8.
On Killing A Tree
Thinking about the poem
(Page 111)
.
1.Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?
Answer:
No, a simple jab of knife does not have the ability to kill the tree. It has to go through
various processes. If its root is not removed from the earth, it will sprout again.
2.How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.
Answer:
The tree consumes the earth, and rises out it feeding upon its crust. It absorbs years of
sunlight, air and water.
3.What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?
Answer:
‘Bleeding bark’ means the twigs which are cut mercilessly. They leave a liquid
substance. If any part of the human body is cut, it starts bleeding. In the same way the
liquid substance comes out from the branch of a tree. The human beings’ axe makes it
bleed.
4.The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?
Answer:
‘No’ is used to emphasize the perspective that chopping or hacking will not be sufficient
for killing a tree.
5.What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?
Answer:
It means that the earth protects it like a mother. ‘Earth Cave’ implies a hole inside it. The
tree allows its roots to spread underneath. The earth protects it and fosters it. It provides
all the essential ingredients to the tree.
6.What does he mean by “the strength of the tree exposed”?
Answer:
The stem/root is the strength of a tree. When the tree is pulled out, its strength is
exposed.
7.What finally kills the tree?
Answer:
Pulling out the tree from the mother earth and scorching and choking it in the sun and
air kill the tree. It becomes brown, dry and gets hard. Eventually it dies.
Short answer type questions
1.How does a tree become strong?
Answer:
A tree grows and expands gradually. Various forces of nature including the earth, help
in its growth. A tree grows on earth, feeds on its crust, absorbs years of sunlight, air and
water. It makes them strong.
2.How does the sun and the air contribute in the killing of a tree?
Answer:
The sun and the air harden and wither the exposed roots of the tree and kill it. The sun
and the air are the two essential elements that help in the growth of a tree. Left to
themselves, they will never kill a tree. But if the roots are exposed and kept in the sun
and air, the tree will wither away and die.
3.What is the most important thing to do while killing a tree?
Answer:
The most important thing to do while killing a tree is to ensure that the root is pulled out
of the earth. A tree is not killed all of a sudden. So long the roots are intact inside the
earth, the tree remains alive.
Long answer type question
1.Write the critical appreciation of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?
Answer:
The poem itself is modelled as a plant growing from the seed. The first line states “It
takes much time to kill a tree.” Then the process of growth of the tree is described. It is
presumed that the tree has grown from its seed.
The seed develops the root. The root works its way through the rocks and stones of the
soil. The trees grows slowly by feeding upon the earth’s crust absorbing years of
sunlight, air and water. There is a fight during the development of the tree which is
suggested in the poem. The survival of the tree, in spite of the efforts to kill it, is shown
by the lines. “And from close to the ground”.
2.Describe the pulling out of the roots and the various processes of withering and dying
of a tree after it.
Answer:
The roots are the most sensitive parts of a tree. They remain hidden inside the earth for
years. First root is to be pulled out of the anchoring earth. It is roped tied and pulled out
entirely. The strength of the tree is totally exposed. Then starts the process of scorching
and choking. The rootless tree is scorched in the sunlight. It is choked as it doesn’t get
necessary oxygen for its survival from the air. Then the colour fades and hardens. It
loses its proper shape. It twists and withers. Finally, it dies down.
Reference to Context
1. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
It takes much time to kill a tree,
Not a simple jab of the knife
Will do it. It has grown
Slowly consuming the earth,
Rising out of it, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing
Years of sunlight, air, water,
And out of its leprous hide
Sprouting leaves.
Q1. Which poem does this extract belong to?
Ans. It comes from Gieve Patel’s poem, “On Killing A Tree”.
Q2. Can a few blows from an axe kill a tree?
Ans. No, a few blows from an axe can not kill a tree. It takes much more than that to kill
a tree.
Q3. How does a tree gain its strength?
Ans. A tree draws its strength from the earth’s crust by absorbing the sunlight, air and
water.
Q4. Where do the leaves come from?
Ans. Leaves sprout from the bark of a tree.
Q5. Identify the poetic device in the first line of the poem.
Ans. Consonance (prominence of ‘t’ sound) is used in the first line of the poem.
2. “It takes much time to kill a tree.”
B. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
So hack and chop
But this alone wont do it.
Not so much pain will do it.
The bleeding bark will heal
And from close to the ground
Will rise curled green twigs,
Miniature boughs
Which if unchecked will expand again
To former size.
Q1. Which poetic device is used in the phrase, ‘bleeding bark’?
Ans. Alliteration is used in the phrase, ‘bleeding bark’
Q2. What happens when a tree is cut down?
Ans. When a tree is cut down, it sprouts green curled twigs which develop into full-sized
branches.
Q3. What happens to the bleeding bark?
Ans. A bleeding bark heals up again and sprouts fresh twigs.
Q4. What does regrowing of a hacked tree indicate?
Ans. Hacked tree indicates that nature is not easily defeated by man.
Q5. What do you understand by “miniature boughs”?
Ans. Miniature boughs are new branches that sprout where a tree has been cut or
hacked. If left unchecked, they will grow into a massive tree.
