NCERT Textbook - The Tsunami | English Class 8 PDF Download

 Page 1


Honeydew 24 24 24 24 24
Before you read
Look at the map of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands given here.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
North
Andaman
Middle
Andaman
Lower
Andaman
Port Blair
Andaman Sea
Little
Andaman
ANDAMAN
ISLANDS
10
°
92
°
Car Nicobar
Indian
Ocean
NICOBAR
ISLANDS
Tarasa
Katchall
Great
Nicobar
Noncowry
0
100
km
70
miles
92
°
Little
Nicobar
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.
Reprint 2024-25
Page 2


Honeydew 24 24 24 24 24
Before you read
Look at the map of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands given here.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
North
Andaman
Middle
Andaman
Lower
Andaman
Port Blair
Andaman Sea
Little
Andaman
ANDAMAN
ISLANDS
10
°
92
°
Car Nicobar
Indian
Ocean
NICOBAR
ISLANDS
Tarasa
Katchall
Great
Nicobar
Noncowry
0
100
km
70
miles
92
°
Little
Nicobar
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.
Reprint 2024-25
The Tsunami 25 25 25 25 25
I
These stories are all from the Andaman and Nicobar
archipelago.
Ignesious was the manager of a cooperative society
in Katchall. His wife woke him up at 6 a.m. because she
felt an earthquake. Ignesious carefully took his television
set off its table and put it down on the ground so that it
would not fall and break. Then the family rushed out of
the house.
When the tremors stopped, they saw the sea rising.
In the chaos and confusion, two of his children caught
hold of the hands of their mother’s father and mother’s
brother, and rushed in the opposite direction. He never
saw them again. His wife was also swept away. Only the
three other children who came with him were saved.
A tsunami is a very large and powerful wave caused by
earthquakes under the sea. On 26 December 2004, a tsunami
hit Thailand and parts of India such as the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, and the Tamil Nadu coast. Here are some
stories of courage and survival.
Did animals sense that a tsunami was coming? Some stories
suggest that they did.
archipelago:
a group of
many islands
and the
surrounding
sea
tremor:
a slight shake
Earth tremors:
the earth’s
shakes during
an earthquake
chaos:
complete
disorder or
confusion
[pronounced,
kay-os]
Reprint 2024-25
Page 3


Honeydew 24 24 24 24 24
Before you read
Look at the map of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands given here.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
North
Andaman
Middle
Andaman
Lower
Andaman
Port Blair
Andaman Sea
Little
Andaman
ANDAMAN
ISLANDS
10
°
92
°
Car Nicobar
Indian
Ocean
NICOBAR
ISLANDS
Tarasa
Katchall
Great
Nicobar
Noncowry
0
100
km
70
miles
92
°
Little
Nicobar
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.
Reprint 2024-25
The Tsunami 25 25 25 25 25
I
These stories are all from the Andaman and Nicobar
archipelago.
Ignesious was the manager of a cooperative society
in Katchall. His wife woke him up at 6 a.m. because she
felt an earthquake. Ignesious carefully took his television
set off its table and put it down on the ground so that it
would not fall and break. Then the family rushed out of
the house.
When the tremors stopped, they saw the sea rising.
In the chaos and confusion, two of his children caught
hold of the hands of their mother’s father and mother’s
brother, and rushed in the opposite direction. He never
saw them again. His wife was also swept away. Only the
three other children who came with him were saved.
A tsunami is a very large and powerful wave caused by
earthquakes under the sea. On 26 December 2004, a tsunami
hit Thailand and parts of India such as the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, and the Tamil Nadu coast. Here are some
stories of courage and survival.
Did animals sense that a tsunami was coming? Some stories
suggest that they did.
archipelago:
a group of
many islands
and the
surrounding
sea
tremor:
a slight shake
Earth tremors:
the earth’s
shakes during
an earthquake
chaos:
complete
disorder or
confusion
[pronounced,
kay-os]
Reprint 2024-25
Honeydew 26 26 26 26 26
Sanjeev was a policeman, serving in the Katchall island
of the Nicobar group of islands. He somehow managed to
save himself, his wife and his baby daughter from the
waves. But then he heard cries for help from the wife of
John, the guesthouse cook. Sanjeev jumped into the water
to rescue her, but they were both swept away.
