Class 10 English (First Flight)

1. What was Gautama Buddha's early name before he attained enlightenment?

• A. Siddhartha Gautama
• B. Siddhartha Vardhamana
• C. Ashoka Gautama
• D. Rahul Gautama

2. At what age was Prince Siddhartha sent away for schooling in Hindu sacred scriptures?

• A. Twelve years old
• B. Ten years old
• C. Fifteen years old
• D. Eight years old

3. At what age did Siddhartha return home and marry a princess?

• A. Sixteen years old
• B. Eighteen years old
• C. Twenty years old
• D. Twenty-five years old

4. How long was Siddhartha shielded from the sufferings of the world in his royal palace?

• A. For about ten years
• B. For about five years
• C. For about fifteen years
• D. For about twenty years

5. Which four sights did Prince Siddhartha see that moved him to renounce his royal life?

• A. A sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession, and a begging monk
• B. A blind man, a wounded soldier, a dead animal, and a hermit
• C. An old woman, a poor child, a funeral, and a scholar
• D. A beggar, a sick child, a burning house, and a priest

6. How many years did Siddhartha wander in search of enlightenment?

• A. Seven years
• B. Five years
• C. Ten years
• D. Twelve years

7. Under what kind of tree did Siddhartha sit until he attained enlightenment?

• A. A peepal tree
• B. A banyan tree
• C. A mango tree
• D. A neem tree

8. What name was given to the tree under which Siddhartha attained enlightenment?

• A. Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom)
• B. Sacred Banyan
• C. Nirvana Tree
• D. Kalpavriksha

9. What does the title 'Buddha' mean?

• A. The Awakened or The Enlightened
• B. The Great Scholar
• C. The Royal Prince
• D. The Holy Teacher

10. Where did Buddha preach his very first sermon?

• A. Benares (Varanasi)
• B. Bodh Gaya
• C. Lumbini
• D. Sarnath

11. What tragedy had struck Kisa Gotami in the chapter?

• A. Her only son had died
• B. Her husband had left her
• C. Her home had been destroyed
• D. She had lost all her wealth

12. What did Kisa Gotami do in her grief carrying her dead child?

• A. She went from neighbor to neighbor asking for medicine to bring him back to life
• B. She went straight to the cremation ground
• C. She locked herself inside her house
• D. She went to the king to demand justice

13. Who directed Kisa Gotami to go to Sakyamuni Buddha?

• A. A man she met in her neighborhood
• B. Her husband
• C. A wise physician
• D. A village priest

14. What item did Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to procure as a cure?

• A. A handful of mustard seeds
• B. A cup of holy water
• C. A pinch of sacred ash
• D. A lotus flower from the river

15. What strict condition did Buddha place on obtaining the mustard seeds?

• A. They must come from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent, or friend
• B. They must be purchased from the central market before sunrise
• C. They must be grown in her own garden
• D. They must be given by a royal priest

16. Why was Kisa Gotami unable to get mustard seeds from any household?

• A. Every household had lost a beloved family member to death
• B. People refused to help her
• C. Mustard seeds were unavailable in the city
• D. Nobody understood her request

17. Where did Kisa Gotami sit down weary and hopeless after searching all day?

• A. By the wayside watching the lights of the city
• B. At the door of the Buddha's monastery
• C. Under the Bodhi tree
• D. On the bank of the river Ganges

18. What realization came to Kisa Gotami as she watched the city lights extinguish?

• A. That human lives flicker up and are extinguished just like the city lights, making death universal
• B. That she needed to buy lamps for her home
• C. That the city was unsafe at night
• D. That she should leave Benares immediately

19. What comparison did Buddha use to describe the mortality of human lives?

• A. Ripe fruits early in danger of falling, and earthen vessels made by a potter
• B. Leaves falling from autumn trees
• C. Water flowing into the ocean
• D. Sparks flying from a bonfire

20. According to Buddha, can weeping or grieving bring a dead person back to life?

• A. No, weeping increases suffering and harms one's health without saving the dead
• B. Yes, deep sorrow moves the gods
• C. Yes, if done for long enough
• D. No, but it makes the dead person happy

21. How can a person obtain peace of mind according to Buddha's sermon?

• A. By drawing out the arrow of lamentation, complaint, and grief
• B. By offering sacrifices at temples
• C. By isolating oneself from society
• D. By acquiring vast knowledge

22. What happens to a person who overcomes all sorrow?

• A. He becomes free from sorrow and attains true peace
• B. He becomes immortal physically
• C. He becomes a king
• D. He forgets his past completely

23. What lesson did Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand through the exercise of finding mustard seeds?

• A. Death is inevitable and universal to all living beings
• B. Mustard seeds have healing powers
• C. People in the city are unhelpful
• D. Grief can cure illness

24. What river flows near Benares where Buddha gave his sermon?

• A. River Ganges
• B. River Yamuna
• C. River Godavari
• D. River Narmada

25. What was Siddhartha Gautama's son's name or royal title referenced in historical accounts of Buddha?

• A. Rahula
• B. Anand
• C. Devadatta
• D. Sujata

26. Which word in the sermon means 'a formal talk on a religious or moral subject'?

• A. Sermon
• B. Scripture
• C. Lamentation
• D. Desolation

27. How does the text describe the nature of human life in this world?

• A. Troubled, brief, and combined with pain
• B. Long, peaceful, and joyous
• C. Permanent and unchanging
• D. Completely predictable and simple

28. What term is used to describe human beings subject to death?

• A. Mortals
• B. Immortals
• C. Saints
• D. Ascetics

29. Who compiled/adapted 'The Sermon at Benares' in the NCERT First Flight textbook?

• A. Betty Renshaw (from Values and Voices)
• B. Gavin Maxwell
• C. Vallikkannan
• D. Arup Kumar Datta

30. What path leads to immortality according to the lesson's philosophical theme?

• A. Surrendering selfishness and realizing the truth of existence
• B. Accumulating wealth and power
• C. Living in isolation in the wilderness
• D. Performing complex rituals repeatedly