Two Stories about Flying Class 10: Summary, Themes and Analysis
Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked
Two Stories about Flying is a prose chapter in First Flight with two parts: His First Flight, about a young seagull who overcomes his fear of flying, and The Black Aeroplane, about a pilot guided through a storm by a mysterious plane. The board tests it through extracts, 40-50 word short answers and 100-120 word long answers.
What Two Stories about Flying is about
Two Stories about Flying is a prose chapter in your NCERT textbook First Flight. It has two separate stories. I. His First Flight is by Liam O'Flaherty and is told in the third person. It shows a young seagull who is too scared to fly until hunger and his mother's clever trick push him off the ledge. II. The Black Aeroplane is by Frederick Forsyth and is told in the first person by a pilot. He flies into a storm, loses all his instruments and is led to safety by a strange black aeroplane that nobody else saw. Both stories are about fear, risk and help that arrives when you need it most.
In the board exam, this chapter can appear in Section C. You may get an extract from either story in Q6, with 1-mark MCQ or very short parts and a 2-mark inference question of 30-40 words. It can also come as a Q8 short answer of 40-50 words (3 marks), or as a Q10 long answer of about 100-120 words (6 marks), where you must think beyond the text, judge characters or connect ideas.
In real board papers: asked in 12 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 4.4 marks per paper. See the questions
Two Stories about Flying: summary
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
I. His First Flight
The young seagull sits alone on his ledge. His two brothers and his sister flew away the day before, but he was too afraid to join them. Each time he ran to the edge, the huge sea far below scared him, and he was sure his wings would not hold him. So he ran back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept. Even his little sister, whose wings were shorter than his, managed to fly. His parents scolded him, called to him and threatened to let him starve on the ledge unless he flew. Still he could not move.
For twenty-four hours nobody comes near him. He watches his parents teach the others to skim the waves and dive for fish. He sees his older brother catch his first herring while the parents cackle proudly. The family even stands on the plateau of the opposite cliff and mocks his cowardice.
Now the sun blazes on his ledge and he is weak with hunger, having eaten nothing since the previous nightfall. He pretends to sleep, but no one notices. Only his mother is watching him as she tears at a piece of fish. The sight of the food drives him wild. He cries to her, begging for food. She screams back mockingly, but then picks up a piece of fish and flies towards him. Just opposite him, she stops in the air, the fish almost within reach. He waits, puzzled, and then, mad with hunger, dives at the fish.
He falls into space and is gripped by terror for a moment. Then his wings spread out, the wind rushes against him and he finds himself soaring. His fear is gone; he only feels a little dizzy. His mother, father, brothers and sister fly around him, screaming with joy. He forgets he was ever unable to fly. Flying over the sea, he tries to land on what looks like green flooring. His legs sink and he panics, but he is too tired to rise. Then he finds he is floating. His family praises him and offers him scraps of dog-fish. He has made his first flight.
II. The Black Aeroplane
The narrator, a pilot, is flying his old Dakota over France back to England at one thirty in the morning. The sky is clear and he is happy, dreaming of his holiday, his family and a big English breakfast. He contacts Paris Control, is told to turn twelve degrees west, and switches to his second and last fuel tank.
About 150 kilometres past Paris, he sees huge storm clouds like black mountains. He cannot fly over them and lacks the fuel to go around. He thinks of returning to Paris but wants to get home, so he takes the risk and flies into the storm. Inside, everything is black. The compass spins, the other instruments and the radio die. He is lost.
Then he sees another aeroplane with no lights. Its pilot waves, signalling him to follow. The narrator obediently follows it north for about half an hour. With fuel for only five or ten minutes left, the black plane goes down. The narrator comes out of the clouds and sees a runway. He lands safely, but the black aeroplane has vanished. A woman in the control centre laughs strangely and says no other aeroplanes were flying; only his showed on the radar. The story ends with the unanswered question of who the mysterious pilot was.
Themes and message
Overcoming fear
Both stories show fear holding someone back. The seagull is not short of ability; his wings are longer than his sister's, yet fear of the long drop freezes him. The moment he is forced into the air, he discovers that his fear was bigger than the danger. This suggests that fear often grows when we keep avoiding a challenge, and shrinks once we try. The pilot, too, faces terror when he is lost in the storm, but he stays calm enough to follow the guide and land. Courage here is not the absence of fear but acting in spite of it.
From the text: The seagull "felt certain that his wings would never support him"; once he flies, "He was no longer afraid."
Parents' role in making a child independent
The seagull's parents try many methods: calling, scolding, threatening to let him starve and leaving him alone. These fail. The mother then uses hunger as the push, holding the fish just out of reach so that he must dive. We can infer that her apparent harshness is a form of care: she knows he can fly, and she creates a situation where he has to. Once he succeeds, the whole family celebrates and feeds him. The story suggests that loving parents sometimes have to let a child struggle so that the child learns to stand, or fly, on his own.
From the text: The mother halts "her wings motionless, the piece of fish in her beak almost within reach of his beak"; later the family is "praising him".
Risk, impatience and its consequences
The pilot knows the safe choice is to return to Paris, but his wish to reach home and eat a good breakfast makes him fly straight into the storm. This small, selfish desire leads to a very dangerous situation: dead instruments, no radio and almost no fuel. The story shows how a careless decision taken for comfort can put a life at risk. It also gently warns readers that being in a hurry can cloud good judgement, though the pilot is lucky to survive.
