CBSE Class 10/Overview
Curriculum 2026–27
Practice
All Revision Notes
EnglishCh-12 12 min comprehensive revision
NCERT Class 10 English — Chapter 12

Two Stories about Flying

Part 1: Liam O'Flaherty's 'His First Flight' exploring psychological fear, maternal strategy, and taking the plunge; Part 2: Frederick Forsyth's 'The Black Aeroplane' detailing survival instinct, radar mystery, and supernatural courage.

Quick Key Takeaways:
His First Flight: The young seagull was paralyzed by the fear of falling until hunger and his mother's clever bait compelled him to take the leap.
Necessity Conquers Fear: Hunger acted as a primal catalyst, proving that taking action often requires external pressure to unlock innate potential.
The Black Aeroplane: A pilot flying his old Dakota into violent storm clouds lost all compass and radio instruments, only to be guided by an enigmatic black plane.
The Radar Mystery: The Paris control room confirmed no other aircraft was airborne that night, leaving the rescuer's identity a psychological or divine enigma.
Jump to Concept:1. 1. Dual Storyline Breakdown: His First Flight & The Black Aeroplane2. 2. Comparative Thematic & Psychological Analysis3. 3. High-Yield Solved Board Examination Questions (3-Mark & 6-Mark)4. 4. Reference-to-Context (RTC) Solved Extract Drill5. 5. CBSE Examiner Marking Scheme, High-Scoring Vocabulary & Pitfalls
1

1. Dual Storyline Breakdown: His First Flight & The Black Aeroplane

Plot Summary & Core Themes

Detailed plot summary, sequence of events, and thematic core of Two Stories about Flying.

• Part 1: His First Flight — Overcoming Paralysis & Taking the Leap
•
The Paralyzed Young Seagull: While his two brothers and little sister had already learned to flap their wings and fly across the expanse of the ocean, the young seagull remained stranded on the isolated rock ledge, convinced that his wings would never support his weight above the great abyss.
•
Family Pressure & Isolation: His parents flew around him, scolding, shrilly calling, and threatening to let him starve unless he flew away. For 24 hours, he watched his family catching herrings and skimming the waves, completely isolated and shivering in the blazing sun.
•
The Mother's Brilliant Psychological Bait: Maddened by hunger, the young seagull watched his mother tearing at a piece of fish. She picked up a scrap and flew close to his ledge, halting just out of reach. Driven wild by desperation, the young seagull leaned forward, lost his footing, and dived into open air.
•
The Triumph of Soaring: A monstrous terror seized him for a single heartbeat, but immediately his wings spread outward, catching the wind. He realized he was no longer falling headlong; he was soaring effortlessly over the green sea, joyfully joined by his praising family.
• Part 2: The Black Aeroplane — The Mysterious Storm Guide
•
The Journey: The narrator was flying his old Dakota DS 088 from Paris to England at 1:00 AM on a clear, starlit night, eagerly daydreaming about a hearty English breakfast with his family.
•
The Storm Mountains: 150 kilometres from Paris, enormous storm clouds appeared like black mountains directly across his path. Lacking sufficient fuel to fly around them and desperate to reach home, he flew straight into the storm.
•
Instrument Failure & Blindness: Inside the black storm, everything was impenetrable. The compass turned around and around; the radio went dead; the fuel gauge showed only enough for five to ten minutes.
•
The Mysterious Black Aeroplane: Suddenly, another plane appeared alongside him with no lights on its wings. The pilot waved his hand, motioning: 'Follow me!' Trusting the stranger like an obedient child, the narrator followed him out of the storm clouds until he saw the lighted runway lines of an airport.
•
The Chilling Revelation: After landing safely, the narrator hurried to the airport control tower to thank his rescuer. The woman at the radar center looked at him in disbelief and laughed: 'Another aeroplane? Up there in this storm? No other planes were flying tonight. Yours was the only one I could see on the radar.'
📊 Two Stories about Flying: Fear, Instinct & MysteryVisual Model
Two Stories about Flying: Courage & Mystery
Part 1: His First Flight (Seagull)
•Young seagull paralyzed by terror of vast sea below
•Family leaves him starving on ledge; mother tempts him with fish
•Instinct overrides fear: Leaping into void, wings spread, mastering flight
Part 2: The Black Aeroplane (Dakota)
•Pilot flying Old Dakota straight into perilous black storm clouds
•Instruments dead, compass broken, lost in swirling dark
•Mysterious black plane with no markings guides him safely to runway
Core Concept: Overcoming internal psychological fear and the enigma of unseen resilience

Comparative diagram illustrating the seagull's psychological leap in Part 1 and the Dakota pilot's radar mystery in Part 2.

2

2. Comparative Thematic & Psychological Analysis

Character & Literary Analysis

Character sketches, psychological motivations, conflicts, and author's message in Two Stories about Flying.

• Theme 1: Fear, Motherhood & Taking the First Step (His First Flight)
•
Universal Fear of the Unknown: The young seagull's terror mirrors human hesitation when stepping out of comfort zones into unfamiliar territory.
•
Tough Love as Pedagogical Catalyst: The mother seagull's refusal to hand him the fish directly demonstrates that true affection sometimes requires tough, uncomfortable challenges to build self-reliance.
• Theme 2: Survival Instinct vs Supernatural Intervention (The Black Aeroplane)
•
Subconscious Manifestation: Psychologically, the black aeroplane can be interpreted as the pilot's own subconscious flying expertise and survival instinct exteriorized as a hallucination during extreme mortal danger.
•
Spiritual Enigma: Alternatively, Forsyth leaves open the metaphysical interpretation of a guardian angel assisting a helpless traveller in the dark.
3

3. High-Yield Solved Board Examination Questions (3-Mark & 6-Mark)

Topper Solved Q&A

Important past CBSE board questions solved according to official marking criteria.

