Chapter 9

                                           What Happened to the Reptiles


1.Who is Prem and why does he leave his village?

Answer: Prem is the narrator of the story. He flees his village after violence breaks out when a temple or mosque is burnt. His own village goes mad, people start fighting, and houses, including his, catch fire. He grabs some clothes, coins, and a small Ganesh statue, then runs for safety.


2.How does Prem reach Pambupatti?

Answer: Prem runs for a day and a night, resting only when his legs cannot carry him further. He jumps on a train and then on a bus without tickets. Finally, by chance, he reaches Pambupatti, where villagers gather near a well, and he faints from exhaustion.


3.Who looks after Prem in Pambupatti?

Answer: An old man with white hair, a white beard, and shining black eyes looks after Prem. He feeds him, brings water, rubs his feet, and helps him recover. The neighbours and strangers also visit him, showing the village’s care and hospitality.


4.Why is Prem impressed by the villagers of Pambupatti?

Answer: Prem notices that the villagers are peaceful and cooperative. Unlike his own village, where people fight over religion, Pambupatti’s residents live harmoniously. He finds their diversity—different colors, sizes, and religions—remarkable.


5.What does the old man promise Prem?

Answer: The old man promises to tell Prem the story of Pambupatti. He hopes that by taking this story back, Prem might help heal the wounds in his own village and teach people the importance of harmony and cooperation.


6.Who were the first inhabitants of Pambupatti?

Answer: Very long ago, before there were animals, Pambupatti was inhabited only by reptiles such as snakes, crocodiles, turtles, and lizards.


7.How did the reptiles organize themselves?

Answer: The reptiles held monthly meetings. Makara, the biggest crocodile, was their leader and presided over the meetings. Each reptile had a role: tortoises were slow and thoughtful, lizards clever and quick, crocodiles moody, and snakes beautiful and sometimes anxious.


8.What were the living conditions of children in that era?

Answer: Children lived in caves with their parents and helped collect fruit and berries. There were no schools or teachers, so they learned by living and working with their families in the forest.


9.Who was Makara, and why were other reptiles afraid of him?

Answer: Makara was the largest and strongest crocodile, president of the reptile meetings. He was feared because of his power, loud voice, and ability to punish or humiliate others. Even other crocodiles obeyed him out of fear.


10.What problem arose a week before a monthly meeting?

Answer: Makara sent a letter to the tortoises telling them not to come to the meeting. Ahistay, a big old star tortoise, was angry, but the tortoises did not dare to attend because they were few in number.


11.What did Makara do before the meeting?

Answer: Makara polished his teeth with red flowers until they sparkled, showing off his power and dominance to all reptiles present.


12.How did Makara address the reptiles at the meeting?

Answer: Makara shouted at the reptiles, silenced their questions, and declared that the tortoises were slow, stupid, and carried their homes on their backs. He forbade anyone to speak against him.


13.How did the reptiles respond to Makara’s speech?

Answer: The reptiles were intimidated and fell silent. Snakes hissed anxiously, lizards wriggled nervously, and crocodiles opened their jaws wide, afraid to disagree.


14.What did Makara decide about the tortoises?

Answer: Makara ordered all tortoises to leave the forest within a week, claiming that without them, there would be more food, water, and space for the other reptiles.


15.What happened after the tortoises left?

Answer: At first, the reptiles enjoyed more resources. But soon, a bad smell of rotting fruit and animals filled the forest because the tortoises had eaten and cleaned up these leftovers. The forest environment worsened.


16.How were the snakes treated by Makara?

Answer: Makara wrote a letter ordering the snakes to leave the forest in a day. Naga, the head of snakes, pleaded for more time, but Makara refused. Snakes left, intimidated by his loud threats and shouting.


17.Why did Makara dislike the snakes?

Answer: Makara claimed snakes were slimy and made strange noises. He convinced the other reptiles that they were undesirable, even though this was unfair and based on prejudice.


18.What happened to the lizards?

Answer: Makara convinced the crocodiles to expel the lizards as well, arguing that they were untrustworthy because they could change color. The lizards left, some carrying their babies on their backs.


19.What effect did expelling the reptiles have on the crocodiles initially?

