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Unit 06: Civic Responsibilities
The Day The Dam Broke.
English II (C)
For Class XII (All Groups)
Short Question Answers
From Text Book Exercise
Q.1: What and where did the panic start?Ans: The panic began in Columbus, Ohio, in 1913 when people suddenly started shouting that the dam had broken. It started when a few people ran in fear, and others, seeing them run, assumed it was due to a flood and joined in the stampede. No one verified the information everyone just followed the crowd. It was the situation of turmoil and confusion.
Q.2: In what ways does the text illustrate the theme of mob mentality?
Ans: The essay clearly shows mob mentality that people reacting emotionally and irrationally just because others are doing so. No one stopped to confirm the facts. Even those who didn't know what was happening ran simply because others were running. The fear spread like wildfire, showing how panic can override logic in a crowd facing the frightful and perilous situation on the roads in Columbus.
Q.3: How did different individuals and groups react to this news?
Ans: Civilians: Dropped everything and started running. Some didn't even know why they were running.
Older people: Recalled a real flood from 1884 and were more easily frightened.
Police, firefighters, and military: Surprisingly, they also joined the panic at first, adding to the confusion instead of calming it.
Everyone, regardless of age or status, was swept up in the fear without inquiring the reason.
Q.4: How did the panic end so abruptly and why nobody talked about it for the long time?
Ans: The panic ended when someone calmly said, "The dam hasn't broken." People suddenly stopped running, turned around, and went back to their routines as if nothing had happened.
No one spoke about it afterward because they felt embarrassed by their behaviour. Everyone wanted to forget the foolishness, so the incident was quietly buried in memory.
Q.5: How long did the panic last? How was the order restored?
Ans: The panic lasted for about two hours. Order was restored naturally when people realized there was no danger. There was no official announcement just someone spreading calm and people beginning to come to their senses. Once they knew the dam was intact, they returned home silently. The people cleared their profound misunderstanding related to the news of the dam.
OR
The panic lasted for not more than two hours in all, when the city authorities came to know that it was a false alarm. Order was restored by fear dispelled finally by means of militiamen riding about in motor lorries bowling through megaphones. The dam has not broken!'. However, the frightened minds mistook the announcement and thought that the men were announcing that the dam had then broken. Then they realized their mistake and started going back to normalcy.
Q.6: How does the author describe the business and behaviour of people in Columbus the next day of the panic?
Ans: The next day, people acted as if nothing had happened. Businesses opened as usual, and everyone behaved very formally and normally, trying to cover up their embarrassment. The author humorously noted that no one dared bring it up, and the entire city pretended the panic had never occurred. The people were sheepishly back to their homes and businesses.
Q..Q7: Describe the response of law enforcement, fire-fighters, and military personnel during the panic. How did their actions demonstrate civic duty?
Ans: Initially, even police and soldiers panicked, which added to the chaos. However, later, some of them tried to help restore order. Their initial reaction showed human weakness, but eventually, their efforts to calm people and return things to normal reflected their sense of civic duty, even though they were part of the confusion.
Q.8: Amidst the chaos and confusion, how did the author's family uphold their civic responsibilities during the incident?
Ans: The author's family, especially his grandfather, tried to act rationally. The grandfather refused to run, thinking it was nonsense, and tried to stop others. Thurber's family didn't spread rumors and tried to remain calm. This shows they held on to common sense and tried to act responsibly, even when the rest of the city in panic.
More Short Question Answers
Q.9: What does the narrator mean by saying the family was "both ennobled and demoralized" by the experience?Ans: The narrator suggests that although the flood panic was based on a false rumour, it brought out both ridiculous and admirable traits of people. For instance, his grandfather, though confused about the nature of the threat, displayed great courage and leadership by trying to defend the family. On the other hand, the entire family's forced flight with an unconscious grandfather highlighted how fear reduced everyone to irrational behaviour. This duality of bravery and foolishness is what the narrator reflects on.
Q.10: How does the narrator describe the reaction of people in business areas like High Street?
