Read the passage then answer the questions number 1 and 2.
Meherjan lives in a slum on the Sirajgonj Town Protection Embankment. Her polythene-roofed shelter looks like a cage. She is nearly 45 but looks more than her age. In front of her shelter, she is trying to make a fire to cook the day’s only meal. Her weak hands tremble as she adds some fallen leaves and straw to the fire. The whispering wind from the river Jamuna makes the fire unsteady. The dancing flames remind Meherjan of the turmoil in her life.
Not long ago, Meherjan had everything ... ... a family, cultivable land and cattle. The erosion of the Jamuna gradually consumed all her land property. It finally claimed her only shelter during the last monsoon. It took the river only a day to devour Meher’s house, trees, vegetable garden and the bamboo bush. She had a happy family once. Over the years, she lost her husband and her family to diseases that cruel hunger and poverty brought to the family. Now, she is the only one left to live on with the loss and the pain. The greedy Jamuna has shattered her dreams and happiness.
There are thousand others waiting to share the same fate like Meherjan. Bangladesh is a land of rivers some of whose banks overflow or erode during monsoon. Erosion is a harsh reality for the people living along the river banks. During each monsoon many more villages are threatened by the mighty rivers like the Jamuna, the Padma and the Meghna. It is estimated that river erosion makes at least 100,000 people homeless every year in Bangladesh. In fact, river erosion is one of the dangers caused by climate change. If we can’t take prompt actions to adapt to climate change, there will be thousands of more Meherjans in our towns and villages every year.
1. Choose the correct answer from the alternatives :
1×10=10
a. Before the erosion of the river Meherjan was —.
i) healthy
ii) wealthy
iii) unhappy
iv) joyful
b. What does the word ‘demolish’ mean?
i) destroy
ii) support
iii) preserve
iv) gather
c. What is the dangerous result of climate change?
i) river erosion
ii) landed property
iii) cruel hunger
iv) builds new town
d. Meherjan’s hands are trembling because —.
i) she is very well
ii) she is tired
iii) she is fine
iv) she is feeble
e. __ has made Meherjan’s life miserable.
i) River erosion
ii) Frustration
iii) Vast property
iv) Happiness
f. What kind of women is Meherjan now?
i) joyous
ii) adventurous
iii) wretched
iv) well
g. Meherjan, the victim of a natural disaster, is now a —.
i) land owner
ii) slum dweller
iii) tenant
iv) slum owner
h. River erosion is a __ reality for the people living along the river bank.
i) enjoying ii) dulcet
iii) crude
iv) subdued
i. Whispering wind means __.
i) wind that blows from across the river
ii) wind that blows with a hissing sound
iii) wind that helps someone make a fire
iv) wind that blows in Monsoon
j. About __ people become homeless every year in Bangladesh due to river erosion.
i) 1 lac ii) 2 lac
iii) 3 lac iv) 4 lac
2. Answer the following questions:
2×6=12
a. Where does Meherjan live?
b. What property did Meherjan lose due to river erosion?
c. What happened to her after the erosion of the river Jamuna?
d. What crushed Meherjan’s dream and happiness and how?
e. Why does Meherjan look more aged than her age?
f. Who are the worst sufferers of climate change?
Answer
1.
a. iv) joyful
b. i) destroy
c. i) river erosion
d. iv) she is feeble
e. i) River erosion
f. i) wretched
g. ii) slum dweller
h. iii) crude
i. ii) wind that blows with a hissing sound
j. i) 1 lac
2.
a. Meherjan lives in a slum on the Sirajganj Town Protection Embankment near the Jamuna river.
b. Meherjan lost her house, trees, vegetable garden and the bamboo bush due to river erosion.
c. The erosion of the Jamuna gradually consumed all her land property and her only shelter too. She lost her husband and her family to diseases that cruel hunger and proverty brought to the family.
d. The greedy Jamuna crushed her dreams and happiness. The erosion of the Jamuna gradually consumed all her land property, her shelter, everything. She also lost her husband and her family to diseases that cruel hunger and poverty brought to the family.
e. Losing everything, Meherjan is now physically feeble and mentally upset. She is suffering from extreme hunger, poverty and malnutrition. For this reason she looks more aged than her age.
f. People like Meherjan who live on the river banks are the worst sufferers of climate change.
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