 The Hundred Dresses – I Explanation, Line by Line, Meaning of Difficult Words English CBSE Class 10 NCERT First Flight Chapter 5
THE HUNDRED DRESSES – I
(Explanation and Meaning of difficult words)
Author – El Bsor Ester
Today is Monday. Wanda Petronski is not at her seat. [Means she is absent today] But nobody has noticed her absence. Two girls Peggy and Madeline had started making fun of her. They have also not noticed her absence.
| Word | Meaning |
| Rough boys | Naughty boys |
| Scuffling of feet | Noisy movement of feet on the ground |
Normally Wanda sat in the last row of the Room Number thirteen of the school. She sat in the seat next to the last seat of the last row. She sat in the corner of the class. In this row naughty boys who did not score good marks used to sit. Students sitting in that row used to move their feet a lot. They used to laugh loudly. The floor of the corner used to be full of mud and dirt.
| Word | Meaning |
| On the contrary | Opposite to something |
| Quiet | Calm |
| Crooked | Naughty |
Wanda was not naughty nor made noise but she still sat in that corner. Actually she was very clam and rarely spoke anything. She had never laughed loudly. Sometimes she twisted her mouth to give a naughty smile.
Nobody was aware of the true reason of Wanda sitting in that corner seat. Other students thought that Wanda used to sit there because she came from Boggins Heights area of the town. This area was very far from school. Her feet were always full of dry mud. But after Wanda had sat in her seat nobody bothered about her.
| Word | Meaning |
| To have fun with her | To tease her |
They (other students) thought about Wanda only when they were out of the school. They thought about her at the noon time when they were coming back to school and in the morning before school started. On these occasions students would be in groups of two or three. They would be talking with each other and laughing while coming to the school campus. Sometimes students waited for Wanda to come so that they could tease her.
On the next day, the Tuesday, also Wanda did not come to school. Once again nobody paid attention to her absence. But on Wednesday Peggy and Maddie took notice about absence of Wanda. These two girls used to sit in front row with children who scored good marks. Their feet were never full of mud.
| Word | Meaning |
| Pretty | Beautiful |
Peggy was the most popular girl of the school. She was beautiful. She had many beautiful clothes. Her hair was curly. Maddie was the best friend of Peggy. Maddie and Peggy noticed absence of Wanda because they got late because of her.
They had waited for Wanda to make of fun of her but she did not come. Many times they used to wait for Wanda Petronski to make fun of her.
Most of the students in the room number thirteen did not have names similar to Wanda Petronski. Their names were easy to pronounce like Thomas, Smith or Allen. Name of one boy in the class was Willie Bounce. Other students thought that his name was funny. But name Petronski was more funny.
| Word | Meaning |
| Did not hang right | Did not fit correctly |
Wanda did not have any friend in the class. She used to come to school alone and went home alone. She was always wearing a dress of faded blue colour. It did not fit her correctly. The dress was clean but it was never ironed properly.
| Word | Meaning |
| Hopscotch | Name of a game kids play |
Wanda did not have any friends but many girls talked to her. Sometimes in the school yard girls stood around her. They did so while she was watching other girls play hopscotch. The playground of the school was old and hard.
| Word | Meaning |
| Courteous manner | Politely |
| Closet | Cupboard |
| Nudge | A gentle push |
Miss Mason is teacher of the class. Peggy would address Wanda as politely as she would address her teacher Miss Mason. Peggy would give a gentle push to one of her friends and ask Wanda to tell how many dresses she had in her cupboard.
| Word | Meaning |
| Exclaimed | Surprised |
| Incredulously | In disbelief, Not able to believe |
Wanda used to reply that she had hundred dresses. All small girls used to get surprised by the answer. It was difficult for them to believe it. The girls playing hopscotch would stop playing upon listening the answer.
| Word | Meaning |
| I bet | I am sure |
Wanda replied that she had hundred dresses. All dresses are neatly put in her cupboard. Then she will remain silent. Peggy said that she was sure these dresses were of silk. Wanda replied that these were of silk and of various colours.
| Word | Meaning |
| Stolidly | Calmly, Without any feelings |
| Burst into shrieks and peals of laughter | Loudly laugh a lot |
Peggy asked if Wanda has velvet dresses also. Wanda calmly replied that she has velvet dresses also. All the hundred dresses are neatly placed in her cupboard. After this they would allow Wanda to go. After Wanda went a little away, they would loudly laugh a lot. [Nobody believed that Wanda had hundred dresses]
Everybody thought that Wanda did not have hundred dresses. They believed that Wanda had only one blue dress. She wore this dress every day. Why did she say that she had hundred dresses? Everybody thought that she was telling a fantastic story.
| Word | Meaning |
| Exaggerated | Make it look bigger |
Peggy asked how many pairs of shoes Wanda had. Wanda replied that she had sixty pairs in her cupboard. Peggy would ask with more politeness if all the shoes were same. Wanda replied that every pair was different. These were of all colours. These were neatly stacked in her cupboard.
