JAC Board Class 10th English Solutions First Flight Chapter 3(i) His First Flight
JAC Class 10th English His First Flight Textbook Questions and Answers
Thinking about the Text
Question 1.
Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was his first flight. His wings were not supporting him to fly. It is a well – known fact that doing something for the first time is challenging. Therefore, all young birds must be afraid to make their first flight. In the similar way, a human baby would also find it tough or challenging to take its first step.
Question 2.
“The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
Answer:
It is a truth that the young seagull was very hungry. He just wanted to get food anyhow. It was his hunger that ultimately compelled him to fly. His hunger only got intensified when he saw his mother tearing a piece of fish that lay at her feet. When his mother came towards him with food in her beak, he screamed with joy. But she stopped midway. He wondered why she did not come nearer. The young seagull could not control his hunger any longer, and dived at the food in his mother’s beak. At that moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expanse of sea beneath the cliff. Ultimately, the young seagull flew.
Question 3.
“They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly”. Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid to fly. The young seagull’s brothers and sister had already flown and parents were helping them a lot. But the young seagull could not gather enough courage to make the first flight. That is why his parents were calling it shrilly and scolding him. They threatened to let him starve on his ledge if he did not fly. They did so because they wanted him to leave his fear behind and learn to fly.
Question 4.
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.
Answer:
Of course, yes. I had a similar experience when my parents encouraged me to do something that was too scary to try. When I was in standard – VIII, I was asked to speak something. I had more hesitation in speaking before the audience. When I went on the stage, my feet trembled with fear. I could not express myself even after knowing the topic in a better way.
But, my parents always helped me. They told me to speak alone before the mirror in a room again and again. After a month I gathered much courage and gained confidence. Now I can speak fluently before the audience. Few days ago, 1 also won prize for my speech in the school. {Note: Answer may vary.)
Question 5.
In the case of a bird flying, it seems a natural act, and a foregone conclusion that it should succeed. In the examples you have given in answer to the previous question, was your success guaranteed, or was it important for you to try, regardless of a possibility of failure?
Answer:
While we start doing a new work, we face a lot of difficulties in the initial phase. But in due course of time, our endeavour, perseverance and commitment lead us to attain our goal. As in my case, my success was not guaranteed. It could all be possible due to my efforts and commitment.
Speaking
We have just read about the first flight of a young seagull. Your teacher will now divide the class into groups. Each group will work on one of the following topics. Prepare a presentation with your group members and then present it to the entire class.
- Progression of Models of Airplanes
- Progression of Models of Motorcars
- Birds and Their Wing Span
- Migratory Birds – Tracing Their Flights
Answer:
Do it yourself seeking the help of your teachers.
Writing
Write a short composition on your initial attempts at learning a skill. You could describe the challenges of learning to ride a bicycle or learning to swim. Make it as humorous as possible.
Answer:
While I started riding a bicycle, I faced a lot of difficulties. Initially, I fell on the ground two to three times. I also got injured. But my friend, Ajay helped me a lot. He told me how to learn cycling. He balanced the handle of the cycle and took me to ride. He told me how to apply the brake or place feet on pedal. I did the things as told by him again and again. After 15 days, I was able to ride the cycle. Now I do cycling frequently. For this, the credit goes to Ajay, who helped me get skilled in cycling.
JAC Class 10th English His First Flight Important Questions and Answers
I. Short Answer Type Questions (20 – 30 words & 2 marks each)
Question 1.
Flying is a natural instinct in birds. Why was the young seagull exhausted by this peculiar exercise?
Answer:
The young seagull lacked courage to fly. Therefore, he used to give excuses for not flying. He was sure that his wings were too weak to support him while flying. He did not have the audacity to flap his wings and failed to gather courage to take plunge.
Question 2.
How did the young seagull’s parents try to make him fly?
Answer:
The young seagull’s parents tried everything to make him fly. They screamed, scolded and threatened to let him starve on the ledge unless he flew away.
