Class 9 Beehive Poem Chapter 7 Important Question Answers - On Killing a Tree

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. In the poem ‘On Killing A Tree’ what is the tree a symbol of?
Ans: In this poem, the tree is a symbol of deep-rooted evil.

Q2. How does a tree grow up?
Ans: A tree grows up by getting food and other nutrients from the earth.

Q3. Can we kill a tree with a simple jab of the knife?
Ans: No, we can’t kill a tree with a simple jab of the knife.

Q4. How should we kill a tree?
Ans: We should kill a tree by hacking and chopping it.

Q5. What should we do to kill a tree permanently?
Ans: To kill a tree permanently we should take out its root from the earth.

Q6. Where does the strength of a tree lie?
Ans: The strength of a tree lies in its roots.

Q7. What should be done to the roots or a tree?
Ans: The roots of a tree should be snapped and taken out of the earth.

Q8. What finally kills the tree?
Ans: Scorching and choking kill the tree finally.

Q9. What does it mean ‘the strength of the tree is exposed’?
Ans: It means the roots of the tree are taken out of the earth.

Q10. It is easy to kill a tree?
Ans: No, it is not easy to kill a tree.

Short Answer Questions

Q1. Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?
Ans: A tree cannot be killed by a simple jab of a knife. It can only cause an injury and make its sap flow out like blood. The life of a tree depends on its roots that provide nourishment and support.
Q2. How has the tree grown to its full size? List words suggestive of its life and activity.
Ans: The tree has grown gradually by consuming the earth. It has risen out of the soil and fed on its crust, absorbing light, air, and water over many years. The sprouting leaves from its discoloured bark suggest its life and growth.

Q3. In the phrase ‘consuming the earth’, who consumes the earth and how?
Ans: The tree consumes the earth by drawing nourishment from the soil through its roots. The tree's diet lies deep in the earth, and the roots suck and absorb nutrients to nourish the tree.

Q4. What is meant by ‘years of sunlight, air, and water’?
Ans: "Years of sunlight, air, and water" refer to the extended period a tree takes to grow fully. Over time, it absorbs energy from the sun, air, and water to support its growth.

Q5. Why has the tree’s ‘hide’ been called leprous?
Ans: The bark of the tree is uneven in texture and colour. Leprosy also robs the skin of the leper of its colour and evenness. Hence, the poet has drawn a metaphorical comparison between the discoloured bark of a tree and diseased skin.

Q6. What is the role of hacking and chopping in killing a tree? 

Ans: Hacking and chopping wound the body of a tree causing it great pain. They peel the bark of the tree and it appears to be bleeding when the sap oozes out. However, this pain or bleeding does not manage to kill the tree.

Q7.What is the meaning of ‘bleeding bark’? What makes it bleed?
Ans: The ‘bleeding bark stands for the sap oozing out of the tree trunk when it is attacked with a knife or an axe. The word ‘bleeding’ is metaphorically used to compare the sap to the blood from a wound of a human being. It signifies the pain of the tree.

Q8. What will rise from ‘close to the ground’? Why?
Ans: Curled green twigs and miniature boughs will rise from the stump of the tree that is close to the ground. They will rise because the tree rejuvenates and revives itself as long as its root is intact.

Q9.’What will happen if the miniature boughs are left ‘unchecked’?
Ans: ‘Unchecked’ here means left free to grow without any harm or danger. If left ‘unchecked’, the new, green, delicate branches from the stump of a tree will expand and regain their original size.

Q10. “No, The root is to be pulled out.” Why has the poet started this stanza with “No”? Or The poet says “No” at the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?
Ans: The poet uses ‘No’ to emphasize the fact that merely hacking and chopping are not sufficient for killing a tree. They can injure it, make it bleed, and cause pain. But killing a tree requires more ruthlessness and much more effort.

Q11. What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?
Ans: “Anchoring earth” means the earth which gives a firm grip to the tree and keeps it from falling. Just as a ship anchored in the sea stays in its place securely and steadily, similarly the tree stands secure and stable with the support of the earth. “Earth cave” refers to the depth under the earth where the root of a tree remains sheltered safely for years. It is firmly attached to this point and a cave-like hollow is created when the root is pulled out.

Anchoring System

Q12. How is the root of the tree to be pulled out? What is the result of this pulling?
Ans: The root of the tree is to be tied to a rope and pulled out with a great force. This pulling results in creating a cave-like hollow in the earth and exposes the root to the vagaries of weather that eventually cause the death of the tree.

Q13. What does the poet mean by "The strength of the tree exposed”?
Ans: The expression ‘the strength of the tree exposed’ means the root of the tree is pulled out of the earth and thrown open at the mercy of harsh weather. The Root is the source of the tree’s power. Once exposed to the scorching and choking sun and air, it withers away and the tree finally dies.

Q14. What is ‘the most sensitive’ part of the tree? What is it sensitive to and why?
Ans: The root of the tree is its most sensitive part. It is sensitive to the heat and vagaries of weather on the open surface of the earth. It is so because it remains hidden safely under the earth.

