Weathering the Storm in Erasma Important Questions Class 9 Moments English
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What did Prashant see when he reached his village?
Answer
When Prashant reached his village, his heart turned cold. Houses had been washed away. Only roofs were lying on the ground. The belongings were mixed up and twisted. The tree branches appeared above water. His maternal grandmother was the first woman Prashant saw in the crowd at the Red Cross shelter.
Question 2. Where had Prashant gone on 27th October 1999? Why?
Answer
Prashant had gone to the block headquarters of Ersama on 27th October 1999. He had gone there to spend a day with a friend. Ersama is a small town in coastal Orissa.
Question 3. What had Prashant to push away on his way back to the village?
Answer
Prashant had to push away many human bodies, and carcasses of dogs, cattle and goats.
Question 4. What were the two important tasks Prashant did after deciding to be the leader of the village?
Answer
The first task was that he organised a group of youths and elders to make the merchant give them rice. They succeeded in their mission. Secondly, he made a team of youth volunteers. They cleaned the shelter of the dirt, urine, vomit and floating carcasses.
Question 5. How did the super cyclone affect the life of the people of Orissa?
Answer
The super cyclone in Orissa in October 1999 proved very devastating. Heavy and incessant rain filled the darkness. Ancient trees were uprooted and crashed to the earth. People and houses were washed away.
Question 6. How did Prashant manage food for village people?
Answer
Prashant al Question 6. How did Prashant manage food for village people?
Answer ong with his group put pressure on the merchant to part with his rice, branches were gathered to light a fire on which the food was cooked and served to the survivors. He asked the children to lie on the sand with utensils on their stomachs to pass the message to those in helicopters that they were hungry and needed food.
Question 7. Where were Prashant and his friends during the two days of the super cyclone? What did they live on? Where did they get their ‘food’ from?
Answer
The rainwater was entering the house during the super cyclone. So, Prashant and his friend’s family remained on the roof of the house for two days. Two coconut trees had fallen on the roof of the house. Prashant and his friend’s family lived on them. They got their food from these tender coconuts.
Question 8. How did Prashant, a teenager, help the people of his village?
Answer
Prashant organised a group of youths and elders into small groups and assigned different roles and responsibilities to them, he resettled the orphan children in their own communities and overall provided moral support to all villagers to start afresh.
Question 9. How did Prashant and his friend’s family pass two days of the super cyclone?
Answer
As the flood water was rising, Prashant and his friend’s family sat on the open roof of the house. They froze in the cold and continuous rain. Two coconut trees had fallen on the roof. They proved to be a blessing in disguise. They survived by eating the tender coconuts.
Question 10. How did Prashant travel back to his village from Ersama?
Answer
Prashant travelled on foot and swam through the deep water back to his village.
Question 11. Which program did the women in the shelter join? How did Prashant engage the children?
Answer
The women at the shelter joined food-for-work programme started by an NGO. Prashant engaged the children in sports. He himself loved to play cricket, and so he organised cricket matches for children.
Question 12. Why was it difficult for Prashant to travel back to his village?
Answer
There was water everywhere. He had to use his stick to locate the road. At some places, it was waist-deep and the progress was slow. Sometimes, he lost the road and had to swim. After some distance, he found two friends of his uncle. They decided to move ahead together. They had to push away many human bodies floating on the water.
Question 13. Where was Prashant when the cyclone hit Orissa?
Answer
At that time he was in a small coastal town of Orissa, some eighteen kilometres from his village.
Question 14. What did Prashant do for the orphans?
Answer
Prashant decided to help the orphans. He brought them together and put up a polythene sheet shelter for them. Women were requested to look after them properly and they were resettled in the communities themselves.
Question 15. “His heart went cold’ when he reached his village. Why?
Answer
At last Prashant reached his village Kalikuda. His heart sank. His house was gone. His family was nowhere. In order to look for his family, Prashant went to the Red Cross Shelter. Fortunately, his family was alive. They were very glad to see Prashant. He came to know that eighty-six lives were lost in his village and all the ninety-six houses had been washed away.
Question 16. What was the distance between Prashant's friend's village and Kalikuda? What scenes did Prashant witness while wadding through the water to reach his village?
Answer
The distance between Prashant's friend's village and Kalikuda was 18 km. Prashant witnessed macabre scenes while wadding through the water to reach his village. He had to push away many human bodies - men, women, children and carcasses of dogs, goats and cattle that the current swept against him as he moved ahead.
Question 17. How have the people of the community helped one another? What role do the women of Kalikuda play during these days?
Answer
Prashant took the initiative and mobilised everyone to help one another. In this time of distress, the people of the community joined hands together and started relief work. Women started working in the Food for Work Programme and looked after the orphans.
Question 18. Why was the government plan to set up institutions for widows and orphans resisted by Prashant and the youth?
Answer
Prashant and the youth force at the cyclone shelter resisted the government's plan to set up institutions for widows and orphans because they felt that the children would grow up without love and widows would suffer from stigma and loneliness in such institutions. This would never be their wound and loss.
Question 19. How were the orphans and the widows resettled?
Answer
Prashant opposed the idea of setting up separate institutions for widows and orphans because he felt that in institutions the children would grow up without proper love and care while the widows would suffer from stigma and loneliness. He wanted the orphans and widows to be resettled in their village and community. He wanted to create foster families made up of childless widows and children without adult care. So, in this, they were settled.
Question 20. Do you think Prashant is a good leader? Do you think young people can get together to help people during natural calamities?