Peggy had thought of this game of asking Wanda. Maddie was Peggy’s friend who was always with her. These two friends left the discussion in the last.
| Word | Meaning |
| Hitch | To give a jerk |
| Now and then | From time to time, occasionally |
After everybody had gone Wanda would start walking in the street. Her eyes would be dull and mouth closed. While walking she would occasionally give jerk to her left shoulder in a funny manner. Wanda would walk towards the school alone.
| Word | Meaning |
| Cruel | Inhuman, Merciless |
| Bullies | Who trouble others, Naughty |
| Mistreated | Not cared correctly, Injured |
Actually Peggy was not a merciless girl. She protected small children from naughty boys. If she saw an animal was not taken care of nicely, she would cry for hours.
If anybody told Peggy that she did not show any sympathy to Wanda, Peggy would have been surprised. Peggy thought that Wanda should not have told that she had hundred dresses. Because it was a lie.
Anybody could tell that Wanda was telling a lie. Why she wanted to tell a lie. And she was not an ordinary person because she had a different type of name. But Peggy never made Wanda cry. Peggy did not tease Wanda too much.
| Word | Meaning |
| Bother | Worry |
| hand me down clothes | Old clothes given by someone |
Maddie did not like students asking Wanda everyday about her dresses, hats and other things. Maddie was herself a poor girl. Normally she wore old clothes given by someone else. She thought she was lucky not live in Boggins Heights area. Nor did she have a funny name. [Other girls would have teased Maddie also]
| Word | Meaning |
| Mocking | False, Hidden |
| Embarrassed | Ashamed, Felt sorry |
Maddie did not like Peggy asking such questions to Wanda. She knew that the politeness shown by Peggy was false. Peggy wanted to tease Wanda. Maddie would look at the marbles in her hand. She would roll these in her hands and say nothing to anybody.
Maddie did not truly feel sorry for Wanda. Maddie paid attention to Wanda only because of the dress game. This game was invented by Peggy. Maddie was worried what will happen if Peggy and others started playing the same game on her.
| Word | Meaning |
| Have more sense | Be wise, Have wisdom |
| Begin on her | Start teasing her |
Maddie was not as poor as Wanda was but she was poor. Maddie would be more wise to say that she did not have hundred dresses. But she would not like that others should start teasing her. She wanted Peggy to stop teasing Wanda Petronski.
| Word | Meaning |
| Glad | Happy |
| Absentmindedly | Unaware of others, Not concentrating |
Today they reached school late. But Maddie was happy because they did not tease Wanda. Maddie was learning her lessons of arithmetic. But she was not able to concentrate on her learning.
| Word | Meaning |
| Had the nerve | Had the courage |
Maddie wanted to have the courage to write a note to Peggy. Maddie knew that she will never be able to directly tell Peggy to stop asking Wanda about dresses.
| Word | Meaning |
| Paused | Stopped |
| Shuddered | Shivered, Got afraid |
After completing her lesson of arithmetic, Maddie started writing a note to Peggy. Suddenly she stopped writing and started trembling. She was afraid. She imagined herself standing in the school yard as a new target for Peggy and other girls.
| Word | Meaning |
| Disguise | Hide |
| Trimmings | Decoration on a clothes, Design |
Peggy may ask about her dress she was wearing. Peggy may ask from where she bought it. Then Maddie will have to tell that it was an old dress of Peggy. Maddie’s mother had put new design on the dress so that no one in the class would recognize it.
| Word | Meaning |
| Of her own accord | By her own wish |
| Blonde hair | Golden coloured hair |
Maddie thought it would be better if Maddie stopped the fun by her own wish. Maddie ran his hand through her short and golden hair. She wanted to push the thought out of her mind. It really helped her a lot.
