WB Board Class 12 English Text Book Mindscapes Poem – On Killing a Tree Solution: The question answer of MCQ, Short Answer Questions & Long Answer Questions Solution of the Poem On Killing A Tree by Gieve Patel is given in the page.
The poem “On Killing a Tree” explores the lengthy and violent process of destroying a tree, emphasizing the resilience of life and the cruelty inherent in causing its end.
2) By consuming the nutrients of the earth, the tree has grown –
Answer : slowly.
3) Killing a tree takes –
Answer : much time.
4) A tree grows-
Answer : slowly consuming the earth.
5) What is needed to be pulled out to kill a tree ?
Answer : root.
Short Answer Question (SAQ)
1)‘Not much pain will do it.’ – What does the expression suggest?
Answer : The implication is that while the tree may experience pain from hacking and chopping, these actions are unable to entirely eradicate it.
2)What is the theme of the poem “On Killing a Tree”?
Answer : The poem’s theme revolves around the cruelty and harm inflicted by human beings on the environment.
3) How does a tree grow?
Answer : A tree grows gradually, nourishing itself by absorbing nutrients from the earth’s soil, feeding on its crust, and assimilating sunlight, air, and water over the course of years.
4)What are the different steps taken to kill a tree?
Answer : The various steps involved in killing a tree include uprooting, scorching, choking, causing it to brown, harden, twist, and ultimately wither.
5)How is the strength of a tree exposed?
Answer : When its roots are to be pulled out from the earth’s embrace, its strength is laid bare.
Long Answer Question (LAQ)
1)How does the poet describe the growth of a tree over the years? What are the different steps taken for killing a tree?
Answer : In “On Killing a Tree,” poet Gieve Patel illustrates how a tree grows gradually, extracting nutrients from the earth’s soil, feeding on its upper crust. Over time, it absorbs sunlight, air, and water, steadily thriving by assimilating nutrients from both the earth and the atmosphere.
To eradicate a tree, its roots must be extracted by binding them with a rope and exposing them to the sun and air for scorching and suffocation. As they become brown, hard, twisted, and withered, the tree will perish.
2) How does the tree heal itself?
Answer : The poet claims that the tree, nourished by Nature herself, has an extraordinary resilience that helps it to recover itself. As such, efforts to eliminate it by “hacking and chopping” are ineffective. The tree can renew branches and twigs because its bark releases sap. If left untrimmed, it grows back into a magnificent tree and eventually regains its previous size and beauty. The tree resists and heals from axe attacks, just like people do when they recover from illness.
