Class 10 · English · English medium
First Flight: Class 10 English companion
An interactive companion to First Flight (Class 10 English): original summaries, explanations of every story and poem, themes, characters, extract-style practice and writing help with answers.
An original companion to First Flight, NCERT Class 10 English (2026–27 edition). Official textbook ↗ ncert.nic.in
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Chapters
- ENHinglish
Chapter 1: A Letter to God
First Flight, Chapter 1. - ENHinglish
Chapter 2: Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Unit 2 of First Flight (Class 10 English). - ENHinglish
Chapter 3: Two Stories about Flying
Chapter 3 of First Flight has two stories and two poems. - ENHinglish
Chapter 4: From the Diary of Anne Frank
Class 10 First Flight, Chapter 4. - ENHinglish
Chapter 5: Glimpses of India
First Flight, Unit 5. - ENHinglish
Chapter 6: Mijbil the Otter
First Flight, Chapter 6. - ENHinglish
Chapter 7: Madam Rides the Bus
First Flight, Chapter 7. - ENHinglish
Chapter 8: The Sermon at Benares
Unit 8 of First Flight (Class 10 English). - ENHinglish
Chapter 9: The Proposal
Unit 9 of First Flight (Class 10 English): The Proposal, a one-act farce by Anton Chekhov, written 1888-89.
Also in Hinglish
- Chapter 1: A Letter to God (Hinglish)
- Chapter 2: Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (Hinglish)
- Chapter 3: Two Stories about Flying (Hinglish)
- Chapter 4: From the Diary of Anne Frank (Hinglish)
- Chapter 5: Glimpses of India (Hinglish)
- Chapter 6: Mijbil the Otter (Hinglish)
- Chapter 7: Madam Rides the Bus (Hinglish)
- Chapter 8: The Sermon at Benares (Hinglish)
- Chapter 9: The Proposal (Hinglish)
A
acknowledgementA signed note confirming that something was received; on a money order it returns to the sender.Ch 1 · A Letter to Godadverb of mannerरीतिवाचक क्रियाविशेषणAn adverb that tells how something is done, such as firmly or curtly.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the Busalliterationअनुप्रासRepeating the same first consonant sound in nearby words.Ch 1 · A Letter to Godalliterationअनुप्रासThe same consonant sound at the start of nearby words.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the BusallusionA brief reference to a well-known story, person or event that the reader is expected to recognise.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne FrankanthropomorphismDescribing an animal or object as if it had human feelings, thoughts or habits.Ch 6 · Mijbil the OtteranticlimaxA disappointing or comic let-down after a build-up to an important moment.Ch 9 · The ProposalapartheidरंगभेदSouth Africa's system of laws (1948 to the early 1990s) that kept races apart and gave white people power over everyone else.Ch 2 · Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to FreedomarchaicपुरातनOld-fashioned; once common in a language but rarely used today.Ch 8 · The Sermon at Benaresasideस्वगत कथनA remark that the audience hears but the other characters on stage do not.Ch 9 · The ProposalB
balladगाथा-गीतA poem that narrates a story in short stanzas, with a strong beat, simple words and often a refrain. Ballads were first sung.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the BusC
clauseउपवाक्यA group of words with its own subject and verb.Ch 8 · The Sermon at Benarescollocationसहप्रयोगWords that naturally go together, such as heavy rain or strong tea.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiacomposedशांतCalm and in control of one's feelings.Ch 8 · The Sermon at Benarescompound wordA word made by joining two or more words, as in notebook, well-known or bus stop.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne Frankconflictसंघर्षA struggle between opposing forces in a story: people against nature, against each other, or within themselves.Ch 1 · A Letter to GodconscienceYour inner sense of right and wrong.Ch 1 · A Letter to Godcontracted formA short spoken form written with an apostrophe, such as can't for cannot or I've for I have.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne FrankD
diaryदैनंदिनीA private book in which you write what happened each day and how you felt about it.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne Frankdirect speechप्रत्यक्ष कथनA speaker's exact words, written inside quotation marks.Ch 9 · The Proposaldramatic ironyनाटकीय व्यंग्यA situation in which the audience knows something that a character does not.Ch 9 · The ProposalE
