The Trees Class 10 Questions and Answers
Textbook Questions
Thinking about the Poem :
Question 1.
i. Find in the first stanza three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest.
प्रथम पद्य में कौन सी तीन चीजें बिना वृक्षों के जंगल में नहीं हो सकतीं।
Answer:
In a treeless forest, no bird can sit, no insect can hide, no sun can bury its feet or rays in shadow.
ii. What picture do these words create in your mind. ……. sun bury its feet in shadow ………? What could the poet mean the sun’s feet?
इस पंक्ति से क्या रूप रचना सामने उभरती है?
Answer:
This line ……. Sun bury its feet in shadow….’ creates a picture as if sun is a human being having limbs and is trying to hide its feet in the shadow of the trees in the forest. But the actual meaning of this line is that in a treeless forest there shall be no shadow where the sun could enter to show its light.
The sun’s ‘feet’ indicates the sunlight or rays of the sun. The sun spreads light everywhere and penetrates even in the darkest of the forests to spread light and to take away shadows.
Question 2.
i. Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots do, and their leaves and their twigs?
कविता में वृक्ष कहाँ हैं? उनकी जड़ें, पत्ते तथा टहनियाँ क्या sit ?
Answer:
The trees are in the house. The roots try to free themselves from the cracks of the verandah floor, the leaves make efforts to move towards the glass (of the walls or windows) perhaps in search of light. The small branches or twigs become stiff as they try to pull themselves towards the light and big branches change their position frequently under the roof. They have to squeze in the limited space under the roof.
ii. What does the poet compare their branches to ?
कवि उनकी टहनियों की तुलना किससे (करती) करता है?
Answer:
The poet compares them with the half dazed newly discharged patients coming out of the clinic doors.
Question 3.
i. How does the poet describe the moon (i) at the beginning of the third stanza, and (ii) at its end ? What causes this change ?
कवि (i) तीसरे गद्यांश के आरम्भ में और (ii) उसके अन्त में चाँद का वर्णन कैसे करता है?
Answer:
In the beginning of the third stanza (i) the poet says that one can see the whole moon shining in the open sky. But in the end of the stanza he says that the moon seems to be broken like a mirror and its pieces shine in the crown of the tallest oak tree.
The change is caused by the shifting of the trees outside. First, the sky was open, no leaves covered any part of it because the trees were inside but when the trees got shifted outside, they covered a part of the sky. One could see only the flashes of the broken image of moon through the leaves.
ii. What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?
जब पेड़ बाहर निकल जाते हैं तो घर को क्या होता है?
Answer:
Silence prevails in the house when the trees move out. There are no whispers of lichens or rustling of leaves.
iii. Why do you think the poet does not mention the departure of the forest from the house’ in her letters ? (Could it be that we are often silent about important happenings that are so unexpected that they embarrass us ? Think about this again when you answer the next set of questions.)
आपके विचार में कवि/कवयित्री ‘घर से जंगल के प्रस्थान के विषय में’ अपने पत्रों में जिक्र क्यों नहीं करती? (क्या ऐसा हो सकता है कि हम प्रायः महत्त्वपूर्ण बातें जो इतनी अचानक होती हैं कि हम शर्मिंदा होकर चुप हो जाते हैं? इसके विषय में दोबारा सोचना जब आप अगले प्रश्नों के सेट का उत्तर दें।)
Answer:
The poet does not mention about departure of the forest from her house in her letter because it was too sudden and unexpected. It left her embarrassed, shocked and dumb-stricken. Moreover, she had done something grossly wrong by bringing the trees in her house. It was her selfish motive to shift and use them for the interior decoration.
Taking away others”, liberty and disallowing them to breathe and grow in the open is a sin. One repents over one’s sins and avoids mentioning them to others out of shame. That could be the reason why she did not make any mention of trees in her letter.
Question 4.
Now that you have looked at the poem in detail, we can begin to ask what the poem might ‘mean’. Here are two suggestions. Can you think of others ?
अब जब कि आपने कविता को विस्तार से देख लिया है, हम पूछना आरम्भ कर सकते हैं कि कविता का अर्थ अथवा भाव क्या हो सकता है। दो सुझाव जहाँ दिये हैं क्या आप दूसरे और सोच सकते हैं?
i. Does the poem present a conflict between man and nature ? Compare it with ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’. Is the poet suggesting that plants and trees, used for ‘interior decoration’ in cities while forests are cut down, are imprisoned’ and need to break out?
