Lesson-2 The Tsunami

🌊 Summary in Easy English:The Tsunami

This chapter shares real-life stories of people who were affected by the tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004.

Part I – Stories of Survival:

1. Ignesious: A man in Andaman woke up early due to earthquake tremors. He saved his family by taking them to a safer place.
2. Sanjeev: A policeman tried to save others, including a woman and her baby, but sadly died while trying to help.
3. Meghna: A 13-year-old girl got separated from her family and floated in the sea for two days on a wooden door. She survived.
4. Almas Javed: A ten-year-old girl from Andaman lost her family but survived by clinging to a log.

Part II – Animals and Natural Instinct:

• It tells how animals like elephants, dogs, and flamingoes seemed to sense the tsunami before it hit and moved to higher ground. This helped them survive. Scientists believe animals can feel natural disasters before humans.

🌊 सारांश (आसान हिंदी में):

यह पाठ 26 दिसंबर 2004 को आए सूनामी से जुड़े असली अनुभवों को बताता है।

भाग I – जीवित बचने की कहानियाँ:

1. इग्नेशियस: अंडमान का एक आदमी, जिसने भूकंप के झटकों को महसूस कर अपने परिवार को समय रहते सुरक्षित जगह पहुंचा दिया।
2. संजीव: एक पुलिसवाला जो दूसरों को बचाते हुए खुद सूनामी की चपेट में आ गया।
3. मेघना: 13 साल की लड़की, जो अपने परिवार से बिछड़ गई लेकिन एक लकड़ी के दरवाजे पर बहकर दो दिन बाद बच गई।
4. अल्मास जावेद: 10 साल की लड़की, जिसने सूनामी में अपने परिवार को खो दिया लेकिन एक लकड़ी के टुकड़े के सहारे बच गई।

भाग II – जानवरों की संवेदनशीलता:

• जानवरों को सूनामी का खतरा पहले से पता चल गया था। हाथी, कुत्ते और पक्षी ऊँचाई वाली जगहों पर चले गए और बच गए। वैज्ञानिक मानते हैं कि जानवर प्राकृतिक आपदाओं को इंसानों से पहले महसूस कर लेते हैं।

Page 1 (Map Exercise)

Rewrite the incorrect sentences after correcting the mistakes:

1. Katchall is an island.

   • ✅ Correct.

2. It is part of the Andaman group of islands.

   • ❌ Incorrect. Corrected: “Katchall is part of the Nicobar group of islands.”

3. Nancowry is an island in the Nicobar group.

   • ✅ Correct.

4. Katchall and Nancowry are more than a hundred miles apart.

   • ✅ Likely correct (based on the map).

5. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are to the west of India.

   • ❌ Incorrect. Corrected: “The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are to the east of India.”

6. The Nicobar Islands are to the north of the Andaman Islands.

   • ❌ Incorrect. Corrected: “The Nicobar Islands are to the south of the Andaman Islands.”

Page 4 (Comprehension Check – Part I)

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.

Page 5 (Comprehension Check – Part II)

Answer in a phrase or a sentence:

1. Why did Tilly’s family come to Thailand?

   • To celebrate Christmas at a beach resort.

2. What were the warning signs that both Tilly and her mother saw?

   • The sea was swelling, bubbling, and forming whirlpools.

3. Do you think Tilly’s mother was alarmed by them?

   • No, not until Tilly got scared.

4. Where had Tilly seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion?

   • In a video of a tsunami in Hawaii shown in her geography class.

5. Where did the Smith family and the others on the beach go to escape from the tsunami?

   • To 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?

   • Proud and happy.

Page 7 (Comprehension Check – Part III)

Answer in a phrase or a sentence:

1. In the tsunami 150,000 people died. How many animals died?

   • Not many animals died.

2. How many people and animals died in Yala National Park?

   • Sixty people; two water buffaloes.

3. What do people say about the elephants of Yala National Park?

   • The elephants ran away from the beach before the tsunami hit.

4. What did the dogs in Galle do?

   • They refused to go for their usual run on the beach.

Pages 7-8 (Working with the Text)

1. Why didn’t Ignesious worry about a tsunami immediately? Which sentence shows they had no time to plan?

   • He was trying to save his TV during the earthquake.

   • Sentence: “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. Describe Sanjeev using words:

   • Heroic, selfless, brave.

3. How are Meghna and Almas’s stories similar?

   • Both lost their families but survived by holding onto floating objects.

4. How could Tilly’s parents have reacted to her behavior? What would you do?

   • They could have ignored her or listened.

   • I would listen and move to safety.

5. Should Tilly share her award with her parents or geography teacher?

   • With her geography teacher.

6. Why were few animals killed? Which reason is more believable?

   • Animals could sense vibrations.

   • Vibrations are a more believable reason (scientific).

Pages 8-9 (Working with Language)

1. List movement-related words and categorize them:

   • Fast movement: rushed, swept, jumped.

   • Slow movement: floating.

   • Neither slow nor fast: caught, climbed, clung.

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct verb forms:

   • (i) Trembling

   • (ii) Confusion

   • (iii) Relief

   • (iv) Rescue

   • (v) Excitement

3. Identify the voice (Active or Passive):

   • (i) Someone stole my bicycle. – Active

   • (ii) The tyres were deflated by the traffic police. – Passive

   • (iii) I found it last night in a ditch near my house. – Active

   • (iv) It had been thrown there. – Passive

   • (v) My father gave it to the mechanic. – Active

   • (vi) The mechanic repaired it for me. – Active

Page 9 (Speaking and Writing)

1. Diary Entry as a Tsunami Relief Volunteer:

   31 December 2004
   The tsunami struck five days ago. Even now, victims keep coming. Today, I helped distribute food and water. I met a man who swam to save his son, and a girl who lost her family but still smiled. Their courage gives me strength. It is tiring work, but their hope keeps me going.

2. Incident Where Classroom Learning Helped:

   I learned first aid in school. One day, my friend fell off his bike and hurt his knee. I cleaned the wound and tied a bandage just like I learned. It felt good to help.

click here for More Notes for CBSE VIIIth Class- Click