From the text: He thinks "I ought to go back to Paris", but admits, "I wanted that breakfast."
Help in unexpected forms and the mystery of the unknown
When the pilot is completely helpless, help appears from nowhere in the form of a black aeroplane with no lights. It guides him to a runway and then disappears. The woman in the control centre says no other plane was flying and only his showed on the radar. The writer never explains who the helper was. This open ending makes readers wonder whether it was a guardian figure, a ghost, or the pilot's own mind under stress. The story suggests that help sometimes comes in ways we cannot explain.
From the text: "No other aeroplanes were flying tonight. Yours was the only one I could see on the radar."
Hunger and need as a driving force
In the first story, it is not encouragement or shame that finally makes the seagull fly; it is hunger. Starving and maddened by the sight of fish, he forgets his fear and dives. We can infer that a strong, urgent need can push a person past barriers that reasoning cannot. In a similar way, the pilot's own desire to reach home drives his decision, showing how basic wants shape actions in both stories.
From the text: "The sight of the food maddened him." and "maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish".
Characters
The young seagull
The protagonist of His First Flight, a young bird afraid to make his first flight.
- Timid and lacking self-confidence
- Lonely and hurt by being left out
- Clever enough to pretend, but childish
- Joyful and bold once he succeeds
He runs back to his hole because he is sure his wings will not support him. He feels hurt as his family taunts him "with his cowardice". He pretends to be falling asleep to win attention. After flying, he forgets "that he had not always been able to fly" and dives and soars, shrieking shrilly.
The seagull's mother
The parent who finally makes the young seagull fly.
- Wise and understanding of her child
- Firm, even seemingly harsh
- Caring and loving
- Patient but practical
She is the only one still watching him when the others ignore him. She screams at him "derisively" but then flies across with fish and stops just out of reach, so hunger forces him to dive. She swoops past him with a loud cry when he flies, showing her joy.
The narrator (pilot) of The Black Aeroplane
The first-person narrator who flies into a storm and is guided to safety.
- Homesick and family-loving
- Impulsive and willing to take risks
- Honest about his fear
- Grateful
He is "looking forward to being with my family". He flies into the storm because he wanted that breakfast. He admits, "I was starting to feel frightened again." After landing, he asks about the other pilot because he wants to say thank you.
The pilot of the black aeroplane
A mysterious figure who leads the narrator out of the storm.
- Helpful and kind
- Calm in danger
- Mysterious and unexplained
He waves and signals "Follow me". He turns his plane slowly so it is easier for the narrator to follow. His plane has no lights, vanishes after the landing and does not appear on the radar.
The woman in the control centre
The person who reveals that no other plane was flying.
- Practical and matter-of-fact
- Puzzled by the narrator's question
She looks at him "very strangely", laughs, and tells him his was the only plane she could see on the radar.
How it is written
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast in narrative point of view | His First Flight is told in the third person ("The young seagull was alone on his ledge"), while The Black Aeroplane is told in the first person ("I was flying my old Dakota aeroplane"). | The third-person view lets us watch the seagull's fear and his family from outside. The first-person view puts us inside the pilot's mind, so we share his panic, relief and confusion, which makes the mystery more personal and gripping. |
| Onomatopoeia and sound words | "Ga, ga, ga," he cried; "Gaw-col-ah," she screamed back; words like shrieking, screaming and cawed. | The bird cries make the scene lively and real. The change from the seagull's begging cry to the family's joyful screams in the air shows his move from misery to triumph. |
| Simile and imagery | The storm clouds "looked like black mountains standing in front of me across the sky"; the pilot follows "like an obedient child". | The mountain image shows how huge and frightening the storm is. The child image shows how helpless and trusting the pilot has become, depending fully on the stranger. |
| Open ending and rhetorical questions | "Who was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane, flying in the storm, without lights?" | The story ends without an answer. This leaves the reader curious and invites different interpretations, such as a guardian, a ghost or the pilot's imagination. |
| Contrast of mood | The calm opening with moon, stars and "the sleeping countryside" is set against the storm where "everything was suddenly black". | The peaceful start makes the sudden danger feel more shocking and builds suspense. In the seagull story, the gloomy ledge contrasts with the joyful flight, marking his change. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
He felt certain that his wings would never support him
narrator: Describes why the young seagull ran back from the brink of the ledge.
Shows that his problem is lack of self-belief, not lack of ability.
The sight of the food maddened him.
narrator: The starving seagull watches his mother tearing at a piece of fish.
Hunger becomes the force that will finally overcome his fear.
Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still.
narrator: The moment the seagull falls off the ledge diving at the fish.
Captures the peak of his fear just before he discovers he can fly.
He had made his first flight.
narrator: The last line of the first story, after he floats on the sea.
A short, proud ending that marks his success and independence.
I wanted that breakfast.
the narrator (pilot): He decides not to return to Paris and to fly into the storm.
Reveals the small, impatient desire behind his risky decision.
I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like an obedient child.
the narrator (pilot): He follows the black aeroplane after his instruments fail.
Shows his helplessness, relief and complete trust in the unknown guide.
