The Tsunami: Answers Summary and Meanings Class 8 NCERT English

The Tsunami’ is the 2nd chapter in the NCERT book ‘Honeydew’. The subject material includes a summary of stories, meanings of difficult words and answers to all intext questions as well as the chapter-end exercises.

Summary: The Tsunami

Stories from Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Ignesious’s Story

Ignesious was completely unaware of the morning of 26th December, sleeping peacefully when his wife woke him up at 6 am after she felt an earthquake. As a precautionary measure, he removed the television set from the table and placed it on the ground, in order to save it from falling off the table. then, the entire family rushed out of their house. However, as the tremors of the earthquake stopped, they were shocked to see the sea levels rising. They were utterly confused, not knowing what was happening. In this confusion, they started to run in a chaotic fashion. Half of his family members ran in one direction and the others ran in the opposite direction. he never saw his wife, her father, brother and his two children ever again. Perhaps they were swept away and were now dead. Luckily, his three children that accompanied him were saved.

The Story of Sanjeev and Meghna

Sanjeev was a policeman on the Katchall island of the Nicobar group of islands. he managed to save himself, his wife and his baby daughter from the waves. however, after he jumped into the sea, hearing the Guesthouse cook, John’s wife screaming, he failed to save either the cook’s wife or himself. Both of them got drowned in the gush of waves. Meghna along with her parents and seventy-seven other people was swept away by the wave. However, she kept floating in the sea for two days. For two days, she held on to a wooden door, which kept her afloat and saved her. During these two days, several times she saw the rescue helicopters, but they couldn’t see her. Later she was brought to the shore by another very strong wave. Meghna was just thirteen when she had to go through the pain of having lost her parents.

Almas Javed’s Story

Ten-year-old, Almas Javed, had lost both her parents as well as her grandfather. On that last morning, Almas’s father saw the seawater moving back than its usual point. He was sure that the water would come back with greater force. he woke everyone up and tried to rush the family, to a safe place, but it was too late by then. In an attempt to save to grandfather, Almas’s father too was swept away by the waves. Almas fainted at the sight of this great loss. She was later rescued and then taken to a hospital in Kamorta and then to Port Blair, but she continues to be in a traumatic condition and refuses to talk about the incident. Almas’s mother and aunts climbed to the leaves of a coconut tree, but the waves uprooted the entire tree.

Stories From Thailand

Tilly Smith and her Heroic Acts

Tilly Smith, a British schoolgirl, saved many lives at a beach resort in Southern Thailand, where she had gone to celebrate Christmas with her family. Tilly Smith on seeing the condition of the sea was reminded of her geography lesson in which the geography teacher had shown the students a video of the tsunami that had struck Hawaiian island in 1946. Tilly was sure that the rising levels of the sea, the formation of the foam, the bubbles and the whirlpool were all symptomatic of the tsunami, as shown in the video.

Tilly began screaming and asked her family to leave the beach. the other tourists on the beach did the same. Nobody, except Tilly, knew what was happening. they were just alarmed by Tilly’s reactions and did as she advised. They took refuge in the topmost floor, the third floor of the building and were saved. Had they stayed on the beach, they would have been swept away by the waves.

The Animals and their Sixth Sense

It was strangely observed that a little before the waves struck the coasts of India and Sri Lanka, the animals had some kind of intuition and were reacting strangely. The dogs refused to step outdoors, the flamingoes refused to come down to low-lying breeding areas and other zoo animals too rushed to their shelters. it is believed that perhaps animals could feel the vibrations of the Earth their acute hearing powers saved them from this massive earthquake under the sea.

The proof of this is that the giant waves killed more than 50000 people across countries, but hardly any animals were reported dead. Examples- Along India’s Cuddalore coast, thousands of people died, but buffaloes, goats and dogs remained unharmed. In the Yala National Park and the Patanangala beach in Sri Lanka, sixty visitors were swept away by the waves, but no animal carcasses were found. It is very strange because the Yala National Park is home to a variety of animals and more than 30 species of birds.

Word Meanings

Textbook Solutions

Intext Questions (Inside the Chapter Text)

Before you Read (NCERT Page 24)

Now read the sentences below. Rewrite the incorrect ones after correcting the mistakes.

1. Katchall is an island.
2. It is part of the Andaman group of islands.
3. Nancowry is an island in the Nicobar group.
4. Katchall and Nancowry are more than a hundred miles apart. (Hint: the scale of the map is given)
5. The Andaman and Nicobar islands are to the West of India.
6. The Nicobar Islands are to the North of the Andaman Islands.

Ans.

1. Katchall is an island.
2. It is part of the Nicobar group of islands.
3. Nancowry is an island in the Nicobar group.
4. Katchall and Nancowry are not more than a hundred miles apart.
5. The Andaman and Nicobar islands are to the South-East of India.
6. The Nicobar Islands are to the South of the Andaman Islands.

Comprehension Checks

Check 1 (NCERT Page 27)

Q. 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. True       2. False    3. False    4. True    5. True

Check 2 (NCERT Page 28)

Q. Answer the following in a phrase or sentence.

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

Ans. Tilly’s family came from England to Thailand in order to celebrate Christmas.

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

Ans. Both Tilly and her mother felt that the seawater to be swelling and coming towards them, whereas the beach was getting smaller and smaller.

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

Ans. Tilly’s mother wasn’t alarmed by them; instead, she grew concerned by her daughter’s behaviour. When Tilly let out a scream and urged her family to leave the beach, her mother felt certain that something significant was occurring.