Question 3.
What did the young seagull watch his parents doing the day before?
Answer:
The young seagull watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister the day before. They were making them perfect in the art of flying and teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish.
Question 4.
What was the young seagull’s mother doing before him?
Answer:
The young seagull’s mother was standing on the plateau and her white breast thrust forward. She tore a piece of fish that lay at her feet, then she scrapped each side of her beak on the rock.
Question 5.
How was the young seagull’s expression when he saw his mother with food?
Answer:
The young seagull uttered a joyful scream because he thought that his mother was bringing food for him. He tried to come nearer to her as she flew across.
Question 6.
Why did the young seagull feel miserable on the ledge?
Answer:
The young seagull felt very miserable on the ledge as he was alone and his family had already flown away. He was feeling very hungry and had nothing to eat. His condition was getting worse because he could not even dive for fish.
Question 7.
How did the young seagull and his family celebrate his first flight?
Answer:
When the young seagull started flying and got over his fear, his family screamed around him out of joy. They praised and offered him scraps of dog – fish out of delight as he made a successful attempt.
II. Short Answer Type Questions (40 – 50 words & 3 marks each)
Question 1.
When did the young seagull’s flight start and where did it end?
Answer:
The young seagull’s flight started when he dived to snatch the piece of fish from his mother’s beak. He fell down but instinctively opened up his wings and gradually started to fly. His flight ended after half an hour when he landed on the Green sea along with his family.
Question 2.
Where did the young seagull sit alone? What did he watch from there?
Answer:
The young seagull sat on the ledge alone. He was the only one in the family, who did not know how to fly. Just a day before, his brothers and sister had flown away with their parents. When he tried to flap his wings, he was overcome by fear. So, he sat on the ledge watching his family fly.
Question 3.
Did the upbraiding and threatening of his parents help him in flying?
Answer:
The young seagull’s parents did try to teach him flying but he wouldn’t simply move from the ledge. They would fly around him encouraging and challenging him to fly. When he did not respond to their encouragement, they would scold and threaten to let him starve unless he flew away.
Question 4.
What did the maddening hunger result in?
Answer:
Maddened by the hunger, the young seagull dived at the fish in his mother’s beak. Screaming loudly, he fell outwards and downwards into space. The fear seized him completely but it lasted for a minute and the very next moment he spread his wings and began to fly. Indeed the hunger motivated him to fly.
Question 5.
What lesson does the story ‘His First Flight’ teach us?
Answer:
The story ‘His First Flight’ teaches us never to take success for granted. One has to strive hard to get it. The story of the young seagull teaches us to overcome hesitations, fears and inhibitions that impede our thinking to achieve success.
Question 6.
How did the young seagull get over his fear of flying over the sea?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid of flying over the sea because he thought that he would drown. His family decided to teach him a lesson. They left him unattended. The mother tore a piece of fish that lay at her feet now and then in his front. Since the seagull was too much hungry, he was compelled to attempt his first flight in order to get food. He was successful in his attempt. That is why he got over his fear of flying over the sea.
Question 7.
Describe the first flight of the young seagull.
Answer:
The young seagull was too hungry. So he dived at the fish due to hunger and fell outwards and downwards into the space. He thought of getting drowned but his wings spread outwards automatically. He moved downwards and outwards but landed safely on the sea and floated on it without any fear.
III. Long Answer Type Questions (100 – 120 words & 5 marks each)
Question 1.
How was the young seagull in the beginning and the end of the story? Compare and contrast the two facets of the same seagull.
Answer:
Initially, the young seagull used to live alone on the ledge. His siblings had flown away the day before. He was afraid of flying with them. Whenever he tried to spread and flap his wings, he was seized with fear. He fell as if his wings would never support him in flying. His parents flew around calling to him shrilly. They were constantly scolding and taunting. They threatened to let him starve on the ledge unless he flew away. However, in the end, the young seagull was more confident and sure of his success. Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish held by his mother and finally flew in the air forgetting all his hesitations and overcoming his inhibitions. He was able to float on the ocean now. Now his achievement was welcomed by his family.
