The Tsunami Class 8 Summary, Notes, Question Answers

The Tsunami Class 8 English

In this post, you will find Class 8 English Chapter 2 The Tsunami summary of the lesson, detailed explanation notes, difficult word meanings, reliable NCERT solutions, and a wide range of NCERT Solutions and question and answers. The solutions provided here will also give students an idea about how to write the answers.

Class 8 English Chapter 2 The Tsunami Summary, Explanation with Video and Question Answers

The Tsunami Introduction

A Tsunami is a long, high sea wave caused by an earthquake or other disturbance. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami-affected Thailand and parts of India such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Tamil Nadu Coast. The earthquake was the third-largest ever recorded. The lesson shares a few accounts of people who used their wits and fortunately, survived it courageously.

The Tsunami Summary

The lesson begins with a few stories from the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands. The first is of a manager of a cooperative society named Ignesious who was woken up by his wife because she felt the earthquake. After keeping his television on the floor, he rushed his family out of the house where they saw large waves coming towards them on the beach. Two of his children who had held hands with their mother’s father and brother, were swept away along with their mother. Only two children who stuck with Ignesious were saved.
Next is the account of a policeman in the Nicobar islands named Sanjeev who managed to save his wife and baby daughter but upon hearing cries from his guesthouse cook’s wife, he ran into the water which swallowed both of them.
Meghna, a thirteen-year old who was swept away by the waves, along with her family and seventy other people, managed to stay alive by holding on to a wooden door. She could not be seen by relief helicopters for two days and came to the shore only through a wave.
Fourth is the story of Almas Javed’ family. As soon as her father got to know about the tsunami, he took everyone to a safer place. In the process of doing so, Almas’ grandfather got hit in the head by something and when Almas’ father tried to save him, they got carried away with the waves. Almas’ mother and aunts held on to the leaves of a coconut tree which was uprooted by the giant waves when Almas found a wooden log, she climbed on it and managed to save herself.
Next is the story of the Smith family from South England but had come to visit Thailand to spend their vacations on a beach resort. Penny and Colin Smith had two daughters, out of which the elder one, a ten-year old named Tilly, helped save the entire family and a lot of other people from the gigantic waves. As she saw the sea rise and the beach getter smaller, she recalled a lesson from her geography class that illustrated visuals of the tsunami that hit the Hawaiian islands in 1946. She got hysterical and shouted for everyone to run. Her parents took the children to the third floor of the hotel that survived at least three waves of the tsunami. Along with their family, a lot of other people who followed them were saved.

The third and the last part of the lesson talks about how animals managed to stay safe. Two beliefs offer an explanation for the same. First, they possess sixth sense and can predict disasters. Second, they have acute hearing abilities that make them sensitive towards the earth’s vibrations. Facts state that animals at the The Yala National Park in Sri Lanka managed to protect themselves while sixty human lives were taken by the giant and strong waves. Only carcasses of two water buffalos were found. One such man in Galle reported that his two dogs refused to go for their usual run along the beach which they are usually very excited for. This saved his life as well.

