NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 6 The Hundred Dresses – II
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 74)
1. What did Mr Petronski’s letter say?
Answer: Mr Petronski’s letter was to inform the Principal and Miss Mason that both of his children Wanda and Jake would not come to school as they were going to shift to a bigger place where nobody would make fun of their last name.
2. Is Miss Mason angry with the class, or is she unhappy and upset?
Answer: Miss Mason seemed to be unhappy and upset rather than angry because she had never expected such an unpleasant behaviour from the students. She wanted everyone to introspect on their activities that hurt anyone’s feelings.
3. How does Maddie feel after listening to the note from Wanda’s father?
Answer: Maddie felt sorry and ashamed after listening to the note from Wanda’s father. She felt like a coward as she never tried to stop Peggy to make fun of Wanda and remained a silent spectator.
4. What does Maddie want to do?
Answer: Maddie wanted to amend her behaviour towards Wanda. She wanted to meet her to apologise. She also wanted to convey that all was meant in good humour and people really love her.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 76 & 77)
1. What excuses does Peggy think of giving in justification of her behaviour? Why?
Answer: Peggy tried to justify her behaviour by saying that she had never called Wanda a foreigner and made fun of her name. She thought that Wanda was too dumb to realise their fun.
2. What are Maddie’s thoughts as they go to Boggins Heights?
Answer: Maddie was feeling ashamed and apologetic for being a silent spectator while Peggy made fun of Wanda. She hoped for a chance to confess, make amends, appreciate her and try to stop her from moving away. In fact, she even thought of conveying her idea to protect Wanda if anyone tried to trouble her in any way.
3. Why does Wanda’s house remind Maddie of Wanda’s blue dress?
Answer: Wanda’s house was sparse, old and laded but neat and clean like her blue dress that she wore everyday to school. Thus, Maddie was reminded of the same old blue dress.
4. What does Maddie think hard about ? What important decision does she come to?
Answer: Maddie thought about not to be a mute spectator anymore that she had been in case of Wanda. She promised herself about not letting any injustice happen to anyone.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 79)
1. What did the girls write in the letter?
Answer: Maddie and Peggy wrote a friendly letter to Wanda to apologise for their behaviour but they ended up asking her whether she liked her new place and teacher. They informed her about her sketches winning the drawing competition. They also praised her drawing skills in the letter.
2. Did Maddie and Peggy get a reply? Who was more anxious for a reply? How do you know?
Answer: No, they didn’t get a reply from Wanda. Maddie was more anxious for a reply than Peggy because she was very upset and feeling sad for Wanda. She had assumed that Wanda was deeply hurt so she was not replying and blamed herself for everything. Maddie used to have sleepless nights and saw frightful dreams about Wanda.
3. How did the girls know that Wanda liked them even though they had teased her?
Answer: The girls, Maddie and Peggy realised that Wanda liked them even though they had teased her because she had gifted them her two beautiful dresses, a green one with red trimmings to Peggy and the blue one to Maddie. She had even drawn their faces in the painting of the dresses they got.
Thinking about the Text (Page 79,80)
1. Why do you think Wanda’s family moved to a different city? Do you think life there was going to be different for their family?
Answer: Wanda’s family moved to a different city because Wanda and her brother were teased by other students for their funny name and blue dress.
Yes. I think life in a different city was going to be different because people there did not have such a narrow mind and would not tease them because of their name or status.
2. Maddie thought her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing. Was she right ?
Answer: Yes, Maddie thought that her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing because her silence encouraged Peggy to make fun of Wanda. It is often said that turning a blind eye to a crime is worse than committing a crime. So by being silent she was equally responsible for what was done to Wanda.
3. Peggy says, “I never thought she had sense to know we were making fun of her anyway. I thought she was too dumb. And gee, look how she can draw!”What led Peggy to believe that Wanda was dumb ? Did she change her opinion later ?
Answer: Wanda never replied to Peggy ‘s misbehaviour that she faced everyday. Wanda described that she had hundred dresses even though she wore the same old faded blue dress everyday and all knew that she had been lying. Her facial expression and normal behaviour led Peggy to think that Wanda was dumb.
But later Peggy’ changed her opinion after Wanda’s sketches won the drawing competition. She saw the drawing of hundred dresses Wanda talked about. She was impressed.
4. What important decision did Maddie make? Why did she have to think hard to do so ?
Answer: Maddie decided to go to Wanda’s house with Peggy to apologise and amend for their misbehavior with her but found that Wanda had left her house with her family.
