Madam Rides the Bus Extra Questions
An eight-year-old girl lives near a bus stop in “Madam Rides the Bus.” Her favorite part of the street is the sight of the bus arriving and departing; thus, she has developed a strong desire and courage to fulfil her urge to travel and enjoy the ride on the bus. The story illustrates how Valli fulfilled her wish and enjoyed her bus ride innocently and responsibly. There’s also an incident that made her realise that death is a reality. Nevertheless, she is optimistic about the possibility of travelling more, exploring, and taking another ride in the future. There is a requirement in this chapter for students to prepare Madam Rides the Bus extra questions for the exams, and it discusses hope and taking another chance.
Madam Rides the Bus Extra Questions
1. Why did Valli stand up on her seat?
Answer: She stood up on her seat because she found her view cut off by a canvas blind.
2. What did Valli’s mother say about the things happening without her knowledge?
Answer: Valli’s mother said that so many things happen amidst us and in the world outside. We cannot know everything. When we know about something we often cannot understand it completely.
3. How was the interior and exterior of the bus?
Answer: It was a new bus. Its outside was painted a gleaming white with some green stripes along the sides. Inside, the overhead bars shone like silver. There was a beautiful clock above the windshield and its seats were soft and luxurious.
4. How did Valli save money to travel by bus?
Answer: Valli had thriftily saved whatever stray coins came her way. She resisted every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons and ride on the merry-go-round at the village fair to save money for her bus journey.
5. Valli didn’t like the way adults treated her during her bus journey. Describe how you would feel and react if you were to find yourself in a similar situation.
Answer: I would also react like Valli did because I would consider myself to be responsible enough. Valli thought that she could take care of herself and so, she disliked being interrupted by elders.
6. What was the most fascinating thing for Valli?
Answer: The most fascinating thing for Valli was the bus that travelled between and the nearest town.
7. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Answer: On her way to the town, Valli laughed heartily to see a young cow running at high speed in the middle of the road just in front of their bus. But on her way back, she saw a young cow lying dead near the road. She asked the bus conductor if it was the same cow that was running in front of the bus. The bus conductor nodded. She was shocked and sad. So she refuses to look out of the window on her way back because what was so beautiful a little while ago now looked so horrible. The memory of the dead cow haunts her. It dampens her enthusiasm.
8. How can you say that the conductor was a good natured jolly fellow ? Support your Answer with examples.
Answer: The conductor of the bus was a good natured fellow, with pleasant manners. He was concerned that such a small girl was travelling to town alone and took care that she was comfortably seated. When Valli objected to being treated as a child, he took it in good spirit and jokingly addressed her ‘Madam’. His behaviour, thus, reflects the congeniality of his nature.
9. When would Valli be jealous?
Answer: Vallu would be jealous when one of her friends described the sight of the town to her.
10. How did Valli react when she saw the dead cow by the roadside?
Answer: When Valli saw the dead cow by the roadside, she became very sad. She was now in pensive mood as it was shocking to her that the animal she’d been laughing at just a while ago, was lying in the stillness of death.
11. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman ?
Answer: Valli did not want to make friends with the elderly woman because she looked quite repulsive. She had big holes in her ear lobes, and was wearing ugly earrings. Apart from this, she was chewing betel and her mouth was also filled with betel juice.
12. What did Valli see beyond the bank of a canal while on the busride?
Answer: While on the bus ride, Valli saw beyond the canal through the window. There were palm trees, grassland, distant mountains and the blue sky. It was a wonderful scene for Valli.
13. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘Madam’?
Answer: Valli insisted that she was as mature as the other bus passengers and made every effort to appear so. To amuse her, the conductor addressed her as ‘madam’.
14. Why was Valli upset on her way back to the village?
Answer: Valli was upset because she had seen a dead cow on her way back from the village.
15. Why didnt she get off the bus at the bus station?
Answer: She did not get off the bus at the bus station because she had to go back on the same bus. She took another thirty paise from the pocket and handed the coins to the conductor. She just wanted to ride on the bus.
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