The Tsunami
First Set of Questions:
(1) What did Tilly recall?
Tilly recalled what she had learned in geography class about an earthquake under the sea.
(2) What are tsunamis caused by?
Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes under the sea.
(3) How did Tilly react sensing earthquake under the sea?
Tilly started to scream at her family to get off the beach and became hysterical.
(4) What made Tilly’s mother think seriously?
Tilly's mother took her seriously because she saw her daughter extremely frightened and thought something serious must be going on.
Second Set of Questions:
(1) What did the wild and domestic animals do anticipating tsunami?
The wild and domestic animals sensed the danger and fled to safety before the tsunami struck.
(2) How did the elephants and the dogs react?
The elephants screamed and ran for higher ground, while the dogs refused to go outdoors.
(3) How did the zoo animals behave?
The zoo animals rushed into their shelters and could not be enticed to come back out.
Q4: What acute faculty do animals have which is far better than that of human beings?
Answer:
Animals have a more acute sense of hearing, which helps them to feel or hear the earth's vibrations and sense an approaching disaster before humans.
Q3: Say whether the following sentences are True or False:
Katchall is part of the Andaman group of islands.
❌ False – Katchall is part of the Nicobar group.
Nancowry is an island in the Nicobar group.
✅ True
Ignesious’s wife woke him up at 6 am because she felt an earthquake.
✅ True
John was a police-guesthouse cook.
✅ True
Meghna saved herself by holding on to a wooden door.
✅ True
Almas’s father could save her grandfather who was hit on his head.
❌ False
Meghna was a student of Carmel Convent in Port Blair.
❌ False – Almas was a student of Carmel Convent.
Q4: Answer the following questions in two to three sentences each:
1. Who was Tilly? Why did Tilly’s family come to Thailand?
Tilly Smith was a 10-year-old British schoolgirl. Her family had come to Thailand to enjoy their winter vacation.
2. What were the warning signs that both Tilly and her mother saw?
Tilly and her mother saw the sea rising and bubbling, and the beach suddenly getting empty. These were warning signs of a tsunami.
3. Who was Ignesious? Why did he put his television down on the ground from table?
Ignesious was a manager in a cooperative society in Katchall. He put his television down on the ground to prevent it from falling and breaking during the earthquake.
4 How did Sanjeev lose his life?
Sanjeev was a policeman who lost his life while trying to save the life of his wife and the cook's wife from the giant waves.
5.What is the view of some experts about the animals?
Some experts believe that animals have a sixth sense or more acute hearing that allows them to sense the earth’s vibrations. This helps them detect natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis earlier than humans. They can hear or feel the danger approaching and take action to protect themselves.
6.How did Tilly Smith save her family from the deadly waves?
Tilly Smith had learned about tsunamis in her geography class. She recognized the warning signs of an earthquake under the sea and the approaching tsunami. She screamed and warned her family to get off the beach. Her mother took her seriously and they all moved to safety just in time. Thanks to Tilly’s knowledge and alertness, her family was saved.
5. Answer the following questions in four to five sentences each:
(1) Give a brief account of how the animals saved themselves when the giant waves hit India and Sri Lanka.
Before the giant tsunami waves hit India and Sri Lanka, many wild and domestic animals behaved unusually. Elephants screamed and ran to higher ground, while dogs refused to go outdoors. Flamingoes abandoned their low-lying breeding grounds. Zoo animals rushed into their shelters and refused to come out. This behavior showed that animals sensed the danger and took action to save themselves.
(2) What happened to Almas and her family?
Almas lived in Port Blair with her family. When the earthquake struck, her father tried to take the family to safety, but they were hit by a huge wave. Almas lost her parents, grandfather, and aunt in the tsunami. She managed to survive by holding onto a wooden log and floating to safety. She was eventually rescued and taken to a hospital in Kamorta.
(1) (at a long distance, in the process of travelling, quite near)
✅ Correct sentence: We were a little late leaving the house, but we’re in the process of travelling!
(2) (greatly pleased, quite upset, in a confused state of mind)
✅ Correct sentence: The actor says he has been in a daze (in a confused state of mind) following the overwhelming positive reaction to his latest film.
(3) (got discouraged, withdrew, enrolled again)
✅ Correct sentence: She was considered a strong contender to win the local election, but she withdrew at the last minute.
(1) (forewarned, terrifying, Thanks, entire, back, later)
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.
(2) (foam, shown, whirlpools, caused, slowly, hit)
Tilly saw the sea 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 the video, and told them that tsunamis can be caused by earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides.
1. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of verbs:
(1)Almas saw a log of wood (float). She climbed on to it. Then she fainted. When she woke (wake) up, she was in a hospital in Kamorta. From there she was brought (bring) to Port Blair.
(2) "The water swelled (swell) and kept coming in,” Penny Smith remembered (remember). “The beach was getting smaller and smaller. I did not know (not + know) what was happening.”
2. Change the Voice of the following:
(1) He was woken up by his wife at 6 am.
(2) The television was carefully taken off the table by Ignesious.
(3) They were never seen again by him.
(4) Meghna, a thirteen-year-old girl, was swept away along with her parents.
(5) Something hit her grandfather on the head and he was knocked down.
3. Rewrite as directed:
(1) Even though Sanjeev jumped into the water to rescue her, they were both swept away.
(2) The family had gone to the Nancowry island with a view to celebrating Christmas.
(3) The first giant wave came, sweeping both of them away. (Simple sentence)
(4) I knew something was happening. (Affirmative)
(5) Tilly started to scream at her family so that they could get off the beach.
Natural Calamities
Natural calamities are sudden and extreme events caused by natural forces that bring destruction to life and property. Some common natural disasters include earthquakes, floods, cyclones, droughts, and tsunamis. These events can cause great loss of human and animal lives, damage buildings, roads, crops, and affect entire communities.
Earthquakes occur due to sudden movements in the Earth's crust, while floods happen due to heavy rainfall or overflowing rivers.
Cyclones and hurricanes bring strong winds and heavy rain, damaging coastal areas. Tsunamis are giant waves caused by underwater earthquakes.
Droughts occur due to lack of rainfall, leading to water shortage and crop failure. Though we cannot prevent these disasters, we can reduce their impact through early warning systems, disaster preparedness, and public awareness. Governments and rescue teams play a major role in helping affected people. It is important for everyone to stay alert and act wisely during such situations to stay safe.
