CBSE Class 10 English First Flight - The Hundred Dresses Part 1 Summary & Notes

According to the CBSE Syllabus 2023-24, this chapter has been removed from NCERT Class 10 English (First Flight) textbook.

Summary of The Hundred Dresses Part 1

The Hundred Dresses Part 1 is about a young girl Wanda Petronski who was always teased by her classmates for her attire, but she always claimed to have a hundred dresses. Here, we present you a summary of the prose in the form of CBSE English Notes Class 10. CBSE Class 10 students can refer to the prose summary of The Hundred Dresses Part 1 here.

Students can also go through CBSE Essays to improve their writing section of the English paper.

CBSE Class 10 English The Hundred Dresses Part 1 Summary

The Hundred Dresses Part 1 is a story written by Eleanor Estes that revolves around a Polish girl Wanda Petronski and her arrogant classmates, primarily Peggy and Madeline, who would always tease her for her appearance and attire. Wanda was a gentle girl who had immigrated to America with her family. Her parents enrolled her in a school that mainly consisted of American students. Her classmates would often make fun of her name as it was quite different from others and treated her with contempt.

Being poor, Wanda wore a faded blue dress to school and always remained quiet and rarely said anything when she was teased by her classmates. She had no friends and would always remain lonely in school. She came from Boggins Heights, and her feet were usually smothered with dry mud, so she sat in one corner of the classroom. Peggy and Maddie would often ridicule her appearance and dressing sense. Tired of all the taunting remarks, she once claimed to have a hundred dresses and sixty shoes in her closet at her home. Peggy and Maddie grew more inquisitive about her claim and wondered why she wore the same dress to school if she had so many dresses in her wardrobe.

As time passed, Peggy and Maddie wouldn’t miss an opportunity to tease Wanda and always waited for her before school so that they could make fun of her. Nonetheless, Wanda hardly paid heed to their teasing remarks. Maddie was a poor girl herself, and she didn’t approve of Peggy’s teasing Wanda at all times. However, she was terrified that she could become the next target if she objected. She was afraid that she might also lose her best friend, Peggy, if she complained. Although Peggy’s purpose was not always to hurt Wanda unnecessarily, she was more eager to know why Wanda was lying about having a hundred dresses and sixty pairs of shoes in her closet when asked.

Meanwhile, a drawing and colouring contest was held in the school in which all the students had participated, and Maddie was confident that Peggy would win the competition among girls. A few days passed, and Wanda didn’t turn up for school. But nobody noticed her absence as she had no friends in her class. Soon the result of the competition was declared, and Wanda Petronski won the competition in which she drew beautiful sketches of a hundred dresses. Peggy, Maddie and all the other students were awestruck by Wanda’s creative work. Finally, the truth came out about the hundred dresses that Wanda often claimed to have in her closet. Peggy and Maddie felt guilty for teasing and underestimating Wanda’s talent and treating her badly. They realised that Wanda was a talented girl who drew such lovely sketches and was the most deserving winner of the drawing competition.

Conclusion of The Hundred Dresses Part 1

In the chapter – The Hundred Dresses Part 1, we learnt that we should not judge anyone for being different. This story teaches all that we should never tease or make fun of others for being unique; rather, treat them with respect. We hope this CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Prose Summary of The Hundred Dresses Part 1 helped students to get a detailed understanding of the chapter. Moreover, you can check the BYJU’S website for more such riveting resources on CBSE Notes and CBSE study material and access sample papers, question papers, etc., for your Board exams preparation. You can also download BYJU’S: The Learning App for more interactive videos.