Question 2.
How did the mother make the young seagull come out of his fear and teach him the art of flying?
OR
How did the seagull family help the young seagull overcome his fear and fly?
OR
Why was the young seagull afraid of flying? What compelled the seagull to finally fly?
Answer:
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 on the ledge, he felt lonely and was very hungry. They tried hard to make him fly but he never showed the courage to try. His mother knowingly tore at a piece of fish near him and flew across to him with it. She came close to him but did not go nearer. Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish but fell into the space. After sometime, his wings spread outwards and he began to fly. His . family landed on the sea ahead of him. They beckoned him so he landed on the sea and began to sink into water but when his belly touched the water, he floated without any fear and difficulty.
Question 3.
Do you think that the seagull’s family loved him? Justify their attitude towards him.
Answer:
The young seagull had two brothers and a sister. His parents flew with them to leave him alone on the ledge as he could not muster up the courage to fly with them. His parents could have fed him. But, they refused to give him any food. They wanted him to fly and dive for his food. They threatened to let him starve. They did so because they loved him. The parents were right in their approach. They did so because they wanted to teach him the importance of confidence and self-reliance. One can’t depend on one’s parents for one’s sustenance for the whole life. Thus, it was important for him to learn to fly, dive and search his own food. Thus, the attitude the seagull family showed to him was actually their love, care and concern for him.
Question 4.
Why was the young seagull pretending to be asleep? What did he actually observe while doing so?
Answer:
The young seagull came to the brink of the ledge. He stood there on one leg with the other hidden under his wing. He closed his one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. He did so because he wanted to know whether they were interested in him or not but he observed that his family was not noticing him. He saw his brothers and sister lying on the plateau. They were dozing. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him. Now and then, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. Then she scrapped each side of the back on the rock.
Question 5.
How did the young seagull get over his fear of seawater and what was his family’s reaction on it?
Answer:
The young seagull had made his maiden flight successfully. When he was near the sea, he was flying straight over it. He observed a vast Green sea all around him. He turned his beak sideways and cawed amusedly. His family was very happy to see the achievement of the young seagull. They beckoned to him. When he landed on the sea, he began to sink but he tried in despair and his belly touched the water and he sank no further. He was floating on water. This way he got over his fear of seawater and his family praised him a lot.
Question 6.
Fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things. Do you agree? How did these two traits of the young seagull make him coward? How did he overcome these shortcomings?
Answer:
Yes, it is true that fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things. In the story, the young seagull lacked the value of courage and confidence. He was too scared of flying. His family tried hard to make him fly but he refused to do so because of his fear of sinking in the seawater.
They even scolded him for his cowardice. They tried to tempt him with food but he was not willing to learn flying. Once he dived, his fear disappeared and he enjoyed his first flight. It is a fact that unless we try to do something and overcome our fear, we can’t leam. Confidence and motivation are the two most important traits that make learning possible.
Question 7.
“The day before, all day long, he had watched his parents flying about with his brother and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish.” What does the author want to say through this? Discuss it with reference to the lesson “His First Flight.”
Answer:
The young seagull had not enough courage to fly. He was always afraid of flying. He did not even know how to fly. Even after a lot of persuasion by his parents, he could not gather courage to fly. If one has no courage and will to do something, one cannot succeed in one’s mission. This was also the case with the young seagull.
Seeing his unwillingness to fly, even the parents of the young seagull left him to his fate. Because if you have no inner feeling to do any thing, nobody to this earth can motivate you. So, inner feeling to do something is a must. The parents of the young seagull were training their brothers and sister. They were making them perfect in the art of flying, how to skim the waves and how to earn their livelihood (how to dive for fish). All these thing are the peculiar traits of a bird.
