IMPORTANT WORDS AND WORK SHEET FROM "THE SUBMERGED VALLEY"

 

📗 Important Words and Their Meanings:

Word	Meaning
Agrarian	Related to farming or agriculture
Faith	Strong belief or trust in religion or someone
Bag and baggage	With all belongings, completely
Head teacher	Principal or main teacher of a school
Hillock	A small hill
Temple	A religious building for worship
Bull of Shiva	Nandi – the sacred bull, vehicle of Lord Shiva
Superstitious	Believing in things not based on reason or scientific knowledge
Ominous	Indicating bad luck or danger
Harijan	A term formerly used for Dalit people (now considered inappropriate)
Vitiligo	A skin condition where patches of skin lose their pigment
Cork topee	A type of hard, wide-brimmed sun hat used in colonial India
Sympathise	Show feelings of pity or understanding
Solace	Comfort during sorrow or stress
Nostalgia	A sentimental longing for the past
Quirky	Unusual or peculiar in behavior
Swaggered	Walked in a confident, arrogant manner
Coherent	Logical and consistent (speech or thoughts)
Constructive	Helpful, useful, or beneficial
Rehabilitation	The process of restoring to a normal life (especially after displacement)
Ancestral	Belonging to or inherited from ancestors
Ashes	Remains of a body after cremation
Sentiments	Feelings or emotions
Progress	Development or advancement
Submerge	To cover completely with water
Valley	A low area between hills or mountains
Petty	Small or minor
Overcast	Cloudy sky, darkened by clouds
Bungalow	A low-built single-story house
Summon	To call someone officially or formally
Sundown	Sunset or evening
Launch	A type of motorized boat
Portico	A covered entrance or porch
Deboarded	Got off from a vehicle or boat
Drenched	Completely soaked with water
Wardrobe	A large cupboard for clothes
Narrowly escaped	Just managed to avoid danger
Shivering	Trembling, usually from cold or fear
Rescue	To save someone from danger
Retire (for night)	To go to bed
Overwhelmed	Strongly affected emotionally
Heartless	Lacking compassion or kindness
Stern	Strict, serious, and unrelenting in attitude

📖 Reading Comprehension Test – "The The Submerged Valley"

Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (1 mark each)

Choose the most appropriate option for each of the following questions:

1. Why did the narrator's family move from the village to the town?
   a) Because of a natural disaster
   b) Due to father's job transfer
   c) Because they disliked the village
   d) To get better education

2. What feature of the village does the narrator remember writing about in Grade 3?
   a) The school
   b) The river
   c) The Shiva temple and the hillock
   d) The people

3. What was unique about Abolkara’s lifestyle?
   a) He was a farmer
   b) He was a school teacher
   c) He roamed aimlessly and behaved eccentrically
   d) He was a priest

4. How did the villagers react to the news of the upcoming dam?
   a) They were excited about development
   b) They ignored it
   c) They were resistant and emotional
   d) They wanted to leave immediately

5. What did the father do when Abolkara refused to leave the flooded village?
   a) Left him behind
   b) Argued with him
   c) Personally rescued him at night
   d) Asked the police to arrest him

Section B: Very Short Answer Questions (1–2 marks each)

6. What kind of natural setting surrounded the narrator’s ancestral village?

7. Describe one superstition mentioned by the villagers in the passage.

8. How did the narrator describe his father’s feelings toward the village at the end of the story?

Section C: Short Answer Questions (3 marks each)

9. Explain the significance of the Shiva temple and the bull in the narrator’s memories.

10. How does the passage show the conflict between modernization and emotional attachment to tradition?

Section D: Long Answer Question (5 marks)

11. Abolkara is portrayed as both comic and tragic. Discuss how his character adds depth to the story and reflects the emotional impact of displacement.

Section E: Vocabulary (1 mark each)

Write the meaning of the following words as used in the passage:

12. Submerge

13. Nostalgia

14. Rehabilitation

15. Shivering

16. Stern

Answer Key (For Teacher’s Use)

1. b

2. c

3. c

4. c

5. c

6. Hills, trees, pools, temples, and paddy fields

7. The Harijan man with vitiligo was thought to bring bad luck.

8. Though outwardly practical, the father showed deep emotional attachment when he rescued Abolkara.

Section C: Short Answer Questions (3 marks each)

• 9. Explain the significance of the Shiva temple and the bull in the narrator’s memories.
  The Shiva temple on the hillock and the bull are powerful symbols of the narrator’s emotional connection to his village. The temple represents spiritual faith and cultural identity, while the bull symbolizes continuity and divine presence in everyday village life. These memories reflect the innocence and warmth of the narrator’s early years.

• 10. How does the passage show the conflict between modernization and emotional attachment to tradition?
  The passage portrays the villagers’ pain when asked to vacate their ancestral land for dam construction. While the government views the dam as a sign of progress, the villagers feel deeply connected to their land, ancestors, and deities. This highlights the emotional conflict between development and preserving cultural roots.

Section D: Long Answer Question (5 marks)

11. Abolkara is portrayed as both comic and tragic. Discuss how his character adds depth to the story and reflects the emotional impact of displacement.

 

Abolkara is a unique character who blends comedy with tragedy. His eccentric behavior, like claiming to talk to ravens and refusing to leave without eating, makes him a source of amusement. Yet, his deep attachment to the village and refusal to abandon the submerged temple reflect the pain of displacement. Even after five years, he chooses to stay near the temple ruins, showing his emotional bond with the past. His character highlights how even the most misunderstood individuals can carry a profound sense of belonging, making the impact of forced migration more poignant and human.