क्या कविता मानव और प्रकृति के बीच विरोध प्रस्तुत करती है? इसकी तुलना ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’ से करो। क्या कवयित्री यह सुझाव देती है कि वृक्ष और पौधे जिनका प्रयोग जंगल काटकर शहरों में घरों को भीतर से सजाने के लिए किया जाता है। उन्हें कैद करना है और उन्हें इस कैद से बाहर निकलने की आवश्यकता है।
Answer:
Definitely the poem presents a conflict between man and nature. For our seflish motives we are being unjust to plants and animals. We use them for our pleasure, enjoyment and entertainment. In the poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’, the tiger is imprisoned in a small cage, away from natural home and fellow beings, feels restless and angry and longs to free himself.
Similarly, the plants inside the house feel suffocation and crave to come out and breath in the open in their natural home, that is forest. Isn’t it a sin to take away the liberty of others? We should not imprison plants or animals and let them live and enjoy themselves in their own habitat.
ii. On the other hand, Adrienne Rich has been known to use trees as a metaphor for human beings, this is a recurrent image in her poetry. What new meanings emerge from the poem if you take its trees to be symbolic of this particular meaning ?
दूसरी ओर एडरीनी रिच वृक्षों को मानव के प्रतिरूप में प्रयोग करने के लिए मानी जाती है। यह अक्सर बार-बार उसकी कविताओं में झलकता है। अगर वृक्षों को इस विशेष अर्थ के सांकेतिक रूप में लेते हैं तो कविता के नए अर्थ क्या निकलते हैं?
Answer:
If we consider trees to be symbolic of human being, new meanings emerge from the poem. Imprisoned in social bindings, duties, obligations and restrains man feels restless and suffocated. He wants to break all these shackles and live and enjoy life like a free bird.
Or
Trees can also symbolise human emotions. If suppressed and not allowed to express, they might burst out whenever they get an opportunity.
Additional questions short answer type questions
Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words.
Question 1.
Why is the description of the moon different in the beginning and at the end of the third stanza ?
Answer:
In the beginning of the third stanza the poet says that one can see the whole moon shining in the open sky but in the end the moon seems to be broken like a mirror and its pieces shine in the crown of the tallest oak tree. The change is caused by the shifting of the trees outside.
Question 2.
What is the central idea of the poem “The Trees’?
Answer:
The central idea of the poem is the conflict between man and nature. A plant is brought inside the house when it is a sapling. But as it grows into a tree, it gets suffocated with the limited space available. So it departs to feel free. The tree is thus moving out to occupy the now empty forest, made so by man’s indiscriminate felling of trees. Humans must understand the negative impact of their actions on nature and mend their ways before it is too late.
Question 3.
Justify the revolt of the trees and state two values which the man should possess to stop the revolt.
Answer:
The trees inside the house get suffocated as they grow. They try to free themselves from the cracks of the veranda floor and the leaves stretch out as if to move towards the glass. They are justified in their revolt. Men should learn the importance of trees.
Question 4.
Where are the trees at present? What do their roots, and leaves do ?
Answer:
The trees are in the house. The roots try to free themselves from the cracks of the veranda floor, and the leaves make efforts to move towards the glass perhaps in search of light. The small branches become stiff as they try to pull themselves towards the light.
Long answer type questions
Answer the following questions in about 100-150 words :
Question 1.
‘My head is full of whispers
Which tomorrow will be silent.’
‘Departure is painful’. So the departure of the trees is painful for the poetess. What will happen after their departure ?
Answer:
Just like the departure of someone close to us is painful, so is the departure of a tree. When they are planted as a sapling they look nice and enhance the beauty of our surroundings. But as they grow and spread out their branches, they look wild and require more space for their growth. The roots create cracks in the floor and the leaves stretch out as if to move towards the glass, perhaps in need of sunlight.
The soft twigs become strong and stiff. So the trees need to be removed from the house. No more do the leaves cover the sky, but the trees breathe and they are welcomed by the wind. The moon resembles a broken mirror, reflecting off the leaves. The poetess reveals that she will feel lonely after the trees’ departure.
Question 2.
“The trees inside are moving out into the forest,
The forest that was empty all these days. Will be full of trees by morning.’
How does the poem The Trees’ make a strong plea against deforestation ?
