a book cover of the sundarbans in the sun

Study notes (MCQ, Short Answer Type Question and Long Answer Type Question)

Multiple Choice Questions

1.Checkered Keelbacks are-a) tortoise b) non-venomous snakes c) venomous snakes d) cobra
2.   Bittu Sahgal was born in-a)1945 b)1905 c)1901 d)1947
3.   Bittu Sahgal grew up-a) Paris b) Calcutta c) Britain d) Rome
4.   The river Bittu Sahgal loved was- a) the Ganga River b) the Hooghly River c) the Yamuna River d) the Rupsa River
5.   Bittu Sahgal is the founding editor of -a)the Times b)Evening Star c)The Great d)Sanctuary Asia
6.    Bittu Sahgal could never resist asking about -a)the crocodile b)the elephant c)the bird d)the tiger
7.   According to the fishermen, the tiger lives now in -a)Bangalore b)Chennai c)Delhi d)Bangladesh
8.   Once you enter the Sundarbans, three colours dominate -a)blue skies, green mangroves, and brown mud b)green hills, orange sun, and grey sky c)brown walls, green fields, and blue ocean d)green trees, and red flowers
9.   Roughly ________ of the world’s present 15 million hectares of mangrove exist as the Sundarbans. a) 100 million hectares b) 10 million hectares c) 1000 million hectares d) one million hectares
10.As a child, Sundarbans was a forbidding place for Bittu Sahgal because it had -a)crocodiles b)tigers c)dolphins d)monkey
11. Bittu Sahgal recalls-a)his journey as an author b)endless boat trips and visits to the famous botanical gardens c)his school life d)his philosophy
12.By mentioning ‘those impressionable years, the author referred to the years he spent in -a)Kolkata b)Chennai c) the United Kingdom d) the United States
13. Botanical gardens is located on the bank of the _________river.-a) Yamuna b) Hooghly c) Rupsa d) Ganga
14.The word ‘ethereal’ means-a)ethical b)materialistic c)unearthly d)easy and lucid
15.As a child Bittu Sahgal had seen tigers  as ‘sorry specimens’ in  -a) Alipore Zoo b) Sundarbans c) Uttarakhand d) Bhopal

Short Answer Type Questions

a) Where did the narrator see tigers as a child?

Ans: The narrator saw tigers in Alipore Zoo as a child.

b) What species of snakes did the writer guess?

Ans: The writer thought the snakes were checkered keelbacks, but more likely, they were migrating dog-faced water snakes or common smooth water snakes.

c)Name the colours which dominate us while entering the tidal world.

Ans: The colours that dominate us while entering the tidal world are blue skies, green mangroves, and brown mud.

d)Who can’t comprehend what Sundarbans has in store for them?

Ans: People who have experienced a mangrove in its real dimension can’t comprehend what Sundarbans has in store for them.

e)What impression of the Sundarbans did the writer have as a child?

Ans: As a child, Bittu Sahgal thought that the Sundarbans was always a dark, mysterious, forbidding place ‘where tigers live’.

f)Name two notable works of Bittu Sahgal.

Ans: The Corbett Inheritance and The Periyar Inheritance are two notable works of Bittu Sahgal.

g)Name the environmental education program that was developed for school children by Bittu Sahgal.

Ans: The environmental education program which was developed for school children by Bittu Sahgal was ‘Kids for Tigers’.

h) What did the narrator feel when he was in a wild land?

Ans: When the narrator was in a wildland, he felt overwhelmed by the absolute vastness of all that lay before him.

i)What did the narrator do when he was old enough to buy a motorcycle?

Ans: When the narrator was old enough to buy a motorcycle, he started a journey, driving south along the 50 Km road from Kolkata, past Diamond Harbour, past Kulpi, to Kakdwip, just short of Sagar Island in the Sundarbans.

j) Where did the narrator grow up?

Ans: The narrator grew up in Calcutta.

k) Why does Sahgal use the phrase, ‘like a moth to a flame’?

Ans: According to the narrator, he is strongly attracted to the Sundarbans like a moth who is attracted to bright lights. As the moth symbolizes attraction and determination, the narrator uses the image of a moth to convey his strong desire to go to the Sundarbans.

l)What had a lulling effect on Bittu Sahgal?

Ans: The similarity between mangrove-lined mudbanks and the comforting throbs of boat engines had a lulling effect on Bittu Sahgal.

m)What would make Bittu Sahgal’s pulse race?

Ans: The thought of visiting a forest where tigers lived outside cages would make Bittu Sahgal’s pulse race.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. How are we benefited by the Sundarbans?Or,Why should we conserve Sundarbans?

Ans: (i)The Sundarbans mangroves reduce the fury of cyclonic storms and prevent soil erosion due to tidal actions.

(ii)Mangrove forests reduce wind speed drastically and help to break them.

