Meherjan lives in a slum
Read the text and answer the questions following it
Meherjan lives in a 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 and 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 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 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.
Bengali Translation: মেহেরজান সিরাজগঞ্জ টাউন প্রটেকশন বাঁধের একটি বস্তিতে বাস করেন। তার পলিথিন ছাউনিযুক্ত আশ্রয়স্থলটি একটি খাঁচার মতো দেখায়। তার বয়স প্রায় ৪৫ হলেও তাকে দেখতে বয়সের চেয়ে অনেক বেশি মনে হয়। আশ্রয়ের সামনেই তিনি দিনের একমাত্র খাবার রান্নার জন্য আগুন জ্বালানোর চেষ্টা করছেন। কিছু শুকনো পাতা ও খড় আগুনে যোগ করার সময় তার দুর্বল হাত কাঁপছে। যমুনা নদী থেকে আসা হালকা বাতাস আগুনকে অস্থির করে তোলে। আগুনের নাচন মেহেরজানের জীবনসংগ্রামের কথা তাকে মনে করিয়ে দেয়।
বেশি দিনের কথা নয়, মেহেরজানের সব কিছুই ছিল— একটি পরিবার, চাষযোগ্য জমি এবং গবাদি পশু। যমুনার ভাঙনে ধীরে ধীরে তার সব জমিজমা হারিয়ে যায়। গত বর্ষায় নদী তার শেষ আশ্রয়ও কেড়ে নেয়। নদীকে তার বাড়ি, গাছপালা, সবজি বাগান এবং বাঁশঝাড় ধ্বংস করতে মাত্র এক দিন লেগেছিল। একসময় তার একটি সুখী পরিবার ছিল। বছরের পর বছর ধরে তার পরিবারে অভাব আর দারিদ্র্যের সাথে আসা নানা রোগে তার স্বামী এবং পরিবারের অন্য সদস্যরা মারা যায়। এখন শুধুমাত্র মেহেরজান বেঁচে আছেন, নিজের কষ্ট এবং হারানোর বেদনা নিয়ে। লোভী যমুনা তার স্বপ্ন এবং সুখ ভেঙে চুরমার করে দিয়েছে।
এমন হাজারো মানুষ মেহেরজানের মতো একই ভাগ্যের অপেক্ষায় রয়েছে। বাংলাদেশ নদীর দেশ, যা এর মানুষের ওপর ব্যাপক প্রভাব ফেলে। নদীভাঙন নদীতীরবর্তী মানুষের জন্য একটি কঠিন বাস্তবতা। প্রতি বর্ষায় যমুনা, পদ্মা এবং মেঘনার মতো গর্জন করা নদীগুলোর হুমকিতে বহু গ্রাম বিপদে পড়ে। ধারণা করা হয়, প্রতি বছর বাংলাদেশে নদীভাঙনে অন্তত এক লাখ মানুষ গৃহহীন হয়। প্রকৃতপক্ষে, নদীভাঙন জলবায়ু পরিবর্তনের ফলে সৃষ্ট প্রধান বিপদগুলোর একটি। আমরা যদি জলবায়ু পরিবর্তনের সাথে খাপ খাওয়ানোর জন্য দ্রুত পদক্ষেপ নিতে না পারি, তাহলে প্রতি বছর আমাদের শহর এবং গ্রামে আরও হাজারো মেহেরজান সৃষ্টি হবে।
1. Choose the best answer from the alternatives.
(a) Meherjan is a victim of —.
(i) drought (ii) famine (iii) river erosion (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 (ii) tin (iii) polythene (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.
Answer to the Question no.1:
(a) = > (iii) river erosion (b) = > (i) destroyed
(c) = > (i) rivers that flow strongly making wild sounds
(d) = > (iii) polythene
(e) = > (iv) property used only as an agricultural farm
(f) = > (iii) in front of
(g) = > (iii) a flame that is made unstable by the blast of air
(h) = > (ii) alone (i) = > (iv) gradually (j) = > (i) riverine.
More MCQ:
- Meherjan’s shelter is described as —.
(i) a cage
(ii) a hut
(iii) a tent
(iv) a house - What is Meherjan doing in front of her shelter?
(i) Resting
(ii) Cooking
(iii) Washing clothes
(iv) Preparing a meal - The dancing flames remind Meherjan of —.
(i) her dreams
(ii) her family
(iii) the turmoil in her life
(iv) the river Jamuna - The primary reason for Meherjan’s suffering is —.
(i) poverty
(ii) disease
(iii) river erosion
(iv) climate change - Meherjan lost her property because of —.
(i) theft
(ii) flooding
(iii) river erosion
(iv) cyclone - The wind from the Jamuna makes the fire —.
(i) burn steadily
(ii) grow larger
(iii) unsteady
(iv) extinguish - What consumed Meherjan’s last shelter?
(i) Fire
(ii) Flood
(iii) Erosion
(iv) Cyclone - Meherjan’s age is nearly —.
(i) 50
(ii) 40
(iii) 45
(iv) 60 - What does the passage say about Meherjan’s appearance?
(i) She looks younger than her age.
(ii) She looks older than her age.
(iii) She looks healthy.
(iv) She looks content. - What happened to Meherjan’s family?
(i) They moved away.
(ii) They were killed by disease.
(iii) They left her alone.
(iv) They died in a flood. - How long did it take the Jamuna to destroy Meherjan’s house?
