Federal board first-year English lesson 02
His First Flight
Short Question and answers
Answer the following questions.
Q.1 Why did the young Seagull have to join the company of his family?
Seagulls are born to fly and look for their food. They cannot depend on others to fetch them everything without having to fly. In the story, the young Seagull's family had already flown away a day before, and he had to join them in flight; otherwise, the very purpose of his life would not have been fulfilled. Besides, he was feeling hungry, and his parents refused to bring him food on the ledge. They wanted him to fly and search for food. Therefore, he had to take the initiative to join his family for his survival.
Q.2 Why don't his parents, his brothers, and his sister give him food?
The young Seagull's parents, his brothers, and his sister do not give him food because they want him to fly like themselves and search for food by himself. They want him to be confident and independent. They know the significance of taking the first flight in life. They do not want him to be fearful of flying. They want him to hunt for his prey. They even taunt him for his cowardice and threaten him to let him die of hunger unless he flies.
Q.3 What was the attitude of the family towards the young Seagull? Was it agreeable to you or not? Explain
The whole family tried to coach and persuaded him to fly. His siblings exhibited their flying skills while the parents scolded him and threatened to leave him alone. But the young Seagull could not muster up enough courage to fly. His mother tempted him by flying to the edge of the ledge with a piece of fish in her beak, The moment young Seagull saw the very sight of food, and he dived forward to get that piece and ultimately fell outwards and downwards into space. In mid-air, he spreads his wings to save himself from falling. He thus discovered that the art of flying. Through love and threat, the family of the young Seagull encouraged him to make his first flight. In this way, we can say that the attitude of the young Seagull's family was agreeable for the survival of their family member.
Q.4 Describe in your own words the feelings, actions, and thoughts of the young Seagull soon after his fall.
The young Seagull was afraid of flying. He thought that he would fall into the vast expanse of sea beneath the cliff. When his mother allured him to fly, initially, a monstrous terror seized him, and his heart stood still. He felt that his wings were cutting through the air, and he was soaring gradually downwards and outwards. He felt a bit dizzy, but he overcame his fear and realized that he could fly. Soon he started enjoying his flight and uttered a joyous scream as he soared upwards. He uttered a loud cackle this time "Ga, ga, ga. Ga, ga, ga".
Q.5. What could be the author's purpose behind writing the story "His First Flight"?
The author Liam O'Flaherty wants to stress upon the readers that fortune always favors the bold. The story excellently explains the important traits like freedom, self-courage, taking the initiative, and confidence. It shows the need for motivation to achieve goals. Necessity is the mother of invention, but it sometimes needs an initial spark from the outside. In the story, the young Seagull is afraid to fly. He believes that his wings would not support him. Despite his younger siblings flying fearlessly with much shorter wings, he could not muster up the courage to fly. They threatened him to remain hunger if he did not try. His mother tempted him to fly by using food as a trap. The lesson reflects how one hesitates to take the first step, and that fear is all in mind. One should trust and have confidence in one's abilities.
Q.6. Compare and contrast the attitude of the family members before and after the flight of the young Seagull in "His First Flight"?
Before his first flight, the family of the young Seagull seemed quite annoyed. They showed their anger through their attitude and actions. Firstly, they taunted him for his cowardice and refused to bring him food on the ledge. Secondly, his parents scolded him and even threatened to starve on the ledge unless he flies. And lastly, his siblings ignored him completely, enjoyed their flights, devour their first herring before him, and no one took pity on him. But when he took his first plunge, the mood and attitudes of his family changed. Everyone started to encourage him. They praised him and gave him pieces of fish to eat. In this way, there is a difference in the behavior of the family members before and after the flight of the young Seagull in the story.
Q.7. Identify the sentence in the first paragraph of "His First Flight" which shows cause and effect.
"He felt certain that his wings would never support him" is the cause of not taking his first flight. Its effect is, so he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night."