Thirteen year-old Meghna was swept away along with
her parents and seventy-seven other people. She spent
two days floating in the sea, holding on to a wooden door.
Eleven times she saw relief helicopters overhead, but they
did not see her. She was brought to the shore by a wave,
and was found walking on the seashore in a daze.
Almas Javed was ten years old. She was a student of
Carmel Convent in Port Blair where her father had a
petrol pump. Her mother Rahila’s home was in
Nancowry island. The family had gone there to celebrate
Christmas.
When the tremors came early in the morning, the
family was sleeping. Almas’s father saw the sea water
recede. He understood that the water would come
rushing back with great force. He woke everyone up
and tried to rush them to a safer place.
As they ran, her grandfather was hit on the head by
something and he fell down. Her father rushed to help
him. Then came the first giant wave that swept both of
them away.
Almas’s mother and
aunts stood clinging to the
leaves of a coconut tree,
calling out to her. A wave
uprooted the tree, and they
too were washed away.
Almas saw a log of wood
floating. She climbed on to
it. Then she fainted. When
she woke up, she was in a
recede:
move back
from where it
was
relief
helicopters:
helicopters
bringing help
to people (e.g.
during floods)
Reprint 2024-25
Page 4


Honeydew 24 24 24 24 24
Before you read
Look at the map of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands given here.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
North
Andaman
Middle
Andaman
Lower
Andaman
Port Blair
Andaman Sea
Little
Andaman
ANDAMAN
ISLANDS
10
°
92
°
Car Nicobar
Indian
Ocean
NICOBAR
ISLANDS
Tarasa
Katchall
Great
Nicobar
Noncowry
0
100
km
70
miles
92
°
Little
Nicobar
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.
Reprint 2024-25
The Tsunami 25 25 25 25 25
I
These stories are all from the Andaman and Nicobar
archipelago.
Ignesious was the manager of a cooperative society
in Katchall. His wife woke him up at 6 a.m. because she
felt an earthquake. Ignesious carefully took his television
set off its table and put it down on the ground so that it
would not fall and break. Then the family rushed out of
the house.
When the tremors stopped, they saw the sea rising.
In the chaos and confusion, two of his children caught
hold of the hands of their mother’s father and mother’s
brother, and rushed in the opposite direction. He never
saw them again. His wife was also swept away. Only the
three other children who came with him were saved.
A tsunami is a very large and powerful wave caused by
earthquakes under the sea. On 26 December 2004, a tsunami
hit Thailand and parts of India such as the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, and the Tamil Nadu coast. Here are some
stories of courage and survival.
Did animals sense that a tsunami was coming? Some stories
suggest that they did.
archipelago:
a group of
many islands
and the
surrounding
sea
tremor:
a slight shake
Earth tremors:
the earth’s
shakes during
an earthquake
chaos:
complete
disorder or
confusion
[pronounced,
kay-os]
Reprint 2024-25
Honeydew 26 26 26 26 26
Sanjeev was a policeman, serving in the Katchall island
of the Nicobar group of islands. He somehow managed to
save himself, his wife and his baby daughter from the
waves. But then he heard cries for help from the wife of
John, the guesthouse cook. Sanjeev jumped into the water
to rescue her, but they were both swept away.
Thirteen year-old Meghna was swept away along with
her parents and seventy-seven other people. She spent
two days floating in the sea, holding on to a wooden door.
Eleven times she saw relief helicopters overhead, but they
did not see her. She was brought to the shore by a wave,
and was found walking on the seashore in a daze.
Almas Javed was ten years old. She was a student of
Carmel Convent in Port Blair where her father had a
petrol pump. Her mother Rahila’s home was in
Nancowry island. The family had gone there to celebrate
Christmas.
When the tremors came early in the morning, the
family was sleeping. Almas’s father saw the sea water
recede. He understood that the water would come
rushing back with great force. He woke everyone up
and tried to rush them to a safer place.