The Tsunami Summary in Hindi

पाठ की शुरुआत अंडमान और निकोबार द्वीप समूह की कुछ कहानियों से होती है। पहली कहानी इग्नेसियस नाम की एक सहकारी समिति के प्रबंधक का है जिसे उसकी पत्नी ने जगाया क्योंकि उसने भूकंप महसूस किया था। अपने टेलीविजन को फर्श पर रखने के बाद, वह अपने परिवार को घर से बाहर ले गया, जहाँ उन्होंने समुद्र तट पर बड़ी लहरों को अपनी ओर आते देखा।
उसके दो बच्चे जो अपनी माँ के पिता और भाई से हाथ मिलाए हुए थे, अपनी माँ के साथ बह गए। इग्नेसियस के साथ केवल दो बच्चे थे जो बच गए। इसके बाद निकोबार द्वीप समूह में संजीव नाम के एक पुलिसकर्मी का वृत्तांत है, जो अपनी पत्नी और बेटी को बचाने में कामयाब रहा, लेकिन अपने गेस्टहाउस के रसोइया की पत्नी के रोने की आवाज सुनकर, वह पानी में भाग गया, समुद्र ने उन दोनों को निगल लिया।
मेघना, एक तेरह वर्षीय, जो लहरों से बह गई थी, अपने परिवार और सत्तर अन्य लोगों के साथ, लकड़ी के दरवाजे को पकड़कर जीवित रहने में सफल रही। वह दो दिनों तक राहत हेलीकॉप्टरों से नहीं दिखी और एक लहर के माध्यम से ही तट पर आ गई।
चौथी है अलमास जावेद के परिवार की कहानी। जैसे ही उसके पिता को सुनामी के बारे में पता चला, वह सभी को सुरक्षित स्थान पर ले गया। ऐसा करने की प्रक्रिया में, अल्मास के दादाजी के सिर में किसी चीज से चोट लग गई और जब अल्मास के पिता ने उन्हें बचाने की कोशिश की, तो वे दोनों लहरों के साथ बह गए।
अलमास की माँ और मौसी ने एक नारियल के पेड़ की पत्तियों को पकड़ रखा था, जो विशाल लहरों से उखड़ गई थी, जब अल्मास को एक लकड़ी का लॉग मिला, तो वह उस पर चढ़ गई और खुद को बचाने में कामयाब रही। आगे दक्षिण इंग्लैंड के स्मिथ परिवार की कहानी है, जो एक समुद्र तट रिसॉर्ट में छुट्टियां बिताने के लिए थाईलैंड आए थे।
पेनी और कॉलिन स्मिथ की दो बेटियाँ थीं, जिनमें से सबसे बड़ी, दस वर्षीय, टिली नाम की लड़की थी,उस ने पूरे परिवार और कई अन्य लोगों को भीषण लहरों से बचाने में मदद की। जैसे ही उसने समुद्र को ऊपर उठते और समुद्र तट को छोटा होते देखा, उसने अपने भूगोल वर्ग के एक पाठ को याद किया जिसमें 1946 में हवाई द्वीपों पर आई सुनामी के दृश्यों को चित्रित किया गया था।
वह पागल हो गई और सभी को भागने के लिए चिल्लाने लगी । उसके माता-पिता बच्चों को होटल की तीसरी मंजिल पर ले गए, जो सुनामी की कम से कम तीन लहरों से बची थी। उनके परिवार के साथ-साथ उनके पीछे चलने वाले और भी बहुत से लोग बच गए।
पाठ का तीसरा और अंतिम भाग इस बारे में बात करता है कि कैसे जानवर सुनामी से सुरक्षित रहने में कामयाब रहे। दो मान्यताएँ उसी के लिए एक स्पष्टीकरण प्रदान करती हैं। सबसे पहले, उनके पास छठी इंद्रिय होती है वे आपदाओं की भविष्यवाणी कर सकते हैं। दूसरा, उनके पास तीव्र सुनने की क्षमता है जो उन्हें पृथ्वी के कंपन के प्रति संवेदनशील बनाती है।
तथ्य बताते हैं कि श्रीलंका के याला नेशनल पार्क में जानवर अपनी रक्षा करने में कामयाब रहे, जबकि साठ मानव जीवन विशाल और मजबूत लहरों द्वारा ले लिए गए । केवल दो जल भैंसों के शव मिले। गाले नामक शहर में ऐसे ही एक व्यक्ति ने बताया कि उसके दो कुत्तों ने समुद्र तट पर अपनी सामान्य दौड़ के लिए जाने से इनकार कर दिया, जिसके लिए वे आमतौर पर बहुत उत्साहित होते हैं। इससे उसकी जान भी बच गई।

The Tsunami Class 8 Video Explanation Part 1

The Tsunami Class 8 Video Explanation Part 2

The Tsunami Explanation

A tsunami is a very large and powerful wave caused by earthquakes under the sea. On 26 December 2004, a tsunami hit Thailand and parts of India such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Tamil Nadu coast. Here are some stories of courage and survival.

