Class 10 English Chapter 2: There’s a Girl by the Tracks!

Comprehension I: There’s a Girl by the Tracks!

Question 1.
“It’s a regular scene”. What was regular about the scene? (para 1)

Answer:
The sight of commuters swarming out and into the twelve packed coaches of the Mumbai suburban electric train when it made its 20-second halt was regular about the scene.

Question 2.
“Roma Talreja tried to settle into a corner near the door of the train”. Was she right in doing this? What would you have done, if you were there?

Answer:
No, she was not right to settle into a comer, especially near the door. The train was crowded and people were not able to stand safely. Space is less. If I was there, I adjust myself and go inside as much as possible.

Question 3.
“There’s a girl by the tracks”, the voices cried out. Whose voices do you think those were?
Answer:
It was the voices of the passengers of another train moving in the opposite direction.

Question 4.
Baleshwar was impulsive in making a decision because ________________
(Fill in the blank appropriately) (para 3)

Answer:
He grabbed the train’s red emergency chain and pulled it down frantically. He must be one of those who does not think twice about helping others.

Question 5.
The dictionary says ‘callous’ means ‘unconcerned’. In this situation, who do you think was ‘callous’ towards the accident?
Answer:
The passengers of the trains in which Roma and Baleshwar were travelling.

Question 6.
Baleshwar rushed to help the girl. His movement has been described with verbs like ‘shoved’. Identify two more such verbs / verbal phrases in para 5.
Answer:
Jumped off, and sprinted back.

Comprehension II: There’s a Girl by the Tracks!

Question 1.
Where did Baleshwar find Roma at last?
Answer:
Baleshwar found Roma sprawled by the side of the tracks.

Question 2.
“Behenji, aap theek hai?” But there was no response and no help in sight. Why was it so? Read paragraph 6 and answer.

Answer:
When Roma fell on the tracks, she had a deep cut behind her head and the blood flowed out. She lost her consciousness. So, she was not able to respond.

Generally, the people are not walking between the tracks so no help in sight. Roma had Men from the train on the tracks which were far of five kilometres apart. The place was deserted.

Comprehension III: There’s a Girl by the Tracks!

Question 1.
Who volunteered to help Baleshwar?
Answer:
A tempo-truck driver, a middle-aged man who spoke Gujarati.

Question 2.
“Roma stirred and her eyes fluttered open”. What could have made her react so?
Answer:
When the vehicle lurched forward, the sudden movement might have made Roma regain her consciousness.

Question 3.
“Oh, I couldn’t thank him”, Baleshwar thought. Who do you think he couldn’t thank?
Answer:
Baleshwar couldn’t thank the tempo-truck driver who had helped Baleshwar in bringing Roma to the hospital.

Question 4.
Why did Baleshwar revisit the spot where Roma had fallen?
Answer:
Baleshwar revisited the spot to look for Roma’s belongings as Roma’s brother had told Baleshwar that her cell phone and handbag were missing.

Question 5.
Baleshwar got some assurance from a railway employee. What was that?
Answer:
A railway employee assured Baleshwar that some of Roma’s belongings had been found.

Question 6.
Roma said, “I think it’s astonishing”. What was astonishing?
Answer:
It was astonishing that a total stranger could jump off the train, risking his own life to save the life of another.

Comprehension IV: There’s a Girl by the Tracks!

Question 1.
Some incidents relating to Roma Talreja are given below. Put them in the right order.
n) Roma lost her foothold.
b) The train hurtled ahead.
c) Roma was thrown out of the coach.
d) Roma was jammed between two women.
e) Roma panicked.

Answer:
b. The train hurtled ahead.
d. Roma was jammed between two women.
a. Roma lost her foothold.
e. Roma panicked.
c. Roma was thrown out of the coach.

Question 2.
Baleshwar jumped into action to save the girl. His actions in doing so are given in a jumbled manner. Set them in the right sequence, as in the text.
a) Baleshwar crossed the track.
b) He carried the girl.
c) He saw the girl bleeding.
d) He requested motorists to help him.
e) He prayed silently.