(i) A week
(ii) A month
(iii) A day
(iv) A year - The main cause of disease in Meherjan’s family was —.
(i) water contamination
(ii) hunger and poverty
(iii) lack of medicine
(iv) poor sanitation - The flames symbolize —.
(i) destruction
(ii) Meherjan’s suffering
(iii) her hopes
(iv) the river Jamuna - Which natural event is mentioned as the main reason for river erosion?
(i) Cyclone
(ii) Monsoon
(iii) Drought
(iv) Earthquake - How many people does river erosion displace each year in Bangladesh?
(i) 10,000
(ii) 100,000
(iii) 50,000
(iv) 200,000 - What type of trees did Meherjan lose?
(i) Fruit trees
(ii) Bamboo bushes
(iii) Both trees and bushes
(iv) None of these - What does the phrase “greedy Jamuna” symbolize?
(i) The power of the river
(ii) The river’s appetite for land
(iii) The abundance of the river
(iv) The beauty of the river - What does the passage suggest about the role of climate change?
(i) It only affects river erosion.
(ii) It causes unpredictable weather.
(iii) It worsens river erosion.
(iv) It is not related to river erosion. - The term “harsh reality” in the passage refers to —.
(i) poverty
(ii) natural disasters
(iii) river erosion
(iv) diseases - Why does Meherjan’s roof resemble a cage?
(i) It is made of polythene.
(ii) It is small and enclosed.
(iii) It lacks proper structure.
(iv) It is surrounded by a fence. - What does “the roaring Padma and Meghna” indicate?
(i) The beauty of rivers
(ii) The sound of rivers
(iii) The destructive power of rivers
(iv) The calmness of rivers - How is river erosion connected to climate change?
(i) It causes climate change.
(ii) Climate change intensifies river erosion.
(iii) It prevents climate change.
(iv) They are unrelated. - What does the phrase “waiting to share the same fate” mean?
(i) People are optimistic.
(ii) People expect similar suffering.
(iii) People are escaping danger.
(iv) People are preparing for the future. - How many villages are threatened during each monsoon?
(i) A few
(ii) Many
(iii) None
(iv) Only urban areas - What is the significance of bamboo bushes in the story?
(i) They are a source of food.
(ii) They symbolize stability.
(iii) They were destroyed by the river.
(iv) They were sold by Meherjan. - The term “prompt actions” in the passage suggests —.
(i) delaying solutions
(ii) taking immediate measures
(iii) preventing climate change
(iv) building embankments - What does the passage imply about the future?
(i) There will be no more river erosion.
(ii) More people will suffer if action is not taken.
(iii) Climate change will stop affecting rivers.
(iv) Rivers will become less dangerous. - What is the main theme of the passage?
(i) Poverty in slums
(ii) Effects of river erosion and climate change
(iii) Family struggles
(iv) Natural beauty of rivers - Meherjan’s story highlights —.
(i) individual resilience
(ii) community development
(iii) the impact of natural disasters
(iv) agricultural practices - What is the main lesson from Meherjan’s story?
(i) Rivers should be avoided.
(ii) Action is needed to address climate and erosion issues.
(iii) Poverty is unavoidable.
(iv) Families should stay together.
2. Answer the following questions. 10
a) Where does Meherjan live?
b) How many meal does Meherjan usually have a day?
c) What makes the fire unsteady?
d) What does the dancing of the flames remind Meherjan?
e) When did Meherjan lose her last shelter?
f) How much time did river Jamuna take to demolish Meherjan’s house?
g) What has shattered Meherjan’s dreams?
h) For whom is erosion a harsh reality?
i) In which season does river erosion take a devastating turn?
j) What is river erosion caused by?
Answer to the Question No. 2 :
a) Meherjan lives in a slum on the Town Protection Embankment in Sirajgang.
b) Meherjan usually has one meal a day.
c) The whispering wind from the river Jamuna makes the fire unsteady. d) The dancing of the flames reminds Meherjan of the turmoil in her life.
e) Meherjan lost her last shelter during the last monsoon.
f) To demolish Meherjan’s house, river Jamuna took only a single day.
g) The erosion of river Jamuna has shattered Meherjan’s dreams. h) Erosion is a harsh reality for the people living along the riverbanks.
i) River erosion takes a devastating turn in the rainy season.
j) River erosion is caused by unusual climate change.
More Questions for practice
- What does Meherjan’s polythene-roofed shelter look like?
- How old does Meherjan appear to be compared to her actual age?
- What is Meherjan doing in front of her shelter?
- Why does Meherjan’s hand tremble?
- What reminds Meherjan of the turmoil in her life?
- What did Meherjan’s family own before the erosion?
- What natural disaster consumed Meherjan’s landed property?
- How did Meherjan lose her family members?
- Why is Meherjan the only one left from her family?
- How does the passage describe the Jamuna river?
- How many people become homeless every year due to river erosion in Bangladesh?
- What are the names of the rivers mentioned as causing erosion?
- Why is Bangladesh referred to as a “land of rivers”?
- What could prevent the creation of more “Meherjans”?
- Why is river erosion considered one of the main dangers of climate change?
- What does the term “greedy Jamuna” signify in the context of the passage?
- What did the river Jamuna destroy in Meherjan’s life besides her house?
- What does the term “harsh reality” in the passage refer to?
- Why is monsoon season significant in the context of river erosion?
- What does the passage suggest as a solution to reduce the effects of river erosion?