SECTION A: Reading Comprehension (30 marks)

Answer ALL the questions given. Marks will be deducted if answers are copied directly from

the passage.

In April of 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia exploded, resulting in a powerful eruption that

killed tens of thousands of people on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. A year after the

eruption, it became known as the "year without a summer" when unusually cold and wet

conditions hit Europe and North America.

Since 1913, researchers have suggested that the two events were linked. Now, a new study

shows that the cold summer temperatures in 1816 would not have been possible without the

volcanic eruption. The research was published in the Journal of Environmental Research, which

revealed that the immediate effects of the volcano resulted in mass destruction. The lava flows

and tsunamis as a result of the eruption destroyed homes and claimed about 10,000 lives. About

80,000 people died from diseases that spread in the aftermath.

More than twelve thousand natives lived in the immediate vicinity of Tambora. They never had a

chance to escape. Nearly all of them died within the first twenty-four hours mostly from ash

falls and lava flows. “The trees and grassland along the whole of the north and west sides of the

peninsula have been completely destroyed,” reported one British official. Farm animals and

people living in the area surrounding Mount Tambora were all killed according to another

report. People who had initially survived the destruction, eventually died of hunger. One village

had sunk entirely, its former site now covered with more than eighteen feet of water. The head of

the village, known as Raja of Sanggar, confirmed that his village was completely destroyed. The

survivors in his village lived off limited supply of coconuts.

millennium,”said Andrew Schurer. It had an enormous impact locally as the island of Sumbawa

was completely destroyed. The massive eruption from the volcano also contributed to the global

impact that followed.

“The eruption injected a huge amount of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, which would have

quickly spread across the world, oxidising to form sulphate aerosols,” Schurer said. These

volcanic aerosols caused temperatures to drop which eventually led to a reduction in global

rainfall. However, increased rainfall was experienced in some usually dry regions. There were

also changes in the air circulation in the ocean and atmosphere.

The global temperature dropped between one to three degrees Celsius. It was the coldest year in

at least the last 250 years, according to the study. Each season showed temperature

abnormalities, but that summer of 1816 experienced the most drastic change, with the coldest

recorded mean summer temperature for Europe.

In the summer of 1816, cold and wet conditions in Central Europe, Western Europe and North

America led to crop failure, death of livestock and famine. New England experienced increases

in snowfall and “killing frost” which was a frost low enough in temperature to kill exposed

vegetation. Cloud cover kept the skies dark. It was called the “last great survival crisis in the

Western World.”

Schurer and his colleagues used climate models to determine the effects of the volcanic eruption.

They compared the data against other years with similar sea-level pressure patterns. In similar

years, condensation was comparable, but not the cold temperatures. When the volcano was
introduced to the climate models using a method called “volcanic forcing”, the scientists were

able to recreate the summer of 1816.

“Including volcanic forcing in climate models can account for the cooling and we estimate it

increases the likelihood of the extremely cold temperatures by up to 100 times,” Schurer said.

There is strong evidence in the model simulations that the volcanic eruption increases the

chance for such a wet summer over Central Europe by about 1.5 to 3 times. Without volcanic

forcing, it is less likely to have been as wet and as cold.

Agricultural failure caused the price of food to increase drastically. This also increased the price

of oats for horses, which were the main transportation source at that time according to the

National Center for Atmospheric Research. Despite those difficult times, it inspired the

invention of the bicycle by Karl Drais in 1817, the writing of "Frankenstein" by Mary Godwin

in 1816, a poem “Darkness” by Byron and a short story “The Vampyre” by Polidori.

(Adapted from: https://edition.cnn.com. & https://www.scientificamerican.com)

1. Suggest a suitable title for the passage. (2 marks)

Ans: A suitable title for the passage is the effect and of Mount Tambora exploded.

2. What does the phrase “the two events were linked” refer to? (3 marks)

Ans: The phrase “the two events were linked” refer to the two factor of Mount Tambora

exploded.

3. Provide two main factors that led to the massive death of the natives nearby
Mount Tambora on the first day of the eruption.(2 marks)

Ans: Two main factors that led to the massive death of the natives nearby Mount Tambora

on the first day of eruption is they never had a chance to escape.

People who had initially survived the destruction eventually died of hunger.

4. How did the survivors of Raja of Sanggar’s village continue living after the

Eruption? (2 marks)

Ans: The survivors of Raja of Sanggar’s village did continue living after the

Eruption by limited supply of coconuts.

5. How did the forming of sulphate aerosols affect the Earth? (4 marks)

Ans: The forming of sulphate aerosols did affect the Earth by caused temperatures to drop

which eventually led to a reduction in global rainfall.

Increase rainfall was experienced in some usually dry regions.

6. What were the effects of the cold summer of 1816 in some parts of the world? (5 marks)

Ans: The effects of the cold summer of 1816 in some parts of the world were led to crop

failure, death of livestock and famine.

New England experienced increases in snowfall and "Killing frost" which was a frost low

enough in temperature to kill exposed vegetation.

7. Provide three ways in which you can help victims of a natural disaster. (6 marks)
Ans: Three ways in which i can help victims of a natural disaster is donate some daily

supplies to them.

I can provide a shelter for them to live.

I also can help them to apply for a loan from government to receive some money to live.

8. How would you prepare yourself to survive a volcanic eruption in the place where

you live? Give TWO ways. (6 marks)

Ans: I will close hide in the house and close all the window and doors until the volcanic

eruption end.

I will also keep the necessities in the hand ,such as smartphone to check the latest news.

[Total: 30 marks]