I

Passage – These stories are all from the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. Ignesious was the manager of a cooperative society in Katchall. His wife woke him up at 6 a.m. because she felt an earthquake. Ignesious carefully took his television set off its table and put it down on the ground so that it would not fall and break. Then the family rushed out of the house.

Word Meaning:

Archipelago– a group of many islands and the surrounding sea
Cooperative society– A co-operative society is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.

Explanation of the Above Passage – The lesson begins with the narratives of people in the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands when it was hit by a tsunami on December 26, 2004. First is the account of a manager of the cooperative society in Katchall, one of the islands at Nicobar. His name was Ignesious. At around six in the morning, his wife felt an earthquake and she woke him up immediately. Ignesious kept the television set on the floor to prevent it from breaking by falling off the table. Then they immediately evacuated the house.

Passage – When the tremors stopped, they saw the sea rising. In the chaos and confusion, two of his children caught hold of the hands of their mother’s father and mother’s brother, and rushed in the opposite direction. He never saw them again. His wife was also swept away. Only the three other children who came with him were saved.

Word Meaning:

Tremor– a slight shake (Earth tremors: the Earth’s shake during an Earthquake)
Chaos– complete disorder or confusion

Explanation of the Above Passage – As soon as the earthquake came to rest, the sea began to rise. Out of sheer disorder and confusion, two of his children held hands with their mother’s father and mother’s brother. They ran to save themselves from the wave but unfortunately, Ignesious could never see them again. The waves swallowed his wife too. In the end, only him and his three children who stayed with him could be saved.

Passage – Sanjeev was a policeman, serving in the Katchall island of the Nicobar group of islands. He somehow managed to save himself, his wife and his baby daughter from the waves. But then he heard cries for help from the wife of John, the guesthouse cook. Sanjeev jumped into the water to rescue her, but they were both swept away

Word Meaning:

Guest house– a private house offering accommodation to paying guests

Explanation of the Above Passage – Sanjeev, a policeman in Katchall, managed to save himself and his family. He had a wife and baby daughter. But he saw the wife of his guesthouse cook John crying for help. So, he jumped into the water to save her but unfortunately, both of them were taken away by the water.

Passage – Thirteen year-old Meghna was swept away along with her parents and seventy-seven other people. She spent two days floating in the sea, holding on to a wooden door. Eleven times she saw relief helicopters overhead, but they did not see her. She was brought to the shore by a wave, and was found walking on the seashore in a daze

Word Meaning:

Relief helicopters- helicopters bringing help to people (e.g. during floods)
Daze– a state of stunned confusion or bewilderment

Explanation of the Above Passage – The waves also took along with them a thirteen year-old teenager named Meghna and her parents with seventy-seven more people. It turned out that Meghna managed to stay alive by holding on to a wooden door. She kept floating in the water for two days and during those two days, she noticed the relief helicopters at least eleven times but unfortunately, they could not detect her. She was finally carried to the seashore by a wave. She was found only when she was walking at shore in complete confusion and shock.

Passage – Almas Javed was ten years old. She was a student of Carmel Convent in Port Blair where her father had a petrol pump. Her mother Rahila’s home was in Nancowry island. The family had gone there to celebrate Christmas.
When the tremors came early in the morning, the family was sleeping. Almas’s father saw the sea water recede. He understood that the water would come rushing back with great force. He woke everyone up and tried to rush them to a safer place.

Word Meaning:

Port Blair– Port Blair is the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal
Nancowry island– an island in the central part of the Nicobar Islands
Recede– move back from where it was

Explanation of the Above Passage – Ten year-old Almas Javed’s father owned a petrol pump in Port Blair. There, she studied at the Carmel Convent. The family had come to her mother’s home in the Nancowry island, an island in the central part of the Nicobar islands, to celebrate Christmas. On the day of the disaster, the whole family was sleeping when tremors came early in the morning. It was only when Almas’ father saw the sea water move back, he anticipated that it would come back with an unusually great force. He immediately woke everyone up and hurried them to a secure place, out of harm’s way.

