Question 2 - On Killing a tree - Beehive - Poems (Literature) - English Class 9

Read the given extract and answer the questions

Extract:

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.

(On Killing a Tree)

 Question(i)

What does the poet imply by saying that killing a tree is not as easy as stabbing it with a knife? 

• a) The tree is very strong and resilient
• b) The tree is very weak and fragile 
• c) The tree is very tall and thick 
• d) The tree is very short and thin

Answer: 

Answer written by the student: 

a) The tree is very strong and resilient

Step-by-step explanation of the answer:

• The poet implies that killing a tree is not as easy as stabbing it with a knife because the tree is very strong and resilient .🌳
• This means that the tree can survive and recover from injuries and damages caused by humans or nature.💪
• The poet uses words like “grown”, “feeding”, “absorbing”, and “sprouting” to show how the tree has been living and growing for years, using the resources of the earth, sun, air, and water .🌎☀️💨💧
• The poet also uses words like “heal”, “rise”, and “expand” to show how the tree can heal its wounds, rise from the ground, and expand its branches again after being cut or chopped .🩹🌱🌿
• Therefore, the correct option is a) The tree is very strong and resilient. ✔️

Question (ii)

What is the opposite of "consuming" as used by the poet to describe the tree's growth?

Answer: 

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Answer written by the student: 

Producing

Step-by-step explanation of the answer:

• The opposite of "consuming" is "producing" .🔄
•  Consuming means using up something or eating something .😋
•  Producing means making something or creating something .😊
•  The poet uses the word "consuming" to describe how the tree grows by using up the earth, its crust, sunlight, air, and water .🌳
•  The opposite of this would be producing something from these resources, such as oxygen, fruits, flowers, or shade.🍃🍎🌼☂️
•  Therefore, the correct answer is producing .✔️

Question (iii)

How does the poet contrast the tree's growth with its killing in the first stanza? Explain in your own words.

Answer: 

Answer written by the student:

 The poet contrasts the tree's growth with its killing by showing how long and slow the former is and how quick and violent the latter is .

Step-by-step explanation of the answer:

• The poet contrasts the tree's growth with its killing by using different words and phrases to show the difference between them.👀
•  The poet uses words like "takes much time", "grown", "slowly", and "years" to show how the tree's growth is a long and gradual process that involves many factors .🕰️
•  The poet uses words like "kill", "jab", "knife", and "hack and chop" to show how the tree's killing is a quick and violent act that involves only one factor .🔪
•  The poet also uses punctuation and line breaks to create a contrast between the two processes.📝
•  The poet uses commas, semicolons, and enjambment to create a smooth and continuous flow in the lines describing the tree's growth.🌊
•  The poet uses dashes, full stops, and short sentences to create a sharp and abrupt break in the lines describing the tree’s killing.⚡
• Therefore, the poet contrasts the tree’s growth with its killing by showing how long and slow the former is and how quick and violent the latter is .✔️

Question (iv)

Fill in the blank:

The poet uses a word that means “having a disease that causes the skin to fall off” to create a negative image of the tree’s bark.

Answer: 

Answer written by the student:

 leprous

Step-by-step explanation of the answer:

• The word that means “having a disease that causes skin to fall off” is leprous. 🤒
• Leprous is an adjective that describes something that is affected by leprosy, a chronic infectious disease that damages the skin, nerves, and other organs .😷
• The poet uses the word leprous to create a negative image of the tree’s bark .🌳
• This word suggests that the tree’s bark is diseased, damaged, and ugly .😖
• The poet uses this word to contrast the tree’s vitality and beauty with its decay and destruction .🌹🥀
• Therefore, the correct answer is leprous .✔️

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