As they ran, her grandfather was hit on the head by
something and he fell down. Her father rushed to help
him. Then came the first giant wave that swept both of
them away.
Almas’s mother and
aunts stood clinging to the
leaves of a coconut tree,
calling out to her. A wave
uprooted the tree, and they
too were washed away.
Almas saw a log of wood
floating. She climbed on to
it. Then she fainted. When
she woke up, she was in a
recede:
move back
from where it
was
relief
helicopters:
helicopters
bringing help
to people (e.g.
during floods)
Reprint 2024-25
The Tsunami 27 27 27 27 27
hospital in Kamorta. From there she was brought to
Port Blair.
The little girl does not want to talk about the incident
with anyone. She is still traumatised.
Comprehension Check
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.
II
Tilly Smith (a British school girl) was able to save many
lives when the tsunami struck Phuket beach in Thailand.
Though she has won a number of awards, her parents
have not allowed their daughter to be interviewed on
television and made into a heroine. Why do you think they
took that decision?
Now here is a story from Thailand.
The Smith family from South-East England were
celebrating Christmas at a beach resort in southern
Thailand. Tilly Smith was a ten-year-old schoolgirl; her
sister was seven years old. Their parents were Penny
and Colin Smith.
It was 26 December 2004. Deadly tsunami waves
were already on their way. They had been triggered
by a massive earthquake off northern Sumatra earlier
that morning.
“The water was swelling and kept coming in,” Penny
Smith remembered. “The beach was getting smaller and
smaller. I didn’t know what was happening.”
resort:
a place where
people go on
holiday
triggered:
caused
(describes a
sudden,
violent
reaction –
here, an
undersea
earthquake
caused the
tsunami)
traumatised:
greatly
shocked and
distressed
Reprint 2024-25
Page 5


Honeydew 24 24 24 24 24
Before you read
Look at the map of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands given here.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
North
Andaman
Middle
Andaman
Lower
Andaman
Port Blair
Andaman Sea
Little
Andaman
ANDAMAN
ISLANDS
10
°
92
°
Car Nicobar
Indian
Ocean
NICOBAR
ISLANDS
Tarasa
Katchall
Great
Nicobar
Noncowry
0
100
km
70
miles
92
°
Little
Nicobar
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.
Reprint 2024-25
The Tsunami 25 25 25 25 25
I
These stories are all from the Andaman and Nicobar
archipelago.
Ignesious was the manager of a cooperative society
in Katchall. His wife woke him up at 6 a.m. because she
felt an earthquake. Ignesious carefully took his television
set off its table and put it down on the ground so that it
would not fall and break. Then the family rushed out of
the house.
When the tremors stopped, they saw the sea rising.
In the chaos and confusion, two of his children caught
hold of the hands of their mother’s father and mother’s
brother, and rushed in the opposite direction. He never
saw them again. His wife was also swept away. Only the
three other children who came with him were saved.
A tsunami is a very large and powerful wave caused by
earthquakes under the sea. On 26 December 2004, a tsunami
hit Thailand and parts of India such as the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, and the Tamil Nadu coast. Here are some
stories of courage and survival.
Did animals sense that a tsunami was coming? Some stories
suggest that they did.
archipelago:
a group of
many islands
and the
surrounding
sea
tremor:
a slight shake
Earth tremors:
the earth’s
shakes during
an earthquake
chaos:
complete
disorder or
confusion
[pronounced,
kay-os]
Reprint 2024-25
Honeydew 26 26 26 26 26
Sanjeev was a policeman, serving in the Katchall island
of the Nicobar group of islands. He somehow managed to
save himself, his wife and his baby daughter from the
waves. But then he heard cries for help from the wife of
John, the guesthouse cook. Sanjeev jumped into the water
to rescue her, but they were both swept away.
Thirteen year-old Meghna was swept away along with
her parents and seventy-seven other people. She spent
two days floating in the sea, holding on to a wooden door.