Passage – As they ran, her grandfather was hit on the head by something and he fell down. Her father rushed to help him. Then came the first giant wave that swept both of them away.
Almas’s mother and aunts stood clinging to the leaves of a coconut tree, calling out to her. A wave uprooted the tree, and they too were washed away.

Word Meaning:

Clinging– hold on tightly to
Uprooted– pull (comething, especially a tree or a plant) out of the ground

Explanation of the Above Passage – As they ran out of harm’s way, Almas’ grandfather got hit by something and he fell down. In an attempt to give him a hand, Almas’ father ran towards him. As the first enormous wave came, it took both of them with it. On the other hand, Almas’ mother and aunts held on to the leaves of a coconut tree, calling for her. A strong wave came and took them with it too as it uprooted the tree out of the ground.

Passage – Almas saw a log of wood floating. She climbed on to it. Then she fainted. When she woke up, she was in a hospital in Kamorta. From there she was brought to Port Blair. The little girl does not want to talk about the incident with anyone. She is still traumatized.

Word Meaning:

Kamorta– one of the Nicobar islands
Traumatized– greatly shocked and distressed

Passage – Almas climbed on a log of wood she saw before she fainted. As she regained consciousness, she found herself in a hospital in Kamorta, an island in Nicobar. The girl was brought to Port Blair and she is deeply shocked by the incident. She got distressed to the extent that she did not want to discuss the episode with anyone.

Tilly Smith

Explanation of the Above Passage – Tilly Smith (a British schoolgirl) was able to save many lives when the tsunami struck Phuket beach in Thailand. Though she has won a number of awards, her parents have not allowed their daughter to be interviewed on television and made into a heroine.

Passage – Now here is a story from Thailand. The Smith family from South-East England were celebrating Christmas at a beach resort in southern Thailand. Tilly Smith was a ten-year-old schoolgirl; her sister was seven years old. Their parents were Penny and Colin Smith. It was 26 December 2004. Deadly tsunami waves were already on their way. They had been triggered by a massive earthquake off northern Sumatra earlier that morning. “The water was swelling and kept coming in,” Penny Smith remembered. “The beach was getting smaller and smaller. I didn’t know what was happening

Word Meaning:

Resort– a place where people go on holiday

Sumatra– it is a large Indonesian island

Explanation of the Above Passage – The tsunami hit areas of Thailand as well. The story is about the Smith Family who came to Southern Thailand from South-East England to celebrate Christmas at a beach resort. Penny and Colin Smith had two daughters; Tilly Smith, a ten-year-old schoolgirl and the other one was seven years old. On the day of December 26, 2004, they had already experienced an earthquake in the morning. Now, the tsunami was on its way. Penny Collin remembers seeing the water swelling as it kept coming in and making the beach smaller. She says she did not understand what was happening.

Passage – But Tilly Smith sensed that something was wrong. Her mind kept going back to a geography lesson she had taken in England just two weeks before she flew out to Thailand with her family.
Tilly saw the sea slowly rise, and start to foam, bubble and form whirlpools. She remembered that she had seen this in class in a video of a tsunami that had hit the Hawaiian Islands in 1946. Her geography teacher had shown her class the video, and told them that tsunamis can be caused by earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides

Word Meaning:

Whirlpools– a quickly rotating mass of water in a river or sea into which objects may be drawn, typically caused by the meeting of conflicting currents

Explanation of the Above Passage – Tilly on the other hand, knew that something was not wrong. She could recollect what she had studied in her geography class back in England two weeks before she came to England for a vacation. As she saw the sea water rising and forming whirlpools, she recalled what she had seen in her class. It was a video of a tsunami that had hit the Hawaiian islands in 1946. The teacher also told them the causes of tsunamis which can be earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides.

Passage – Tilly started to scream at her family to get off the beach. “She talked about an earthquake under the sea. She got more and more hysterical,” said her mother Penny. “I didn’t know what a tsunami was. But seeing my daughter so frightened, I thought something serious must be going on.”

