CBSE Class 8 English Chapter 2 – The Tsunami Important Question Answers from Honeydew Book
Class 8 The Tsunami Question Answers – Looking for The Tsunami Important questions and answers for CBSE Class 8 English Honeydew Book Chapter 2? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practicing Class 8 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Chapter 2: The Tsunami now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given Text book Questions (NCERT Solutions) to the chapter’s Extract-based Questions and Extra Question Answers
Also, practising with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams.
- The Tsunami Text Book Questions
- The Tsunami Grammar Exercises
- The Tsunami Extract Based Questions
- The Tsunami Extra Question Answers
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Class 8 English The Tsunami Text Book Questions – NCERT Solutions
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.
Ans:
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?
Ans. 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?
Ans. 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?
Ans. Yes, Tilly’s mother was alarmed by the rising sea waves.
4. Where had Tilly seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion?
Ans. 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?
Ans. 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?
Ans. 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?
Ans. 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?
Ans. 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?
Ans. 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?
Ans. 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. Which words in the list below describe Sanjeev, in your opinion? (Look up the dictionary for words that you are not sure of.)
| cheerful | ambitious | brash | brave | careless |
| heroic | selfless | heartless | humorous |
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___________.
Ans.
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?
Ans. 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?
Ans. 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?
Ans. 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?
Ans. 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?
Ans.
| 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)
Ans.
(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. _______________
Ans.
(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__
Class 8 English The Tsunami Chapter 2 Extract Based Questions
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow-
A. 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.
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.
Q1. How did Meghna’s life get saved?
Ans. She floated on a wooden door for two days and finally reached the shore by a wave.
Q2. Did the relief helicopters help Meghna?
Ans. No. Eleven times she saw relief helicopters fly overhead but they failed to see her.
Q3. Where did Almas study?
Ans. Almas was a student of Carmel Convent at Port Blair.
Q4. Where was Almas’ mother’s home?
Ans. It was in Nancowry island.
Q5. What did Almas’ father do?
Ans. He owned a petrol pump in Port Blair.
B. 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.”
Q1. Where did the Smith family go for vacation?
Ans. They had gone on a vacation to Southern Thailand.
Q2. Describe Tilly.
Ans. Tilly was a ten year-old school girl.
Q3. What for had they gone to Thailand?
Ans. The Smith family had gone to Thailand to celebrate Christmas.
Q4. What happened on 26 December 2004?
Ans. They were struck by a deadly tsunami.
Q5. What had triggered the deadly tsunami waves?
Ans. The deadly waves were triggered by an earthquakeoff Northern Sumatra.
C. 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.
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.”
Q1. Where had Tilly seen a video of a Tsunami?
Ans. Tilly had seen a video of a tsunami in her class.
Q2. When had the tsunami hit the Hawaiian islands?
Ans. In the year 1946, tsunami had hit the Hawaiian islands.
Q3. What are the possible causes of a tsunami?
Ans. It can be caused by earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides.
Q4. What was Tilly’s reaction on seeing the sea rise slowly?
Ans. Tilly started to scream at her family to get off the beach.
Q5. What did Penny tell about Tilly’s activities?
Ans. Penny remembers that Tilly talked of an earthquake under the sea. She got hysterical. On seeing Tilly’s fright, Penny thought that something serious was going on.
D. 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.
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 realise 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.
Q1. How did the animals react to the oncoming disaster?
Ans. 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.
Q2. What enabled the animals to foresee the danger?
Ans. Animals have a sixth sense and know when the earth is about to shake.
Q3. What faculty of animals help them sense the earth’s vibrations?
Ans. The acute hearing of animals helps them to hear or feel the earth’s vibrations.
Q4. How many people were killed by the tsunami?
Ans. More than 1,50,000 people in a dozen countries were killed.
Q5. How many animals were reported dead?
Ans. Not many animals were reported dead because they could sense the upcoming danger.
Class 8 The Tsunami Extra Question Answers
Answer the following questions-
Q1. What happened to Almas’s mother and aunts? Were they saved?
Ans. 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
Q2. Where was Almas’s family when the tsunami struck? What fate did they have?
Ans. Almas and her family were celebrating Christmas at her mother’s home in Nancowry islands when the tsunami struck. Her father sensed danger and tried to take the family to a safer place but as they ran, something hit her grandfather and when her father attended to him, a powerful wave struck them. Almas’s mother and aunts too were washed away along with the coconut tree which they had been holding.
Q3. What saved Tilly Smith’s family?
Ans. The Smith family from Britain was celebrating Christmas in Thailand when the tsunami struck. Tilly saw the sea swell and related it to a video of a tsunami that she had seen in her class. She screamed and asked everyone to move away from the beach. She talked of an earthquake in the sea and got hysterical. It was on her persistent pleadings that several people evacuated the beach and thus, were saved.
Q4. How did animals react to the oncoming danger of the tsunami?
Ans. Animals can hear and sense any oncoming shaking of the earth. It was seen that animals in zoos and national parks located in areas near the Indian ocean were alarmed and even refused to remain near the sea. Several animals ran away before the huge waves struck. Thus, the loss of animals was far less than the loss of human life.
Q5. Where did Tilly’s family take refuge?
Ans. The family took refuge on the third floor of a hotel and survived three huge tsunami waves. If they would have remained on the beach, they would not have remained alive.
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