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ON KILLING A TREE QUESTION ANSWER | WEST BENGAL BOARD 2024 | CLASS XII NOTES | ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE

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Gieve Patel

Short Answer Type (Mark 1)

1. Who is the poet of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?

Ans: Gieve Patel is the poet of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.

2. What does the poet mean by “It takes much time to kill a tree”?

Ans: By the given line the poet means to say that killing a tree is not a simple or easy task.

3. What type of poem is ‘On Killing a Tree’?

Ans: ‘On Killing a Tree’ is an ironical poem.

4. What form of verse has been used in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?

Ans: Free verse has been used in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.

5. How much time does it take to kill a tree?

Ans: It takes a lot of time to kill a tree to kill a tree.

6. Why is the poem so easy to read?

Ans: The poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ is very easy to read because it has been composed conversational tone.

7. Where does irony lie in the poem on killing a tree?

Ans: The irony in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ is that the act of killing a tree is a ceremonial task.

8. “Miniature boughs” – What does the word ‘boughs’ mean?

Ans: The word ‘boughs’ means branches.

9. What according to Gieve Patel is the most sensitive part of the tree?

Ans: According to Gieve Patel, the root is the most sensitive part of the tree.

10. “And then it is done” – What is done?

Ans: The act of destroying a tree completely is done in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.

11. What is to be done with the root of the tree in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?

Ans: The root of the tree is to be snapped out of the anchoring earth.

12. How the task of killing a tree is represented in the poem?

Ans: The task of killing a tree is represented as a ceremonial task in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.

13. How has the tree grown?

Ans: According to Gieve Patel, the tree has grown slowly by consuming the earth, feeding off the crust and absorbing sunlight, air and water for years.

14. What kind of task is it to kill a tree?

Ans: It is very difficult task to kill a tree and it takes much time.

15. Where will the green twigs rise from?

Ans: After hacking and chopping the green twigs will rise from the remaining part of tree that is close to the ground.

16. What lies hidden in the earth’s cave?

Ans: The roots of the trees are hidden in the earth’s cave.

17. What happens after ‘hacking and chopping’?

Ans: After hacking and capping the tree bleeds but it does not die.

18. Where does the strength of the tree lie?

Ans: The real strength of a tree lies in its roots.

19. What is the condition of the root of the tree?

Ans: The root of the tree looks wet and white.

20. What role do the sun and air play in killing a tree?

Ans: The sun and the air play a vital role in killing a tree by scorching and choking.

21. What will happen if the miniature boughs are left unchecked?

Ans: If the miniature boughs are left unchecked, they will expand to their former size.

22. “But this alone won’t do it…” – What does ‘this’ refer to here?

Ans: Here ‘this’ refers to hacking and chopping of the tree.

23. What does the expression ‘bleeding bark’ suggest?

Ans: The expression ‘bleeding bark’ suggest that the tree also bleed in the form of their liquid when it is chopped.

Descriptive Type (Marks 6)

1. Give the substance of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.

Ans: In the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’, Gieve Patel says that it is not an easy task to kill a tree. It can’t be done by a simple jab of knife. A tree grows slowly by consuming the earth’s nutrients. It absorbs sunlight, air and water for years. So, it cannot be killed by hacking and chopping. It causes pain but the tree does not die. Its bleeding bark heals itself. From close to the ground, its trunk produces twigs and small branches. It they are left unchecked, they will expand to the former size. If a tree is to be killed, the roots of the tree must be pulled out from the earth-cave. After uprooting it is scorched and choked in sun and air. Then, it goes through a process of browning, hardening, twisting and withering. Ultimately, the tree is killed.

2. Justify the title of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’. [HS 2016]

Ans: The title, ‘On Killing a Tree’ is ironical. The tree has been personified by the poet Gieve Patel. A tree is our best friend but men are destroying them for their small needs. The poet says that the act of killing a tree is a ceremonial task. In the beginning of the poem, the poet describes how a tree grows up and become stronger. As a simple jab or hacking and chopping cannot kill a tree, the poet has described the whole method to kill a tree. The roots of the tree are pulled out of the anchoring earth. Then it is exposed to the sunlight and air for scorching and choking. The act of killing a tree becomes complete when the tree becomes completely withered. The poet ironically points out man’s cruel nature towards trees. He supports afforestation and dispraises the act of killing a tree. Thus, the title of the poem is appropriate and justified.