Word Meaning:

Hysterical– affected by or deriving from uncontrolled emotion; when you are hysterical, you shout, laugh or cry in a wild excited way, without any control over yourself

Explanation of the Above Passage – As soon as she realised what was happening, she started shouting at her family to get away from the beach. Her mother later said that she was referring to some earthquake under the sea and she got terrified and uncontrollable. Penny said she did not know what a tsunami was,but seeing her daughter so terrified, she could anticipate that the situation was grave.

Passage – Tilly’s parents took her and her sister away from the beach, to the swimming pool at the hotel. A number of other tourists also left the beach with them. “Then it was as if the entire sea had come out after them. I was screaming, ‘Run!’” The family took refuge in the third floor of the hotel. The building withstood the surge of three tsunami waves. If they had stayed on the beach, they would not have been alive.

Word Meaning:

Refuge– shelter or protection from danger

Withstood– endured without collapsing
Surge– force; momentum

Explanation of the Above Passage – Tilly’s parents took their daughters to the hotel’s swimming pool to get away from the beach. A number of tourists also followed them. Then they saw great waves coming after them as if it were the whole sea that had come out. Penny screamed for everyone to run out of danger’s way. They took shelter on the third floor. The hotel building survived three tsunami waves. She further added that they wouldn’t have been able to come out alive had they been at the beach.

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Passage – The Smiths later met other tourists who had lost entire families. Thanks to Tilly and her geography lesson, they had been forewarned. Tilly went back to her school in England and told her classmates her terrifying tale.

Word Meaning:

Forewarned– inform someone of possible future danger or problem

Explanation of the Above Passage – The Smith family later got the chance of meeting other tourists who had lost their entire families during the tsunami. All credit to Tilly and her geography lesson that they were forewarned. Tilly later retold the incident to her classmates in England.

Passage – Before the giant waves slammed into the coast in India and Sri Lanka, wild and domestic animals seemed to know what was about to happen. They fled to safety. According to eyewitness accounts, elephants screamed and ran for higher ground; dogs refused to go outdoors; flamingoes abandoned their low-lying breeding areas; and zoo animals rushed into their shelters and could not be enticed to come back out.

Word Meaning:

Slammed– hit something with great force
Fled– run away from a place or situation of danger
Eyewitness– a person who has seen something happen and can give a first-and description of it
Enticed– attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage.

Explanation of the Above Passage – It is believed that prior to the gigantic waves entering the coast of India and Sri Lanka, wild and domestic animals knew what was ahead. This is because they ran out of danger’s way to somewhere safe. A few eyewitnesses gave a first-hand description of how elephants ran for higher ground as they screamed, flamingoes too left their low-lying breeding grounds, zoo animals ran into their shelters and no amount of temptation was able to bring them out. Even dogs refused to go outdoors.

Passage – Many people believe that animals possess a sixth sense and know when the earth is going to shake. Some experts believe that animals’ more acute hearing helps them to hear or feel the earth’s vibration. They can sense an approaching disaster long before humans realize what’s going on.
We cannot be sure whether animals have a sixth sense or not. But the fact is that the giant waves that rolled through the Indian Ocean killed more than 150,000 people in a dozen countries, but not many animals have been reported dead.

Word Meaning:

Sixth sense– a supposed intuitive faculty giving awareness not explicable in terms of normal perception
Acute hearing– reacting readily to stimuli or impressions; sensitive

Explanation of the Above Passage – It is well-known among people that animals are intuitive towards the earth’s shaking. Some experts are of the opinion that they can hear or feel the earth’s vibrations in advance because they possess enhanced acute hearing abilities. That is why they can perceive an approaching disaster a lot earlier than humans. It is quite obvious that we can not say surely that animals are intuitive and can sense the disaster early on but the evidence quite point towards it. Fact says that gigantic waves of the Indian Ocean took 150,000 human lives but not many animals were reported dead.

