1. *Who has written the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’? [WBCHSE H.S. 2024]
👉The eco-friendly poet, Gieve Patel has written the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.
2. *In what form of verse is the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ written? [WBCHSE H.S. 2020]
👉The poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ is written in free verse.
3. *What kind of task is it to kill a tree? [WBCHSE Sample Question]
👉To kill a tree is not an easy task. It takes much time to kill a tree.
4. *How does a tree grow? [WBCHSE H.S. 2017]
👉A tree grows slowly over years consuming the earth.
5. What does the tree absorb from nature /the atmosphere?
👉The tree absorbs years of sunlight, air and water from nature /the atmosphere.
Related Question
What does a tree absorb for growing up?
👉A tree absorbs years of sunlight, air and water from nature /the atmosphere for growing up.
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6. “Slowly consuming the earth,” What does the expression ‘consuming the earth’ mean?* [WBCHSE H.S. 2019]
👉The expression ‘consuming the earth’ means taking nutrients from the earth’s crust.
7. *How is the hide of the tree?
👉The hide of the tree is rough and probably marky like the skin of a leprosy patient. So the poet calls it ‘leprous hide’.
8. *What is meant by ‘leprous hide’? [WBCHSE H.S. 2020]
👉By ‘leprous hide’ the poet means the rough and marky of the tree.
Related Question
*What does the poet mean by ‘leprous hide’?
👉By ‘leprous hide’ the poet means the bark of the tree which is rough and probably has marks on it like the skin of a leprosy patient. So the poet calls it ‘leprous hide’.
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9. *What sprouts out of the ‘leprous hide’?
👉Leaves sprout out of the ‘leprous hide’.
10. *“But this alone won’t do it.” What does ‘this’ refer to here?
👉Here ‘this’ refers to the hacking and chopping of the tree.
11. *Only hacking and chopping of a tree cannot kill it. Why?
👉Only hacking and chopping of a tree cannot kill it because curled green twigs will rise from the part close to the ground.
12. *“No so much pain will do it.” Why will it fail to kill a tree?
👉It will fail to kill a tree because curled green twigs will rise from the part close to the ground.
13. *”No so much pain will do it.” What task does the word ‘it’ refer to? [WBCHSE H.S. 2015]
👉The word ‘it’ refers to the task of hacking and chopping of the tree.
14. *What causes the bark of a tree to bleed? [WBCHSE H.S. 2018, 2023]
👉The task of hacking and chopping causes the bark of a tree to bleed.
15. What do you mean by ‘bleeding bark’?
👉By ‘bleeding bark’ the poet means that like a human being the bark of the tree also bleeds when it is cut down.
16. *“The bleeding bark will heal” Why does the bark bleed?
👉The bark of the tree bleeds when it is hacked and chopped down.
17. When does the bleeding bark heal?
👉The bleeding bark heals when curled green twigs will rise from the part close to the ground.
18. Pick out a line from the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ which shows nature’s resilience.
👉In the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ by Gieve Patel, the line “the bleeding bark will heal” shows nature’s resilience.
19. *From where would the curled green twigs rise? [WBCHSE H.S. 2017]
👉The curled green twigs would rise from the part of the chopped tree close to the ground.
20. *What will happen to miniature boughs, if unchecked?
👉If unchecked, miniature boughs will expand again to former size.
Related Question
*What will happen if miniature boughs are unchecked? [WBCHSE H.S. 2024]
👉If miniature boughs are unchecked, they will expand again to former size.
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21. What does the poet mean by saying ‘unchecked’?
👉By saying ‘unchecked’ the poet means ‘not checked or controlled’.
22. How much time, according to Gieve Patel, does it take to kill a tree?
👉According to Gieve Patel, it takes much time to kill a tree.
23. *Why does it take so much time to kill a tree?
👉It takes much time to kill a tree because it grows slowly over years consuming the earth and thus becomes strong.
24. “The root is to be pulled out….of the anchoring earth,” What does the poet want to suggest?
👉Here the poet wants to suggest that to kill a tree the total destruction of the root by pulling it out of the anchoring earth is needed.
25. *What is to be done with the root in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’? [WBCHSE Sample Question]
👉In the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ to kill a tree the root is to be pulled out of the anchoring earth.
26. *“Or pulled out entirely,” What do the words ‘out’ and ‘entirely’ suggest?
👉The words ‘out’ and ‘entirely’ suggest ‘out of the anchoring earth’ and ‘completely’ respectively.
27. *What does the phrase ‘earth-cave’ refer to?* [WBCHSE H.S. 2016]
👉The phrase ‘earth-cave’ refers to the gaping hole in the earth when the roots of the tree are pulled out entirely from the anchoring earth.
28. *What lies hidden in the ‘earth-cave’?
👉The source of the tree, the root lies hidden in the ‘earth-cave’.
29. What should be done to uproot a tree?
👉It should be roped, tied to uproot a tree.
30. *Where does the tree’s strength lie? [WBCHSE H.S. 2019]
👉The tree’s strength lies in its roots.
Related Question
*Where does the strength of the tree lie? [WBCHSE H.S. 2023]
👉The strength of the tree lies in its roots.
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31. *How has the root been described?
👉The root of the tree has been described as ‘the source, white and wet, the most sensitive’.
32. *Why is the root white?
👉The root is white because it always remains hidden inside the earth exposing never into sunlight.
33. *What, according to Gieve Patel, is ‘the most sensitive’ part of the tree? [WBCHSE H.S. 2015]
👉According to Gieve Patel, the root is ‘the most sensitive’ part of the tree.