Answer: At first, the crocodiles felt happy and powerful. They enjoyed having the forest mostly to themselves and believed life would be wonderful.


20.What problems arose after the reptiles were gone?

Answer: Without tortoises, snakes, and lizards, rats multiplied and destroyed eggs of crocodiles and lizards. Frogs grew larger and ate baby crocodiles. Insects also multiplied, causing chaos and making the forest unmanageable.


21.What realization did the crocodiles come to?

Answer: The crocodiles realized that their happiness depended on the well-being of the other creatures. Expelling them had caused unforeseen problems in the ecosystem.


22.How long did it take for the forest to recover?

Answer: After two months, the forest gradually returned to normal. The rats, insects, and foul smell disappeared, restoring balance to the jungle.


23.What advice did the old man give Prem about sharing stories?

Answer: The old man advised Prem to tell the story of Pambupatti repeatedly to people in his village. Some may laugh or doubt him, but eventually, they may remember and understand the moral of harmony and balance in life.


24.Why is Pambupatti considered different from other villages?

Answer: Unlike Prem’s original village, where people fight over religion, Pambupatti is peaceful, cooperative, and diverse. People of different backgrounds and beliefs live in harmony, showing tolerance and understanding.


25.Why does Prem initially resist returning to his village?

Answer: Prem is ashamed of the violence and hatred in his village. He fears going back to a place where people fight over religion and harm each other.


26.Why does the old man insist Prem return?

Answer: The old man believes Prem must carry the story of Pambupatti back to his village to teach people about cooperation, tolerance, and the importance of harmony.


27.Why did Makara dislike the tortoises?

Answer: Makara thought tortoises were slow and stupid because they carried their homes on their backs. He saw them as a burden on the forest.


28.Why did Makara dislike the snakes?

Answer: Makara considered snakes slimy and noisy and claimed they were undesirable. His dislike was based on prejudice rather than reason.


29.Why did Makara dislike the lizards?

Answer: Makara found lizards untrustworthy because they could change color. He argued that creatures who change are not dependable.


30.What moral lesson can be drawn from Makara’s actions?

Answer: Misusing power and trying to remove diversity leads to unforeseen problems. True happiness comes from cooperation and balance among all creatures.


31.How did Prem describe the forest before animals were expelled?

Answer: The forest was balanced, with all reptiles coexisting. Each species had its place, maintaining harmony and contributing to the ecosystem.


32.What happened to the eggs of crocodiles after other reptiles left?

Answer: The rats ate many eggs, and frogs also ate baby crocodiles, leading to a potential decline in their population.


33.Why did the rats grow bolder after other reptiles left?

Answer: With no snakes or tortoises to control them, the rats multiplied freely and caused chaos, showing the importance of each species in the ecosystem.


34.What role did fear play in Makara’s leadership?

Answer: Makara relied on fear and intimidation to control others. The reptiles obeyed him out of fear rather than respect or cooperation.


35.How did the forest ecosystem get restored?

Answer: Over two months, the natural balance returned. The absence of mismanagement and the eventual return of harmony allowed rats, insects, and frogs to decrease to normal levels.


36.What does Prem hope to achieve by telling the story?

Answer: Prem wants to teach his village about tolerance, cooperation, and the consequences of selfish actions, hoping to heal social wounds.


37.Do you think the reptiles’ story is realistic? Why or why not?

Answer: The story is a fable, so while the reptiles talking is fictional, the moral about balance, cooperation, and misuse of power reflects real-life lessons.


38.What does the story teach about leadership?

Answer: Leadership should be fair, considerate, and cooperative. Makara’s selfish and fearful leadership caused chaos, showing that power must be used responsibly.


39.How does Prem feel at the end of the story?

Answer: Prem feels enlightened and determined. He understands the importance of harmony and wishes to share the story with his village to make a positive change.


40.Summarize the main lesson of “What Happened to Pambupatti.”

Answer: The story teaches that every individual and species has a role to play in society and nature. Misusing power, removing diversity, or acting selfishly causes imbalance and harm. Cooperation, tolerance, and harmony lead to peace and prosperity.

Answer by Mrinmoee