Q15. How is the exposed root affected by the sun and air?
Ans: Sun and air start drawing life out of the exposed root. It becomes discoloured, dry and hard. It starts withering and becomes gnarled and twisted. Devoid of all its moisture, it gradually becomes lifeless and the process of killing the tree is completed.

Q16. What finally kills the tree?
Ans: The withering of the pulled out root finally kills the tree. The root of a tree is the source of its strength. Once it is pulled out, it can no longer nurture the tree. The root is sensitive to sunlight and air. Once exposed, it gets dehydrated, brown and twisted. Ultimately it dries up and the tree yields to death.

Q17. What message is conveyed by this poem?
Ans: The poem conveys the message that human beings have destructive temperament towards nature, but Mother nature has regenerative powers and cannot be destroyed easily. It has the ability to resurrect itself. Also, the tree teaches us that mere physical assaults cannot ruin us. As long as our root, our soul, is intact we can rise again.

Also, Check at EduRev:

• On Killing a Tree Explanation 
• NCERT Solutions: Poem - On Killing a Tree

Long Answer Questions

Q1. How does a tree grow up?
Ans: A tree takes years together to grow to its full size. After sprouting out from the surface of the earth from a seed it grows gradually. Its root nurtures it by drawing nutrients from deep under the earth. Sunlight, air, and water further nourish it. Out of its bark, tender green branches shoot out and leaves grow all over them. After a long span of time, the tree stands so strong and sturdy that it can survive even the wounds inflicted with a knife. In fact, chopping and hacking are not sufficient to kill it as the wounds get healed. Branches appear again even from the stump and in due course attain their original size. As long as the root of the tree remains intact under the earth, the tree keeps growing.

Q2. What relationship does the tree have with the earth?
Ans: A tree has a deep relationship with the earth. It owes its very existence to the earth. The seed germinates in the womb of the earth and the baby plant sprouts out over the surface of the earth. The tree draws nutrients for it from the soil. It is the earth that gives it support to stand erect and protects it from falling. Giving a firm grip to its roots, the earth gives it ground to grow and assume a massive size. The earth keeps the roots of the tree concealed, protecting it from exposure to sunlight and air which can prove to be very injurious for its existence. Thus, the earth helps a tree right from its birth to its survival. Even a chopped tree grows again out of the stump and gains the original, big size because the earth supports it.

Q3. What does the root of the tree look like when it is pulled out of the earth-cave? What happens to it when it is left exposed?
Ans: The root of the tree is moist anti-white when it is pulled out of its hiding, the earth-cave. It is very tender and delicate as it has remained concealed for years together, away from sunlight and air. The root cannot tolerate the light and heat of the sun and the open air. When it is left exposed, it feels scorched and choked in the sun and the air. Initially, it starts changing its colour and becomes somewhat brown. Then it starts losing its tenderness. It becomes hard and its suppleness declines. Gradually, it withers away and becomes gnarled and twisted. Ultimately, life is completely drained out of it and it leads to the death of the whole tree. This is how exposure robs first the root and then the entire tree of its life.

Q4. What would happen if the tree is hacked and chopped?
Ans: If the tree is hacked and chopped and left as such with the root of the tree neither dugout nor injured, the root will continue to provide nourishment to the stump of the tree. This stump will then be covered with tender twigs that will sprout out of its surface. If these twigs are not pruned or hacked or chopped, they will keep on growing and eventually, with the passage of time, the tree will grow to its original size. The wounded bark of the tree will get healed and the tree will be as big as it was earlier. The threat to its life will be overcome and hacking or chopping will fail to kill the tree. The safe root will rescue and resuscitate the tree and help it to regain its lost glory.

Q5. Suppose you are a tree. Write a diary entry in about 150 words describing how you were hacked and chopped and your root was pulled out and how you are inching towards your end.
Ans:(Day and Date)
(Time)
Dear Diary
Today my heart is crying and I suffer due to the pain inflicted upon me by cruel men. Two days ago, I was enjoying the fresh air and warm sunlight when suddenly I felt a blow of an axe on my trunk. I noticed that a man was hitting me hard, giving one blow after another. My bark was wounded, the sap was oozing and my leaves and branches were falling off lifelessly. I could feel a sharp pain that I found hard to tolerate. When the man got tired, he left me for the night. I was relieved that he had not harmed my root. I was certain that my wound would heal and new branches would grow after some time. But the next day there came five people. The first chopped off big chunks from my trunk and then tied a rope firmly around me. They applied force to pull my root out of the earth. Now my strength gave way and my white, wet and sensitive root was hauled. My root has been left exposed to sunlight and air. Its white colour is turning brown and it has started hardening and twisting. Slowly, it will wither away and I will die. I wish these ignorant people had realized that I was serving them selflessly with fresh oxygen and dense shade. Sadly, I have to say goodbye to this beautiful world because of the insensitivity of some people.
Banyan