NCERT Class 9 English Chapter 8 On Killing A Tree
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Poem Chapter 8 On Killing A Tree
Textbook Questions
Thinking about the poem
(Page 111)
I.
- Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree ? Why not ?
- How has the tree grown to its full size ? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.
- What is the meaning of “bleeding bark” ? What makes it bleed ?
- The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this ?
- What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave” ?
- What does he mean by “the strength of the tree exposed” ? (CBSE 2016)
- What finally kills the tree ?
Answers
- No, it can’t. It is because the bark of the tree will heal on its own after some time.
- It has consumed the earth and fed on its crust. It has absorbed light, air and water for years. The words are : consuming, feeding, absorbing sunlight, air and water.
- It means the bark giving out juice etc., after it is cut. A knife’s or axe’s cut makes it bleed.
- By ‘No’ he means to say that to kill a tree one should not hack, chop or jab it with a
- It means the earth that gives protection to the tree. The earth, that is, the soil keeps the tree in its grip and gives life to it. ‘Earth cave’ means a hole inside it. This looks like a small cave. The tree has its roots in it.
- The strength of the tree are its roots. When the tree is pulled out, these are exposed.
- Pulling out the tree in one jerk with ropes etc., finally kills the tree.
Additional Questions
Short answer type questions
Question 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.
Question 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.
Question 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.
Question 4.
How the tree gets killed in the end?
Answer:
The tree will go through a process of browning, hardening, twisting and withering. Then ultimately, the tree gets killed. A tree takes a long time to get itself killed. Only when the roots are exposed, scorched and choked, the process of dying start.
Question 5.
Describe the growth and expansion story of a tree.
Answer:
The story of growth and expansion is gradual and methodical. The seed is sown into the earth. It sprouts. It grows slowly consuming the earth. It feeds on its crust. After years of absorbing sunlight, air and water of the atmosphere, it grows into a tree. Its ‘leprous hide’ sprouts leaves and branches making it huge in size.
Question 6.
Describe the healing power of a tree that doesn’t allow it to die so soon.
Answer:
It takes much time to kill a tree. Nature gifts every tree with a healing touch that won’t allow it to die. If we cut the bark with a knife, the bleeding bark will heal. Then, from close to the ground green twigs will appear. If it is left unchecked, the tree will expand again to its former size.
Question 7.
Describe various processes that lead to the ultimate death of a rootless tree.
Answer:
The roots are the most sensitive parts hidden in the earth for years. The tree gets air and water through them. When a tree is uprooted, it follows certain steps till it finally dies. It goes, through scorching and choking in the sun and air. Browning, hardening, twisting and withering are the processes that lead to the ultimate death of a tree.
Long answer type question
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”.
Question 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.
Value based questions
Question 1.
After reading the poem, what similarities can we draw between trees and some great people of yesteryears?
Ans.
Trees go on live on for years. There are some trees in the Amazon forest which are said to be more than five hundred years old. We may take some lesson from them to spread our roots deep inside the earth. There had been some great people of yesteryears who still live in our memories. They had spread their roots inside our consciousness and as a result refuse to die. The hidden root gives all the sustenance to a tree. One needs to snap this source of life to kill a tree.