Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 3 Earthquake

Tamilnadu State Board Class 9 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 3 Earthquake

A. Fill in the blanks with words from the text.

  1. The name of the narrator is _________________ .
  2. There were _________________ villages in the valley.
  3. Brij went to Pauri to buy his _________________ .
  4. The soldiers had set up a _________________
  5. Bhuli had been buried under the debris for _________________  hours.

Answers:

  1. Brij
  2. six hundred and seventy
  3. school books
  4. makeshift hospital
  5. hundred and sixteen

B. Based on your understanding of the story, choose the right answers from the options.

Question 1.
Brij started a tea shop because he wanted to _________________ .
(a) start a company.
(b) serve the people.
(c) go on a pilgrimage.
(d) become a tour guide.
Answer:
(b) serve the people

Question 2.
Molthi was completely devastated because of _________________ .
(a) a high intensity earthquake.
(b) thunder and hail storm!
(c) drought and famine.
(d) flash floods
Answer:
a high intensity earthquake.

Question 3.
The brother searched everywhere and looked dejected because _________________ .
(a) he couldn’t find his house.
(b) he couldn’t locate his sister.
(c) he was hungry and didn’t eat for a few days.
(d) he lost his school books.
Answer:
he couldn’t locate his sister.

Question 4.
The boy had great reverence and respect for Army officers as they _________________ .
(a) were brave and courageous,
(b) worked day and night
(c) saved his sister from death.
(d) all the above.
Answer:
saved his sister from death

Question 5.
Brij finally offered the traveller a _________________ .
(a) cup of milk
(b) cup of tea
(c) glass of water
(d) cup of coffee
Answer:
cup of tea

MCQs – Additional

Question 1.
Welcome to my humble roadside __________ .
(a) coffee shop
(b) snack shop
(c) tea shop
(d) fruit shop
Answer:
(c) tea shop

Question 2.
It looks rickety, but it will hold your __________ .
(a) height
(b) weight
(c) strength
(d) body
Answer:
(b) weight

Question 3.
The heat, the crowd, the __________ it was all too much.
(a) sun
(b) smoke
(c) water
(d) pollution
Answer:
(d) pollution

Question 4.
The earthquake lasted less than __________ minutes.
(a) three
(b) four
(c) five
(d) two
Answer:
(c) five

Question 5.
I had saved most of my __________ .
(a) vessels
(b) books
(c) instrument
(d) earnings
Answer:
(d) earnings

Question 6.
Its effects were felt as far away as Delhi and __________ .
(a) Agra
(b) Lucknow
(c) Kashmir
(d) Calcutta
Answer:
(b) Lucknow

Question 7.
It was a sheer chance that I was away that _________________ .
(a) evening
(b) morning
(c) night
(d) after noon
Answer:
(c) night

Question 8.
The __________ had set up a make shift camp.
(a) doctors
(b) soldiers
(c) people
(d) officers
Answer:
(b) soldiers

Question 9.
We spent the outside __________
(a) entire day
(b) entire night
(c) entire morning
(e) entire evening
Answer:
(b) entire night

Question 10.
I had gone to __________ to buy my school books
(a) Molthi
(b) Delhi
(c) pauri
(d) garhwal
Answer:
(c) pauri

Question 11.
He stood in the middle of a small __________.
(a) place
(b) door
(c) way
(d) hollow
Answer:
(d) hollow

Question 12.
__________ hours later, a soldier called out, ‘Sir!’
(a) Three
(b) Five
(c) Two
(d) Four
Answer:
(c) Two

C. Identify the character or speaker of the following lines.

  1. Greetings, traveller. You looked tired and cold.
  2. Tomorrow, we will go back to Pauri.
  3. Whom are you looking for?
  4. My men have been on their feet for days.
  5. May God be with you!

Answers:

  1. Brij
  2. Uncle
  3. Army officer
  4. Army officer
  5. Brij

Identify The Character / Speaker – Additional

  1. ‘Are you a stranger to these parts?’
  2. ‘I started this tea shop two years ago’.
  3. ‘They have taken the bodies to the river bank’.
  4. ‘But we must find her ’.
  5. ‘Come, you must perform the last rites before sunset.’
  6. ‘Brij, get a grip on yourself’.
  7. ‘Boy, it is no use’.
  8. ‘My sister, Sir”.
  9. ‘They have done all they could here.’
  10. They laboured doggedly.

