1st Year English: Book 1 : Ch 10: A Mild Attack of Locusts

 

Lesson-10
A Mild Attack of Locusts
Exercise Questions
Q.1. What are locusts?
Ans: Locusts are winged insects just like grasshoppers. They fly in swarms. They eat up the entire vegetation.
Q.2. Why did the farmers throw wet leaves on the fire? (imp)
Ans: The farmers threw wet leaves on fire to produce black and acrid smoke. This smoke would frighten away the insects.
Q.3. What was the desire of every farmer? (imp)
Ans: Every farmer desired that the swarms of locusts should overlook his fields and settle somewhere else.
Q.4. Did Margaret know what to do to keep the locusts away?
Ans: Margret had not experienced such natural calamity before. She did not know what to do. She just attended phone calls.
Q.5. What was the condition of trees?
Ans: The trees have teemed with insects. They became leafless and finally, their branches weighed to the round.
Q.6. How did the old Stephen treat the stray locust which he found on his shirt?
Ans: He crushed it between his thumbnails. He found that it was clotted with eggs.
Q.7. Are the hoppers different from locusts?
Ans: Hoppers are the young locusts. They differ from them in size and age. They cannot fly but hop.
Q.8. Did Margaret lose heart on the loss of crops?
Ans: No, she did not lose heart. She faced natural calamity with patience and courage. She even encouraged others to face tragedy.
Q.9. Why are the locusts compared with bad weather? (imp)
Ans: Locusts are compared with bad weather because they as bad weather does, can spoil the crops. Both the bad weather and the locusts are changing agents of farmers.
Q.10. Why did the men eat their supper with good appetites? (imp)
Ans: The men had been fighting against the locusts. They were tired and hungry. So, they ate their supper with a good appetite.
Additional questions
Q.11. Why did the farmers want to kill the locusts?
Ans: They wanted to prevent the locusts from settling in their fields. It was because the locusts would finish all of their crops.
Q.12. What did old Stephen tell Margaret?
Ans:  He told Margret that they were finished. The locusts ate every leaf of their farm within half an hour.