She thought of herself as a coward and an accomplice of Peggy for all that happened to Wanda. So, she decided to raise her voice against injustice and bullying. She was firm of not being a mute spectator anymore.
5. Why do you think Wanda gave Maddie and Peggy the drawings of the dresses ? Why are they surprised ?
Answer: When Maddie and Peggy wrote a letter to Wanda, she might have understood their feelings. So she requested Miss Mason to give two of her drawings to them and had taught them a lesson of life. Maddie and Peggy always made fun of her dress but she gifted them the drawings with their faces.
6. Do you think Wanda really thought the girls were teasing her ? Why or why not ?
Answer: Wanda was quite aware of the misbehaviour of the girls who teased her everyday but she remained calm. She realised that the rich girls would never understand her feelings.
Wanda must have told her father about the misbehavior in the school. That’s why they decided to shift to a new city.
Thinking about Language (Page 80,81)
I. Here are thirty adjectives describing human qualities. Discuss them with your partner and put them in the two word webs (given below) according to whether you think they show positive or negative qualities. You can consult a dictionary if you are not sure of the meanings of some of the words. You may also add to the list the positive or negative ‘pair’ of a given word.
kind, sarcastic, courteous, arrogant, insipid, timid, placid, cruel, haughty, proud, zealous, intrepid, sensitive, compassionate, introverted, stolid, cheerful, contented, thoughtless, vain, friendly, unforgiving, fashionable, generous, talented, lonely, determined, creative, miserable, complacent
Answer:
Positive : creative, kind, courteous, placid, zealous, intrepid, sensitive, compassionate, cheerful, contented, friendly, fashionable, generous, talented, determined.
Negative : miserable, complacent, sarcastic, arrogant, insipid, timid, haughty, proud, zealous, introverted, stolid, thoughtless, vain, unforgiving.
II. What adjectives can we use to describe Peggy, Wanda and Maddie? You can choose adjectives from the list above. You can also add some of your own.
1. Peggy ____
2. Wanda ____
3. Maddie ____
Answer:
1. Peggy – Sarcastic, thoughtless, zealous, unforgiving arrogant, cruel, haughty, proud, vain
2. Wanda – Kind, courteous, introverted, talented, lonely, determined, complacent, contented, generous, friendly, intrepid, sensitive, compassionate, creative.
3. Maddie– Insipid, timid, placid, stolid
III. Find the sentences in the story with the following phrasal verbs.
lined up, thought up, took off, stood by
Answer:
1. Lined up– She thought of the glowing picture of those hundred dresses all lined up in the classroom.
2. Thought up- Peggy who had thought up this game and Maddie her inseparable friend, were always ‘the last to leave.
3. Took off – Miss Mason took off her glasses, blew on them and wiped them on her soft white handkerchief.
4. Stood by – She had stood by silently and that was just as bad as what Peggy had done.
IV.. Colours are used to describe feelings, moods and emotions. Match the following ‘colour expressions’ with a suggested paraphrase.
1. The Monday morning blues : feel embarrassed /angry /ashamed
2. Go red in the face : feel very sick, as if about to vomit
3. Look green : sadness or depression after a weekened of fun
4. The red carpet : the sign or permission to begin an action
5. Blue-blooded : a sign of surrender or acceptance of defeat; a wish to stop fighting
6. A green belt : in an unlawful act; while doing something wrong
7. A blackguard : a photographic print of building plans; a detailed plan or scheme
8. A grey area : land around a town or city where construction is prohibited by law
9. A white flag : an area of a subject or a situation where matters are not very clear
10. A blue print : a dishonest person with no sense of right or wrong
11. Red-handed : a special welcome
12. The green light : of noble birth or from a royal family
Answer:
1. The Monday morning blues : sadness or depression after a weekend of fun
2. To go red in the face : feel embarrassed /angry/ashamed
3. Look green : feel very sick, as if about to vomit
4. The red carpet : a special welcome
5. Blue – blooded : of noble birth or from a royal family
6. A green belt : a town or city where construction is prohibited by law
7. Black guard : a dishonest person with no sense of right or wrong
8. A grey area : an area of a subject or a situation where matters are not very clear.
10. A blue print : a photographic print of building plans; a detailed clan or scheme
11. Red-handed : in an unlawful act; while doing something wrong
12. The green light : the sign of permission to begin an action
