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CBSE Revision Notes for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 5 The Hundred Dresses – I

CBSE Revision Notes for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 5 The Hundred Dresses – I

Chapter Sketch
‘The Hundred Dresses’ is a story based on the true experiences of the author El Bsor Ester about a girl who is teased by her classmates because she belongs to a poor family. The girl, ‘Wanda Petronski’, becomes the butt of her friends’ jokes because of her funny Polish name. She is always quiet and wears the same faded blue dress to school everyday. She always boasts of having a hundred dresses of same colour at home. The story is also about the realisation which people from main stream society are forced to make about other ‘different’ people with similar potential and emotions.

About the Characters
Wanda Petonski A poor polish girl with a funny name, who wears same blue dress always and boasts of having a hundred dresses.
Peggy Always teases Wanda, creates a game to ask Wanda about dresses, different from others, never made Wanda cry by teasing, the most popular and pretty girl in the school.
Maddie Always teases Wanda, very close friend of Peggy, a poor girl but never boasts like Wanda.
Miss Mason Wanda’s class teacher, who helps the students and supports them.

OVERVIEW OF THE CHAPTER
Wanda Petronski and Her Classmates
It was Monday, Wanda was absent but nobody noticed in the class. She did not have too friends in the class because she was a very shy and quiet girl. She always preferred to sit in the corner of the class. She came from Boggins Heights, where poor people lived. Her parents were polish who left Poland to settle down in America.

Thinking of Classmates about Wanda
Wanda’s classmates thought of her only when they came out of the class and waited to tease her but she was absent. Wanda did not come to school on Tuesday as well.

Peggy and Maddie
Peggy and Maddie were close friends. Peggy was the most popular girl in the school. She was pretty and intelligent. Maddie, her friend was a poor girl. They always teased Wanda. They stayed after the school to mock Wanda but they noticed that she was absent.

Girls Made Fun of Wanda
After being teased by other girls, Wanda lied of having a hundred dresses and sixty pair of shoes in her closet. This lie became a game for others and everybody in the class wanted her to describe her dresses for them everyday. Peggy and Maddie derived pleasure in her discomfort.

More of Peggy
Peggy, the most popular girl of the school, was very pretty. She always teased Wanda but she was not cruel. She never behaved cruelly with anyone not even with animals. If somebody asked her, she always said that Wanda was not an ordinary person but wanted her to describe the hundred dresses.

More of Maddie
Maddie’ a poor girl, was very close friend of Peggy. She felt bad for Wanda as everybody teased her. She wore different dresses given by rich family. She feared that one day all the girls would be fed-up of Wanda and she would become their next target.

Maddie’s Note to Peggy about Wanda
One day Maddie decided to write a note to Peggy, asking her not to tease Wanda anymore. Later, she tore it up, thinking that she might be angry with her and would tease her. She thought about Wanda’s discomfort. She thought about how Wanda had described her blue and green velvet dress with each little detail and her thoughts got diverted to upcoming drawing contest.

The Drawing Competition
Next day, it was drizzling. Peggy and Maddie did not want to be late, so they did not wait for Wanda to tease her. There was a drawing competition for everyone in the class. Boys had to draw a motorboat and girls, a dress. Everybody thought of Peggy to win as she drew realty well everytime.
Everybody drew beautifully in the class in bright colours.

Miss Mason Announced the Winner
The class had assembled and the class teacher Miss Mason announced the winners of the drawing contest. Jack Beggles was the winner among the boys and Wanda Petronski was the winner in girls. Everybody specially the judges were immensely impressed by her drawings and each of her drawing was capable of winning the contest individually. But Wanda was absent that day. Miss Mason showed her drawing to all the students.

Her Classmates’ Reaction
Everybody in the class clapped for Wanda in joy. They found that all the dresses she used to describe were there, the green velvet one, the blue one and the red one also. The boys whistled with fingers in their mouth. Peggy said that she had thought she could draw the same like Wanda.

Chapter Highlights

  1. It was Monday, Wanda was absent but nobody noticed.
  2. Wanda, a quiet girl, did not talk with others too much.
  3. She lived at Boggins; Height and belonged to a poor family.
  4. She wore the same blue dress everyday.
  5. Peggy and Maddie were good friends and teased Wanda everyday.
  6. Wanda had no friends and girls used to make fun of her.
  7. Wanda claimed of having a hundred dresses and sixty pairs of shoes.
  8. Peggy was not really a cruel girl. She loved children and animals also.
  9. Peggy would say why Wanda had spoken of her hundred dresses.
  10. Maddie, herself a poor girl, did not like to tease Wanda but remained mum for fear of being ridiculed in Wanda’s place.
  11. There was a drawing competition for every boy and girl in the class.
  12. Everybody expected Peggy to win.
  13. There were a hundred sketches of dresses beautifully drawn by Wanda in the classroom.
  14. Miss Mason announced the winner-jack Beggles won among the boys and Wanda among the girls.
  15. Wanda was absent but everybody clapped for her.
  16. Peggy and Maddie identified the blue and the green dress once spoken by Wanda.
  17. Everybody in the class clapped for Wanda’s great quality of drawing.

WORD MEANINGS
The given page nos. correspond to the pages in the prescribed text book.

Word Meaning
PAGE 63
possessions things owned
enduring lasting long
judged evaluated, assessed
encyclopaedia book giving all branches of knowledge
immigrants those going to settle in foreign countries
occurred happened
identified recognised, made known
ethnicity relating to human race
notable famous, known
suburbs areas outside a city, outskirts
discriminated made discrimination, differentiated
census Counting
PAGE 64
rough (here) indisciplined, violent
scuffling of feet rubbing of shoes on the ground to create noise
on the contrary as against
rarely very seldom
twisted moved, changed
awkward foolish smile, grim
crooked sort of smile
caked with dry mud covered with
PAGE 65
faded dim coloured
hang right (here) fit properly
ironed pressed with iron
surrounded stood round, encircled
hopscotch a game
courteous civil, meek
nudge a gentle push
PAGE 66
velvet soft cloth
stolidly not showing any feeling
peals of laughter great laughter
obviously clearly
exaggerated politeness false politeness
greeted respected
inseparable which can’t be separated
hitching catching              –
protected saved
bullies those who frighten weaker people with power
cruel unkind
PAGE 67
hand-me-down clothes old clothes given to others
mocking making fun of
embarrassed (here) ashamed of mentally unfortunately
exactly correctly
teasing troubling
absent-mindedly without thinking much
paused stopped
shuddered shook
target person chosen to attack
disguise conceal
PAGE 68
trimmings ornamenting
accord wish
blonde hair golden hair
scarcely hardly
brilliant shining
red sash red scarf
pretended admiration false praise
probably possibly
announce declare
drizzling light rain
tracks line, rail
PAGE 69
eagerly with eagerness
gasped breathed heavily, deeply
ledge outer part
windowsill window edge
dazzling bright and shining
lavish very grand
wrapping with which things are wrapped
murmured spoke in a low voice, whispered
admiringly with admiration
assembled gathered together
exhibition on show
sketches drawings
PAGE 70
unfortunately without luck
applause praise
exquisite very beautiful, marvellous
burst into applause clapped hands loudly
stamp (here) put feet on the floor with force

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