Passage – Along India’s Cuddalore coast, where thousands of people perished, buffaloes, goats and dogs were found unharmed. The Yala National Park in Sri Lanka is home to a variety of animals including elephants, leopards, and 130 species of birds. Sixty visitors have washed away from the Patanangala beach inside the park; but no animal carcasses were found, except for two water buffaloes. About an hour before the tsunami hit, people at Yala National Park had observed three elephants running away from the Patanangala beach.

Word Meaning:

Perished– die, especially in a violent or sudden way
Carcasses- the dead body of an animal

Explanation of the Above Passage – At India’s Cuddalore coast, where the waves took the lives of around thousand people, animals like buffalos, goats and dogs were recovered unharmed. On the other hand, in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka, sixty visitors got taken away by the water while no animals were harmed except two water buffaloes. A point to be noted here is that Yala National Park serves as a home to a large number of animals like elephants, leopards and around one hundred and thirty species of birds. In fact, people present at the Yala National Park reported seeing three elephants run away from the Patanangala Beach at least an hour before the waves came in.

A Sri Lankan gentleman who lives on the coast near Galle said his two dogs would not go for their daily run on the beach. “They are usually excited to go on this outing,” he said. But on that day they refused to go, and most probably saved his life.

The Tsunami Class 8 Video Explanation Part 3

The Tsunami NCERT Solutions (Question Answers)

NCERT solutions refer to the answers and explanations provided for the questions and exercises present in the textbooks (at the back of the lessons) published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

Say whether the following are true or false.

1. Ignesious lost his wife, two children, his father-in-law, and his brother-in-law in the tsunami.
2. Sanjeev made it to safety after the tsunami.
3. Meghna was saved by a relief helicopter.
4. Almas’s father realised that a tsunami was going to hit the island.
5. Her mother and aunts were washed away with the tree that they were holding on to.
Solution
1. Igneous lost his wife, two children, his father-in-law, and his brother-in-law in the tsunami. – True
2. Sanjeev made it to safety after the tsunami. – False
3. Meghna was saved by a relief helicopter. – False
4. Almas’s father realized that a tsunami was going to hit the island. – True
5. Her mother and aunts were washed away with the tree that they were holding on to. – True

Answer the following in a phrase or sentence.

1. Why did Tilly’s family come to Thailand?
A. They had come to Thailand to spend time at a beach resort during their vacations.

2. What were the warning signs that both Tilly and her mother saw?
A. Tilly and her mother saw the sea rise, form bubbles and foam, creating whirlpools which they took as a warning sign.

3. Do you think Tilly’s mother was alarmed by them?
A. Yes, Tilly’s mother was alarmed by the rising sea waves.

4. Where had Tilly seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion?
A. Tilly had seen the exact same scenario in her geography class in England when a tsunami hit the Hawaiian islands in 1946.

5. Where did the Smith family and the others on the beach go to escape from the tsunami?
A. The Smith family and the others ran off to their hotel’s swimming pool. They took refuge on the third floor of the hotel.

6. How do you think her geography teacher felt when he heard about what Tilly had done in Phuket?
A. On hearing how Tilly saved everyone from the tsunami in Phuket, her teacher must have felt very proud of her. He must have had his faith restored in education and must be feeling very motivated to shape young minds.

Answer using a phrase or a sentence.
1. In the tsunami 150,000 people died. How many animals died?
A. The tsunami took around 150,000 human lives but not a lot of animals were found dead.

2. How many people and animals died in Yala National Park?
A. Sixty people were swept away with the water but no animal carcasses were found except that of two water buffaloes.

3. What do people say about the elephants of Yala National Park?
A. People reported to have seen the elephants of Yala National Park run away from the Patanangala beach at least an hour before the tsunami hit the area.

4. What did the dogs in Galle do?
A. A man living on the coast near Galle in Sri Lanka reported that his dogs refused to go for their usual run on the beach that morning, which he mentioned, they are very excited for generally. He further added that it saved his life too.

