. It hugs them
B. It tears them with teeth
C. It ‘leps’ and ‘leps’ again
D. It poisons them
31. According to the poem, a Bear is identified by its:
A. Roar
B. Hard hug
C. Smile
D. Weeping
32. What is the difference between a Hyena and a Crocodile in the poem?
A. Hyenas weep, Crocodiles smile
B. Hyenas smile, Crocodiles weep
C. Hyenas run, Crocodiles swim
D. Hyenas roar, Crocodiles hiss
33. A novice might be “nonplussed” to distinguish between:
A. A Lion and a Tiger
B. A Bear and a Leopard
C. Beasts of prey
D. Domestic animals
34. A chameleon is described as a sort of:
A. Snake
B. Lizard
C. Bird
D. Insect
35. What two things does a chameleon NOT have?
A. Eyes and a tail
B. Ears and wings
C. Legs and a tongue
D. Skin and color
36. “If there is nothing on the tree, ‘Tis the ______ you see.”
A. Leopard
B. Bear
C. Chameleon
D. Bird
37. The word “tawny” refers to which animal’s color?
A. The Bear
B. The Crocodile
C. The Asian Lion
D. The Chameleon
Poem 2: The Ball Poem (by John Berryman)
38. What did the boy lose?
A. His money
B. His way home
C. His ball
D. His dog
39. Where did the ball go?
A. Into the sewer
B. Into the harbour/water
C. Across the street
D. Under a car
40. How does the boy react to the loss?
A. He laughs
B. He immediately buys a new one
C. He stands rigid, trembling, and staring down
D. He runs after it
41. Why does the poet say “I would not intrude on him”?
A. He is afraid of the boy
B. He wants the boy to learn a lesson
C. He doesn’t like children
D. He is in a hurry
42. According to the poet, what is “worthless” to the boy at that moment?
A. Sympathy
B. A dime, another ball
C. His memories
D. His friends
43. What is the boy sensing for the first time?
A. Happiness
B. Responsibility
C. Anger
D. Fear
44. The poet describes the world as a world of:
A. Possessions
B. Happiness
C. Sorrow
D. Balls
45. “Money is _______.”
A. Everything
B. Important
C. Internal
D. External
46. What is the boy learning behind his “desperate eyes”?
A. Mathematics
B. The epistemology of loss
C. How to swim
D. How to earn money
47. What does “epistemology” mean?
A. The study of money
B. The study of nature
C. The study of the nature of knowledge
D. The study of poetry
48. What must every man one day know?
A. How to play ball
B. How to stand up (after loss)
C. How to swim
D. How to buy possessions
49. The phrase “Merrily bouncing” is an example of personification used for:
A. The boy
B. The poet
C. The ball
D. The water
Grammar & Vocabulary (Based on Text)
50. (From The Black Aeroplane) “I prefer black tea” means:
A. Tea that is burnt
B. Tea without milk
C. Tea that is very strong
D. Tea drank at night
51. (From The Black Aeroplane) To “fly a flag” means:
A. To move quickly
B. To display a flag on a long pole
C. To escape
D. To succeed
52. (From The Black Aeroplane) To “fly off the handle” (implied in “Fly into rage”) means:
A. To break a door
B. To become suddenly very angry
C. To fly high
D. To be successful
Answer Key
* C | 2. B | 3. B | 4. B | 5. C | 6. D | 7. B | 8. B | 9. A | 10. B
* C | 12. B | 13. B | 14. C | 15. B | 16. C | 17. A | 18. B | 19. B | 20. C
* C | 22. B | 23. C | 24. B | 25. B | 26. C | 27. C | 28. B | 29. C | 30. C
* B | 32. B | 33. C | 34. B | 35. B | 36. C | 37. C | 38. C | 39. B | 40. C
* B | 42. B | 43. B | 44. A | 45. D | 46. B | 47. C | 48. B | 49. C | 50. B
* B | 52. B
