Unit-5: Climate Change
Lesson-1: The Greed of the Mighty Rivers
Part A: Reading Test (22 Marks)
Read the passage. Then answer the questions no. 1 and 2.
Meherjan lives in a slum on the Sirajgonj Town Protection Embankment. 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, arable land and cattle. The erosion of the Jamuna gradually consumed all her landed 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 1,00,000 people homeless every year in Bangladesh. In fact, river erosion is one of the main 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 following alternatives. 1x7=7
(a) What does the expression ‘The turmoil in her life’ in the 1st paragraph mean?
(i) the pleasures of life
(ii) the pangs and pains of her life
(iii) the thunderstorm in her life
(iv) the dreams of her life
আরো পড়ুন : Unseen Passage থেকে ২টি প্রশ্ন ও উত্তর নিয়ে আলোচনা, ৩য় পর্ব, এসএসসি পরীক্ষার ইংরেজি ১ম পত্র
(b) Once Meherjan was —-.
(i) unlevered (ii) insolvent
(iii) poor (iv) impoverished
(c) Meherjan was homeless because of — .
(i) the erosion of the Jamuna
(ii) selling of her house
(iii) destruction of her house
(iv) beginning of flood
(d) The word ‘shatter’ means ——-.
(i) to destroy something
(ii) smash to smithereens
(iii) to erect something
(iv) to complete something
(e) Meherjan tries to make fire to —-.
(i) warm herself (ii) cook day’s meal
(iii) make tea (iv) make night’s meal
(f) Which one of the following is true about Meherjan’s past life?
(i) she was exhausted
(ii) she led a luxurious life
(iii) she had financial competence
(iv) she fell a victim of poverty
(g) What is the main purpose of the author of the passage?
(i) to explain the importance of river
(ii) to describe the impact of monsoon
(iii) to describe the effect of river erosion
(iv) to describe the fate of a woman
Answer: 1. a) ii, b) i, c) i, d) ii, e) ii, f) iii, g) iii.
লেখক : সিনিয়র শিক্ষক, ইংরেজি
লেক সার্কাস গার্লস হাই স্কুল, কলাবাগান, ঢাকা
কবীর