Through this, the author wants to highlight that one must develop one’s skill to sustain in this world. If you have to survive, then you must be bold and courageous. In the case of young seagull, he did not do hard work to learn his skill and was always afraid to fly. That is why he felt negligence from all the members of his family. Nobody paid much care to him. He had no option and ultimately dived for the fish.
Reference To Context
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:
Question 1.
The great expanse of sea stretched down beneath, and it was such a long way down miles down. 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.
Choose the correct option:
(a) Who felt certain that his wings would never support him?
(i) The young seagull
(ii) The parents of the young seagull
(iii) The brothers and sister of young seagull
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) The young seagull
(b) Why did the young seagull bend his head?
(i) Because his brothers and sisters teased him.
(ii) Because he felt that his wings would never support him.
(iii) Because his friends made remarks upon him.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) Because he felt that his wings would never support him.
(c) The young seagull failed to muster up .
(i) obedience
(ii) loyalty
(iii) courage
(iv) all of these
Answer:
(iii) courage
(d) What did the young seagull’s father and mother threaten him of?
(i) Letting him fly
(ii) Letting him starve on his ledge
(iii) Letting him search for his food himself
(iv) Abandoning him
Answer:
(ii) Letting him starve on his ledge
(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘scolding.’
(i) upbraiding
(ii) pleasing
(iii) freedom
(iv) dejection
Answer:
(i) upbraiding
Question 2.
He had, in fact, seen his older brother catch his first herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents circled around raising a proud cackle. And all the morning the whole family had walked about on the big plateau midway down the opposite cliff taunting him with his cowardice. The sun was now ascending the sky, blazing on his ledge that faced the south. He felt the heat because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall.
Choose the correct option:
(a) What did the young seagull see?
(i) His older brother was sleeping.
(ii) His older brother was catching his first herring.
(iii) His older brother was sitting idle.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) His older brother was catching his first herring.
(b) Where did the whole family walk all the morning?
(i) On the big plateau
(ii) On the small plateau
(iii) On the shore of the sea
(iv) Nowhere
Answer:
(i) On the big plateau
(c) The ………. was now ascending the sky.
(i) moon
(ii) sun
(iii) earth
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) sun
(d) Why did the young seagull feel the heat?
(i) Because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall.
(ii) Because he had not eaten since a long time.
(iii) Because he had not eaten for the last ten days.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) Because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall.
(e) Find out a word from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘descending.’
(i) assemble
(ii) scatter
(iii) ascending
(iv) proud
Answer:
(iii) ascending
Question 3.
He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his wing, he closed one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. Still they took no notice of him. He saw his two brothers and his sister lying on the plateau dozing with their heads sunk into their necks. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him. She was standing on a little high hump on the plateau, her white breast thrust forward. Now and again, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped each side of her beak on the rock.
Choose the correct option:
(a) Where was the young seagull’s mother standing?
(i) On the seashore
(ii) On the plateau
(iii) In the mid – way
(iv) On the outer path
Answer:
(ii) On the plateau
(b) Who tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet?
(i) Father seagull
(ii) Mother seagull
(iii) Sister seagull
(iv) Brother seagull
Answer:
(ii) Mother seagull
(c) was preening the feathers on his white back.
(i) His father
(ii) His mother
(iii) His brother
(iv) His sister
Answer:
(i) His father
(d) What did the young seagull pretend him to be?
(i) Sitting idle
(ii) Only walking in the imaginary world
(iii) Falling asleep
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iii) Falling asleep
(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘cleaning up feathers.’
(i) preening
(ii) disarray
(iii) disturb
(iv) jumble
Answer:
(i) preening
Question 4.
The sight of the food maddened him. How he loved to tear food that way, scrapping his beak now and again to whet it. “Ga, ga, ga,” he cried begging her to bring him some food. “Gaw-col-ah,” she screamed back derisively. But he kept calling plaintively, and after a minute or so he uttered a joyful scream. His mother had picked up a piece of the fish and was flying across to him with it.
