Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow:-

I still remember the summers of my childhood, when the air in our ancestral village carried the scent of ripening mangoes. Our orchard, an expanse of towering trees with branches heavy with fruit, was my sanctuary. The afternoons were spent sprawled on a charpoy under the largest tree, listening to my grandmother's tales of kings and sages, while the cicadas hummed a lazy tune. One evening, when the sky blushed orange, my cousin Rohan and I dared each other to climb the ancient mango tree-the one, no one had scaled in years. "It's cursed," the elders warned, "a snake guards its highest branches." But we were twelve, and fear was something we laughed at. With scraped knees and racing hearts, we ascended, our fingers sticky with the sweetness of half- eaten mangoes.

Then, suddenly, I froze. Just inches from my hand, nestled between two branches, lay a coiled serpent, its beady eyes fixed upon me. Panic gripped my chest, my breath shallow. "Don't move," Rohan whispered. Trembling, I heeded his words, inching backward ever so slowly. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I bolted, my heart pounding louder than the temple bells at dusk.

We never climbed that tree again. But to this day, whenever I taste a mango, I remember that evening-the thrill, the terror, and the inexplicable joy of childhood.

What role does the mango orchard play in the narrator's childhood?

It is a place of refuge and delight.

The correct answer is Option (2) → It is a place of refuge and delight.

The narrator describes the orchard using words that convey comfort and pleasure:

• It was "my sanctuary" (a place of refuge or safety).

• The afternoons were spent "sprawled on a charpoy" and listening to his grandmother's tales, suggesting relaxation and delight.

• The overall memory, despite the snake encounter, is summarized as having "the thrill, the terror, and the inexplicable joy of childhood."

While the climbing incident did present a challenge, the overall and primary role of the orchard, as introduced in the passage, was that of a peaceful and beloved childhood retreat.