34. *Which part of the tree is the most sensitive, white and wet? [WBCHSE H.S. 2018]
👉The root of the tree is the most sensitive, white and wet.
35. How is the tree seasoned into wood?
👉After uprooting, through scorching and chocking in sun and air, and then through browning, hardening, twisting and withering, the tree is seasoned into wood.
36. *What finally kills the tree?
👉Uprooting completely finally kills the tree.
37. *What scorch and choke the tree after it is pulled out? [WBCHSE H.S. 2016]
👉After the tree is pulled out, it is scorched and chocked in sun and air.
38. *“And then it is done.” Which act is referred to here? [WBCHSE Sample Question]
👉The act of complete destruction of the tree is referred to here.
39. Pick out a line which shows the accomplishment of killing a tree.
👉The last line of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ — “And then it is done.” shows the accomplishment of killing a tree.
40. *What is done at last to ensure the death of the tree?
👉After uprooting, the act of scorching and chocking in sun and air, and then the act of browning, hardening, twisting and withering is done at last to ensure the death of the tree.
41. *Find a word from the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ which means ‘cure’.
👉The word from the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ which means ‘cure’ is ‘heal’.
42. What human activity is ironical in ‘On Killing a Tree’?
👉The act of cutting trees deliberately is ironical in ‘On Killing a Tree’.
43. What expressions suggest that the tree is personified in ‘On Killing a Tree’?
👉In the poem On Killing a Tree by Gieve Patel, the tree is personified from the title to the end. The tree is described as having grown slowly, consuming the earth, and absorbing air, sunlight, and water. The poet also compares the tree’s bleeding bark to the discolored skin of a person with leprosy.
Related Question
How has the tree been personified in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?
👉In the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ the tree has been personified from the title to the end. There are many expressions suggest that the tree is personified such as ‘has grown’, ‘slowly consuming the earth’ ‘the bleeding bark will heal’ etc.
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44. *What is the distinct tone at the end of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?
👉The poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ ends in a tragic or pathetic tone.
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Extra Important SAQ
1. How does the ‘bleeding bark’ heal itself?
👉The ‘bleeding bark’ heals itself when from the part close to the ground of the chopped tree will rise curled green twigs.
2. Why does it take much time to kill a tree?
👉It takes much time to kill a tree because it grows slowly over years consuming the earth and thus becomes strong.
3. What is described as ‘leprous hide’ in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?
👉The rough and marky bark of the tree is described as ‘leprous hide’ in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.
4. When does ‘the strength of the tree’ get exposed?
👉 ‘The strength of the tree’, the root gets exposed when it is pulled out entirely, out from the ‘earth-cave’.
5. What are ‘miniature boughs’?
👉’Miniature boughs’ are very small curled green twigs of the tree.
6. “But this alone won’t do it.” What is ‘this’ and ‘it’ referred to here?
👉Here ‘this’ refers to the hacking and chopping of the tree, and ‘it’ refers to the complete destruction of the tree.
7. What, according to the poet, will fail to kill a tree?
👉According to the poet, mere hacking and chopping will fail to kill a tree.
8. From where do the leaves sprout?
👉The leaves sprout from the rough and marky bark of the tree which is described as ‘leprous hide’ in the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’.
9. Where is the most sensitive part of the tree hidden for years?
👉The most sensitive part of the tree, the root is hidden for years inside the earth.
10. How is the source of the tree described?
👉The source of the tree, the root is described as the ‘most sensitive’ part of the tree which is ‘white and wet’ and hidden for years inside the earth.
11. “The bleeding bark will heal” Why does the bark bleed?
👉The bark of the tree bleeds because of hacking and chopping of it.
12. What would be the ‘miniature boughs’ if unchecked?
👉If unchecked, the ‘miniature boughs’ would expand again to former size.
13. From where does a tree collect its food?
👉A tree collects its food from the earth’s crust.
14. How is the root of a tree pulled out from the ‘earth-cave’?
👉The root of a tree is pulled out from the ‘earth-cave’ by roping it tightly and then by pulling and snapping it from the ‘earth-cave’.
15. How long does a tree consume air, water and sunlight for its slow growth?
👉A tree consumes air, water and sunlight over years for its slow growth.
16. “Not so much pain will do it.” Why will it fail to kill a tree?
👉It will fail to kill a tree because the bleeding bark will heal.
17. Why does the poet use the word ‘kill’ instead of ‘destroy’?
👉The poet uses the word ‘kill’ instead of ‘destroy’ to arose our sympathy for the tree.
18. From which part of the tree do leaves sprout?
👉Leaves sprout from the rough and marky bark of the tree.
19. What has the tree consumed?
👉The tree has consumed the three major elemental forces of nature — sunlight, air and water for years.
20. How is the hide of the tree?
👉The hide of the tree is rough and marky like the skin of a leprosy patient and so it is described in the poem as ‘leprous hide’.
21. What, if unchecked, will grow to former size?
👉If unchecked, miniature boughs will grow to former size.
22. What is the distinct tone at the end of the poem ‘On Killing a Tree’?
👉The poem ‘On Killing a Tree’ ends in a tragic or pathetic tone.
23. What finally kills the tree?
👉After uprooting, the seasoning of the tree into wood finally kills the tree.
24. How does a tree become strong?
👉A tree grows slowly consuming the earth over years and thus becomes strong.
25. What does the root look like when it is pulled out?
👉When the root is pulled out, it looks ‘white and wet’.
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1. What is irony?
👉Irony is a statement in which the meaning implied by the speaker differs from the meaning expressed.
2. What is a symbol?
👉A symbol is something that represents or suggests an idea, image, belief or action.