Answers:

  1. Brij
  2. Brij
  3. Uncle
  4. Brij
  5. Uncle
  6. Uncle
  7. The Army Officer
  8. Brij
  9. The Army Officer
  10. The three soldiers

D. Answer the following questions in a paragraph of about 80 to 100 words.

Question 1.
Explain the efforts taken by the Army Officer to save the baby.
Answer:
The officer came with three soldiers armed with spades and crowbars. Without a word, the men began to remove the debris. They laboured doggedly. When it was completely dark, some one brought a few lit petromax lamps. Two hours r later, a soldier called out, “ Sir”. He stood in the middle of a small hollow. The wall had caved in at that spot. Brij recognised a part of the door. Beneath it, was a little foot. Feverishly, the soldiers began to clear the hollow. Then they lifted the door. It was a miracle. They rescued the baby alive after a hundred and sixteen hours. A ragged cheer went up and she was carried to a make-shift hospital.

Question 2.
Brij has become a symbol of love and humanity. Explain.
Answer:
Brij was happy to have Bhuli after a tough rescue operation. The officer who helped him was never seen again. He wanted to thank that Army officer. He hoped that one day he would run into him again. So Bhuj offered special tea with love and care to all tired travellers, army officers and soon every person who went that way. He felt a surge of sheer joy. He considered it as a humble service. Brij has become an epitome of love and a symbol of humanity.

Paragraph Questions And Answers : Additional

Question 1.
What happened to Brij’s village ‘Molthi’?
Answer:
A terrible earthquake occurred, four years ago in the month of October in a Valley near the Himalayas. Its effects were felt as far away as Delhi and Lucknow. They were six hundred and seventy villages in the valley. Out of these, six hundred and two villages were destroyed. The earthquake lasted less than five minutes. But it was enough time to set the centuries old mountains, to crash, to reduce the villages to rubble and to snuff out hundreds of lives. Brij’s village, “Molthi” was also destroyed during this terrible earthquake. He lost all his family members, except his little sister Bhuli. Every single house had been flattened. Only stones, rubbles and dust remained.

Question 2.
What did Brij tell to the traveller about his family?
Answer:
Brij’s house was a two-storeyed stone building with a slate roof/His great grandfather had built that house. They were a small family. His father had died after an illness, just fourteen months ago. His mother took care of all her children. Brij was the oldest of all. His brother Nilu was ten years old. Bhuli, his two-year old sister was the baby of the family. His grandmother also lived with them. He had lost his family, when he went to Pauri to buy his school books. While he was leaving for Pauri, his family members stood at the doorway and waved out to him.

E. Answer the following questions based on the reading of the story. Do not forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find and confirm the answers.

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 3 Earthquake - 1

Additional Questions

I. Rearrange The Following Jumbled Sentences In The Correct Order.

Question A.
1. While you warm yourself, I will prepare for you the best cup of tea in all Garhwal.
2. Anyway, whoever you are, come with me. Wait at my tea shop.
3. It will chase away the pinched, blue look from your face.
4. As you can see, I am carrying this can of milk to the shop.
5. In ten minutes, I will have a fire going.
Answer:
2,4, 5,1, 3

2. Anyway, whoever you are, come with me. Wait at my tea shop.
4. As you can see, I am carrying this can of milk to the shop.
5. In ten minutes, I will have a fire going.
1. While you warm yourself, I will prepare for you the best cup of tea in all Garhwal.
3. It will chase away the pinched, blue look from your face.

Question B.
1. By the grace of God, it provides me a decent enough livelihood.
2. I came back and with a little help, I started this shop.
3. Before that, I worked in a roadside shop outside Panipat.
4. I had saved most of my earnings.
5. The heat, the crowd, the pollution – it was all too much.
Answer:
3, 5,4, 2,1

3. Before that I worked in a roadside shop outside Panipat.
5. The heat, the crowd, the pollution – it was all too much.
4. I had saved most of my earnings.
2. I came back and with a little help, I started this shop.
1. By the grace of God, it provides me a decent enough livelihood.

