CBSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

Detailed explanation-1: -Ans: Valli’s deepest desire as an eight-year-old was to travel by bus she saw every day. The sentences in the story which depict this are as follows: “Day after day she watched the bus, and gradually a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there: she wanted to ride on that bus, even if just once.

Detailed explanation-2: -Why did Valli want to ride on the bus? Valli used to watch the bus on its hourly rounds through her street every day. The sight of the bus filled with new passengers every time gave her unending joy. She was curious and wished to ride it once.

Detailed explanation-3: -She had an overwhelming desire to ride on the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. Over many months, she listened carefully to conversations between her neighbours and people about the bus journey such as bus fare and time and also saved money by not buying toys, balloons etc.

Detailed explanation-4: -She saw so many things on her way-a canal, palm trees, grasslands, distant mountains. Oh! it was all so wonderful, that’s what she felt. Sometimes the bus seemed on the point of gobbling up another vehicle that was coming towards them or a pedestrian crossing the road.

Detailed explanation-5: -Answer : Valli was planning to go to the town and then return back by the same bus. The fare was 30 paise one way and the ride took forty five minutes. In this way, she planned that she would be back by 2:45 pm if she took the bus at 1:00 pm.