Read the text. Then answer the questions.
Gorilla Mountain
1. The early Sun was warm, but Nyota shivered with excitement as she walked with her father, Mutimura, up the high green mountain. Until today, Nyota had never traveled this far from home.
2. She had never taken the mountain path up into the dense rain forest where mountain gorillas lived. In this pristine forest reserve in the Virunga Mountains of central Africa, the rare and beautiful apes were free to live undisturbed in their native habitat. Nyota’s father had been hired by the government to preserve the habitat and to protect the animals so that people would have a greater appreciation for the gorillas. Mutimura sometimes led groups into the forest to observe the gorillas in the wild. Today, only Nyota accompanied him.
3. Nyota thought of her own life, a daily routine which consisted of helping around the house, preparing for school, and walking down the mountain to class. Today would be different.
4. “I’ve always wanted to see gorillas,” Nyota said shyly. “And I’m not afraid when I’m with you, Papa.”
5. “They are gentle creatures, my dear,” said Mutimura. “They have no desire to harm you. At the same time, we must be cautious, because the gorillas are wild animals. The leader of each troop is a big silverback male, and he will defend his troop if he feels they are threatened. I know I can trust you to be respectful and to follow my directions.”
6. Nyota shivered again at the thought of the big animals. The only wild animals she saw at home were playful monkeys. Now and then the monkeys swung out of the trees to tear apart flowers from her mother’s garden and nibble at nectar or to grab ripe fruit off the guava tree near the house. Nyota could not imagine how it would feel to actually see the largest apes—the mountain gorillas.
7. “How big is a gorilla?” Nyota asked her father as they made their way up the mountain, stepping carefully as the path narrowed and became tangled with undergrowth.
8. “The largest male is no taller than a man like me, but his chest and arms are so big and strong, he can weigh four hundred pounds,” Mutimura said. “The females might be half that size, but they would still weigh twice as much as you.”
9. “That’s big!” Nyota said.
10. The path came to an end, and they were surrounded by towering trees and thick underbrush. Ferns and vines merged together, almost concealing the sky. Mutimura cleared a path for walking.
11. Now it was late morning, and the damp air was full of birds singing and insects buzzing. Mutimura waded across pools of running water, carrying Nyota on his back.
12. “Papa, I want to help track the gorillas,” Nyota said. “What should I look for?”
13. Mutimura stopped short. “This,” he said, pointing to an evergreen tree with bent and broken branches dangling close to the ground. “This is what we are looking for. A group of gorillas slept up in this tree last night.”
14. “Will they come back tonight?” Nyota asked.
15. “No,” replied Mutimura. “They make a new nest each night, in a different place. But they don’t range far. This whole mountainside is their home, and everything they desire to eat grows right here. Gorillas choose from about a hundred plants—roots, shoots, fruits, and tree bark—for their daily diet. We’ll probably discover some remains of their breakfast soon.”
16. A little farther in the underbrush, there it was: bamboo peeled and nibbled, strewn on the ground.
17. “We’re getting close,” Mutimura said. “We must advance carefully, so as not to surprise them.”
18. He chopped some more vines, and as the vegetation dropped to the forest floor, Nyota gasped. Through the clearing, on the far side of the ravine, she saw a troop of eight or nine mountain gorillas. It looked as if they were on a picnic, lolling about and sampling the foods the hillside had to offer.
19. Mutimura and Nyota stood quietly. If the gorillas sensed a human presence, they seemed undisturbed, casually going on about their activities. A baby clung to the back of a female, who was grooming the gorilla beside her, picking through the shiny black fur to find insects or burrs.
20. The largest gorilla lounged in the ferns, peeling a stalk of wild celery and eating the tender flesh inside. Two small gorillas squealed and leaped over a mossy log to chase each other. One ran up the black hairy arm of the silverback and across his huge white shoulders. When the second young gorilla followed, another gorilla made a sound, as if reminding the young gorilla to show respect to his elders.
21. The silverback picked up the second youngster with one hand and dangled him over his head for a moment before letting him scamper away after his playmate. Then he lay back as if to nap. There was a comfort and peacefulness in the air.
22. When Mutimura motioned that it was time to go, Nyota turned and followed him in silence. In her heart was the hope that the mountain gorillas would live here in peace for ages to come.