• 3-Mark Short Answer Question: Why did the woman in the control center look at the narrator strangely?
•
Topper Model Answer (30–40 Words): The woman looked at the narrator in astonishment because his claim of being escorted by another aircraft was impossible. The radar radar screen showed zero other aircraft in the airspace during that violent storm; the narrator's old Dakota was the sole airborne machine.
• 6-Mark Long Answer / Analytical Question: Compare and contrast how fear is addressed in 'His First Flight' and 'The Black Aeroplane'. What lessons do both stories impart about crisis management?
•
In 'His First Flight': Fear is self-generated and rooted in lack of confidence and fear of failure. It is resolved through sheer survival necessity (hunger) and maternal tough love, demonstrating that stepping out into the unknown unlocks dormant inner strength.
•
In 'The Black Aeroplane': Fear is external, arising from uncontrollable environmental peril (pitch-black storm and failed navigational instruments). It is overcome through absolute focus, trust, and deep survival fortitude.
•
Core Takeaway: Both narratives affirm that during extreme crises, panic must be replaced by decisive action—whether leaping into open air or calmly trusting intuition through the blinding storm.
4

4. Reference-to-Context (RTC) Solved Extract Drill

CBSE Board RTC Mastery

Standard CBSE Reference-to-Context extract with multi-part analytical questions and answers.

• Prescribed NCERT Extract: Two Stories about Flying
He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer, and then, maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish. With a loud scream he fell outwards and downwards into space. Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still...
•
Q1: Why did the young seagull's mother halt just out of reach? →\rightarrow To compel him, through the desperation of hunger, to leap off the ledge and fly.
•
Q2: What physical sensation gripped him immediately after diving? →\rightarrow A monstrous terror seized him, followed instantly by the rush of air against his breast feathers.
•
Q3: What happened within a few seconds of falling? →\rightarrow His wings spread instinctively, and he realized he was soaring smoothly over the ocean.
•
Q4: Identify the central theme exemplified in this extract. →\rightarrow Necessity and decisive action as the cure for crippling fear.
5

5. CBSE Examiner Marking Scheme, High-Scoring Vocabulary & Pitfalls

Exam Tips & Marking Rubric

Examiner scoring keys, advanced vocabulary enhancers, and critical pitfall avoidance.

• High-Scoring Vocabulary Bank & Expressive Phrasing
•
Brink: The extreme edge of land before a steep slope (He ran forward to the brink of the ledge).
•
Muster: To gather or summon up courage/strength (He failed to muster up courage to take that plunge).
•
Preening: Cleaning and straightening feathers with the beak (His father was preening the feathers on his white back).
•
Apparatus: The technical equipment or machinery (All navigational apparatus in the Dakota ceased functioning).
•
Enigma: A person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand (The rescuer's plane remained an unresolved enigma).
• CBSE Topper Answer Presentation & Common Deduction Traps
•
Comparative Answers: In board questions comparing both parts, structure your answer using two balanced, distinct paragraphs with clear comparative signposts ('Similarly', 'In contrast').
•
Vocabulary: Use 'primal instinct', 'pedagogical tough love', 'hallucinatory survival mechanism', and 'inexplicable enigma'.
•
Common Pitfall: Do not claim with certainty who the black plane pilot was; emphasize that Forsyth deliberately keeps it an ambiguous mystery.
Authentic Board Question (3 Marks)Topic: Two Stories about Flying Character Insight & Thematic Resolution
Analyze the pivotal turning point, character motivations, and underlying moral dilemma in "Two Stories about Flying". What message does the author convey?

Official CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Breakdown:

Step 1: Context & Character Mindset: Describe the central character's psychological dilemma, circumstances, and initial choices.
1 Mark
Step 2: Turning Point & Narrative Evidence: Detail the crucial incident or conflict that transforms the character, citing specific textual evidence.
1 Mark
Step 3: Author's Message & Human Values: Articulate the moral lesson, societal critique, or value of empathy, integrity, or courage highlighted by the author.
1 Mark
Model Student Answer (Target: Full 3/3 Marks):
To secure full 3 marks on "Two Stories about Flying" in the CBSE Board Examination:

1. Character Psychology: State the character's underlying motives and initial predicament with textual clarity.
2. Pivotal Narrative Shift: Explain the specific plot development or turning point that challenges the protagonist and leads to character growth.
3. Thematic Resolution: Conclude with the author's essential philosophical viewpoint on human behavior, integrity, and social conscience.
Examiner Mark Deduction Traps:
•Do not merely retell the plot summary; examiners award full marks for psychological analysis of character decisions.
•Incorporate key character vocabulary (e.g., remorse, pride, resilience, empathy, disillusionment) from the NCERT text.

High-Frequency Conceptual Doubts & FAQs

Curated answers to the most common questions asked by Class 10 students.
The young seagull felt certain that his wings would never support his weight over the vast expanse of the sea below, freezing him in terror on his ledge while his younger siblings had already flown.

Next Learning Steps & Active Practice

You have completed the revision notes. Now apply, test, and evaluate your understanding.
Notes Completed