enjambmentRunning a sentence on from one line of poetry to the next without a pause.Ch 1 · A Letter to GodenjambmentLetting a sentence run on from one line of a poem into the next without a pause.Ch 3 · Two Stories about FlyingenlightenmentबोधA state of deep spiritual understanding; for Buddhists, waking up from ignorance and suffering.Ch 8 · The Sermon at BenaresepistemologyThe study of how we know things; the epistemology of loss means understanding what loss really is.Ch 3 · Two Stories about Flyingextended metaphorA metaphor that is developed through several lines or a whole poem.Ch 6 · Mijbil the OtterF
faithआस्थाComplete trust in someone or something, especially in God, without needing proof.Ch 1 · A Letter to Godfarceप्रहसनA comedy built on exaggerated characters, absurd situations and physical clowning.Ch 9 · The Proposalfirst-person narratorA character who tells the story as ‘I’, so we see events only through their eyes.Ch 3 · Two Stories about Flyingfree versePoetry without a regular rhyme scheme or fixed rhythm.Ch 5 · Glimpses of Indiafree verseमुक्त छंदPoetry without a regular rhyme scheme, rhythm or line length.Ch 6 · Mijbil the OtterG
gentryWealthy landowning families just below the nobility in rank.Ch 9 · The ProposalgriefशोकDeep sorrow, especially after someone dies.Ch 8 · The Sermon at BenaresH
homographA word spelt like another but with a different meaning, and sometimes a different sound, such as lead (guide) and lead (metal).Ch 2 · Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to FreedomhomographA word spelt like another but different in meaning, and sometimes in sound, such as tear (drop) and tear (rip).Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiahomographA word spelt like another but different in meaning, and sometimes in sound, such as record (noun and verb).Ch 9 · The ProposalhomophoneA word that sounds like another but differs in meaning and usually spelling, such as peace and piece.Ch 2 · Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to FreedomhomophoneA word that sounds like another but differs in meaning and usually spelling, such as sea and see.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiahomophoneA word that sounds like another but differs in spelling and meaning, such as piece and peace.Ch 9 · The Proposalhyperboleअतिशयोक्तिDeliberate exaggeration for effect or humour.Ch 6 · Mijbil the Otterhyperboleअतिशयोक्तिDeliberate exaggeration for effect or humour.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the BushypochondriacA person who worries constantly about being ill.Ch 9 · The ProposalI
idiomमुहावराA fixed phrase whose meaning differs from the meanings of its separate words, such as fly off the handle.Ch 3 · Two Stories about FlyingidiomमुहावराA fixed group of words with a meaning you cannot work out from the single words, as in lose heart.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne Frankillusionभ्रमA false belief or impression that something is real or true.Ch 2 · Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to FreedomimageryWords that create pictures, sounds or feelings in the reader's mind.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne FrankimageryबिंबWords that appeal to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) to create pictures in the mind.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiaimageryबिंबWords that create pictures and sensations in the reader's mind.Ch 6 · Mijbil the Otterimageryबिंब-विधानWords that create pictures, sounds or other sense impressions in the reader's mind.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the Businaugurationशपथ ग्रहण समारोहA formal ceremony at which a new leader takes the oath and begins a term of office.Ch 2 · Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedominscrutableरहस्यमयImpossible to understand or explain.Ch 8 · The Sermon at BenaresinversionTurning the normal word order round, for example putting the verb last, to fit a rhyme or rhythm.Ch 3 · Two Stories about FlyingironyविडंबनाA situation where the result is the opposite of what we expect, often strange or comic.Ch 1 · A Letter to GodironyविडंबनाUsing words whose real meaning is the opposite of what they seem to say, or a result opposite to what is expected.Ch 3 · Two Stories about FlyingironyविडंबनाA contrast between what is said and what is really true, or between what we expect and what happens.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne FrankironyविडंबनाA gap between what is expected or said and what is true. In dramatic irony the reader knows something a character does not.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the BusJ