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

Ans. Tilly had seen the sea behaving in a similar fashion in one of the videos shown by her geography teacher to her class. the video was of the tsunami that had struck the Hawaiian island 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 other tourists who were forewarned by Tilly took refuge on the third floor of the hotel and thereby escaped the tsunami.

6. How do you think her geography teacher felt when she heard about what Tilly had done in Phuket?

Ans. Tilly’s geography teacher was filled with pride by her quick thinking and the way she had applied the lessons from class. The teacher was overwhelmed with emotion as she realized that her teachings had indirectly helped to safeguard many lives.

Check 3 (NCERT Page 30)

1. In the tsunami 150000 people died. How many animals died ?

Ans. The death count of human beings was very high. But, hardly any animals were reported dead in the tsunami.

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

Ans. Sixty visitors died in the Yala National Park and only two water buffaloes were found dead.

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

Ans. It was observed that the animals of Yala National Park had fled to safety an hour before tsunami. The elephants screamed and ran away to higher grounds, dogs refused to step outdoors and so on. This is why no animal carcasses were found there, except for two water buffaloes.

4. What did the dogs in Galle do?

Ans. Dogs in Galle refused to go for their daily run, something that they were usually excited about.

Solutions: Chapter-End Exercises

Working With the Text (NCERT Page 30)

Discuss the following questions in class. Then write your own answers.

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?

Ans. No, Ignesious only feared the earthquake. he did not know it was a tsunami. he only thought about protecting the television set and his family from the earthquake. No other measures were taken by him. The Ignesious family indeed did not have any time to discuss or plan their course of action. This is proved by the fact that half of the family members ran in one direction, while the others ran in the opposite direction in utter chaos and confusion. Ignesious also lost his wife and the three children who ran with their nine-mother’s father and brother in the other 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 ………………..

Answer. 

(i) humorous, ambitious

(ii) heroic, selfless

(iii) brash/careless

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

Ans. Meghna and Almas’s stories are similar because both lost their families at a very young age.

Both Meghna and Almas managed to survive by holding on to wooden planks. Meghna held on to a wooden door and Almas held on to a log 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 had the option to reprimand her for overreacting without realizing that their daughter might have had expertise in understanding the severity of the situation. Alternatively, they could have chosen to disregard her concerns. If I were in their position, I would have listened to her and taken preventative measures as the ocean appeared to be exhibiting unusual behaviour.

5. If Tilly’s award was to be to be shared, who do you think she should share it with- her parents or her geography teacher?

Ans. Tilly’s geography teacher deserves to share her award since it was through the teacher’s lesson and the video presentation that Tilly was able to comprehend what was happening, unlike her parents.

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. It is believed that the low death toll of animals in the tsunami can be attributed to their sixth sense. With their intuition, they were able to detect the impending danger and ultimately, survive. Another theory proposed by experts is that animals have exceptional hearing abilities, allowing them to sense Earth vibrations well in advance. Both theories hold credibility.

Working With Language (NCERT Page 31)

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 catagories.

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.  The term ‘rushed’ was frequently used, appearing at least six times. This was due to individuals either fleeing from the ocean or rushing to aid their loved ones during the tsunami. The majority of the text relates to rapid movement, as the strength and abruptness of the waves necessitated people to move faster than usual.

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 struck 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) tremors          (ii) confusion            (iii) relief        (iv) rescue       (v) excitement

3. Study the sentences in 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.

Ib 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. …..

Answers.

(i) A     (ii) P      (iii) A     (iv) P     (v) A      (vi) A

Speaking and Writing (NCERT Page 32)

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 the 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.

31ST 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.

31st December 2004.

Five days after the killer tsunami struck the Andaman Islands, I visited the area. The sight of the islands was devastating and a clear testament to the destruction nature can wreak. The increasing number of victims in the relief camps further highlighted the pain and suffering caused by the disaster.

It was impossible to find someone who had not lost a loved one, been injured, or become homeless due to the tsunami. Each victim had a unique story of loss and sorrow, but the loss was a recurring theme.

As a volunteer in the relief camp, I tried to restore some normalcy by providing basic necessities like food, water, clothes, and medicine. However, it was evident that the victims were not just physically affected, but also mentally traumatized. Some were left speechless by the suddenness of the disaster.

Nonetheless, there were also heroic stories of people saving others, often at the cost of their own lives. It was both heart-warming and heart-breaking to witness.

As tears welled up in my eyes, I felt overwhelmed by the suffering of these people. But, the courage and resilience of the victims encouraged me to stay and do my part in serving humanity. May God grant us all the strength to cope with the aftermath of this natural disaster.

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 experience in a paragraph of about 90-100 words or narrate it to the whole class like an anecdote.

Ans. I recall an incident. While my mother was working absent-mindedly in the kitchen, she accidentally left the burner on with very little oil in the pan above the stove. The pan quickly caught fire due to the extreme heat of the oil. My mother, my elder sister, and my younger brother panicked and didn’t know what to do, so they started screaming.

I sprang into action and grabbed a towel, which I wet under the running tap water. I knew from what I had learned in school that water can act as an insulator of heat, but pouring water directly onto the fire could be dangerous because the splash could temporarily increase the size of the flames. Therefore, I used the wet towel to carefully extinguish the fire while making sure to turn off the burner to prevent any further contact with the gas supply.

I also recalled from my teacher’s lesson that sand is an excellent insulator of heat. I quickly went downstairs to where some construction work was underway, grabbed a packet of sand, and sprinkled it onto the pan as a final remedial measure.