No other aeroplanes were flying tonight.
the woman in the control centre: Her reply when the narrator asks who the other pilot was.
Creates the central mystery of the story.
Who was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane, flying in the storm, without lights?
the narrator (pilot): The final lines of The Black Aeroplane.
Leaves the story open, inviting the reader's own interpretation.
Two Stories about Flying in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Overcoming fear
Suppose you have been chosen to give a two-minute speech at your school's morning assembly. For a week you keep making excuses to your class teacher, certain that your voice will shake and everyone will laugh.
Compare your situation with the young seagull's. What does his first flight teach you about overcoming this fear? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Link: the seagull also felt certain he would fail.
- Waiting alone on the ledge did not remove his fear; it grew.
- Fear left him once he was actually in the air.
- Apply: start the speech; the first step matters most.
Answer: Like the seagull, I feel certain I will fail, and waiting only makes it worse. The seagull lost his fear the moment he was in the air. Similarly, my fear will fade once I start speaking. The first step matters more than certainty.
Memory hook: The assembly stage is my ledge; the first sentence is my first flap.
Parents' role in making a child independent
Imagine your mother refuses to fill your online exam registration form for you this year. She says you must do it yourself, though she will sit nearby. You feel annoyed and think she is being unfair.
Is your mother being unkind? Justify your answer with reference to the seagull's mother. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Take a stand: not unkind.
- Seagull's mother held the fish almost within reach so he had to fly.
- She stayed close and celebrated once he succeeded.
- Apply: firm but present support builds independence.
Answer: She is not unkind. Like the seagull's mother, who held the fish just out of reach so that her son would fly, my mother is making me act for myself while staying close. Her firmness is meant to build my independence.
Memory hook: The fish held just out of reach is the form left for me to fill.
Risk, impatience and its consequences
Suppose your friend's cricket final begins at four in the afternoon. A heavy monsoon storm breaks at three, and he wants to cycle through a flooded underpass so that he is not late.
Using the narrator's decision in 'The Black Aeroplane', advise your friend. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Advice: wait or find a safe route.
- Narrator saw the storm and knew he ought to go back to Paris.
- He took the risk for a breakfast.
- He survived only through unexplained help; one cannot count on that.
Answer: I would tell him to wait. The narrator saw the storm, knew he ought to go back to Paris, but risked his life for breakfast. He survived only through mysterious help. A match can be missed; a life cannot be replaced.
Memory hook: No breakfast, and no cricket match, is worth flying into the storm.
Help in unexpected forms and the mystery of the unknown
Imagine you are travelling alone to a relative's house in a new city. Your phone battery dies and you take the wrong bus. An elderly stranger notices your confusion, guides you to the right stop and gets off before you can thank him.
Compare your experience with the narrator's in 'The Black Aeroplane'. What does it teach you about help? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Both lost and without means of contact (dead phone / dead radio).
- A stranger seemed to understand the need and guided.
- Both wanted to say thank you but could not.
- Lesson: accept unexpected help gratefully and pass kindness on.
Answer: Like the narrator, I was lost and helpless and followed a stranger who seemed to know my need. Both of us wanted to say thank you but could not. Help sometimes comes from unexpected people, and we should accept it gratefully and pass kindness on.
Memory hook: A dead phone is a dead radio; the kind stranger is my black aeroplane.
Topics in this chapter
- His First Flight: Summary and ExplanationComing soon
- The Black Aeroplane: Summary and ExplanationComing soon
- His First Flight Question AnswersComing soon
- The Black Aeroplane Question AnswersComing soon
- The Black Aeroplane: Who Helped the Pilot?
How the board asks Two Stories about Flying
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Extract-based MCQ and very short answers (Q6, 1 mark each) | An extract of 50-85 words from either story, followed by MCQs on meaning, inference about a character, word substitution, fill-in-the-blank with a word from brackets, or sorting words (for example sound words and movement words). | Read the whole extract before the options. Base every answer only on the lines given. For word questions, substitute each option into the sentence and check that the meaning stays the same. |
| Extract-based inference (Q6, 2 marks, 30-40 words) | Asks you to explain a feeling, mood or reason, or to contradict a statement, using the extract, such as how the setting builds the mood or why the bird hesitates. | Make one clear point, support it with a detail or short phrase from the extract, and add a line of interpretation. Stay within 40 words. |
| Short answer (Q8, 3 marks, 40-50 words) | Direct or inferential questions such as the risk the pilot took and why, the mother's method, why the woman laughed, or what the seagull's fear reveals. | Give 2-3 value points from the text in full sentences. Content earns 2 marks and expression 1, so write clearly and correctly. Do not exceed 50 words. |
| Long answer (Q10, 6 marks, 100-120 words) | Evaluative questions on character, theme or the mystery, sometimes linking this chapter with another First Flight chapter, such as how help comes in unexpected forms or how parents make children independent. | Plan an introduction, 3-4 developed points with evidence, and a short conclusion. When two texts are linked, use only what each text actually says and keep a clear comparison. Content 3, expression 2, accuracy 1. |
| Competency or extrapolation question | A 'Suppose' or opinion question: what would you do in the pilot's place, who you think the helper was, or what the seagull's story teaches about facing a first attempt. | Give your view clearly, justify it with evidence from the story, and connect it to a value such as courage, caution or gratitude. Any reasonable interpretation backed by the text earns marks. |
Tricks to remember Two Stories about Flying
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Seagull's six steps
Ledge, Look, Lure, Leap, Lift, Land: alone on the Ledge; he pretends to sleep but only his mother keeps the Look on him; the fish is the Lure; hunger makes him Leap; his wings Lift him; he tries to Land on the green sea and floats.