Working with the text

1. When he felt the earthquake, do you think Ignesious immediately worried about a tsunami? Give reasons for your answer. Which sentence in the text tells you that the Ignesious family did not have any time to discuss and plan their course of action after the tsunami struck?
A. No, Ignesious did not suspect the earthquake to be a tsunami. It is evident from the fact that as soon as he learned about the earthquake, his first action was to keep the television off the table and evacuate the house with his family as soon as possible. The line that suggest that Ignesious’ family were so short on time that they could not even decide their course of action after the tsunami struck is “In the chaos and confusion, two of his children caught hold of the hands of their mother’s father and mother’s brother, and rushed in the opposite direction”.

2

cheerful	ambitious	brash	brave	careless
heroic	selfless	heartless	humorous

. Which words in the list below describe Sanjeev, in your opinion? (Look up the dictionary for words that you are not sure of.)

Use words from the list to complete the three sentences below.
(i) I don’t know if Sanjeev was cheerful, ___________ or ___________.
(ii) I think that he was very brave,___________ and___________.
(iii) Sanjeev was not heartless, ___________or___________.

Solution-
The words that describe Sanjeev best are brave, heroic and selfless.
(i) I don’t know if Sanjeev was cheerful, ambitious or brash.
(ii) I think that he was very brave, heroic and selfless.
(iii) Sanjeev was not heartless, careless or humorous.

3. How are Meghna and Almas’s stories similar?
A. Meghna and Almas’s stories are quite similar. Meghna got swept away by the waves with her entire family. It was only in the sea that she found a wooden door that she did not let go away. Thus, she was taken to the shore by a wave. Almas on the other hand, lost her entire family to the waves but fortunately enough, she found a wooden log that she climbed on and survived. Thus, both of them took the opportunity to save themselves by taking help from an item made of wood.

4. What are the different ways in which Tilly’s parents could have reacted to her behaviour? What would you have done if you were in their place?
A. Tilly’s parents could have ignored her warnings and directions considering her a child. It often happens that parents ignore what a child is saying because they feel that they can find a better solution. In an extreme case scenario, they could have even scolded her for being hysterical in that moment. This is because this type of behaviour by a child is generally not appreciated by the parents. Had I been in this situation, I would have done exactly what Tilly’s parents did, which is, to hear what the kid is saying when I am clueless and take my family along with other people to a safer place just like Tilly’s parents did.

5. If Tilly’s award was to be shared, who do you think she should share it with — her parents or her geography teacher?
A. Tilly’s parents did a great job rushing away from the beach with their family. If, however, Tilly’s award were to be shared with only one party, I think it should be shared with her geography teacher for doing such a great job in illustrating the disaster to the students. It is because of him primarily, that Tilly could save so many lives.

6. What are the two different ideas about why so few animals were killed in the tsunami? Which idea do you find more believable?
A. The fact that very few animals were reported to be a victim of the tsunami that hit on December 26, 2004, raises two beliefs. The first belief says that animals possess a sixth-sense that allows them to predict earth’s vibrations. On the other hand, few experts are of the belief that it is because of the acute hearing abilities they possess, animals could feel that a disaster was on its way. The idea that suggests that it is because of their enhanced hearing sensitivity, they are able to preconceive the happening of a disaster like tsunami is more believable as there is concrete evidence that backs their acute listening abilities but nothing can be said about their sixth sense as animals can not talk.

The Tsunami Grammar Exercises

1. Go through Part-I carefully, and make a list of as many words as you can find that indicate movement of different kinds. (There is one word that occurs repeatedly — count how many times!) Put them into three categories.

fast movement

slow movement

neither slow nor fast

Can you explain why there are many words in one column and not in the others?