3. How can a tree be killed in ‘On Killing a Tree’.

Or, How does the poet describe the methods of killing a tree in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?

Ans: In the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’, the poet Gieve Patel describes how a tree is tortured by man for complete destruction. He says that killing a tree is a difficult task because a tree grows slowly by consuming the earth and absorbing sunlight and air. It cannot done by a simple jab of knife. A tree cannot be killed even by hacking and chopping. The bleeding bark of the tree will heal itself. Its roots are firmly fixed in the anchoring earth. So, in order to kill a tree it must be uprooted. It is to be roped, tied and pulled out from the earth-cave. After uprooting, the root is to be exposed to sunlight and air for scorching and choking. Then, it goes through a process of browning, hardening, twisting and withering. Thus, the tree is killed completely.

4. How does the poet describe the growth of the tree in the first stanza of the poem? Or How does the poet describe the growth of a tree over the years? [HS 2019]

Ans: In the first stanza of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’, the poet Gieve Patel describes the growth of a tree. He says that the seed of a tree germinates under the soil. The little plat gets its nutrients from the earth. It grows very slowly. Then it absorbs sunlight, water and air for many years. The bark of the tree looks ugly because it is rough and has crooked lines on it. It is very ironical that soft and green leaves come out of the leprous hide. Gradually, it grows into a big tree.

5. Give the central idea of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.

Ans: The poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ presents the true love of the poet for nature. It shows Gieve Patel’s deep concern for indiscriminate felling of trees. The tree consumes nutrients from the earth and absorbs sunlight, water and air for years. Thus, the tree grows slowly. The tree is the best gift of nature for all of us. But, it has to suffer a lot because of man’s cruel nature. It is killed with cruelty. Hacking and chopping do not kill it. It bleeds and feels pain. Then nourishes itself. It produces new twigs and develops into a big tree again. But, it has to surrender at last to man’s selfish greed when it is uprooted. Thus the poem focuses on the irony of the killing a benefactor tree by its beneficiary man.

6. “It takes much time to kill a tree”

- Why does it takes much time to kill a tree? How is the tree finally killed? [HS 2015 & 2018]

Ans: A tree has grown slowly consuming the nutrients from the earth. It has fed upon the crust and also absorbed sunlight, air, and water over the years. Roots are deep-rooted. It has the strength to heal its bleeding bark. It has the resistance to survive against any outside assault. So, it takes much time to kill a tree.

A simple jab of night, hacking, and chopping cannot kill a tree. To kill a tree, roots have to be pulled out by tying a rope. They have to be exposed in the sun and air for scorching and chocking. Finally, when they will turn into brown, hard, twisted, and withered, the tree will die completely.

7. How does the tree offer resistance to its destruction? How does its resistance fail? [HS 2017]

Ans: It is very difficult to kill a tree. A simple jab of knife, hacking, and chopping can only inflict pain and bleed the bark of the tree. It will gradually recover itself. After sometimes, curled green twigs and branches will appear from the stem. If it is unchecked, they will expand to their former shape. So, a tree offers great resistance to its destruction.

The resistance of a tree fails when the roots are uprooted by tying a rope. Roots are the source of all strength. They are the most sensitive parts of the tree, white and wet. When they are exposed to the sun and the air, they are scorched and withered and finally killed.

8. “And then it is done”. – What is being referred to here? How is it done? On what tone does the poem end? [1+2+2 = 6] [HS 2020]

Ans. The devilish act of killing a tree is referred to here.

It is done by uprooting the tree. The tree has to be roped and pulled out from the earth cave. Roots are the source of all strength. They have to be exposed to the sun and air for scorching and chocking. And when they are turned into brown, hard, twisted, and withered, the tree is killed completely.

The poem ends in an ironic tone. It shows a tragic end of a tree by man’s cruelty and greed. The tree symbolizes nature and its destruction shows man’s utter folly of destroying himself.

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