Use it when: Recalling the order of events for a 3-mark or 6-mark answer on 'His First Flight'.
Aeroplane journey in 3 Cs and 3 Ds
Clear sky, Control (Paris), Clouds; then Dead instruments, Dark plane, Disappeared. Add the numbers: DS 088, one thirty, twelve degrees west, 150 kilometres, half an hour, five or ten minutes.
Use it when: Getting the sequence and the factual details of 'The Black Aeroplane' right.
Two cries of the seagulls
'Ga, ga, ga' is the son begging; 'Gaw-col-ah' is the mother's derisive reply. Later both cries join as the mother swoops past him, showing the family united in flight.
Use it when: Answering extract questions on sound words and the mother-son relationship.
Afraid-but-safe vs bold-but-lost
The seagull is afraid but safe on his ledge, and is pushed into action by help he can see. The pilot is bold but gets lost, and is saved by help he cannot explain.
Use it when: Comparing the two parts in a theme-based long answer.
Two Stories about Flying: extract-based questions
Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.
Extract 1: His First Flight: the mother halts with the fish
He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer, and then, maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish. With a loud scream he fell outwards and downwards into space.
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Just before this, the mother halted opposite the young seagull, 'her wings motionless', with the fish almost within reach. Why did she halt?
(a) She was tired after flying across the gap
(b) She wanted his hunger to make him reach out into the air
(c) She had changed her mind about feeding him
(d) She was afraid of coming too close to the cliff(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Which phrase from the extract tells you what finally made the young seagull dive?
(3) · 1 mark · MCQ
As he fell, 'a monstrous terror seized him'. Choose the option closest in meaning to 'a monstrous terror'.
(a) a mild worry
(b) an overwhelming fear
(c) a sudden anger
(d) a quiet surprise(4) · 2 marks · Short answer
How does the mother's action in the extract show that her harshness was really a form of love? Answer in 30-40 words.
Show the answersAnswers
- (b) She wanted his hunger to make him reach out into the air.
- "maddened by hunger"
- (b) an overwhelming fear
- By stopping with the fish almost within reach, the mother used his hunger to make him leap. She did not push or abandon him; she created a moment where he had to try, showing purposeful, caring firmness.
Extract 2: The Black Aeroplane: the stranger appears
I could see the pilot’s face — turned towards me. I was very glad to see another person. He lifted one hand and waved. “Follow me,” he was saying. “Follow me.” ‘He knows that I am lost,’ I thought. ‘He’s trying to help me.’
(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What did the strange pilot do to show the narrator that he should follow?
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
Just before this, the narrator sees the strange aeroplane flying beside him in the black clouds. Which detail he notices about it makes it seem mysterious?
(a) It was flying near the Dakota
(b) It had no lights on its wings
(c) Its pilot was looking at the narrator
(d) It was larger than the Dakota(3) · 1 mark · Assertion-reason
Assertion (A): The narrator trusts the strange pilot at once.
Reason (R): With his compass, instruments and radio dead, he is lost and has no other guide.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.(4) · 2 marks · Short answer
Why is the narrator's thought, 'He knows that I am lost', important for the mystery of the story? Answer in 30-40 words.
Show the answersAnswers
- He lifted one hand and waved.
- (b) It had no lights on its wings.
- (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
- The narrator assumes the stranger knows his plight, though his radio is dead and no message could be sent. This assumption is never explained. It deepens the later mystery, because the radar showed no other aeroplane.
Two Stories about Flying: board-level solved questions
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: Alone on the ledge · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
Why was the young seagull alone on his ledge at the start of the story, and how did his family respond to his fear? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- His two brothers and sister had flown away the day before; fear kept him back.
- He felt his wings would never support him and ran back to his hole under the ledge.
- Parents scolded him shrilly and threatened to let him starve.
- Later the family left him alone and taunted his cowardice from the plateau.
Answer: The young seagull was alone because his brothers and sister had flown away the day before, while fear kept him back. His parents scolded him and threatened to let him starve. Later the whole family ignored him and mocked his cowardice from the plateau.
Example 2: 'Like an obedient child' · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
The narrator says he was very happy to follow the strange aeroplane 'like an obedient child'. What does this simile reveal about his situation and state of mind? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Situation: compass, other instruments and radio all dead; he could not see outside.
- He was lost and helpless, unable to guide himself.
- Simile: like a child trusting a parent, he gave up control willingly.
- State of mind: relief and gladness at seeing another person; complete dependence.
Answer: The simile shows how helpless the narrator had become. With his compass, radio and instruments dead, he could not guide himself. Like a trusting child following a parent, he gave up control gladly, relieved that someone seemed to know the way. An experienced pilot now depended completely on a stranger.
Example 3: Landing on the green sea · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Describe what happened when the young seagull tried to land on the sea. What does his family's reaction at the end show? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- His family had landed on the 'green flooring' and beckoned him.