Choose the correct option:
(a) What did the sight of the food do to the young seagull?
(i) The sight of the food maddened the young seagull.
(ii) The sight of the food did not affect the young seagull.
(iii) The sight of the food pleased him.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) The sight of the food maddened the young seagull.
(b) What did the young seagull beg from her mother?
(i) Some toys
(ii) Some twigs
(iii) Some food
(iv) Some water
Answer:
(iii) Some food
(c) The young seagull uttered a scream.
(i) plainful
(ii) joyful
(iii) disdainful
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) joyful
(d) What had the mother of the young seagull picked up?
(i) A piece of fish
(ii) Apiece of banana
(iii) A piece of grain
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) A piece of fish
(e) The word similar in meaning to ‘cry’ in the given extract is
(i) whet
(ii) preen
(iii) scream
(iv) scrap
Answer:
(iii) scream
Question 5.
With a loud scream he fell outwards and downwards into space. Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted a minute. The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. The wind rushed against his breast feathers, then under his stomach, and against his wings. He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually downwards and outwards. He was no longer afraid. He just felt a bit dizzy.
Choose the correct option:
(a) Where did the young seagull fall with a loud scream?
(i) Into the water
(ii) On the earth
(iii) Into the space
(iv) On the bank of the seashore
Answer:
(iii) Into the space
(b) Who could hear nothing?
(i) The young seagull
(ii) His brothers and sister
(iii) His mother and father
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) The young seagull
(c) The wings of the young seagull spread .
(i) inwards
(ii) outwards
(iii) both sides
(iv) nowhere
Answer:
(ii) outwards
(d) How did the young seagull feel?
(i) Perplexed
(ii) Confused
(iii) Elated
(iv) Dizzy
Answer:
(iv) Dizzy
(e) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘slowly’.
(i) suddenly
(ii) abruptly
(iii) gradually
(iv) casually
Answer:
(iii) gradually
Question 6.
His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on this green flooring ahead of him. They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise, exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no farther. He was floating on it, and around him his family was screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog – fish.
Choose the correct option:
(a) The seagull’s feet sank into the
(i) Red sea
(ii) Green sea
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) Nowhere
(b) The young seagull was applauded by his
(i) friends
(ii) relatives
(iii) family members
(iv) none of these
(c) His family was offering him scraps of .
(i) dog – fish
(ii) star – fish
(iii) gold – fish
(iv) none of these
His First Flight Summary
His First Flight About the Author
- Liam o’ Flaherty, (bom August 28, 1896 – September 7, 1984), was an Irish novelist and short-story writer.
- He was considered to be a leading figure of the Irish Renaissance. He was educated at the Junior Seminary at Rockwell, Blackrock College, and Holy Cross College in Dublin.
- His books include Thy Neighbour’s Wife (1923), his first successful novel; The Black Soul (1924), the story of a tormented former soldier who seeks tranquillity on a remote western isle; The
- Informer (1925; adapted as an Oscar-winning film by John Ford,
1935), ‘Skerretf and ‘Civil War’ are considered to be his best novels. ‘The Pedlar’s Revenge’ is his best known short story collection. His autobiography, ‘Shame the Devil,’ was published in 1934. - ‘The Informer’ is his best selling novel. With this, he got much honour.
His First Flight Gist of the Lesson
In ‘His First Flight’ the author has tried to show the need for courage and self-confidence to overcome fears in life. In this story, the young seagull seems to be a coward. His other three elder brothers and sister had already flown. The family members encouraged him to fly, but of no avail. One day, he mustered up his courage to fly but all went in vain. For this, he was harshly punished by his parents. He was left all alone on the ledge starving for 24 hours.
