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 land 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 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 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 alternatives.
(a) Meher’s life was very happy before ---
(i) the liberation (ii) the destruction of the river Jamuna (iii) the victory (iv) the independence
(b) 'Greedy Jamuna' is used here to describe the ---
(i) cruelty of nature (ii) demand of a consumer (iii) supply of a consumer (iv) help of a consumer
(c) Meherjan is a victim of ---
(i) drought (ii) famine (iii) river erosion (iv) cyclone
(d) The word 'turmoil' indicates ---
(i) agitation (ii) reduction (iii) constant (iv) rigid
(e) The word 'shatter' means ---
(i) to destroy something (ii) to break something into pieces (iii) to erect something (iv) to complete something
(f) The phrase 'whispering wind' means ---
(i) wind that blows from across the river (ii) wind that blows with a hissing sound (iii) wind that helps someone make a fire (iv) wind that blows in summer
(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
(b) (i) cruelty of nature
(c) (iii) river erosion
(d) (i) agitation
(e) (ii) to break something into pieces
(f) (ii) wind that blows with a hissing sound
(g) (iii) To describe the effect of river erosion