Our NCERT Solutions for this poem are your key to understanding the text and acing your exams. Following the most recent NCERT and CBSE rules, we offer straightforward answers and explanations for every question. Beyond that, our solutions help you appreciate the poem on a deeper level, allowing you to explore its core themes, identify its poetic devices, and interpret its deeper ideas.
Gieve Patel's poem On Killing a Tree, found in Chapter 7 of the Class 9 English Beehive textbook, is quite powerful. It shows just how tough a tree is and how much it can take to kill it. You can't just give it a little chop. The poem hints at a deep relationship with nature and warns us not to be careless when it comes to destroying our environment.
Grab the Class 9 English Chapter 7 NCERT Solutions as a free PDF and read this amazing poem about nature and how it's destroyed:
This poem, On Killing a Tree, really shows how tough it is to kill a tree. It's not just about chopping it down, since trees have roots that extend deep into the ground. You have to get rid of the roots, too. The poem shows how life can be persistent and warns us not to hurt the environment.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Ans. No, a simple jab of a knife cannot kill a tree because it takes many years for a tree to grow and rise out of the earth. Moreover, only a chop cannot kill it because it will slowly rise again and grow to its original size. 2. How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.
Ans. The tree grows to its full size by absorbing years of sunlight, water, and air. It slowly grows out of the earth and sprouts leaves. The words suggestive of its life and activity are 'grown slowly consuming the earth', 'rising out of it', 'feeding upon its crust', 'absorbing years of sunlight, air, water', and 'sprouting leaves'. 3. What is the meaning of 'bleeding bark'? What makes it bleed?
Ans. 'Bleeding bark' refers to the area on the tree trunk where it has been hit with the axe. It bleeds because the wood cutter has wounded the tree by cutting and chopping it. 4. The poet says 'No' in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?
Ans. In the beginning of the third stanza, the poet has said 'No' to lay emphasis on the fact that mere chopping of the tree would not kill it. The tree would grow again and retain its original size. 5. What is the meaning of 'anchoring earth' and 'earth cave'?
Ans. 'Anchoring earth' refers to the roots of the tree that lie inside the earth and play the role of an anchor for the tree to grow. They ensure the security of the tree as they nourish it with water and nutrients. 'Earth cave' refers to the ground on which the foundation of the tree is laid as it holds the roots and keeps the tree standing tall and protects it from adversities such as heavy rainfall or storm. 6. What does he mean by 'the strength of the tree exposed'?
Ans. The strength of the tree lies in its roots, which the poet asks to snap out in order to kill the tree. Thus, the phrase 'the strength of the tree exposed' refers to the roots of the tree being exposed to sunlight and air. 7. What finally kills the tree?
Ans. The tree is finally killed by the uprooting of its roots. When the roots, which had anchored it lying hidden in the earth for years, were dug out, the tree's strength was exposed and this led to the death of the tree. It dried up after it had been uprooted.
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