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On Killing a Tree Question Answers

It has the probable questions that can be asked the from the poem on Killing a Tree

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Harsha Balappa
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607 views

On Killing a Tree Question Answers

It has the probable questions that can be asked the from the poem on Killing a Tree

Uploaded by

Harsha Balappa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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On Killing a Tree Question Answers

1. Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?


A. No, a simple jab of the knife cannot kill a tree. The place from where the tree is
cut will give out sap and once the wound heals, new branches and leaves will grow
from it which will develop into trees.

2. How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its
life and activity.
A. The tree has grown by consuming nutrients from the Earth, absorbing sunlight, air
and water. The words suggestive of its life and activity are – consuming the earth,
Rising out of it, feeding Upon its crust, absorbing years of sunlight, air, water.

3. What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?


A. Bleeding bark refers to the sap which flows out of the tree’s bark where it is cut.
The tree bleeds when it is cut with a knife.

4. The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he
mean by this?
A. ’No’ means that the tree will not die by cutting or chopping the trunk.

5. What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?


A. “Anchoring Earth” means that the Earth supports the tree firmly. “Earth cave”
refers to the pit in the Earth where the roots of the tree bind it firmly to the Earth.

6. What does he mean by “the strength of the tree exposed”?


A. “the strength of the tree exposed” means that upon being uprooted, the most
sensitive and important part of the tree i.e. the roots will no longer remain hidden in
the Earth.

7. What finally kills the tree?


A. The tree dies when it is uprooted. When it is detached from the Earth, it withers,
hardens twists and finally dies.

Question 1.
How does a tree become strong?
Answer:
A tree feeds on the earth’s crust, consuming nutrients from the earth. The
tree also absorbs years of sunlight, air and water. This makes it strong.

Question 2.
“So hack and chop/ But this alone won’t do it.” What won’t this do? Why
won’t it do it?
Answer:
Hacking and chopping is not enough to kill a tree. The tree endures the
pain but continues to live on as it heals over time. The bark which has
been chopped will heal itself. Green twigs and small branches will soon
emerge from the bleeding bark and in time the tree will regrow to its
original size.

Question 3.
What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?
Answer:
Bleeding bark suggests the wound on the tree that is caused by hacking
or chopping the tree. When the branches of a tree are chopped off, the
tree bleeds as the sap can be seen to flow. It expresses the pain of a tree.

Question 4.
What are miniature boughs? What happens if they are left unchecked?
Answer:
Miniature boughs are new branches which sprout where the tree was
hacked or chopped. If they are left unchecked, they expand and become a
huge tree. The chopped tree grows back to its former size.

Question 5.
How does the tree heal itself?
Answer:
The tree is equipped with a power to heal itself. When a tree is hacked or
chopped, leaves sprout from the wopnded bark. From close to the ground
curled green twigs rise. Miniature boughs expand again to their former
size. The tree, in time, grows back to its former size.

Question 6.
How does the poet describe the growth of the tree in the first stanza of
the poem?
Answer:
The poet says that the tree grows slowly getting its nutrients from the
earth. 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.

Question 7.
Why does it take so much time to kill a tree?
Answer:
It is not easy to kill a tree simply by hacking or chopping it. The tree has
deep roots which give birth to tiny twigs and branches which help the tree
attain its old stature. For a tree to be killed, the root has to be uprooted,
and it has to be scorched and choked in sun and air. This process takes
much time and it requires a lot of effort.

Question 8.
How does the tree grow to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life
and activity.
Answer:
The tree grows to its full size by consuming nutrients from the earth,
feeding upon its crust absorbing years of light, air and water. Consuming,
rising, feeding and absorbing are the words suggestive of its life and
activity.
Question 9.
The poet uses several images of death and violence in the poem. Can you
list them?
Answer:
The images of death are “hack, chop, scorching, choking, browning,
hardening, twisting and withering”. The words that show violence are
“roped, tied, pulled out and snapped out entirely from the earth’s crust”.

Question 10.
Why does the poet use the word ‘kill’ rather than ‘cut’?
Answer:
The poet makes a distinction between cutting a tree and killing it. Cutting
a tree, or hacking and chopping, does not destroy the tree completely,
and the tree regrows by sending out new shoots and miniature boughs.
The poet then gives step-by-step instructions on the total annihilation of a
tree. Once the roots of the tree are pulled out, and are exposed to sun
and air, the killing of the tree is complete. The tree will have no second
life.

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