Read the text and answer the questions following

Read the text and answer the questions following it [1 -7] Meherjan lives in slum on the Sirajgonj Town Protection Embankment. Her polythene roofed shelter looks like a cage. She in 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 of the flames reminds Meherjan of the turmoil in her life. Not long ago Meherjan had everything— a family, cultivable land cattle. The erosion of the Jamuna consumed gradually all her landed property. It finally claimed her last shelter during the last monsoon. It took the river only a day to demolish Meher’s house, trees, vegetable garden and the bamboo bush, She had a happy family once. Over the years, she lost her husband 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 re thousand others waiting to share the same fate with Meherjan. Bangladesh is land of rivers that affect its people. Erosion is a harsh reality for the people living along the river banks. During each monsoon many more villages are threatened by the roaring of rivers like the Jamuna, the roaring 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 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.

Choose the best answer from the alternatives. 1 (a) Meherjan is a victim of —. (i) drought (iii) river erosion (ii) famine (iv) cyclone (b) Meherjan’s dreams and happiness are — by the greedy river Jamuna. (i) destroyed (ii) boosted (iii) flourished (iv) mixed

(c) The phrase ‘roaring rivers’ means—. (i) rivers that flow strongly making wild sounds (ii) rivers having many rowing boats in them (iii) rivers that make people cry out (iv) rivers that have noisy fishes (d) The roof of Meherjan’s shelter in made of —. (i) concrete (iii) Polythene (ii) tin (iv) straw

(e) The phrase ‘Landed property’ means —. (i) a rented piece of land (ii) a piece of land on the bank of a river (iii) property in the form of a source of income to its owner (iv) property used only as an agricultural form (f) Meherjan usually cooks her meal— her shelter. (i) far beyond (ii) behind (iii) in front of (iv) in

(g) The phrase ‘dancing of the flame’ means —. (i) a traditional form of folk dance (ii) a flame that makes people dance around it (iii) a flame that is made unstable by the blast of air (iv) a flame made by people to remember their pasts

(h) Meherjan lives in her shelter —. (i) in the twinkle of an eye (ii) in one time (iii) instantly (iv) gradually (i) Bangladesh is — country. (i) riverine (ii) flat (iii) eroded (iv) climatic.

2. Answer the following questions. 10 a) Where does Meherjan live? Meherjan lives in a slum on the Town Protection Embankment in Sirajgang. b) How many meal does Meherjan usually have a day? Meherjan usually has one meal a day. c) What makes the fire unsteady? The whispering wind from the river Jamuna makes the fire unsteady.

d) What does the dancing of the flames remind Meherjan? The dancing of the flames reminds Meherjan of the turmoil in her life. e) When did Meherjan lose her last shelter? Meherjan lost her last shelter during the last monsoon. f) How much time did river Jamuna take to demolish Meherjan’s house? To demolish Meherjan’s house, river Jamuna took only a single day.

g) What has shattered Meherjan’s dreams? The erosion of river Jamuna has shattered Meherjan’s dreams. h) For whom is erosion a harsh reality? Erosion is a harsh reality for the people living along the riverbanks. i) In which season does river erosion take a devastating turn? River erosion takes a devastating turn in the rainy season. j) What is river erosion caused by? River erosion is caused by unusual climate change.

7. Write down the summary of the passage. 10 Answer to the Question no: 7. Meherjan is a typical village woman living in a slum. She lost her shelter, properties and even her family due to the erosion of river Jamuna. Like Meherjan there are many others who have become the victims of river erosion. Still thousands of people living close to the rivers are under the threat of river erosion. Every year like Meherjan thousands of people become homeless due to river erosion in Bangladesh. This is an example of how climate change affects the lives of thousands of people.