Answer:
The poem, “The Trees’ sends home a strong message against deforestation. At the beginning of the poem, the poetess indirectly highlights importance of trees when she says that if there is no forest, there is no place for birds to sit, insects to hide and the sun to bury its feet in shadow. As a sapling, the plant adds to the beauty of the surroundings when placed inside the house.
But as it grows, it spreads its branches, leaves and roots around. It gets suffocated unless it is brought into the open. Thus, in the poem, the trees are said to ‘depart from the house to be welcomed by the strong winds and the moon. But there is no forest inside the house any more, as there are no trees.
The poetess does not want to mention the departure of the forests as she feels guilty for merely looking silently at them as they depart. This way she subtly points out the thanklessness of man towards forests.
Question 3.
“The forest that was empty all these days
Where no bird could sit
No insect hide
No sun bury its feet in shadow’
Explain the phrase “the forest that was empty all these days”. After reading the poem, for whom do you think are the forests needed ? Imagine you are a tree in a forest, what values would you like the humans to learn from the tree ? (100-120 words)
Or
What message does Adrienne Rich want to convey through her poem, “The Trees’?
Answer:
In her poem ‘The Trees’ poetess Adrienne Rich subtly drives home the message about the importance of trees. Without trees, the birds would not have a place to sit, insects will have no place to hide and the sun would not bury its feet in shadow. We enjoy the beauty of plants as they adorn the surroundings.
But slowly the tree spreads its roots, its branches and leaves and seems to yearn to go outside where it can live and grow without any restrictions. No more does the tree look attractive indoors. The trees are however welcomed into nature by strong winds and the moon. The author hereby emphasizes that trees need to be kept alive, but should not be ‘imprisoned inside the house as they look more beautiful, and tend to thrive outdoors – that is where trees belong to.
Introduction :
The poem presents a conflict between man and nature. How man, for his selfish motive brought trees from their natural abode i.e., forest into his house to decorate his interiors. What is their lot and how is their growth? The poetess wants to make man aware of what he has done, through this poem.
कविता मानव और प्रकृति के बीच विरोध प्रस्तुत करती है। किस प्रकार मनुष्य स्वार्थवश वृक्षों को उनके प्राकृतिक घर जंगल से अपने घर के अन्दर अपना भीतर सजाने के लिए ले आया है। उनके (वृक्षों के) भाग्य में क्या हैं और उनका बढ़ना कैसे होता है? कवयित्री परोक्षरूप से मानव को चेताना चाहती है कि उसने क्या किया है।
Complete text with hindi translation and extract based short answer type questions :
Stanza – I
The trees inside are moving out into the forest, The forest that was empty all these days where no bird could sit no insect hide no sun bury its feet in shadow the forest that was empty all these nights will be full of trees by morning.
Vocabulary:
- bury (ब्यूरी) – to put under ground, to hide from view दफन होना
अनुवाद : वे पेड़ जो अभी तक अन्दर (घर के) थे अब बाहर जंगलों में जा रहे हैं। वह जंगल जो इतने दिनों से खाली था, जहाँ कोई पक्षी नहीं बैठ सकते थे, कोई कीट नहीं छिप सकते थे, न सूर्य अपने किरणों रूपी पाँव छाया में दफना सकता था, वह जंगल जो इतनी रातों से खाली था सुबह होने तक पेड़ों से भर जाएगा।
Question i.
How does the poet highlight the importance of forest in these lines?
Answer:
The poet points out that the forest is home to birds and insects. The sun too, he says, buries its feet in the shadow of the forest.
Question ii.
Explain the imagery in these lines.
Answer:
The poet is disturbed by the depletion of forests, which are home to insects and birds. He imagines that the trees grown in the houses in cities fight to go back to their natural habitat, the forests. As the trees move out into the forest in the night, it will be full of trees the next morning.
Stanza – II
All night the roots work to disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves strain toward the glass small twigs stiff with exertion long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof like newly discharged patients half-dazed, moving to the clinic doors.
