Question

An event causing great and usually sudden damage or suffering is termed as:

• A. Emergency
• B. Catastrophe
• C. Calamity
• D. Cataclysm

Hint:

Calamity means a sudden event causing great damage or suffering. Catastrophe is usually used for an extremely large-scale disaster.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: Disaster studies use different terms to describe harmful events. A calamity means an event that causes great damage, distress, or suffering, usually suddenly.

Step 1: Understanding the meaning of the terms.
An emergency is a serious situation requiring immediate action.
A catastrophe is a very large disaster causing massive destruction.
A cataclysm is a sudden violent event, often natural, causing major changes.

Step 2: Matching the definition with the correct term.
The phrase “great and usually sudden damage or suffering” directly matches the meaning of calamity. \[ \text{Calamity} = \text{Sudden event causing great damage or suffering} \]

Step 3: Selecting the most suitable answer.
Since the question asks for a general event causing sudden damage or suffering, the most appropriate term is calamity. Therefore, the correct answer is Calamity.