The Happy Valley
| 1. abode: home
2. Fierce: Violent and frightening 3. ancestors: forefathers 4. virtuous: having high moral standards 5. Upstream: moving or situated in the opposite direction from that in which a river or stream flows. 6. equipment: the necessary items for a particular purpose 7. harvest: the season’s crop |
Comprehension Questions
1. What is Mayel? Where is it situated?
Ans: Mayel is a beautiful secret valley. It is situated high above the hill behind Kanchenjunga.
2. Why can no one reach Mayel?
Ans: No one can reach Mayel as the path towards it is protected by fierce demons. The passage is also blocked by a large heavy rock. The rock cannot be removed by any human.
3. Why did the ancestors stop coming down to the valley of Lepcha?
Ans: The ancestors stopped coming down to the valley of Lepcha because they felt that the new generation of Lepcha was not virtuous enough.
4. Who were the children whom Sanga met?
Ans: The children whom Sanga met were the same old couple whom he had met the previous evening.
5. Describe what the little girl told Sanga about their world.
Ans: According to the little girl, they were children in the morning; by midday, they became adults; at sunset, they were old. Thus, they lived forever.
6. What did Sanga notice on the river? Describe it
Ans: Sanga noticed a unique branch of a tree floating on the river. It had beautiful green needle-like leaves and a golden bark.
7. Why did the old woman tell Sanga to return to his village?
Ans: The old woman told Sanga to return to his village because no ordinary person lived in Mayel.
8. What did the old woman give Sanga? What did she tell him after giving those things?
Ans: The old woman gave Sanga seeds of different grains.
She told him to take those seeds to his village and the people would never lack food. She also said that the villagers should sow the seeds once they see the flock of white birds sent by the people of Mayel.
Complete the sentences:
a. The Lepchas live on the Kanchenjunga slopes.
b. The ancestors of the Lepcha tribe are believed to inhabit Mayel.
c. The rock of the passage cannot be removed by any human.
d. The elders stopped coming down to the valley because the Lepchas were not virtuous enough.
e. The branch of the tree had beautiful green needle-like- leaves and a golden bark.
f. Sanga met an old couple in the first hut at Mayel.