- He dropped his legs to stand, but they sank; he screamed with fright.
- Tired and weak with hunger, he could not rise, but floated.
- Family screamed praise and offered scraps of dog-fish: pride and love; earlier harshness had a purpose.
Answer: Thinking the green sea was flooring, he dropped his legs to stand, but they sank. He screamed and, too tired and hungry to rise, floated. His family screamed praise and offered dog-fish, showing their pride and love once he had succeeded. Their earlier harshness had a purpose.
Example 4: Character sketch: the seagull's mother · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Write a character sketch of the young seagull's mother, showing how she helps her son overcome his fear. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Seems harsh at first: scolding, threat of starving him, family taunts.
- Watchful and caring: only she keeps looking at him while others doze.
- Answers his begging derisively, yet flies across with fish.
- Clever: halts almost within reach so hunger makes him dive.
- Supportive once he flies: swoops past calling; family praises and feeds him dog-fish.
- Conclusion: firm love that builds independence.
Answer: The seagull's mother is a wise and patient parent who loves her son too much to let him stay afraid. At first she seems harsh. She and the father scold him and threaten to let him starve, and the family taunts his cowardice. Yet only she keeps watching him while the others doze, which shows her care. When he begs for food, she answers derisively but then flies across with a piece of fish. Her real cleverness lies in halting just out of reach, so that hunger makes him dive. Once he is in the air she swoops past him, calling, and later the family praises him and offers dog-fish. Her firm love turns fear into flight.
Example 5: Was the woman's laugh fair? · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
The woman in the control centre looked at the narrator strangely and laughed. Do you think her reaction was reasonable? Give reasons in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Take a clear stand.
- Her evidence: no other aeroplanes flying that night; only his on the radar.
- So his question seemed impossible to her.
- Balance: the narrator was shaken and only wanted to say 'Thank you'; laughter could feel unkind.
Answer: Her reaction was reasonable from her point of view. Her radar showed only the narrator's Dakota, and no other aeroplanes were flying that stormy night. A question about another pilot sounded impossible. Still, a laugh may seem unkind to a shaken man who only wanted to thank someone.
Example 6: The narrator's diary: risk and rescue · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Imagine you are the narrator of 'The Black Aeroplane'. Write a diary entry the next evening, reflecting on your decision to fly into the storm, the strange help you received and what you have learnt. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Diary format: day/time, 'Dear Diary', first person, reflective tone.
- The decision: saw storm clouds, knew he ought to return to Paris, took the risk for home and breakfast.
- The danger: compass, instruments and radio dead; lost in the storm.
- The help: black aeroplane without lights, pilot waved; followed; runway appeared as fuel ran low.
- The mystery: radar showed only his aeroplane.
- The lesson: foolish to gamble life for a small desire; respect for caution.
Answer: Saturday, 9 p.m.
Dear Diary,
Last night still feels unreal. Past Paris I saw storm clouds like black mountains. I should have turned back, but I wanted my breakfast at home, so I took the risk. Inside the storm my compass, radio and instruments died, and I was completely lost. Then a black aeroplane without lights appeared, and its pilot waved at me to follow. I obeyed gladly. Just as my fuel was ending, I saw a runway. Yet the woman at the control centre said mine was the only aeroplane on her radar. I cannot explain who saved me. I only know I was foolish to gamble my life for a meal. Next time, I will respect the weather.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
Why did the young seagull's family ignore and taunt him? Was this cruel? Answer in 40-50 words. (3 marks) (3 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: states the purpose: to force him to overcome fear and fly (they threatened to let him starve unless he flew) | 1 |
| Content: supports with evidence and a judgement: taunting from the plateau, mother's fish halted almost within reach, praise and dog-fish at the end, so it was firm love, not cruelty | 1 |
| Expression: clear, connected answer within 40-50 words (up to 1 mark may be deducted for spelling or grammar errors) | 1 |
Both stories show help arriving at a moment of complete helplessness. Discuss with reference to 'His First Flight' and 'The Black Aeroplane'. Answer in about 100-120 words. (6 marks) (6 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: the seagull's helplessness (alone, hungry, afraid) and his mother's help (fish held almost within reach, which makes him dive and fly) | 1 |
| Content: the narrator's helplessness (dead compass, instruments and radio, little fuel) and the help of the black aeroplane (pilot waves, leads him to the runway) | 1 |
| Content: comparison or conclusion (help seen and explained in one story, unexplained in the other; radar showed no other aeroplane) | 1 |
| Expression: organisation of ideas, logical flow from one story to the other | 1 |
| Expression: fluency and suitable vocabulary, within the word limit | 1 |
| Accuracy: grammar, spelling and punctuation | 1 |
Where students lose marks in Two Stories about Flying
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Saying the mother pushed the seagull off the ledge
The text says he dived himself, maddened by hunger, at the fish she held almost within reach. A wrong fact costs content marks.
Wrong working
His mother pushed him off the ledge and so he learnt to fly.
Right working
Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish his mother held just out of reach, and found his wings spreading.
Do this: Remember: the mother tempts, she never pushes. Hunger does the work.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks of content in a 3-mark or 6-mark answer
Mistake: Claiming the woman in the control centre confirmed the other aeroplane
She said the opposite: no other aeroplanes were flying and only his was on her radar. This reverses the mystery.
