Question 1:
Can a ‘simple jab of the knife’ kill a tree ? Why not ?
Answer:
A simple jab of the knife can’t kill a tree. A tree can’t be killed unless it is uprooted completely and left to die in the sun.
Question 2:
How has the tree grown to its full size ? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.
Answer:
The tree has fed upon the crust of the earth. It has absorbed sunlight, air and water for
years.
Thus it has grown slowly into a huge size.
Question 3:
What is the meaning of ‘bleeding bark’ ? What makes it bleed ?
Answer:
The ‘bleeding bark’ means that part of the tree where it has been chopped and the sap is oozing from there. The bark bleeds when the tree is hacked or chopped.
Question 4:
The poet says ‘No’ in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this ?
Answer:
The poet means to say that a tree can’t be killed even by hacking or chopping. It has to be uprooted completely.
Question 5:
What is the meaning of ‘anchoring earth’ and ‘earth-cave’ ?
Answer:
The earth serves both as an anchor and as a cave for the tree. It feeds the tree and provides a cave for its roots.
Question 6:
What does the poet mean by ‘the strength of the tree exposed’ ?
Answer:
The real strength of the tree lies in its roots. Thus when a tree is uprooted, its strength is exposed.
Question 7:
What finally kills the tree ?
Answer:
To kill a tree, it has to be uprooted completely. It should then be left to wither in the sun. Only then it is killed finally.
Question 8:
Where does a tree get its nourishment from ?
Answer:
A tree gets its nourishment from the earth. It feeds on the earth’s crust. It absorbs the sunlight, air and water.
Question 9:
What would happen if a tree is not uprooted but only hacked and chopped ?
Answer:
If a tree is only hacked and chopped, it begins to grow again. The bleeding bark heals. Green twigs begin to rise from near the ground where the tree has been hacked. These twigs, if unchecked, again grow to their former size.
Question 10:
What would happen to the roots of a tree when they are pulled out and left exposed ?
Answer:
The pulled out root will get scorched in the sun. It will turn brown in its colour. It will harden and get twisted. It will wither and become completely dead.
Question 11:
What is the effective way of killing a tree in Gieve Patel’s poem ?
Answer:
According to the poet, mere hacking and chopping won’t kill a tree. In order to kill a tree, it has to be pulled out from the root. The root should then be left in the open to brown, harden, twist and wither. Only then will a tree be killed.
Question 12:
Why does the poet say that it takes much time to kill a tree ?
Answer:
We can’t kill a tree by the simple jab of the knife. We can’t kill it even by hacking and chopping. Green twigs begin to rise again from where it has been hacked. In order to kill a tree, it has to be pulled out from the root. Then the root has to be left in the sun to scorch and wither. Only then a tree gets killed. That is why the poet says that it takes much time to kill a tree.
Question 13:
Why can’t hacking and chopping alone kill a tree ?
Answer:
When a tree is hacked and chopped, it doesn’t die completely. Its bleeding bark heals after some time. Green twigs begin to rise from near the ground where it has been hacked. These twigs again grow into the size of former boughs. Thus hacking and chopping alone can’t kill a tree.
Question 14:
Attempt a summary of the poem, ‘On Killing a Tree’.
Answer:
The poet says that it takes much time to kill a tree. It can’t be killed with a simple
jab of
the knife.
The tree grows slowly by consuming nutritious elements from the earth. It feeds on the
earth’s crust.
For years, it absorbs the sunlight, air and water. Thus a tree takes a long time to
grow.
And to kill the tree also takes a long time. We can’t kill it by hacking and chopping
alone.
The bleeding
bark heals after some time. Green twigs begin to rise from near the ground where the
tree
has been hacked.
These twigs, if unchecked, grow into the size of former boughs.
So in order to kill a tree, it should be pulled out from the root. The root is the
source
from where
the tree gets it strength. It is the most sensitive part of the tree. It remains hidden
in
the earth for
years. To kill a tree, this source has to be exposed and brought out in the open.
After the root has been pulled out, it should be left in the sun to scorch. It should be
left there until
it browns, hardens, twists and withers. Only then does a tree get really killed.