“The Greed of the Mighty Rivers” is an important passage for SSC English students. It describes the suffering of Meherjan and other people affected by river erosion in Bangladesh. In this post, EngNook.com provides important vocabulary with Bangla meanings, multiple-choice questions (MCQs), easy questions and answers, and gap-filling exercises to help students understand the passage and prepare for the SSC 2027 examination.
Read More: SSC 2027 English Marks Distribution (1st & 2nd Paper)
The Greed of the Mighty Rivers
| Unit – 02 | Lesson – 01 | RB 24; JB 23; CtgB 19; BB 22; DjB 19 |
Meherjan lives in a (1) slum on the Sirajgonj Town Protection (2) Embankment. The (3) whispering wind from the river Jamuna makes the fire (4) unsteady. The dancing (5) flames remind Meherjan of the (6) turmoil in her life.
Not long ago Meherjan had everything- a family, (7) arable land and cattle. The (8) erosion of the Jamuna gradually (9) consumed all her land property. It finally (10) claimed her only shelter during the last monsoon. It took the river only a day to (11) devour Meher’s house, trees, vegetable garden and the (12) bamboo bush. She had a happy family once. Over the years, she lost her husband and her family to (13) diseases that (14) cruel hunger and (15) poverty brought to the family. Now, she is the only one left to live on with the loss and the pain. The (16) greedy Jamuna has (17) shattered her dreams and happiness.
There are thousand others wanting to share the same (18) fate like Meherjan. Bangladesh is a land of rivers, some of whose (19) banks overflow or (20) erode during (21) monsoon. Erosion is a harsh reality for the people living along the river banks. During each monsoon many more villages are (22) threatened by the (23) mighty rivers like the Jamuna, the Padma and the Meghna. It is (24) estimated that river erosion makes at least 100,000 people (25) homeless every year in Bangladesh. In fact, river erosion is one of the main dangers caused by climate change. If we can’t take (26) prompt actions to (27) adapt to climate change, there will be thousands of more Meherjans in our towns and villages every year.
Learn Vocabulary
| No. | English Word | Bangla Meaning |
| 1. | slum | বস্তি |
| 2. | Embankment | বাঁধ |
| 3. | whispering | মৃদু শব্দকারী / ফিসফিসকারী |
| 4. | unsteady | অস্থির / টলমল |
| 5. | flames | শিখা |
| 6. | turmoil | অশান্তি / বিশৃঙ্খলা |
| 7. | arable land | চাষযোগ্য জমি |
| 8. | erosion | ভাঙন / ক্ষয় |
| 9. | consumed | গ্রাস করেছিল |
| 10. | claimed | কেড়ে নিয়েছিল |
| 11. | devour | গ্রাস করা / গিলে ফেলা |
| 12. | bamboo | বাঁশ |
| 13. | diseases | রোগব্যাধি |
| 14. | cruel | নিষ্ঠুর |
| 15. | poverty | দারিদ্র্য |
| 16. | greedy | লোভী |
| 17. | shattered | চূর্ণবিচূর্ণ করেছে / ধ্বংস করেছে |
| 18. | fate | ভাগ্য / নিয়তি |
| 19. | banks | নদীর তীর |
| 20. | erode | ক্ষয় করা / ভাঙন ঘটানো |
| 21. | monsoon | বর্ষাকাল |
| 22. | threatened | হুমকির মুখে পড়া |
| 23. | mighty | শক্তিশালী / প্রবল |
| 24. | estimated | অনুমান করা হয়েছে |
| 25. | homeless | গৃহহীন |
| 26. | prompt | তাৎক্ষণিক / দ্রুত |
| 27. | adapt | খাপ খাওয়ানো / মানিয়ে নেওয়া |
Exercise Based on SSC Syllabus
- Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
- Meher’s life was very happy before___.
| i) the river erosion | ii) she lost everything | iii) the monsoon began | iv) she moved to the town |
- “Greedy Jumna” is used here to describe the ___.
| i) beauty of the river | ii) abundance of fish | iii) destructive nature of the river | iv) usefulness of the river |
- Meherjan is a victim of ___.
| i) river erosion | ii) road accidents | iii) air pollution | iv) deforestation |
- The word ‘turmoil’ indicates___.
| i) peace | ii) happiness | iii) confusion and disorder | iv) comfort |
- The word ‘shatter’ means___.
| i) to repair | ii) to destroy | iii) to protect | iv) to develop |
- The phrase ‘whispering wing’ means ___.
| i) gentle, soft wind | ii) strong storm | iii) a hot wind | iv) a noisy wind |
- What is the main purpose of the author of the passage?
| i) To describe the beauty of rivers | ii) To explain the importance of farming | iii) To highlight the suffering caused by river erosion | iv) To encourage people to live near rivers |
Answers:
| a. ii) | b. iii) | c. i) | d. iii) | e. ii) | f. i) | g. iii) |
- Answering Questions
- Why does the author call the Jamuna greedy?
- Where does Meherjan live?
- What does ‘dancing flame’ mean?
- How can we stop river erosion?
- When are many more villages threatened by the roaring rivers?
Answers:
- Ans: The Jamuna is called greedy because it takes away people’s land and houses.
- Ans: Meherjan lives in a slum on the Sirajgonj Town Protection Embankment.
- Ans: ‘Dancing flame’ means the moving flame of a fire.
- Ans: We can reduce river erosion by planting trees and building embankments.
- Ans: Many more villages are threatened during each monsoon.
3. Gap Filling
Meherjan lives in a (a) ______ on the Sirajgonj Town Protection Embankment. The erosion of the Jamuna gradually (b) ______ all her land property. It finally (c) ______ her only shelter during the last monsoon. The greedy Jamuna has (d) ______ her dreams and happiness. River erosion makes at least 100,000 people (e) ______ every year in Bangladesh.
Answer:
| a) slum | b) consumed | c) claimed | d) shattered | e) homeless |
Practising the exercises on “The Greed of the Mighty Rivers” will help students improve their vocabulary, reading comprehension, and exam preparation. Learn the Bangla meanings of important words and practise all the questions and answers regularly. EngNook.com aims to make English learning easier and more effective for SSC students. Keep visiting EngNook.com for more English lessons, practice exercises, and exam preparation resources.
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