Answer:
a. Baleshwar crossed the track. (Please note that in the lesson it is given that Baleshwar ran back between the tracks. He crossed the track only after lifting the girl. However, in rearranging the sentences into a paragraph, the sentence with the proper noun should come before the sentence with the pronoun. Hence, we have to take ‘a’ as the opener.)
c. He saw the girl bleeding, e. He prayed silently.
b. He carried the girl.
d. He requested motorists to help him.

Question 3.
Write briefly the personal details such as qualifications and profession of Roma Talreja and Baleshwar Mishra after a discussion with your classmates.

Answer:
Roma Talreja was a 21-year-old B.Com. graduate who worked for a call centre. Baleshwar Mishra was a high school dropout who was on a job hunt. If Roma hailed from Pune, Baleshwar was from Mirzapur. Thus, we see that there wasn’t a single aspect which was common to both. Yet fate connected the two of them in a strange way.

Question 4.
“Take the girl to Airoli”, suggested the cop. But Baleshwar disagreed. Why did he do so?
Answer:
Though the cop suggested taking the girl to Airoli, Baleshwar disagreed because Airoli is 10 kilometres away from that place.

Question 5.
Some incidents mentioned in paragraph 12 are given in a jumbled order below. Arrange them sequentially.
a) The on-duty physician advised Baleshwar to take Roma to a nearby hospital.
b) Baleshwar and Roma Talreja arrived at a small hospital.
c) The nurses in the hospital helped Baleshwar to take the young woman in.
d) The hospital lacked the facility and personnel to treat Roma.

Answer:
b. Baleshwar and Roma Talreja arrived at a small hospital.
c. The nurses in the hospital helped Baleshwar to take the young woman in.
d. The hospital lacked the facility and personnel to treat Roma.
a. The on-duty physician advised Baleshwar to take Roma to a nearby hospital.

Question 6.
Was Baleshwar right in asking Roma her name while she lay in a critical condition? Justify your answer.
Answer:
Yes, though she lay a critical condition, it is absolutely necessary to know her family members, etc., because he should inform them about her.

Question 7.
“Baleshwar had a good memory”. Do you agree? Give examples to support your view.

Answer:
Yes, when Roma gave him her brother’s name and phone number, Baleshwar was not in a position to take down the details. Yet, he was able to call Dinesh on his phone after borrowing the cell phone of the tempo-truck driver as he had memorized the name and the number.

Question 8.
The doctor at the Divine Multi-Speciality Hospital admitted Roma without any formalities. What made him do so?

Answer:
Roma had severe injuries on her head, and the blood was flowing from the cut. So, the doctor understood the critical condition of the situation and admitted her without any formalities.

Question 9.
If Baleshwar had not come forward to help Roma, what would have happened to her?

Answer:
If Baleshwar had not come forward to help Roma, her condition could have become worse. She had a deep cut behind her head and bleeding and she had lost her consciousness. At that stage she needed help. If there was no help she would have bleed to death.

Question 10.
How did the truck driver help Baleshwar?

Answer:
The tempo-truck driver volunteered to help Baleshwar. He came forward and assisted Baleshwar to lift Roma, to the back of his truck. He drove them to the hospital in his truck.

Question 11.
Baleshwar felt that the people of Mumbai were afraid. What were they afraid of, in his opinion?
Answer:

Baleshwar felt that Mumbai people were afraid, they had fear of getting trapped in the courts or with the police.

Question 12.
The Dalai Lama says, “Love and compassion are the true religions to me. But to develop this, we do not need to believe in any religion”. Does this relate to the lesson ‘There is a Girl by the Tracks’? How?

Answer:
When Baleshwar jumped off the train to save Roma, he only knew that there was a girl by the track. He had no idea of her age, caste, status etc. It was just one human being’s instinct to help another. It shows that love and compassion are the true religious values to be followed. When people fight in the name of religion, they should remember such acts of kindness and nobility.

There’s a Girl by the Tracks! Summary