Eleven times she saw relief helicopters overhead, but they
did not see her. She was brought to the shore by a wave,
and was found walking on the seashore in a daze.
Almas Javed was ten years old. She was a student of
Carmel Convent in Port Blair where her father had a
petrol pump. Her mother Rahila’s home was in
Nancowry island. The family had gone there to celebrate
Christmas.
When the tremors came early in the morning, the
family was sleeping. Almas’s father saw the sea water
recede. He understood that the water would come
rushing back with great force. He woke everyone up
and tried to rush them to a safer place.
As they ran, her grandfather was hit on the head by
something and he fell down. Her father rushed to help
him. Then came the first giant wave that swept both of
them away.
Almas’s mother and
aunts stood clinging to the
leaves of a coconut tree,
calling out to her. A wave
uprooted the tree, and they
too were washed away.
Almas saw a log of wood
floating. She climbed on to
it. Then she fainted. When
she woke up, she was in a
recede:
move back
from where it
was
relief
helicopters:
helicopters
bringing help
to people (e.g.
during floods)
Reprint 2024-25
The Tsunami 27 27 27 27 27
hospital in Kamorta. From there she was brought to
Port Blair.
The little girl does not want to talk about the incident
with anyone. She is still traumatised.
Comprehension Check
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.
II
Tilly Smith (a British school girl) was able to save many
lives when the tsunami struck Phuket beach in Thailand.
Though she has won a number of awards, her parents
have not allowed their daughter to be interviewed on
television and made into a heroine. Why do you think they
took that decision?
Now here is a story from Thailand.
The Smith family from South-East England were
celebrating Christmas at a beach resort in southern
Thailand. Tilly Smith was a ten-year-old schoolgirl; her
sister was seven years old. Their parents were Penny
and Colin Smith.
It was 26 December 2004. Deadly tsunami waves
were already on their way. They had been triggered
by a massive earthquake off northern Sumatra earlier
that morning.
“The water was swelling and kept coming in,” Penny
Smith remembered. “The beach was getting smaller and
smaller. I didn’t know what was happening.”
resort:
a place where
people go on
holiday
triggered:
caused
(describes a
sudden,
violent
reaction –
here, an
undersea
earthquake
caused the
tsunami)
traumatised:
greatly
shocked and
distressed
Reprint 2024-25
Honeydew 28 28 28 28 28
But Tilly Smith sensed that something was wrong.
Her mind kept going back to a geography lesson she
had taken in England just two weeks before she flew
out to Thailand with her family.
Tilly saw the sea slowly rise, and start to foam, bubble
and form whirlpools. She remembered that she had seen
this in class in a video of a tsunami that had hit the
Hawaiian islands in 1946. Her geography teacher had
shown her class the video, and told them that tsunamis
can be caused by earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides.
 Tilly started to scream at her family to get off the
beach. “She talked about an earthquake under the sea.
She got more and more hysterical,” said her mother
Penny. “I didn’t know what a tsunami was. But seeing
my daughter so frightened, I thought something serious
must be going on.”
Tilly’s parents took her and her sister away from the
beach, to the swimming pool at the hotel. A number of
other tourists also left the beach with them. “Then it
was as if the entire sea had come out after them. I was
screaming, ‘Run!’”
The family took refuge in the third floor of the hotel.
The building withstood the surge of three tsunami waves.
If they had stayed on the beach, they would not have
been alive.
The Smiths later met other tourists who had lost
entire families. Thanks to Tilly and her geography lesson,
they had been forewarned. Tilly went back to her school
in England and told her classmates her terrifying tale.
Comprehension Check
Answer the following in a phrase or sentence.
1. Why did Tilly’s family come to Thailand?
2. What were the warning signs that both Tilly and her mother saw?
3. Do you think Tilly’s mother was alarmed by them?
4. Where had Tilly seen the sea behaving in the same strange
fashion?
hysterical:
when you are
hysterical, you
shout, laugh
or cry in a
wild excited
way, without
any control
over yourself
refuge:
shelter or
protection
from danger
withstood:
endured
without
collapsing
surge:
force;
momentum
Reprint 2024-25