The Tsunami Class 8 NCERT Questions and Answers
Questions
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 1: 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 – True
2: Sanjeev made it to safety after the tsunami – False
3: Meghna was saved by a relief helicopter – False
4: Almas’s father realised 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
The Tsunami Class 8
Answer the following in a phrase or sentence.
Question 1: Why did Tilly’s family come to Thailand?
Answer: Tilly’s family had come to Thailand to celebrate Christmas.
Question 2: What were the warning signs that both Tilly and her mother saw
Answer: Both saw the sea rise and it started to foam and form whirlpools.
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 3: Do you think Tilly’s mother was alarmed by them?
Answer: Tilly’s mother could not understand what was happening and only realised that it was serious when Tilly got frightened and mentioned what a Tsunami was.
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 4: Where had Tilly seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion?
Answer: Tilly had seen the strange sea behaviour in a video.
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 5: Where did the Smith family and the others on the beach go to escape; from the tsunami?
Answer: The Smith family and the others on the beach took refuge on the third floor of a hotel.
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 6: How do you think her geography teacher felt when he heard about what Tilly had done in Phuket?
Answer: Tilly’s geography teacher must have felt proud of her as she had made use of what she had learnt in class and used both her knowledge and presence of mind to help save so many lives in the tsunami.
Comprehension Check (Page 30)
The Tsunami Class 8
Answer using a phrase or a sentence.
Question 1: In the Tsunami 150,000 people died. How many animals died?
Answer: Very few animals died.
Question 2: How many people and animals died in Yala National Park?
Answer: Sixty visitors and only two water buffaloes died at the Yala National Park.
Question 3: What do people say about the elephants of Yala National Park?
Answer: People say that the elephants ran from the beach an hour before the Tsunami hit the coast.
Question 4: What did the dogs in Galle do?
Answer 4: The dogs at Galle refused to go out for their daily run on the beach.
Working with the Text
Discuss the following questions in class. Then write your own answers.
Question 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?
Answer: No, Ignesious did not suspect a tsunami when he felt the tremors. He took This shows that . , he would have rushed out of the house at the . The sentence in the text which shows that the Ignesious family did not have any time to discuss and plan their course of action after the tsunami struck is:
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 2: Which words in the list below describe Sanjeev, in your opinion?
cheerful | ambitious | brash | brave | careless |
heroic | selfless | heartless | oushumor |
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 _________
Answer: (i) I don’t know if Sanjeev was cheerful, ambitious or humorous.
(ii) I think that he was very brave, heroic and selfless.
(iii) Sanjeev was not heartless, brash or humorous.
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 3: How are Meghna and Almas’s stories similar?
Answer: Meghna and Almas—both were lucky. he was carried away with her parents and other people. But she alone survived. She was washed ashore by a wave. Almas climbed on to a log of wood. When she opened her eyes,
Question 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?
Answer: Not taking her seriously, Tilly’s parents could have tried to calm her down thinking that she had been frightened by something. As a result, they could have been washed away by the tsunami waves.If I were in their place, I too would have listened to her and realised that there was a danger approaching. Consequently, I too would have rushed away from the beach.
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 5: If Tilly’s award was to be shared, who do you think she should share it with— her parents or her geography teacher?
Answer: It is very obvious. Tilly’s award should be shared with her geography teacher. Her parents could not guess the tsunami was coming.
Question 6: What are the two different ideas about why so few animals were killed in the tsunami? Which idea do you find more believable?
Answer: Many people believe that animals possess a sixth sense and know when the earth is going to shake. On the other hand, some experts believe that animals’ more acute hearing helps them hear or feel the earth’s vibrations. They can sense an approaching disaster long before humans can realise it.
Working with Language
Question 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?
Answer:
Fast movement | Slow movement | Neither slow nor fast |
Earthquake | Floating | Walking |
Rushed | Recede | |
Tremors | ||
Swept | ||
Ran | ||
Fell | ||
Climb |
There are more words in “fast movement”column. These are related to fast movements of escape from the tsunami. It was natural for men and animals to make fast movements in such situation.
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 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)
Answer:
(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.
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 3: Study the sentences in the columns A and B.
Compare the sentences in A to the ones in B. Who is the ‘doer’ of the action in every case? Is the ‘doer’ mentioned in A, or in B?
Notice the verbs in A: ‘was swept away’, ‘was hit’, ‘were washed away’, ‘were found’. They are in the passive form. The sentences are in the Passive Voice. In these sentences, the focus is not on the person who does the action.
In B, the ‘doer’ of the action is named. The verbs are in the active form. The sentences are in the Active Voice.
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. ___________
Answer:
(ii) P
(iii) A
(iv) P
(v) A
(vi) A
Speaking and Writing
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 1: Suppose you are one of the volunteers who went to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for relief work after the tsunami. You work in the relief camps, distributing food, water and medicine among the victims. You listen to the various stories of bravery of ordinary people even as they fight against odds to bring about some semblance of normalcy in their lives. You admire their grit and determination. Write a diary entry.
You may start in this way.
31 December, 2004
The killer tsunami struck these islands five days ago. But the victims are being brought in even now. Each one has a story to tell….
Answer: The killer tsunami struck these islands five days ago. But the victims are being brought in even now. Each one has a story to tell. Their stories are hair raising as well as heartening or inspiring. Many were determined to start a new life. there, and to get a fishing boat to earn their livelihood.
The Tsunami Class 8
The Tsunami Class 8
Question 2: The story shows how a little girl saved the lives of many tourists when a tsunami struck the beach, thanks to the geography lesson that she had learnt at school. She remembered the visuals of a tsunami and warned her parents.
Do you remember any incident when something that you learnt in the classroom helped you in some way outside the classroom?
Write your experiences in a paragraph of about 90-100 words or narrate it to the whole class like an anecdote.
Answer: The other day I was walking back from school. Suddenly my eyes fell on a cyclist. He seemed to be losing balance. Before I could think of helping him, he had somehow got down the cycle. However, perspiring and breathing with difficulty. away and sent one of them to call a doctor. In the meantime I fanned him to help him get a lot of fresh air. Then very tenderly, I massaged his heart.
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