Even then, he could not dare to fly. He cried with hunger. Mother took final decision to put before him bait. This idea worked; he dived for a scrap of fish. Mother was high up in the sky and the young seagull was in the open air falling down and down. He opened his wings and found himself flying. This way he was taught to make his first flight. Hence, it can be said that parental encouragement and discipline play a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of the young children.
His First Flight Summary
1. The young seagull afraid of flying: The young seagull was sitting alone on his ledge. He was afraid of flying with his siblings who had flown away. He believed that his wings would not support him.
2. Parents’ warning: To encourage the young seagull to fly, his parents threatened to let him starve unless he flew away. It had been twenty – four hours that he did not eat anything.
3. His siblings and parents flying: The young seagull, a day before, watched his parents perfecting his brothers and sister in the art of flying. He saw his older brother catch his first fish while his parents were feeling proud.
4. The young seagull getting mad by hunger: The young seagull came out of his ledge and pretended to be asleep to his parents and siblings in order to help him bring some food. But no one noticed him except his mother.
5. The mother came up with a plan: The mother seagull flew across to him with a piece of fish. Just before coming to the young seagull, she stopped. The piece of fish was almost in reach of the young seagull. Out of hunger, he dived at the fish and fell into space.
6. The young seagull finally flew: The young seagull felt his wings cutting through the air. He flew away with loud screams and forgot his fear of flying. Finally, he made his first flight.
His First Flight Lesson at a Glance
- The young seagull was sitting alone on his ledge. His two brothers and one sister had learnt flying the day before.
- He was scared of flying as he felt that his wings would not support him.
- His sister and brothers had shorter wings but they were flying. He could not gather up the courage to fly.
- His parents taunted, scolded and even threatened him to leave him starving unless he flew away.
- The young seagull watched his parents perfecting his siblings in the art of flying. They were teaching them how to skim the waves and dive for fish.
- His mother picked a piece of fish and flew across to him with it. She took the piece very near to him and maddened by hunger, the young seagull dived at the fish.
- He fell outwards and downwards into space with a loud scream. His mother flew past him and saw his siblings flying around him.
- The seagull forgot that he could not fly and dived, soared and curved at will. He was shrieking shrilly.
- He saw a green sea beneath him. All his family members were beckoning to him calling shrilly. He was hungry and weak.
- He landed on to the green sea but did not sink. His family praised him and offered him pieces of fish. This way he made his first flight.
His First Flight Character Sketch
Young Seagull: The young seagull was afraid of flying. Although his brothers and sister had shorter wings but they were flying. In due course of time, he gathered courage and strength and made constant efforts for flying. Ultimately, he succeeded in his mission and made his first flight. All the family members were quite happy with him.
His First Flight Word – Meanings
| Word | Maening | Ward | Meaning |
| conquering | getting victory | afraid | fearful |
| lost | hidden | ledge | cliff |
| somehow | in one way or other | brink | edge |
| attempted | tried | flap | to move wings up and down |
| expanse | tract, plain | stretched | spread |
| beneath | below | support | help |
| muster up | gather | plunge | to jump |
| desperate | hopeless, anxious | shrilly | piercing voice |
| upbraiding | scolding | threatening | menacing |
| starve | hungry, unfed | perfecting | completing, improving |
| skim | move just above the surface | herring | a kind of fish |
| devour | consume | cackle | to laugh harshly |
| plateau | a tableland | midway | in the middle |
| taunting | making remark | cowardice | timidity |
| ascending | going upward | blazing | shining |
| pretended | assumed | thrust | to push suddenly |
| preening | to clean feather with wings | maddened | to make mad, troubled |
| hump | a mound | screamed | cried |
| scrapped | removed, abandoned | derisively | mockingly, ridiculing |
| whet | to sharpen | uttered | said |
| leaned out | act of learning and moving | dizzy | weak, faint |
| plaintively | expressing sorrow, mournful | curveting | bouncing |
| monstrous | fearful | beckoning | waving, signalling |
| swooped | pounced, dived | amusedly | happily |