Return to AIR? by Phillippa A Pearce- Chapter 6 of Class 10 NCERT PSEB English Literature
Summary: Return to Air” by Ann Philippa Pearce is a
story about the author’s experiences with swimming and diving. The author was
quite proficient in swimming, but had difficulty with diving due to his weak
eyesight.
In the story, the author describes how he used to swim in a
pond in his village. However, he was hesitant to dive because he had to remove
his glasses before diving, which made it difficult for him to see underwater.
The story also introduces a technique called “duck-diving”,
which involves diving into the water in the manner of a duck. This is taught by
throwing a brick into the water and asking the learner to retrieve it.
In one instance, the character nicknamed ‘Sausage’ due to
his plump physique, tries duck-diving for the first time. Without his glasses,
he mistakenly retrieves an old tin box instead of the intended brick.
The story provides vivid descriptions of how the water
changes color as one dives deeper, transitioning from thick green to brown
lemonade and then to blackish-brown. This change in color is attributed to the
decreasing intensity of sunlight underwater.
Summary In more
Simple Language
The writer used to
swim in a pond and was good at it, except for diving from the diving board. He
didn't like diving because he had to remove his glasses and couldn't see well
without them. One day, his swimming instructor told him it was important to
learn to dive in case he needed to rescue someone from drowning. To teach him,
the instructor threw a brick into the pond and asked him to bring it out.
Even though he
couldn't see clearly without his glasses, he jumped into the water. Underwater,
everything was blurry. He felt around and found something brick-like at the
bottom. He grabbed it and started swimming up. He got scared, thinking he might
not make it to the surface in time. He kept going up and finally reached the
surface. When he put on his glasses, he realized he had brought up an old tin
box instead of the brick.
Question and Answer
Why was the boy
called ‘Sausage’?
Answer:
The boy was nicknamed 'Sausage' because he was fat and
plump.
Why did the boy not
like diving?
Answer:
The boy had weak eyesight and had to remove his glasses for
diving, which made him uncomfortable with diving.
What is duck-diving?
How is it taught?
Answer:
Duck-diving involves diving into water like a duck. It is
taught by throwing a brick into the water and instructing the learner to
retrieve it.
What happened to
Sausage when he tried duck-diving the first time?
Answer:
Sausage had to take off his glasses, and he mistook an old
tin box for the brick during his dive.
Why couldn’t Sausage
see inside the water?
Answer:
Sausage couldn't see inside the water because he had weak
eyesight and had to remove his glasses for diving.
Why did the water
change colors? How did it change colors?
Answer:
The water changed colors due to decreasing sunlight
intensity underwater. It shifted from thick green to brown lemonade and then to
blackish-brown.
Was Sausage sure that
he would not come out alive? Give examples to support your answer.
Answer:
Sausage feared he might not survive because he had been
underwater for a long time, struggling for breath. Despite swimming upwards
quickly, he doubted he would make it out alive.
What did Sausage dig
out? Did he know what he had caught hold of when he was inside the water? Why?
Answer:
Sausage dug out an old tin-box, but he didn't recognize it
because of his poor eyesight without glasses.
Where did Sausage
reach while swimming?
Answer:
While swimming, Sausage reached the other end of the pond.
What did Sausage do
with the tin-box?
Answer:
Sausage took the tin-box home, placed it on the mantelpiece,
and used it to store his coin collection, intending to keep it for the rest of
his life.
Objective Type
Questions
Question 1:
Who authored the
story?
Answer:
The story was written by Philippa A Pearce.
Question 2:
What was the boy's
nickname?
Answer:
The boy was called 'Sausage'.
Question 3:
What did Sausage have
a dislike for?
Answer:
Sausage didn't like diving.
Question 4:
What object was
thrown into the water during duck-diving lessons?
Answer:
A brick was thrown into the water during duck-diving
lessons.
Question 5:
Why couldn't Sausage
see clearly underwater?
Answer:
Sausage couldn't see inside the water because he had weak
eyesight.
Question 6:
How did the water's
color change during the story?
Answer:
The water changed colors from thick green to brown lemonade
and then to blackish brown.
Question 7:
What was Sausage on the
verge of losing underwater?
Answer:
Sausage was about to lose his breath underwater.
Question 8:
What did Sausage
discover and dig out underwater?
Answer:
He dug out an old tin box underwater.
Complete the
following :
1. The author of the story used to swim in a ……..
2. The boy was very fat and ………………
3. Duck-diving means diving like a ……………….
4. Sausage could not see ………. in water.
5. The water changed its ……….
Answer
- The
author of the story used to swim in a pond.
- The
boy was very fat and plump.
- Duck-diving
means diving like a duck.
- Sausage
could not see properly in water.
- The
water changed its colors.
Write True or False
against each statement :
1. The boy was nicknamed ‘Sausage’ because he was fat and
plump.
2. Sausage liked diving very much.
3. A pitcher is thrown into water in duck-diving training.
4. For diving, the boy had to remove his sweater.
5. Sausage was about to lose his breath underwater.
Answer:
1. True
2. False
3. False
4. False
5. True.
Choose the correct
option for each of the following:
Question 1.
The author of the story was expert in …
(a) shooting
(b) birdwatching
(c) swimming
(d) playing at cards.
Answer:
(c) swimming
Question 2.
What did Sausage have to take off before going into water ?
(a) His hat.
(b) His dress.
(c) His legs.
(d) His spectacles.
Answer:
(d) His spectacles.
Question 3.
Sausage dug out an old ……….
(a) radio set
(b) tin-box
(c) book
(d) bottle.
Answer:
(b) tin-box
Question 4.
Where was the tin-box placed ?
(a) On the shelf.
(b) In the almirah.
(c) On the mantelpiece.
(d) On the rooftop.
Answer:
(c) On the mantelpiece.