Slowly Maddie tore the note she had started writing into small pieces. She was the best friend of Peggy. And the class liked Peggy the most. Maddie thought that probably Peggy would not do anything that was wrong.
| Word | Meaning |
| Stood alone | Did not have a friend |
| Scarcely | Rarely |
Wanda was just another girl living in the Boggins Height area. Wanda did not have any friend in the school. She rarely said anything to anybody. The only thing she talked in the school was about her hundred dresses. Wanda talked about her hundred dresses when other girls were teasing her in the school yard.
| Word | Meaning |
| Sash | Decoration of shoulder |
| Pretended admiration | False appreciation |
Maddie recalled that Wanda had talked about a dress that had yellow blue decorations. She also remembered another dress of bright jungle green colour with a red decoration on shoulders. The girls had told Wanda that she would look like Christmas tree in that dress. The girls were giving false appreciations to Wanda.
| Word | Meaning |
| Contest | Competition |
| Began to wonder | Started guessing or thinking |
Maddie was thinking of Wanda and her hundred dresses. She thought of hundred dresses stacked in the cupboard of Wanda. Maddie was trying to guess who will win the competition. The school had organised a competition of drawing and colouring. For girls competition was to design a dress and for boys it was for designing motorboats.
Probably Peggy would win the competition for girls. Peggy could draw better than anyone in the class. This is what everybody in the class thought.
Peggy could draw any picture from a magazine. She could draw face of a film star which looked so real. It was easy to recognize the film star from her drawing. Maddie was sure that Peggy would win the competition. Tomorrow teacher would announce the result. Then everybody would know the winner.
| Word | Meaning |
| Drizzling | Raining slowly |
| Hurried to school | Quickly walked to school |
The next day it was raining slowly. Maddie and Peggy quickly walked towards the school. They both were under the umbrella of Peggy.
On a day of raining, obviously, they did not wait for Wanda Petronski at the corner of Oliver Street. The street was very far and under the railway bridge. Beyond Oliver Street, the area on a small hill was called Boggins Height.
They did not want to get late today because it was an important day. The result of the drawing competition was to be announced today. Peggy asked Maddie if their teacher Miss mason would announce the result today.
Maddie replied that she hoped the result would be announces as soon as they reached school. Maddie said that Peggy will certainly win. Peggy said that she was hopeful of winning.
| Word | Meaning |
| Stopped short | Stopped suddenly |
| Gasped | Surprised |
| All over | Everywhere |
| Dazzling | Shining |
| Lavish | Royal |
| Wrapping paper | Paper used to cover something |
As soon they entered the class room they were surprised and suddenly stopped. Everywhere in class room there were drawings. Drawing were on the ledge, windowsills. The colours were shining, design was royal. All the drawings were drawn on a wrapping paper.
| Word | Meaning |
| Murmured | Spoke in low voice |
| Admiringly | With appreciation |
These must be a hundred drawings. All were neatly displayed in class. Actually these were the drawings for competition. Everybody stopped to see these drawings. They whistled and spoke in low voice to appreciate.
As soon as everybody had come in the class, Miss Mason announced winners. Jack Beggles was the winner for boys. She announced that his drawing of motorboat was placed in the Room Number twelve. Drawing of other boys was also placed in the same room.
Miss Mason said that most of the girls had submitted one or two sketches. But one girl from Room Number thirteen submitted hundred drawings. This class should be proud of her. All the drawings are different and all are beautiful.
| Word | Meaning |
| In the opinion of | According to |
| Worthy | Deserving |
According to judges, each drawing from this girl deserved the first prize. Miss Mason was happy to announce that Wanda Petronski was the winner of competition for girls.
| Word | Meaning |
| Applause due to her | Appreciation she deserves |
| File around | Move around |
| Exquisite | Very beautiful |
Unfortunately, Wanda has not been coming to school for many days. So she is not here to receive the prize and appreciation she deserves. Let us hope she will come to school tomorrow. Now you can quietly move around the room and look at her beautiful drawings.
The children clapped. Boys were happy because they got a chance to make noise by thumping their feet on the floor and to put their finger in mouth to whistle. But they were not interested in looking at the drawing of dresses.
Maddie whispered to Peggy to look at the blue drawing. Wanda used to talk about that dress. That drawing was really beautiful. Peggy agreed and asked her to look at the green dress. Now Peggy agreed that she did not make good drawings.
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