Wrong working
The woman told him the black aeroplane had guided him safely.
Right working
She laughed and said no other aeroplanes were flying; only his Dakota showed on the radar.
Do this: Link the woman to one word: radar. Her role is to deepen the mystery, not solve it.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks of content
Mistake: Stating an interpretation as a fact
The story never says who the pilot was. Presenting a guess as certain is not supported by the text.
Wrong working
The black aeroplane was definitely a ghost that came to save him.
Right working
The story leaves it open; we can infer the helper may have been imagined or something beyond explanation.
Do this: Use phrases like 'this suggests' or 'we can infer' and give the evidence (no lights, empty sky, radar).
Usually costs: 1 mark of content
Mistake: Retelling the story instead of answering the question
A 3-mark question on why the narrator took the risk needs the reason and what it shows, not the whole plot from the moon to the runway.
Wrong working
The moon was coming up and the narrator was flying to England. He called Paris Control and turned west. Then he saw clouds...
Right working
He knew he ought to return to Paris, but his wish to get home for breakfast made him risk the storm, showing impatience.
Do this: Underline the question word (why/how/what does it show) and answer it in your first sentence.
Usually costs: 1 mark of content and the expression mark
Mistake: Going far over the word limit in the 2-mark extract part
The 2-mark part wants 30-40 words of inference. A 70-word answer wastes time and loses focus.
Wrong working
A long paragraph repeating the extract line by line before reaching the inference.
Right working
Two or three sentences: the inference, one piece of evidence from the extract, one line of meaning.
Do this: Plan: point, proof, meaning. Stop at about 40 words.
Usually costs: Up to 1 mark for expression, plus time lost elsewhere
Mistake: Getting the numbers and directions wrong
Details like direction and fuel are factual; a wrong figure is a wrong fact.
Wrong working
Paris Control told him to turn twelve degrees east, and he had fuel for an hour.
Right working
He turned twelve degrees west; after half an hour behind the stranger, fuel for only five or ten minutes remained.
Do this: Revise the number line: DS 088, 1:30 a.m., twelve degrees west, 150 km, half an hour, five or ten minutes.
Usually costs: 1 mark of content
Two Stories about Flying: previous year questions
- Asked in 12 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 4.4 marks per paper; 14 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 2 of 4 sample papers.
Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.
Solved board questions from Two Stories about Flying
Real questions from recent papers. Try each one first, then open our step-by-step solution with marks per step.
2026, set 2/2/1, Q10(b) · 6 marks · Long answer
How does the contrast between the pilot's fear in 'The Black Aeroplane' and Custard's initial cowardice in 'The Tale of Custard the Dragon' highlight that courage can be found in the most unexpected characters when circumstances demand it? Discuss with reference to the two.
Try it first, then show our solutionSolution
- 1 mark
In 'The Black Aeroplane' the pilot is confident at first, but panics when he flies into dark black clouds. He then keeps flying, which shows his determination and inner strength.
- 1 mark
The mysterious black aeroplane guides him with hope and helps him land safely.
- 1 mark
In 'The Tale of Custard the Dragon' Custard thinks of himself as a coward, while everyone else is brave.
- 1 mark
When the pirate attacks and everyone else panics, Custard fights bravely, saves everyone and is proved a true hero.
- 1 mark
Contrast: both face unexpected danger and show hidden strength when circumstances demand it. The pilot's courage comes from determination in fear, Custard's from sudden bravery after being thought a coward. Both save themselves from their predicaments.
- 1 mark
The answer is well organised, links the two texts and is accurate, within 100-120 words.
Answer: Both the fearful pilot and the cowardly Custard find unexpected courage when danger comes, showing that true bravery appears when circumstances demand it.
Where the marks are
- One point from each text plus a contrast point (3 marks)
- Expression and synthesis (2 marks)
- Accuracy (1 mark)
2025, set 2/2/1, Q6(a) · 5 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-based
Read the following extract and answer the questions.
He felt certain that his wings would never support him; so he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night. Even when each of his brothers and his little sister, whose wings were far shorter than his own, ran to the brink, flapped their wings, and flew away, he failed to muster up courage to take that plunge which appeared to him so desperate. His father and mother had come around calling to him shrilly, upbraiding him, threatening to let him starve on his ledge unless he flew away. But for the life of him he could not move.
(Two Stories about Flying – His First Flight)
- (i)1 mark
State any one inference about the parents of the baby seagull from the given statement.
"His father and mother had come around calling to him shrilly, upbraiding him, threatening to let him starve on his ledge unless he flew away."
- (ii)1 mark
Where did the little seagull sleep at night?
- (iii)2 marks
Which factors contributed to the young seagull's reluctance to fly despite the encouragement and threats from his parents? Elaborate in about 40 words, with reference to the extract.
- (iv)1 mark
Which phrase or word would correctly substitute 'muster up' in the given sentence from the extract?
He failed to 'muster up' courage to take that plunge which appeared to him so desperate.
- (A)review
- (B)resolve
- (C)distribute
- (D)gather
Try it first, then show our solutionSolution
- 1 mark
(i) The parents are concerned about him and want him to become independent. Their tough love pushes him to fly (any one inference).
- 1 mark
(ii) He slept in a little hole under the ledge.