(iii) When the huge winds come from the Bay of Bengal, mangroves act as a friction barrier.
In this way, mangroves slow down the wind very strongly.
(iv)It gives shelter to the terrestrial species and marine species.
(v) It gives livelihood to millions of people as many people earn money through collecting honey and catching fish. Again, it is a tourist spot where people come for traveling which gives livelihood to many tourists guides and woodcutters.

2. Why did the narrator think that the Sundarbans is under threat?

 

Ans:(i)In the last three decades we have lost around 10,000 hectares of mangroves Sundarbans area which is roughly 100 square kilometres, a massive area.(ii)Now people cut the forest and disturb the delicate balance of saline and fresh water.(iii) Because of human activity more than 35% of the world’s mangroves are already gone.(iv) Now people kill tigers to fulfil their needs and greed. It damages the health and diversity of an ecosystem.

3.”Nature has the power to repair and renew all …” Explain.

Ans: Nature provides us with everything we need—air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat. It is powerful and self-sufficient. However, human actions, driven by the pursuit of desires, often disrupt this natural balance. This has led to imbalances, such as the loss of tigers and mangroves in the Sundarbans. If we stop harming nature by ceasing activities like poaching and deforestation, nature has the inherent ability to repair and regenerate what has been damaged, ultimately restoring balance and harmony to the environment.

4. Why is it important to protect the Sundarbans?

Ans: (i)It protects people from natural disasters,and acts as a shield from natural disasters.(ii)Mangroves give protection to the coastline and minimize disasters due to cyclones and tsunamis.(iii) It acts as a shock absorber. They reduce high tides and wave opportunities to coastal communities.(iv) Sundarbans is full of natural resources. It also has economic values.(v)It is also known for numerous Bengali folk songs and dances. Its rituals and religious festivals play a very important role in Bengali culture.(vi)It is well-known for the Royal Bengal Tigers which play a pivotal role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem.

5. How do mangroves adapt to the environment?

 

Ans: The mangrove plants have adopted themselves in many ways to cope with salinity. These plants are equipped with abilities to extract pure water from brine by exerting a higher osmotic pressure than seawater. Some species of mangroves have learned to shed their leaves which are completely loaded with salt. Some species possess salt glands and hairs that help them expel salt as waste. All the fruits and shoots float into the ocean to make seed dispersal easier.

Do as directed:

1. As soon as I was old enough to buy a motorcycle, I found myself on a pilgrimage. (Transform into a negative sentence)
Ans: No sooner did I become old enough to buy a motorcycle than I found myself on a pilgrimage.
2. I recall endless boat trips and visits to the famous botanical gardens. (Replace the underlined word with a group verb)
Ans: I call up endless boat trips and visits to the famous botanical gardens.
3. Further damage can be caused by humans. (Change the voice)
Ans: Humans can cause further damage.
4. The Kakdwip fishermen informed me that crocodiles and sharks were common. (Change the voice)
Ans: I was informed by the Kakdwip fishermen that crocodiles and sharks were common.
5. But nature has the power to repair and renew all. (Rewrite the sentence using a gerund)
Ans: But nature has the power of repairing and renewing all.
6. We live in an age when technology puts hard information —- our fingertips. (Fill in with suitable prepositions)
Ans: We live in an age when technology puts hard information at our fingertips.
7. My fascination for the Sundarbans _____ (grow) even stronger. (Use simple past tense)
Ans: My fascination for the Sundarbans grew even stronger.
8. I stood ———- the wooden Kakdwip jetty knee-deep muddy brown water. (Fill in with suitable prepositions)
Ans: I stood on the wooden Kakdwip jetty knee-deep muddy brown water.
9. My love affair with Sundarbans had begun. (Replace the underlined word with a group verb)
Ans: My love affair with Sundarbans had kicked off.
10. Those who have not experienced a mangrove swamp in this dimension will find it difficult to comprehend. (Replace the underlined word with a group verb)

Ans: Those who have not come across a mangrove swamp in this dimension will find it difficult to comprehend.

 

Exercise

1. Answer the following questions in a complete sentence:

a) How does Bittu Sahgal describe the Sundarbans?b) What is the myth associated with Sundarbans?c)What are imbued by the oral history of the Sundarbans?d)How does the Sundarbans serve to be a boon to mankind?e)What was Bittu Sahgal doing in November 1966?f)What does Bittu Sahgal mean by the term “mantle of protection’?g)What was Bittu Sahgal’s idea about the Sundarbans during his impressionable years?h) What did the Kakdwip fisherman inform Bittu Sahgal?