Question C.
1. One night, the earth quaked.
2. We, who live here, are accustomed to tremors.
3. It was four years ago, in the month of October.
4. Yes, tremors are common in these parts.
5. These snows may seem eternal, the Himalayas may look solid, but the truth is, deep down they are unstable.
Answer:
3,1,4, 5,2

3. It was four years ago, in the month of October.
1. One night, the earth quaked.
4. Yes, tremors are common in these parts.
5. These snows may seem eternal, the Himalayas may look solid, but the truth is, deep down they are unstable.
2. We, who live here, are accustomed to tremors,

Question D.
1. I had gone to Pauri to buy my school books.
2. We felt tremors. We ran out into the open.
3. Again and again the tremors came. We spent the entire night outside.
4. It was sheer chance that I was away that night.
5. I stayed the night at my uncle’s house.
Answer:
4,1, 5,2, 3

4. It was sheer chance that I was away that night.
1. I had gone to Pauri to buy my school books.
5. I stayed the night at my uncle’s house.
2. We felt tremors. We ran out into the open.
3. Again and again the tremors came. We spent the entire night outside.

II. Read The Passage And Answer The Questions.

1. Here we are. Welcome to my humble roadside teashop. Make yourself comfortable on this wooden bench. It looks rickety but it will hold your weight. My name, Sir? I am called Brij. I am seventeen years old. I started this tea shop two years ago.

Question (a).
Where was Brij’s teashop?
Answer:
His teashop was by the roadside.

Question (b).
How was the wooden bench in his tea shop.
Answer:
It was poorly made and likely to collapse.

Question (c).
How old was Brij?
Answer:
He was seventeen years old.

Question(d).
When did he start the tea-shop?
Answer:
He started the tea shop two years ago.

Question (e).
Who did Brij invite to his tea shop?
Answer:
Brij invited a traveller to his tea shop.

2. Here, your tea is ready – strong, sweet, flavoured with cardamom. Enjoy it, Sir, while I get on with my chores. This is my daily routine. At sunset, I will shut my shop and walk back the three miles to my dwelling on the hillside.

The name of my village?
It was my village. The village of my ancestors.
It is no more. Molthi is gone.

Question (a).
How did Brij prepare tea for the traveller?
Answer:
He prepared strong, flavoured tea with cardamon.

Question (b).
What time does he shut his shop?
Answer:
He shuts his tea shop at sunset.

Question (c).
How many miles he has to walk to his dwelling?
Answer:
He has to walk three miles to his dwelling on the hillside.

Question (d).
What was the name of his village?
Answer:
Molthi was the name of his village.

Question (e).
Why does Brij say that his village ‘Molthi’ is gone?
Answer:
He says that Molthi is gone because it was destroyed by an earthquake.

3. It was four years ago, in the month of October. One night the earth quaked. Yes, tremors are common in these parts. These snows may seem eternal, the Himalayas may look solid, but the truth is, deep down they are unstable. We, who live here, are accustomed to tremors. But what happened that night was more than that. It was a terrible earthquake. Its effects were felt as far away as Delhi and Lucknow.

Question (a).
When did the earthquake occur?
Answer:
It occurred four years ago in the month of October.

Question (b).
Are tremors common in those parts of the valley?
Answer:
Yes, Tremors are common in those parts of the valley.

Question (c).
What did Brij say about the Himalayas?
Answer:
Himalayas may look solid and eternal, but deep down, they are unstable.

Question (d).
Are the villagers who lived there accustomed to Tremors?
Answer:
Yes, they are accustomed to Tremors.

Question (e).
How were the effects of the Tremor?
Answer:
Its effects were felt as far away as Delhi and Lucknow.

4. When the soldiers began to clear the debris, my uncle led me away. I was in a complete daze, too numb to feel anything. The soldiers had set up a makeshift camp. Someone gave me tea and biscuits. I don’t know how long I was there. Suddenly it was evening and uncle was standing beside me. “They have taken the bodies to the river bank,” he said gently. “Come, you must perform the last rites before sunset. Tomorrow, we will go back to Pauri.”

Question (a).
What was the state of Brij, after the devastation?
Answer:
He was in a complete daze, too numb to feel anything.

Question (b).
What did the soldiers set up?
Answer:
The soldiers set up a makeshift camp.

Question (c).
What did his uncle say to him?
Answer:
He said that they have taken the bodies to the river bank. So he must perform the last rites before sunset.

Question (d).
When the soldiers began to clear the debris, what did his uncle do?
Answer:
He led Brij away from that place.

Question (e).
What was given to Brij by someone?
Answer:
He was given tea and biscuits.

5. He stood in the middle of a small hollow. The wall had caved in at that spot. I recognized a part of a door. Beneath it, a small foot.
Feverishly the soldiers began to clear the hollow. Then, they lifted the door.
“She is alive!” someone said.