- 2 marks
(iii) He feared his wings would not support him and was afraid of the height. He saw his siblings fly despite shorter wings, yet could not find the courage. The parents' shrill calls and threats added pressure to his fear.
- 1 mark
(iv) Option (D): gather. 'Muster up courage' means to gather courage.
Answer: (i) parents are concerned and use tough love; (ii) in a hole under the ledge; (iii) fear of wings failing and heights, plus pressure from parents; (iv) D (gather)
Where the marks are
- (i) one valid inference (1 mark)
- (ii) hole under the ledge (1 mark)
- (iii) two factors with reference to the extract (2 marks)
- (iv) D (1 mark)
2025, set 2/3/1, Q8 · 12 marks · Short answer
Answer any four of the following five questions in 40 – 50 words each: 4×3=12
- (i)3 marks
The young seagull’s fear of flying and reluctance to leave his ledge contribute to the development of the theme of independence and courage in the story. Justify. (Two Stories about Flying)
- (ii)3 marks
In what ways does the contrast between the tiger’s natural habitat and its confinement in a concrete cell enhance the poem’s exploration of captivity and its consequences for wild animals? (A Tiger in the Zoo)
- (iii)3 marks
The portrayal of the baker’s attire and role in the village emphasize the cultural and social significance of bread-making within the community. Elaborate. (Glimpses of India – A Baker from Goa)
- (iv)3 marks
What happens to the house when the trees move out of it? Comment. (The Trees)
- (v)3 marks
How does Valli’s desire to ride the bus reflect her aspirations and challenges in context of her daily life? (Madam Rides the Bus)
Try it first, then show our solutionSolution
- 3 marks
(i) The seagull's fear creates the central conflict and moves the story forward. His reluctance shows that growth requires facing fears and taking risks. His mother's encouragement and her strict measure of withholding food finally push him to fly, which is the climax and shows courage and independence.
- 3 marks
(ii) In the wild the tiger roamed freely, stalked its prey and terrorised villagers. In the concrete cell it is helpless and aggressive, just stared at. The contrast shows loss of habitat, a longing for freedom and the poet's criticism of human intrusion into nature.
- 3 marks
(iii) Bread was central to village life in Goa, and the baker was essential to every home. Bread, such as the 'bol', was needed for weddings and festivals. The baker's special dress and plump physique showed his respected, well-off position in the community.
- 3 marks
(iv) When the trees move out, the house becomes empty and silent, a mute witness to the change. Cracks appear in the veranda, the glass panes are broken, and the smell of leaves and lichen enters the house. It becomes forsaken and decayed, as nature takes over.
- 3 marks
(v) Valli is curious and lonely, and watching the bus passengers is her pastime. Her wish to ride the bus shows her longing to see the world beyond the village. The challenges are the fare, which she saves by resisting the fair's temptations, and secretly making the trip while her mother sleeps.
Answer: Any four of the five answers as above (3 marks each)
Where the marks are
- Any two relevant value points with 40-50 word expression for each chosen part (2 marks content + 1 mark expression, for each of any four parts)
Every Two Stories about Flying question, by year
Practice questions on Two Stories about Flying
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
What had the young seagull watched his family doing the day before, and how did it make his situation harder? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Think of the lessons his siblings got and the herring.
Answer
Value points: parents perfecting his siblings in flight; skimming the waves and diving for fish; older brother caught and ate his first herring while parents cackled proudly; he was left alone and hungry.
Model: The day before, he watched his parents train his brothers and sister to skim the waves and dive for fish. His older brother caught and ate his first herring while the parents cackled proudly. Watching this while alone and unfed sharpened his sense of isolation.
Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Why could the narrator not fly around the storm clouds?
(a) The clouds were too high
(b) He did not have enough fuel
(c) Paris Control told him not to
(d) His compass had stopped workingHint
Going 'over' and going 'around' had different problems.
Answer
(b) He did not have enough fuel. (He could not fly over them because they were too huge; going north or south needed fuel he lacked.)
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why did the young seagull stand on one leg, close his eyes and pretend to fall asleep? What does this show about him? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Did anyone notice? What was he avoiding?
Answer
Value points: wanted attention, perhaps sympathy and food; nobody took notice; shows loneliness and hunger; still avoiding the real challenge of flying.
Model: He hoped to draw his family's attention, perhaps to win sympathy and food without having to fly. Nobody noticed. This suggests he was lonely, hungry and still avoiding the real challenge, trying a trick instead of facing his fear.
Q4 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): The young seagull screamed with fright when he first touched the sea.
Reason (R): He had dropped his legs to stand on the green sea, but his legs sank into it.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.Hint
What did he expect the 'green flooring' to be?
Answer
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does the fuel in the old Dakota add to the tension of 'The Black Aeroplane'? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Track the fuel from Paris to the runway.
Answer
Value points: switched to second and last tank; not enough fuel to fly around the clouds; after half an hour only five or ten minutes left; safe landing seems almost impossible.
Model: Before the storm, the narrator switched to his second and last tank and lacked fuel to fly around the clouds. After following the stranger for half an hour, only five or ten minutes remained. This running clock makes his safe landing seem nearly impossible.
