Q. Who is the main character of Madam Rides the Bus?
Ans. The main character is an eight-year-old girl named Valliammai, commonly called Valli.
Q. How old was Valli?
Ans. Valli was eight years old.
Q. What was Valli's favourite pastime?
Ans. Her favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house and watching what was happening in the street.
Q. What was Valli's strongest desire?
Ans. Her strongest desire was to ride the bus to the nearby town.
Q. How did Valli gather information about the bus journey?
Ans. She listened carefully to conversations between her neighbours and people who regularly travelled by bus.
Q. How much was the one-way bus fare?
Ans. The one-way bus fare was thirty paise.
Q. How long did the bus journey take one way?
Ans. The journey to the town took approximately forty-five minutes.
Q. How did Valli save money for the bus ride?
Ans. She saved money by resisting the temptation to buy toys, sweets and other treats.
Q. Why did Valli refuse the cold drink offered by the conductor?
Ans. She did not want to spend extra money and wanted to remain independent.
Q. How did the conductor address Valli?
Ans. The conductor affectionately addressed her as Madam.
Q. Why did Valli refuse help when boarding the bus?
Ans. She wanted to show that she could manage by herself and did not need assistance.
Q. What fascinated Valli during the bus journey?
Ans. She enjoyed watching the moving scenery, fields, palm trees, mountains and other sights along the road.
Q. Why did Valli laugh at the young cow on the road?
Ans. She laughed because the cow ran in front of the bus, making the situation amusing.
Q. Why did Valli become sad on the return journey?
Ans. She saw the same cow lying dead by the roadside, which made her realise how suddenly life could change.
Q. Why did Valli not get off the bus in the town?
Ans. She was interested mainly in the bus ride and did not want to explore the town.
Q. How did Valli arrange the money for her trip?
Ans. She saved sixty paise for the return journey by carefully avoiding small purchases.
Q. What did Valli learn from her first bus journey?
Ans. She experienced both the joy of independence and the sadness of seeing death.
Q. Why did Valli avoid talking to the elderly woman on the bus?
Ans. She found the woman's questions and appearance unpleasant and wanted to be left alone.
Q. What qualities of Valli are revealed in the story?
Ans. Valli is curious, determined, observant, independent and courageous.
Q. What is the main theme of Madam Rides the Bus?
Ans. The story explores childhood curiosity, independence, observation and the gradual understanding of life and death.