journalA full day-by-day record of a journey, a project or a period of time.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne FrankL
lamentationविलापLoud weeping, or words that express deep sorrow.Ch 8 · The Sermon at Benareslight versePoetry written mainly to amuse, with neat rhymes, a strong beat and a playful tone.Ch 3 · Two Stories about FlyinglogAn official record of events with exact dates and times, such as a ship's or a guard's log.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne FrankM
memoirसंस्मरणA writer's account of their own life, written years later by looking back.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne FrankmetaphorरूपकA comparison that says one thing is another, carrying a quality across without like or as.Ch 1 · A Letter to GodmetaphorरूपकA comparison that says one thing is another, without like or as: tea bushes as a sea.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiametaphorरूपकA comparison that calls one thing another, without like or as, to carry a quality across.Ch 6 · Mijbil the OttermetaphorरूपकA comparison that says one thing is another, without like or as.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the BusmetaphorरूपकA figure of speech that calls one thing another, without ‘like’ or ‘as’, to show a likeness.Ch 8 · The Sermon at Benaresmoney orderA post office service that delivers cash to a named person, who signs to confirm receipt.Ch 1 · A Letter to Godmortalनश्वरCertain to die one day; as a noun, a human being.Ch 8 · The Sermon at BenaresmustelidA member of the weasel family, which includes otters, badgers, weasels, stoats and minks.Ch 6 · Mijbil the OtterN
narratorThe person who tells a story; in this piece, Maxwell himself, using I.Ch 6 · Mijbil the Otternon-defining relative clauseA clause that adds extra information about a noun already identified; it sits between commas and can be removed.Ch 1 · A Letter to Godnoun modifierA word placed before a noun to describe it: an adjective, a noun or a proper noun.Ch 6 · Mijbil the OtterO
obligationदायित्वA duty that you are bound to carry out.Ch 2 · Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedomonomatopoeiaध्वन्यनुकरणA word that imitates the sound it names, such as clank or buzz.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the Busopen endingAn ending that leaves a key question unanswered, so readers must decide for themselves.Ch 3 · Two Stories about FlyingotterऊदबिलावA playful, fish-eating mammal of rivers and coasts, with webbed feet and thick waterproof fur.Ch 6 · Mijbil the OtterP
parenthesisWords set inside brackets, apart from the main text; in a poem they often show private thoughts.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne Frankparodyहास्य-अनुकरणA funny imitation of a serious style or form.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the Busparticipial adjectiveAn adjective formed from a verb: the -ing form describes the cause of a feeling, the -ed form the person who feels it.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiaparticleA small adverb or preposition such as up, down, out or through that combines with a verb.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiapatronymicA name formed from the father's first name, such as Stepanovitch, ‘son of Stepan’.Ch 9 · The Proposalpen-portraitA short, vivid written sketch of a person, showing their looks, habits and character.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiapersonificationमानवीकरणGiving human feelings or actions to animals, objects or ideas.Ch 3 · Two Stories about FlyingpersonificationमानवीकरणGiving human actions or feelings to non-human things, such as trees that work and stumble.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiapersonificationमानवीकरणGiving human qualities or actions to something that is not human.Ch 6 · Mijbil the OtterpersonificationमानवीकरणGiving human actions or feelings to an animal, object or idea, such as trees that run.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the Busphrasal verbA verb with an adverb or preposition (or both) whose meaning is often different from its parts, as in hand in or put up with.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne Frankpoetic licenceA poet’s freedom to bend spelling, grammar or word order for the sake of rhyme, rhythm or effect.Ch 3 · Two Stories about Flyingpoint of viewदृष्टिकोणThe position from which a story is seen and told. Here the narrator stays close to Valli, so we see the world as she sees it.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the Busprejudiceपूर्वाग्रहAn unfair opinion about a person or group, formed before knowing the facts.Ch 2 · Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to FreedomQ