Q6 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Hunger and desire drive the main actions in both 'His First Flight' and 'The Black Aeroplane'. Discuss with reference to the young seagull and the narrator. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
One need leads to growth, the other to danger.
Answer
Value points: seagull frozen by fear; not eaten since previous nightfall; sight of food maddens him; dives at fish and flies, so hunger leads to growth. Narrator knows he ought to return to Paris; wants home and breakfast; flies into storm; danger; saved only by mysterious help. Conclusion on need and judgement.
Model: In both stories, a strong need pushes the main character to act. The young seagull is frozen by fear until hunger takes over. He has not eaten since the previous nightfall, and the sight of his mother tearing fish maddens him. When she halts with fish almost within reach, he dives without thinking and discovers he can fly. Here hunger leads to growth. The narrator's desire is smaller but just as powerful. He knows he ought to return to Paris, yet he wants to get home for a good English breakfast, so he flies into the storm. This need leads to danger, not growth, and only mysterious help saves him. Need can push us forward, but judgement must guide it.
Q7 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
'The Black Aeroplane' ends with two questions instead of an answer. Why might the writer have chosen this ending? Do you find it effective? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Think about what the radar showed and what the reader is left to do.
Answer
Value points: unanswered questions leave the mystery to the reader; radar showed no other aeroplane; helper could be imagined or unexplained; open ending keeps the reader thinking; personal judgement.
Model: By ending with unanswered questions, the writer leaves the mystery to the reader. The radar showed no other aeroplane, so the helper could be imagined, ghostly or something else. This open ending is effective because it keeps readers thinking long after the story ends.
Q8 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Imagine you are the young seagull, now grown up, teaching your own chick to fly. Describe how you would do it and what you learnt from your own first flight. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Use what your own parents did, but decide what you would keep or change.
Answer
Value points: first person; memory of own fear at the brink; parents' scolding, being left hungry, mother's fish trick; plan for the chick (watch siblings, patience, firmness, food offered from the air, praise on landing); lesson: fear is beaten by action.
Model: When my chick stood trembling at the brink of our ledge, I remembered myself. I too once felt certain my wings would never support me. My parents scolded me, then left me alone and hungry, and finally my mother held a fish just beyond my beak. I dived for it and found that my wings spread on their own. So I will not simply nag my chick. First I will let it watch its brothers and sisters fly. Then I will be patient, but firm, and offer food from the air so that hunger gives it courage. When it lands, I will praise it loudly. I learnt that fear is beaten only by taking the plunge.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Who had already flown away the day before the story opens?Show answer
The young seagull's two brothers and his sister.
2.Where did the young seagull sleep at night?Show answer
In the little hole under the ledge.
3.What did the older brother catch and eat while the parents cackled proudly?Show answer
His first herring.
4.What did the mother scream back derisively when her son begged for food?Show answer
"Gaw-col-ah"
5.What did the family offer the seagull after he floated on the sea?Show answer
Scraps of dog-fish.
6.What was the call sign of the narrator's aeroplane, and what time was it when he looked at his watch?Show answer
Dakota DS 088; one thirty in the morning.
7.Which line shows why the narrator flew into the storm?Show answer
"I wanted that breakfast."
8.What did the woman in the control centre say about the radar?Show answer
That his was the only aeroplane she could see on the radar, and no other aeroplanes were flying that night.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you explain why the seagull felt his wings would never support him, though his siblings' wings were shorter?
- Can you list three ways the family pressured him: scolding, threatening starvation, taunting from the plateau?
- Can you describe the mother's fish trick and why she halted almost within reach?
- Can you trace his feelings: monstrous terror, then no longer afraid, then dizzy, then joy, then fright on the sea?
- Can you give the reason the narrator did not turn back to Paris, in one line?
- Can you name what failed in the storm: compass, other instruments, radio?
- Can you state two clues that make the black aeroplane mysterious: no lights, gone from an empty sky, not on the radar?
- Can you link the two stories by one theme each: fear overcome by action, risk rescued by unexplained help?
Two Stories about Flying: frequently asked questions
Who helped the pilot in The Black Aeroplane?
The story never tells us. The pilot of the black aeroplane waved and guided him, but the woman in the control centre said no other plane was flying and only his showed on the radar. You may argue it was a guardian, a ghost or the pilot's imagination, as long as you support your view with details from the text.
Why was the young seagull afraid to fly?
He looked at the vast sea far below and felt sure his wings would not support him. His fear came from lack of self-confidence, not lack of ability, because even his sister with shorter wings had flown.
How did the mother make the seagull fly?
She flew towards him with a piece of fish and stopped just out of his reach. Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish, fell off the ledge and found his wings spreading out. Her trick turned his hunger into the push he needed.
What risk did the pilot take and why?
He flew his old Dakota straight into huge storm clouds instead of turning back to Paris. He could not fly over them and lacked the fuel to go around, and he wanted to get home in time for a big English breakfast.
Why did the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?
He asked her who the other pilot was. She was surprised because no other aeroplanes were flying that night, and his was the only one on her radar.
Who wrote the two stories in this chapter?
His First Flight is by Liam O'Flaherty and The Black Aeroplane is by Frederick Forsyth. Both are prose stories in the First Flight textbook.
Based on: CBSE English Language and Literature syllabus 2026-27; NCERT First Flight (Reprint 2026-27), Two Stories about Flying