The Black Aeroplane by Frederick Forsyth Questions & Answers
Two Stories About Flying
Thinking about the Text
(Page 40)
Q1.“I’ll take the risk”. What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Ans: A huge storm was brewing up and the author waskeen to reach his home to spend his holiday with his family. So, he decided to fly through the storm as he did not want to miss the chance to meet his family at breakfast. Thus he took the risk even when the visibility was almost zero in the storm.
Q2.Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
Ans: As the pilot (author) entered the storm, his plane started jumping and twisting. He could not see anything outside the plane as it was black. When he looked at compass and other instruments they had stopped to function due to storm. It was a terrible and fearsome experience for him. The fuel tank was almost empty and he could not fly more than ten minutes. Then he saw another black aeroplane by his side and the pilot of the plane signalled him to follow. It was a surprise for the narrator as the other black plane was having no light. He followed him without any choice and landed safely on the runway.
Q3.Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
Ans: After landing the plane, the narrator wasn’t sorry to walk away from the old Dakota as he had a horrific experience flying that plane. Finally, he was happy that he had landed the plane safely. That is why he wasn’t sorry to steer away.
Q4.What made the woman in the Control Centre look at the narrator strangely?
Ans: The woman in the Control Centre looked at the
narrator strangely because the narrator asked him about the black aeroplane and she saw no one except the narrator’s in the sky during the storm. Even the radar showed only the narrator’s plane that night in the sky.
Q5.Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
Ans: It is very difficult to say about the unknown pilot who helped the narrator. But probably it was the narrator himself that helped him to overcome the fear in the storm as no other plane was seen in the radar except the narrator’s Dakota plane. In that fearsome situation, he might have been hallucinating. He himself was a good pilot and brave enough who helped himself land safely.
Extra Questions:
1. How did the writer get out of the storm in the night to land safely?
Ans: The writer was flying his old Dakota aeroplane when he saw the black clouds. He was lost in the storm. Suddenly, he saw a black aeroplane by his side, which had no lights, on its wings.
The pilot instructed the writer to follow as he had lost the way. He obeyed him like a child. He was very happy to follow him. After sometime the pilot of another plane started to land. The writer followed him blindly through the storm and came out of the clouds. He saw the lights of the runway and landed safely.
2. Why was the writer happy when he decided to fly in the night?
Ans: The writer was very happy when he decided to fly that night because he was going home to his family to – enjoy his holiday. When he started, everything seemed to be perfect. The sky was clear, no clouds could be seen. He was flying back to England in his old Dakota aeroplane over France. He was happy being alone in the sky and was dreaming of his holiday
3. “The Black Aeroplane is a mystery Story”. Explain
OR
Do you agree that the story “The Black Aeroplane is a mystery? Justify your answer with reasons.
Ans: yes, the black aeroplane is a mystery story. The pilot of the old Dakota was caught in the storm. He was helpless as his instruments had stopped functioning. He did not know what to do. Suddenly he saw a black aeroplane flying next to him. it was a strange plane flying in the storm without lights.
The pilot of the black aeroplane helped him in landing safely. On landing he turned back to look for the friend but he had disappeared. The black aeroplane had gone; the lady in the control centre told him that he was the only one flying that night. There was no other plane. He could not understand who helped him. It was really a big mystery.
4. Define the values that reflect from the action of the pilot of old Dakota aeroplane when he wanted to thank the pilot of the black aeroplane.
OR
The pilot wanted to Thank another pilot after his safe landing. Why? What values of the writer are reflected from his actions?
Ans: The pilot of the old Dakota was caught in the storm. He lost his contact with the control room. In this troubling situation, he fuels tank was also empty. He lost all his hopes but suddenly a strange black plane appeared.
The pilot of the black plane asked the writer to follow him. The writer landed safely. After his safe landing, he wanted to thank the pilot of the black plane. This shows his gratitude towards the safe pilot of black plane. He was thankful to him for saving his life. It shows that the pilot of Dakota had a value of gratefulness.
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