Class 9 English additional Question Answers| A Visit to Kaziranga and Sivasagar

 

A Visit to Kaziranga and Sivasagar

Most Important Additional Questions & Answers (Class 9 English)

🔹 Very Short Answer Type Questions (1 Mark Each)

Q1. Who is the author of the lesson "A Visit to Kaziranga and Sivasagar"?

Ans: Srutimala Duara.

Q2. What was Sivasagar town formerly known as?

Ans: Sivasagar was formerly known as Rangpur.

Q3. For how many years was Rangpur the capital of the Ahom kings?

Ans: It was the capital of the Ahom kings for many years, specifically from 1699 to 1788.

Q4. In which year was Kaziranga declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO?

Ans: In the year 1985.

Q5. Who was Mary Curzon?

Ans: Mary Curzon was the wife of Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India.

Q6. Who renamed Kaziranga Game Sanctuary as Kaziranga Wild Life Sanctuary?

Ans: P. D. Stracey, the noted forest conservationist, renamed it in 1950.

Q7. In which year was Kaziranga officially declared a Tiger Reserve?

Ans: It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.

Q8. What is the height of the 'kolosi' or golden pinnacle of Shiva Dol?

Ans: The golden dome or kolosi is seven feet high.

Q9. Who dug the Joysagar tank and in whose memory?

Ans: The Ahom king Rudra Singha dug it in sacred memory of his mother, Sati Joymoti.

Q10. Who was the founder of the Ahom dynasty in Assam?

Ans: Siu-Ka-Pha was the founder of the Ahom dynasty.

🔹 Short Answer Type Questions (2 or 3 Marks Each)

Q1. Why did Mary Curzon ask her husband to take immediate steps to protect the rhinos?

Ans: When Mary Curzon visited Kaziranga in 1904, she came specifically to see the famous one-horned rhinoceros. However, she could not find a single rhino in the area and only saw their hoof marks. Realizing that the species was on the verge of extinction, she requested her husband, Lord Curzon, to take immediate conservation measures.

Q2. Mention some of the wild animals, other than the rhinoceros, that are found in Kaziranga National Park.

Ans: Apart from the one-horned rhino, Kaziranga is home to elephants, tigers, wild water buffaloes, swamp deers, hog deers, wild boars, leopards, capped langurs, white-browed gibbons, and a massive variety of migratory birds.

Q3. What is the architectural uniqueness of the Namdang Stone Bridge?

Ans: The Namdang Stone Bridge (Silor Saaku) is unique because it was cut and constructed out of a single solid rock. It is 60 meters long and was built entirely by human resources in 1703 during the reign of King Rudra Singha, surviving centuries of heavy traffic.

Q4. What did the family see when they visited the 'Tai Museum' on the bank of the Sivasagar tank?

Ans: In the Tai Museum, the family saw a fascinating collection of historical Ahom artifacts. This included ancient royal garments, swords, manuscripts, copper plates, traditional weapons, and various household items belonging to the Ahom rulers.

Q5. Describe the structure and historical purpose of the Rang-ghar.

Ans: The Rang-ghar is a two-storeyed royal sports pavilion with a unique roof shaped like an inverted boat. Built by King Pramatta Singha, it served as an outdoor amphitheater or stadium from where the Ahom royal family and nobles watched traditional sports like bird fights and buffalo fights.

🔹 Long Answer Type Questions (4 or 5 Marks Each)

Q1. Give a detailed chronological account of the history of Kaziranga as a protected area as described in the text.

Ans: The journey of Kaziranga becoming a protected wildlife area involves several key milestones over the last century:

• 1904: Lady Mary Curzon visited the place and noticed the critical absence of rhinos, prompting her to ask her husband to protect them.
• 1905: The Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was officially established.
• 1916: It was declared the 'Kaziranga Game Sanctuary' where hunting was regulated.
• 1950: Forest conservationist P.D. Stracey renamed it the 'Kaziranga Wild Life Sanctuary' to completely remove the association with hunting games.
• 1974: The sanctuary was officially designated as a National Park by the government.
• 1985: UNESCO recognized its outstanding environmental value and declared it a World Heritage Site.
• 2006: Due to its high concentration of royal Bengal tigers, Kaziranga was formally declared a Tiger Reserve.

Q2. Who was Sati Joymoti? Describe the historical events connecting her sacrifice to the creation of the Joysagar Tank.

Ans: Joymoti was an Ahom princess honored with the title 'Sati' due to her supreme self-sacrifice for her motherland and husband. During the rule of the cruel puppet king Sulikphaa (Lora Roja), young royal men were systematically mutilated or killed to eliminate rivals to the throne. To save himself, Joymoti's husband, Prince Gadadhar Singha, fled to the Naga hills.

When the king's forces failed to find him, they captured Joymoti and tortured her brutally for fourteen days in an open field to extract information about her husband's location. She chose to die under the severe torture rather than betray her husband. Years later, her son, King Rudra Singha, ascended the throne and dug the massive Joysagar Tank exactly at the spot where his mother was tortured, ensuring her memory lives forever.