Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
As the bus moved slowly on, a bright-eyed little boy in school cap and blazer paused
momentarily beside the vacant seat and then quickly moved a little way on ….
The conductor approached with his cheery ‘Any more fares, please, free ride only after
Midnight.’
(i) Why did the school boy not occupy the vacant seat? What was he puzzled by?
(ii) Who was preparing to take the seat? What did the person do instead? Why?
(iii) What efforts did the conductor make to get this person to sit in the vacant seat?
(iv) What does the author do to help ease the situation? How does the conductor view the
author’s action?
(v) What was the author’s intended destination? What is his state of mind as he approaches this place?
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(i)
- the little boy noticed that there was a lady on the bus and politely waited for her to take the seat.
- he is puzzled when she hesitates, moves forward and prefers to stand in the aisle of the moving bus.
(ii)
- a slim, smartly dressed woman.
- She is about to sit – quickly changed her mind preferring to stand in aisle of the bus – because she suddenly notices that the other occupant of the seat was a coloured man.
(iii)
- Conductor repeatedly points out the empty seat
‘Empty seat, beside you lady’
‘Seat here for you, lady’
‘No standing on the bus, lady’
(iv)
- Author is embarrassed / as a black person – quickly rose from the seat – said he had to get off at the next stop – alighted from the bus.
- Conductor seemed to feel betrayed – author felt conductor wanted to confront the woman / challenge her racist attitude and shame her.
(v) Author was on his way to Greenslade Secondary School – he was to join the teaching staff
there.
The encounter on the bus upset him – he felt depressed – the surroundings (London East End)
made him feel even worse. All his positive and optimistic feelings drained away.