Ans: The narrator paints a vivid picture of how calm, composed businessmen suddenly abandoned their deals and offices to run in panic. Even powerful figures like lawyers and executives, usually proud and composed, joined the stampede. The chaos began with a few runners, perhaps over something unrelated, and quickly turned into mass hysteria as everyone assumed a disaster was imminent. This illustrates how easily rationality can be overwhelmed in group settings.
Q.11: How did women and children participate in the panic, according to the passage?
Ans: Women and children were swept into the frenzy just like the men. Housewives, children, even pets poured out of homes to follow the crowd. Some tried to find shelter, like the narrator's mother, who planned to hide in Memorial Hall. Others, like Aunt Edith, got caught in the chaos while watching a movie. The scene turned violent and frantic as people trampled and pushed each other in their desperate attempts to flee an invisible threat.
Q.12: What role did misunderstanding and miscommunication play in the mass panic?
Ans: Misunderstandings were at the core of the panic. The initial runners may have had personal reasons for hurrying, but others assumed the worst without confirmation. Dr. Mallory mistook roller-skates for floodwater, and a colonel spread the rumour further by trusting a child's fearful cry. When militiamen tried to announce the truth, their loudspeakers were misheard as confirming the flood, which worsened the chaos. These examples show how unchecked fear spreads faster than facts.
Q.13: What was the emotional state of the people after the panic ended, and how did they handle it? OR Why did the citizens of Columbus not care to talk about the events of the 12th March 1913?
Ans: After the panic, people were deeply embarrassed. Though they returned to work and routine the very next day, no one dared to mention what had happened. The event became a silent memory, avoided in conversation because everyone had behaved foolishly. It took nearly two years before people could joke about it, and even decades later, some persons like Dr. Mallory would still go quiet when the topic came up. This reaction shows that shame can be stronger than fear.
OR
The citizens of Columbus were so ashamed of their behaviour, that nobody had the courage to talk about the event of 12th March 1913. It was only after two years or more that the people dared, treat the breaking of the dam lightly.. But there were a few persons like Dr. Mallory who, even after twenty years, would shut up like a clam to mentioned the the Afternoon of the Great Run, because they were terribly ashamed of their conduct on that day.
Q.14: What caused the panic in Columbus, Ohio? OR How does the panic appear to have started?
Ans: The panic was caused by a false rumour that the dam had broken. Though no actual danger, existed, people started running east to escape what they believed to be a flood. The mass hysteria quickly spread throughout the city. The people thought that they were engulfed by the roaring waters and the cry spread like a grass fire.
OR
The author in the story recalled the real incident of his childhood when the rumour of Ohio Dam broken, spread in the city. It began in this the manner. A man, on High Street, the main trade centre in Columbus City, suddenly started to, walk quickly towards the east. The author, feels, perhaps, he was late for an appointment with his wife, at the Maramor Restaurant. So, lie walked at a trot. He was followed by a newsboy, in high spirits. He was followed by yet another, a-portly gentleman of affairs, for some reason. This started a panic and within ten minutes, Without trying to know the reason, every body followed suit and started running, shouting "The dam has broken". "Hundreds of people were streaming by their house in wild panic, Streaming "Go east! 'Go east!"Q.15: What was the reaction of Thurber's grandfather during the panic?
Ans: Thurber's grandfather misunderstood the situation and thought Confederate soldiers were attacking. He grabbed his old army sabre and tried to stop the family from fleeing. Eventually, the family had to knock him' out with an ironing board to escape with the others.
Q.16: How did the author describe the spread of fear?
Ans: The fear spread like wildfire. People didn't stop to verify the rumour; they simply followed the crowd. Even calm and respectable individuals abandoned everything and ran in panic. People started running east to escape what they believed to be a flood. The mass hysteria quickly spread throughout the city. The people thought that they were engulfed by the roaring waters.
Q.17: What role did authority figures like policemen and military officers play?
Ans: Even authority figures joined the panic. A colonel, influenced by a little girl shouting "the dam has broke," began leading a crowd eastward. Their involvement added to the public's confusion and fear. Two thousand people were abruptly in full flight. One colonel was leading the exhausted child in his arms towards east in this panic.
Q.18: What was the actual risk of flooding on the East Side?