quantity phraseA phrase such as a piece of or a grain of used to count or measure an uncountable noun.Ch 6 · Mijbil the OtterR
refrainA word or line repeated regularly in a poem, often at the end of each stanza.Ch 4 · From the Diary of Anne FrankrefrainटेकA line or group of lines repeated through a poem or song.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the BusrefrainटेकLines repeated at the end of each stanza of a poem or song.Ch 8 · The Sermon at Benaresrelative pronounA word such as who, whom, whose or which that begins a relative clause.Ch 1 · A Letter to Godreported speechअप्रत्यक्ष कथनSomeone's words given in your own sentence, without quotation marks, usually with changes of pronoun, tense and time words.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the Busreported speechअप्रत्यक्ष कथनSomeone's words passed on in our own sentence, without quotation marks.Ch 9 · The Proposalreporting verbThe verb that introduces reported words, such as said, asked or told.Ch 9 · The Proposalrhyme schemeतुकांत योजनाThe pattern of rhymes at line ends, shown with letters such as ABAB.Ch 1 · A Letter to Godrhyme schemeThe pattern of rhyming line-endings in a stanza, shown with letters such as ababcc.Ch 3 · Two Stories about Flyingrhyme schemeतुकांत योजनाThe pattern of rhymes at the ends of lines, shown with letters such as AABB.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the BusS
semicolonअर्धविरामThe mark; used to join two closely related, complete clauses.Ch 8 · The Sermon at Benaressermonप्रवचनA talk on religion or right living, given by a spiritual teacher; used jokingly for long, unwanted advice.Ch 8 · The Sermon at BenaressimileउपमाA comparison that uses like or as, e.g. shone like pearls.Ch 1 · A Letter to GodsimileउपमाA comparison that uses like or as, such as clouds that look like black mountains.Ch 3 · Two Stories about FlyingsimileउपमाA comparison using like or as: boughs moving like dazed patients.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiasimileउपमाA comparison that uses like or as: the car raced like a bullet.Ch 6 · Mijbil the OttersimileउपमाA comparison that uses like or as: as brave as a lion.Ch 7 · Madam Rides the Busstage directionमंच निर्देशAn instruction in a play script, usually in brackets, about actions, movement or tone.Ch 9 · The Proposalsuffixप्रत्ययLetters added to the end of a word to make a new word, such as -ment or -ion.Ch 2 · Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedomsyllableअक्षरA unit of sound in a word containing one vowel sound, such as pe-di-gree (three).Ch 9 · The Proposalsymbolप्रतीकAn object or image that stands for an idea, such as ice for hatred.Ch 1 · A Letter to Godsymbolप्रतीकSomething concrete that stands for a bigger idea, as the lost ball stands for childhood.Ch 3 · Two Stories about Flyingsymbolप्रतीकSomething that stands for a larger idea, such as a forest standing for freedom.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiaT
toneThe attitude a writer or speaker shows towards the subject, e.g. calm, ironic or grateful.Ch 1 · A Letter to GodtoneThe writer's or speaker's attitude, such as nostalgic, humorous or matter-of-fact, shown through the choice of words.Ch 5 · Glimpses of Indiatransitoryक्षणिकLasting only a short time.Ch 2 · Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedomtravel writingWriting about a place that informs readers and makes them want to visit, mixing facts with personal description.Ch 5 · Glimpses of IndiaU
understatementDescribing something serious in deliberately mild words, for effect.Ch 1 · A Letter to GodW
word stressबलाघातThe extra force given to one syllable of a word, which is said louder, longer and higher.Ch 9 · The Proposalncert.ai is an independent learning companion aligned to the NCERT curriculum. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by NCERT.