2. Answer each of the following questions in about 80 words:

a)Where did the narrator stand? What difficulty did he face there? Why did he feel overwhelmed there?b)Where did the narrator grow up? How was Sundarbans during his childhood days? Where did he seetigers at that time? How did he feel there?c)What did Kakdwip fishermen inform the narrator? What did they say about the tiger?d)”And I, like a moth to a flame, have constantly returned.”-Where did the narrator return and why?

e)According to the narrator, what has been stored in the Sundarbans?f)How do the mangrove plants shelter Kolkata and Khulna?g)”Living in an age when technology puts hard information at our fingertips with frightening cases, we are acutely aware …”-What are we aware of?h)How has the Sundarbans sheltered Kolkata and Khulna from the fury of cyclonic winds in the Bay of Bengalfor a long time? How are we benefited by the Sundarbans?i)”But nature has the power to repair and renew all… if we allow it to.”-What should be repaired by nature? How do we allow nature to do so?j)When did the narrator feel his pulse race and why?k)When did the narrator begin to love the Sundarbans?l)How do people sustain their livelihood in the Sundarbans?m)How do mangroves get rid of salt?n)Why is Sundarbans known to be the largest and most bio-diverse mangrove ecosystem in the world?o)What are referred to as the ‘melting pots of Bengali culture’? How are the mangroves of the Sundarbans related to it?p)Why is Sundarbans mentioned as a ‘halfway world’? Why does he refer to it so? Why does he say that it has almost reached the ‘tipping point’? How are mangrove plants ultra-adopted to cope with salinity?r)”My fascination for Sundarbans has grown even stronger”.-Explain.

3. Do as directed:

1. After several trips and the passage of many years, my fascination for Sundarbans has grown even stronger. (Change to past simple tense)
2. Mangrove plants themselves are ultra-adapted to cope with salinity. (Rewrite the sentence using a Relative clause)
3. Whenever mangroves have been destroyed, anywhere in the world, the fish catch has fallen. (Change to past continuous tense)
4. This tangle of plants , channels and islands ___________Kolkata and Khulna from the fury of cyclonic winds in the Bay of Bengal.(Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb: have sheltered/were sheltered/has sheltered)
5. This veritable poetry of evolution is under serious threat. (Rewrite the sentence using a Relative clause)
6. Some species have learned to shed leaves loaded with salt. (Rewrite the sentence using participle)
7. To extract pure water from brine, their cells exert a higher osmotic pressure than seawater. (Replace the underlined word with a group verb)
8. I stood on the wooden Kakdwip jetty in knee-deep, muddy-brown water. (Change into a compound sentence)

9.Mangrove species possess salt glands. (Use the noun form of possess)

10.This tangle of plants, channels and islands has sheltered (shelter) Kolkata and Khulna from the fury. (Fill in the blank with the proper form of the given verb)

11.During those impressionable years the Sundarbans was always a dark, mysterious, forbidding place. (Expand using relative clause)

12.Further damage can be caused by humans. (use phrasal verb of ’caused’)

13.And I, like a moth to a flame, have constantly returned (Rewrite using simple future tense)

14.The variable age of poetry is under serious threat. (Change into interrogative sentence)

15.This is the largest and most bio-diverse mangrove eco-system in the world. (Change into No other mangrove ecosystem is larger than and comparative degree)

16.Nature has the power to repair and renew all. It should be allowed to do so. (Join with a participle)

 

4. Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions:

a)The ‘sameness’ ____ the mangrove-lined mudbanks and the comforting throb _____ boat engines have a lulling effect as minutes turn____ hours ,then days ____the water world ______the Sundarbans. Yet, surprises keep jumping out at you from the muddy shores that crawl ____life.b)As soon as I was old enough _______buy myself a motorcycle , I found myself ________pilgrimage, driving south along the 50km road _______Kolkata , past Diamond Harbour, past Kulpi, _______ Kakdwip, just short ________Sagar Island _______the Sundarbans.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: 1. What dangers do the Sundarbans face from north and south respectively?

A: The Sundarbans faces deforestation from the north and the rising seas from the south.

Q: 2. Where, according to the fishermen, does the tiger live now?

A: According to fishermen, the tigers could be found in East Pakistan. (now Bangladesh).

Q:3. How much of the world’s total mangroves do the Sundarbans comprise?

A: Around one million hectares of the world present 1.5 million hectares of mangroves exist as the Sundarbans spread across India and Bangladesh.

Q:4. Which is the largest bio-diverse mangrove ecosystem in the world?

A: The Sundarbans is the largest bio-diverse mangrove ecosystem in the world.

Q: 5. What did Kakdwip fishermen inform the narrator?

A: Kakdwip fishermen informed the narrator that crocodiles and sharks were common in the Sundarbans.

Disclaimer: The study notes on The Sundarbans Inheritance by Bittu Sahgal provided here are entirely my original work, created for educational purposes. These notes offer insights, summaries, and analyses based on my understanding and research. They do not include any copyrighted content from the original book. This material is intended solely to assist learners in better understanding the topic.