Ans: The East Side was a place where all the running occurred. City engineers later confirmed there was no real threat. Even if the dam had broken, the East Side would have risen only by two inches. It needed a 95-feet rise could have caused the flood waters to flow in any actual perilous situation.
Q.19: How did Aunt Edith Taylor respond to the panic?
Ans: Aunt Edith Taylor joined the fleeing crowd, running through the city. She met people along the way, including a woman who told her to "ask God" about what was happening. In spite of the confusion, she kept running out of fear.
Q.20: Who was Dr. Mallory and what mistake did he make? OR Why-did Dr. Mallory think that flood waters were about to engulf (drown) him?
Ans: Dr. Mallory was an elderly man known for his confident personality. During the panic, he mistook the sound of a boy's roller skates for the sound of the rushing water. Believing the flood was upon him, he kept running in fear. After he realized his mistake, he started running eastward again.
OR
Dr. Mallory too was among the crowd that was running to the East. There was a boy behind him on roller-skates. Dr. Mallory mistook the swimming sound of the skates for the sound of rushing waters. He felt certain that the floodwaters were about to engulf him.
Q.21: How did the city return to normal after the panic?
Ans: The panic ended when militiamen announced via megaphones that the darn had not broken. Even though the truth came out, people were embarrassed and rarely spoke of the event. For years, it remained a sensitive topic. No one dared to discuss about the Great Run before the eyewitness such as Dr. Mallory.
Q.22: What does the story reveal about human nature?
Ans: The story reveals how easily people can fall into mass hysteria. Rational thinking is abandoned when fear spreads. It also shows how rumors, once believed, can lead to irrational behaviour even in educated individuals. Rumors spread faster than the truth.
Q.23: How does Thurber use humour in the story?
Ans: Thurber uses exaggeration, irony, absurdity and irrational thinking to make the story humorous and full of comic scenes. He describes serious events, like his grandfather's confusion and people climbing statues, in a comical and amusing way. His storytelling has the mood of comedy and humour of what could have been a tragic event.
Q.24: How accurate is the title of Thurber's essay?
Ans: "The day the dam broke" is very appropriate title. The Columbus, Ohio, broken dam rumour set the whole population of the city to run in order to safe themselves from flood waters. The panic was so great that no one stopped to verify truth. Therefore, the title of Thurber's essay is very accurate.
Q.25: What can we gather about grandfather's age and his physique and mental condition?
Ans: From the description given in the essay we cannot form any exact idea of the grandfather's age. However, he was a a pretty old man and sturdy person. He was more than six feet tall and weighed about a hundred and seventy pounds. His mental condition was also very sound although his reaction was based upon a misunderstanding, that the Nathan Bedford Forests Cavalry had attacked the city.
Q.26: How did Thurber's mother cope with the situation?
Ans: The author's mother, did not panic. Being a mature and a caring mother, she behaved in a most sensible way. She turned out all the fires of the stove, and took took with her a dozen eggs and two loaves of bread. She had planned to take shelter somewhere, on the roof top of the Memorial Hall, but she was dragged along with the crowd, towards the east.
Q.27: How did the panic start in the cinema on High Street?
Ans: The writer's aunt, Edith Taylor was in the cinema. She could hear continuous shouts and the tramp of running feet and the persistent shouts of people outside. An elderly man sitting near author's aunt, mumbled something, got out of his seat & went up the aisle at a dogtrot. This start led everybody. In an instant the audience was jamming the aisle. A woman shouted, "fire". The shouts outside the cinema became louder and clear, "the dam has broken, Go east!" So, the writer's aunt and the rest, started running towards the east.
Q.28: What caused the lieutenant colonel of infantry to lead a fleeing company of 300 soldiers? Ans: The lieutenant colonel of infantry was sitting on the porch of Fort Hayes when he heard a little child cry out that "the dam has broken." This sudden warning startled him, and in his panic, he ordered his 300 soldiers to go east. The warning about the dam breaking caused panic among the people, leading them to flee from the danger. The officer didn’t initially understand why they were running, but when he asked the little child, the child explained that the dam had broken. Realizing the danger, the lieutenant colonel led the crowd of soldiers, carrying the tired child in his arms, away from the threat posed by the broken dam.
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