Vocabulary :
- strain (स्ट्रेन) – making efforts to move हिलने की कोशिश में
- disengage (डिस-एन्गेज) – set loose मुक्त करना
- exertion (एग्जर्शन) – actof exercising with effort उद्यम
- cramped boughs (कैम्प्ड बाउज़) – twisted branches of a tree मुड़ी हुई शाखाएँ
- shuffling (शफलिंग)- moving repeatedly from one position to another एक ही स्थान पर बार-बार स्थिति बदलना
- half-dazed (हाफ डेज़्ड) be wildered manner घबराना/चौंधियाना
अनुवाद : सारी रात जड़ें अपने आप को आँगन के फर्श की दरारों से छुड़वाने की कोशिश करती हैं। पत्तियाँ शीशे की तरफ झुकती हैं छोटी टहनियाँ ज्यादा मेहनत के कारण सीधी हो जाती हैं। लंबी मुड़ी हुई शाखाएँ छत के नीचे इस प्रकार रगड़ खा रही हैं जैसे अस्पताल के दरवाजों से निकलता हुआ नया-नया मुक्त हुआ, आधा-भौंचक्का मरीज हो।
Question i.
Why and how do the trees struggle to move out?
Answer:
The trees are in a crammed place. So the roots need to work to disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves too have been enclosed by glass. They have to strain to come out of it. The small twigs have become stiff due to exertion and the boughs are cramped.
Question ii.
Explain the poetic device used in these lines.
Answer:
The poetic device used is simile. The poet compares the trees to newly discharged patients. Just as they move out to the clinic doors half-dazed after their treatment, the trees too unsteadily move out of their enclosure.
Stanza – III
I sit inside, doors open to the veranda writing long letters in which I scarcely mention the departure of the forest from the house. The night is fresh, the whole moon shines in a sky still open the smell of leaves and lichen still reaches like a voice into the rooms. My head is full of whispers which tomorrow will be silent. Listen. The glassis breaking. The trees are stumbling forward into the night. Winds rush to meet them. The moon is broken like a mirror, its pieces flash now in the crown of the tallest oak.
Vocabulary:
- scarcely (स्कार्सलि) – rarely, seldom, कभी-कभी
- lichen (लिचन) – an outgrowth of a mixture of algae and fungus उक्त वनस्पति
- whispers (विस्पर्स) – murmuring, फुसफुसाना
- stumbling (स्टमबलिंग) – to trip in walking ठोकर खाना, लड़खड़ाना
अनुवाद : मैं अंदर बैठी हूँ, दरवाजे आँगन में खुले हैं, मैं लंबी चिट्ठियाँ लिख रही हूँ जिनमें मैंने शायद ही अपने घर से जंगल के प्रस्थान का जिक्र किया है। रात ताजी है, पूरा चन्द्रमा, आकाश में अभी भी चमक रहा है। अभी भी पत्तियों और उक्त वनस्पति की खुशबू, कमरों में एक आवाज की भाँति पहुँच रही है। मेरा सिर सरसराहटों से भरा हुआ है जहाँ कि कल बिल्कुल शान्ति होगी। सुनो। काँच टूट रहा है। पेड़ रात में आगे की ओर लड़खड़ाते हुए जा रहें हैं। हवाएँ उनसे मिलने के लिए तेज चल रही हैं। चाँद शीशे की भाँति टूट गया है, उसके टुकड़े अब सबसे लंबे बलूत के ताज में चमक रहे हैं।
Question i.
Why do you think the poet does not mention the departure of the forest in his letters?
Answer:
The poet does not mention the departure of the forest in his letters perhaps he felt it is the right of the forest to go back to its place, or that it is but natural for the trees to go back to the place they originally belong to. It may also be due to that the poet is lost in admiring the trees moving out.
Question ii.
How does the poet express his relief in the trees moving out of the place?
Answer:
The poet admires the trees as they move out to the forest. He could sense the freshness of the night, enjoy the shining of the full moon in the open sky, and smell the leaves and lichen.
Question iii.
What is happening in the night?
Answer:
In the night, the roots of the trees disengage themselves from the cracks of the veranda floor; the leaves strain out of the glass window and the small twigs and boughs shuffle under the roof. They all struggle to move out of the house to their original place, the forest.
Question iv.
How does the poet react to the movement of the forest out of the house?
Answer:
The poet is happy that the trees are finally moving out to their habitat. So he could enjoy the freshness of the night, the shining of the full moon in the open sky and smell the leaves and lichen from the trees. He is sure that his mind also will relax from the next day.
Question v.
Whom do the winds rush to meet and why?
Answer:
The winds rush to meet the trees. They have disengaged from the house in the city to go to their natural habitat the forest.
Question vi.
How does the moon express its happiness in the movement of the trees?
Answer:
The movement of trees is a welcome for the moon, and it reflects here and there like a broken mirror upon the oak tree in the forest. It looks as if the tree has been adorned by the moon.