Madam Rides the Bus - Q&A

Oral Comprehension Check (Page 97)

1. What was Valli's favourite pastime?

Valli's favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house, watching what was happening in the street outside.

2. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?

The sight of the bus, filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for Valli. Her strongest desire was to ride on that bus, even if just once.

3. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?

Valli found out that the town was six miles from her village, the fare was thirty paise one way, and the trip to the town took forty-five minutes. She found out these details by listening carefully to conversations between her neighbours and people who regularly used the bus, and by asking a few discreet questions here and there.

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

Valli was planning to take the one-o'clock afternoon bus, reach the town at one forty-five, and be back home by about two forty-five, all without her mother knowing.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page 100)

1. Why does the conductor call Valli 'madam'?

The conductor calls Valli 'madam' because she acts like a grown-up, answering him haughtily and refusing his help to get on the bus. He is a jolly sort fond of joking, so he mimics her tone and addresses her respectfully as 'madam'.

2. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?

Valli stands up on the seat because her view was cut off by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of her window. Now, peering over the blind, she sees the canal, palm trees, grassland, distant mountains, the blue sky, and acres of green fields.

3. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?

Valli tells the elderly man haughtily that there is nobody there who is a child and that she has paid her thirty paise like everyone else.

4. Why didn't Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?

Valli found the elderly woman absolutely repulsive because she had big holes in her ear lobes with ugly earrings, and she was chewing betel nut with juice threatening to spill over. Therefore, she didn't want to be sociable with her.

Oral Comprehension Check (Page 103)

1. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?

Valli saved up money by thriftily collecting every stray coin that came her way. It was not easy for her; she had to resist every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, and even stifled a strong desire to ride the merry-go-round at the village fair.

2. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?

Valli saw a young cow running very fast right in the middle of the road, right in front of the bus, with her tail high in the air. The more the driver honked, the more frightened the animal became and galloped faster in front of the bus. This sight made Valli laugh until there were tears in her eyes.

3. Why didn't she get off the bus at the bus station?

She didn't get off the bus because she only intended to take the bus ride. She was afraid of getting lost or being alone in the town. She planned to return home on the same bus with the same ticket money she had saved.

4. Why didn't Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her?

Valli didn't want to go to the stall because she didn't have enough money for a drink, and she was too proud to accept a free treat from the conductor. This tells us that she was self-respecting, firm, and wise beyond her years.

Thinking about the Text (Page 105)

1. What was Valli's deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.

Valli's deepest desire was to ride on the bus. The words and phrases are: "a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there: she wanted to ride on that bus, even if just once" and "this wish became stronger and stronger, until it was an overwhelming desire."

2. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?

Valli planned her bus ride by listening to conversations about the journey and asking questions. She found out the fare was 30 paise one way, the trip took 45 minutes, and the distance was 6 miles. She saved up the fare by resisting temptations to buy toys, balloons, peppermints, and skipping the merry-go-round, collecting stray coins until she had sixty paise.

3. What kind of a person is Valli? To answer this question, pick out the following sentences from the text and fill in the blanks. The words you fill in are the clues to your answer.

(i) "Stop the bus! Stop the bus!" And a tiny hand was raised commandingly.

(ii) "Yes, I simply have to go to town," said Valli, still standing outside the bus.

(iii) "There's nobody here who's a child," she said haughtily. "I've paid my thirty paise like everyone else."

(iv) "Never mind," she said, "I can get on by myself. You don't have to help me. "I'm not a child, I tell you," she said, irritably.

(v) "You needn't bother about me. I can take care of myself," Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.

(vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said, "Well, sir, I hope to see you again."

4. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as 'madam'?

The conductor refers to Valli as 'madam' because she behaves like a grown-up woman, answering questions confidently and refusing help. He does it in a joking, good-natured way to tease her about her "grown-up" behaviour.

5. Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.

"Valli devoured everything with her eyes."
"Oh, it was all so wonderful!"
"Suddenly Valli clapped her hands with glee."
"Somehow this was very funny to Valli. She laughed and laughed until there were tears in her eyes."
"Valli wasn't bored in the slightest and greeted everything with the same excitement she'd felt the first time."

6. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?

Valli refuses to look out of the window on her way back because she saw the young cow, which had been running happily earlier, now lying dead by the roadside. The sight was horrible and frightening, and it dampened her enthusiasm and made her sad.

7. What does Valli mean when she says, "I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge."

Valli means that her mother is right; many things happen around them that they are unaware of. Specifically, she is secretly referring to her own bus ride, which happened without her mother's knowledge, validating her mother's statement in a way her mother wouldn't understand.

8. The author describes the things that Valli sees from an eight-year-old's point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this statement?

Yes, the text is full of evidence. For instance, her fascination with the bus as a "source of unending joy," her "wistful" staring at passengers, and her sheer delight ("clapped her hands with glee") at seeing a cow running are typical of a child. Also, her reaction to the dead cow shows a child's sudden shift from joy to deep sadness. The description of the bus ("gleaming white," "silver" bars) reflects a child's wonder.