Solution-

Fast movement	Slow Movement	Neither slow nor fast
Fall	Rising	Floating
Rushed	Recede
Swept away
Washed away

2. Fill in the blanks in the sentences below (the verbs given in brackets will give you a clue).
(i) The earth trembled, but not many people felt the _________. (tremble)
(ii) When the zoo was flooded, there was a lot of _________ and many animals escaped into the countryside. (confuse)
(iii) We heard with _________ that the lion had been recaptured. (relieve)
(iv) The zookeeper was stuck in a tree and his _________ was filmed by the TV crew. (rescue)
(v) There was much _________ in the village when the snake charmer came visiting. (excite)

Solution-
(i) The earth trembled, but not many people felt the trembling.
(ii) When the zoo was flooded, there was a lot of confusion and many animals escaped into the countryside.
(iii) We heard with relief that the lion had been recaptured.
(iv) The zookeeper was stuck in a tree and his rescue was filmed by the TV crew.
(v) There was much excitement in the village when the snake charmer came visiting.

3. Study the sentences in the columns A and B.

A	B
Meghna was swept away	The waves swept Meghna away.
Almas’s grandfather was hit on the head.	Something hit Almas’s grandfather on the head.
Sixty visitors were washed away.	The waves washed away sixty visitors
No animal carcasses were found.	People did not find any animal carcasses.

Say whether the following sentences are in the Active or the Passive voice. Write A or P after each sentence as shown in the first sentence.
(i) Someone stole my bicycle. __A__
(ii) The tyres were deflated by the traffic police. _______________
(iii) I found it last night in a ditch near my house. _______________
(iv) It had been thrown there. _______________
(v) My father gave it to the mechanic. _______________
(vi) The mechanic repaired it for me. _______________

Solution-
(i) Someone stole my bicycle. __A__
(ii) The tyres were deflated by the traffic police. __P__
(iii) I found it last night in a ditch near my house. __A__
(iv) It had been thrown there. __P__
(v) My father gave it to the mechanic. __A__
(vi) The mechanic repaired it for me. __A__

Question and Answers

Answer these questions.

1. “At last a sympathetic audience.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does he say it?
(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?

Answer:
i) Gerrard
ii) Gerrard says this because he is glad that finally, someone has asked him to speak about himself.
iii) he is sarcastic

2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?

Answer: The intruder chooses Gerrard because he feels that they are similar to each other. As he has committed a murder, he plans to steal Gerrard’s identity and live peacefully.

3. “I said it with bullets.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) What does it mean?
(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?

Answer:
i) Gerrard
ii) It means that when things went wrong, Gerrard had to kill a person.
iii) No, it is not the truth. Gerrard said this in order to escape being killed by the intruder.

4. What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.

Answer: Gerrard is a playwright. This is indicated from the following –
i) This is all very melodramatic, not very original
ii) At last a sympathetic audience
iii) In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated. You are much luckier.
iv) I said, you were luckier than most melodramatic villains.
v) That’s a disguise outfit; false moustaches and what not.
vi) Sorry I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal, I’ve had a spot of bother — quite amusing. I think I’ll put it in my next play.

5. “You’ll soon stop being smart.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?

Answer:
i) the intruder
ii) The intruder says this to scare Gerrard
iii) According to the intruder, when Gerrard would come to know that his aim was to kill him, he would get scared and stop being smart.

6. “They can’t hang me twice.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

Answer:
i) the intruder
ii) The intruder says that he has committed a murder and Gerrard’s murder would be his second murder. He was not scared of being punished as already, he was to be hanged for the first murder and if he did one more, they would not hang him twice for committing two murders.

7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?

Answer: Gerrard proposes that his lifestyle was mysterious as he did not meet many people and did not have any visitors. He proposed to explain the reason for his mysteriousness.

8. “This is your big surprise.”
(i) Where has this been said in the play?
(ii) What is the surprise?

Answer:
i) This has been said twice in the play. Firstly, when the intruder reveals his plan to kill Gerrard. Secondly, by Gerrard when he reveals his false identity to the intruder.
ii) The intruder’s surprise is his intention of killing Gerrard. Gerrard’s surprise is his false identity.

Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.

1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).
2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.
3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.
4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.
5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).
6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of
science fiction and mystery.
7. Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife
conservation.
8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before
using the contents.

Answer:

Site, ghastly
Principal
Continuously
Effect
Artist
Collage
Host
shake

Also See :

Class 8 Honeydew Book Lessons

Honeydew Book Poems

It so Happened Book Lessons