Answer
Undoubtedly, Prashant is a good leader. He has all the qualities of a leader. He has a special quality of taking initiative. His vision is quite clear. He faces adverse circumstances courageously. He is a source of energy for others and has great motivational power. I think that youth is power. This power can be used to assist society during natural disasters. Whatever job is assigned to the youth in such circumstances they perform their duty with full spirit.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Prashant did not help his family members, but he helped the whole community during the cyclone. What is your opinion on this matter?
Answer
On reaching his village, Prashant found deplorable conditions all around him. He had leadership qualities so he took the initiative to rehabilitate people. He made a team of young volunteers and cleaned urine, filth, vomit and floating carcasses. His team was fully dedicated to serving others. He persuaded grief-stricken women to look after children. In this way, he became a ray of hope for all. Undoubtedly, Prashant is a good leader. He has all the qualities of a leader. He has a special quality of taking initiative. His vision is quite clear. He faces adverse circumstances courageously. He is a source of energy for others and has great motivational power. I think that youth is power. This power can be used to assist society during natural disasters. Whatever job is assigned to the youth in such circumstances they perform their duty with full spirit.
Question 2. What havoc had the super cyclone wrecked in the life of the people of Orissa?
Answer
A super cyclone hit Ersama on 27th October 1999, killing thousands of people and damaging hundreds of houses. Ancient trees were uprooted. There was a brown sheet of water all over. The roads and houses were all submerged in water. Animal carcasses and human corpses could be seen floating everywhere. This havoc lasted for thirty-six hours, leaving people homeless and starving. The neck-deep water shattered the people. Hundreds of children became orphaned and many women were widowed. People were depressed as there was no hope of survival.
Question 3. During natural calamities, women and children need more protection. Explain Prashant’s role in organising relief measures for women and children during the storm in Ersama.
Answer
The scene after the storm and heavy rain was quite tragic. There were dead bodies and uprooted trees all around. A brown sheet of water covered everything. There was water everywhere. The rain ceased after two days but water could be seen as far as the eyes could gaze. Because of heavy rain, there was little hope for the betterment of the flood victims. Prashant tackled all these problems very carefully. First of all, he owned the responsibility of a leader of the group. He organized a group of youths and elders that compelled merchants to part with a good quota of rice. They collected wood, cooked rice and fed the people. Then he arranged a team of youth to clean the surroundings of the shelter. They looked after the wounded people. He persuaded women to look after the orphans. To bring people out of their grief he organized games for the children. For the same reason, he convinced women to take part in Food-for-work programs. He became the prime example of courage and compassion.
Question 4. Why do Prashant and other volunteers resist the plan to set up institutions for orphans and widows? What alternatives do they consider?
Answer
He felt orphans would be devoid of love-growth to be hampered. Widows would suffer from stigma and loneliness Detailed Answer: Prashant and other volunteers resisted the government's plan to set up institutions for orphans and widows. They felt children in such institutions would grow up without love and widows would suffer from loneliness. Prashant and his group felt that children should be resettled in their own community probably in such families where the widows had no children. This would solve the problem of widows' loneliness and orphaned children would get all the love and care.
Question 5. Describe how Prashant reached his village after the cyclone?
Answer
The destruction caused by the cyclone and the waves of the ocean continued for the next thirty-six hours. Two days later, the rain ceased and the rainwater slowly began to recede. Prashant was worried about his family. He took a long stick and started on the eighteen kilometres long and difficult journey to his village. There was water everywhere. He had to use his stick to locate the road. At places, it was waiting deep and the progress was slow. Sometimes, he lost the road and had to swim.
After some distance, he found two friends of his uncle. They decided to move ahead together. They had to push away many human bodies floating on the water. There were also carcasses of dogs, goats and cattle. In every village they passed, they could barely see a house standing. Ile feared that his family could not have survived the cyclone.
At last, he reached his village Kalikuda. His heart sank. His house was gone. His family was nowhere. In order to look for his family, Prashant went to the Red Cross Shelter. Fortunately, his family was alive. They were very glad to see Prashant. He came to know that eighty-six lives were lost in his village and all the ninety-six houses had been washed away.
Question 6. Describe the destruction wrought by the super cyclone in Ersama in 1999.
Answer
On the evening of 27 October, 1999, a dark and menacing storm quickly gathered. Winds beat against the houses with a speed and fury that none had witnessed before. Heavy and incessant rain and a wind of 350 km/hour uprooted the ancient trees and crashed down many houses. The air was filled with screams of people who were washed away. Trees crashed on Prashant's friend's house and the rise of water in the house compelled them to take refuge on the roof. As Prashant waded through the waters, to reach his family in Kaliguda he had to push away many human bodies — men, women, children and carcasses of dogs, goats and cattle that the current swept against them as they moved ahead. Eighty-six people of Prashant's village had died. All the ninety six houses had been washed away.
Question 7. Within two days of the cyclone, Prashant left Ersama for his village Kalikuda so that he can know the fate of his family. Was it right to do so?
Answer
After two days when the rain ceased and the rainwater began to recede slowly, Prashant decided to visit his village. He had to face many difficulties on his way. He equipped himself with a long stick and started his journey. The village was 18 kilometres away from this place. He kept moving ahead through the swollen flood waters. He used his stick to estimate the depth of the water. When he reached the village his heart went cold on seeing the little pieces of roofs floating in the water. After a while, he could see his grandmother. She rushed and hugged him. Later on, the other members of his family were found in the Red Cross Shelter.