It was a miracle. She had been buried under the debris for a hundred and sixteen hours. She had survived the earthquake, the cold nights and the wild animals. A ragged cheer went up and the soldier wrapped her in a warm blanket and carried her to the tent, where a makeshift hospital had been set up. Bhuli lived. The next day, I went to thank the Army Officer. But he was gone. I did not even know his name.

Question (a).
Where did one of the soldiers stand?
Answer:
He stood in the middle of a small hollow.

Question (b).
When the soldiers saw a small foot beneath a part of a door, what did they do?
Answer:
Feverishly, the soldiers began to clear the hollow. Then, they lifted the door and found the little girl there.

Question (c).
How many hours was the little girl buried under the debris?
Answer:
She had been buried there for a hundred and sixteen hours.

Question (d).
What steps were taken by the soldiers to save Bhuli?
Answer:
The soldiers wrapped her in a warm blanket and carried her to the tent, where a makeshift hospital had been set up.

Question (e).
What made Brij to go to the area, where the soldiers were labouring?
Answer:
The next day, he went to the area, to thank the army officer for saving his sister.

III. Short Question And Answers.

Question 1.
What was Brij carrying to his shop?
Answer:
He was carrying a can of milk to his shop.

Question 2.
Where did Brij work earlier?
Answer:
He worked in a roadside shop outside Panipat.

Question 3.
How did he prepare the tea for the traveller?
Answer:
He prepared a strong, sweet flavoured tea with cardamom for the traveller.

Question 4.
How many miles did Brij walk everyday to his dwelling?
Answer:
He walked three miles to his dwelling on the hillside.

Question 5.
When did the terrible earth quake occur?
Answer:
It occurred four years ago in the month of October.

Question 6.
How many villages were destroyed?
Answer:
Six hundred and two villages out of six hundred and seventy villages in the valley, were destroyed.

Question 7.
With whom did Brij live?
Answer:
He was living with his mother, a brother, who was ten years old, a two year old sister Bhuli and his grandmother.

Question 8.
What did the Army officer do, after Brij requested him to search for his sister?
Answer:
Ten minutes later, the army officer was back with three soldiers armed with spades and crowbars.

Question 9.
Was Briji’s sister alive?
Answer:
Yes, she was alive. She had been buried under the debris for a hundred and sixteen hours.

Question 10.
Did Brij thanked the army officer? Why?
Answer:
No, he could not thank him, as he was gone, the next day.

Earthquake Textual Acitivies

Warm Up

Question.
When was the last time you helped someone? Write a few instances of your act of kindness.
Answer:
I helped an old lady recently when she was very hungry and I had just ten rupees for my favourite chocolate. But, I was happy to get her a bun, butter and jam and feed her. I felt relieved and happy when she wished me goodluck.

  • I have offered to carry weight for an aunt with a child,
  • I have offered my seat in the bus for elders,

Earthquake On Killing a Tree by Mahadevan

M. S. Mahac van, is a prolific South Indian English writer. His short stories are known for the lucid style and typical Indian conditions. The Mole, Daughter Daughter, 200 Metres, The Enemy are some of his famous short stories.

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 3 Earthquake - 2

Earthquake On Killing a Tree Summary

Brij, a little boy of 17 years old, offers tea at free of cost to any of the army officers or tired travellers. On his way to his tea-shop, he looks happy and excited. He offers a tired traveller tea and tells the incident of an earthquake that killed almost all of his family four years ago. On that day Brij went to a nearby Village, Pauri, to buy his school books and stayed at his uncle’s house.

That day night, his hometown, Molthi, was shattered by a powerful earthquake. He could just see the corpse of all his family members except his little sister, Bhuli. Everyone believed that she would have been eaten by some wild animals. But Brij felt that she would be alive. He requested an Army officer to search. The officer brought a team of three soldiers and started removing debris, to search for the little child.

Fortunately they found Bhuli who survived 116 hours without food in between the ruckus. Brij was very happy to have his sister. He didn’t even thank the officer as he never met him again. From that day, he started to offer free tea and service to all tired travellers who went that side.

The main characters are : 1. brij, 2. army officer, 3.bhuli 4.A tirerd traveller

Earthquake On Killing a Tree Mind Map

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 3 Earthquake - 3

Earthquake On Killing a Tree Glossary

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 3 Earthquake - 4

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions