(1) Why was the young seagull afraid?
(2) What did the young seagull feel about his wings?
(3) For how long the young seagull had been alone?
(4) Why was the whole family taunting the young seagull?
(5) What did the young seagull do out of his ledge?
(6) What was seagull’s father doing?
(7) Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as:
(a) The verge ___________ (brink/ ledge) (b) To sharpen ___________(dozing/preening)
(c) A narrow flat piece of rock that sticks out from a cliff ____________ (showed/ledge)
(d) An area of land that is higher than the land around it ____________ (rock/plateau)
(e) To move lightly just above a surface/sea ____________ (skim/devour)
(8) Have you ever had a similar experience, where your parents encouraged you to do something that
you were too scared to try? Discuss this in pairs or groups over the phone
Answers
Answer:
1.The young seagull was afraid to fly because he felt certain that his wings would never
support him to fly. He was frightened to see the sea around him. He was afraid that he would fall
down into the sea. He had not eaten anything since the previous night.
2.He thought that his wings won't support him and he would drown.
3.The young seagull had been left alone for 24 hours.
4.The whole family taunted the young seagull so that he can gather some courage and make his attempt to learn to fly. Because the young seagull was feeling afraid he was not able to learn to fly. All the younger siblings of the young seagull had learned to fly, it was only he who was left to learn.
5.The young seagull was afraid of flying because he thought that his wings won't support him and he would drown. When his family left him alone of the ledge, he felt alone and was very hungry. They tried hard to make him fly but he never showed the courage to try.
6.Seagull's father was fetching fishes for him.
7.
a.brink
b.
c.ledge
d.plateau
e.skim
8.Yes, I had a similar experience while leaning to ride a bicycle in class VI. In my initial attempts, I fell down everytime and developed a fear of cycling which was difficult to overcome. No amount of provoking and cajoling could let me try it again, but my father encouraged me to overcome the fear and helped me as he was adamant on my learning cycling. He took me on a mound near village and made me sit and asked me to put my hands on the handle and feet on the paddle. It sped down and I enjoyed it without fear which developed my confidence.
Thus, I overcame my fear of cycling and started riding a cycle after practice.
Explanation: