The Trees Class 10 Worksheet English Chapter 1

Q.1. Find, in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest?

The three things mentioned in the first stanza that cannot happen in a treeless forest are:

• Birds sitting on the tree branches.
• The hiding of insects in the branches of trees
• The sun burying its feet in the shadow of the trees in the forest. 

Q.2. How does the poet describe the moon : (i) at the beginning of the third stanza, and (ii) at its end ? What causes this change ?

As the poet watches the night sky from the window overlooking the verandah, the moon is full, shining brightly in the open sky. As she imagines the trees moving out of the house, she envisions the moon light rippling over the crown of the oak tree and she metaphorically compares it to moon, being broken into several pieces and each piece reflecting its light separately.

Q.3. Why do you think the poet does not mention “the departure of the forest from the house” in her letters? (Could it be that we are often silent about important happenings that are so unexpected that they embarrass us? Think about this again when you answer the next set of questions.)?

The poet did not mention the departure of the forest from her house because it is a part of human nature to ignore the important matters of their life. We all know that trees are so important for our survival on earth. But still human beings are cutting them for making profits without even thinking of the aftermath.

Q.4. On the other hand, Adrienne Rich has been known to use trees as a metaphor for human beings;this is a recurrent image in her poetry. What new meanings emerge from the poem if you take its trees to be symbolic of this particular meaning?

If trees are to be taken as a symbol for human beings, then the poem will define the efforts of humans to free themselves from the clutches of the desire to achieve everything. All the human beings are under a constant pressure of being at the top in every field. Either they are forced by their own desire of doing so or there is a constant peer pressure on them. So, the human beings will set themselves free from this race and try to live a happy and peaceful life.

Q.5. How does Patol Babu reconcile to the dialogue given to him?

Truly dejected to learn that he had just one word ‘Oh’! to speak in his part, Patol Babu felt that the unit had taken him for a ride. However, he reconciled himself to the dialogue by recalling how his mentor Gogon Pakrashi used to advise him never to consider it beneath his dignity to accept however small a part. Moreover he woke up to the immense acting possibilities in the monosyllable exclamation and reconciled to it.

Q.6. Why does Patol Babu walk away before he could be paid for his role? What does this reveal about his character?

Patol Babu came from a theatre tradition of the time. when film making was still very new in India and therefore had strong amateur incline. He lacked the professional and materialistic outlook that most people in the film industry had. He walked away without bothering to be paid for his role because for him performing his role to the best of his ability was more important than earning money. Money was nothing against the intense satisfaction of a small job done with perfection and dedication.

Q.7. Do you agree with the statement that Patol Babu is a practical man who comes to terms with whatever life has to offer?

Yes, Patol Babu is really a practical man who comes to terms with whatever life has to offer. He has taken ups and downs of his life in his stride.In his heydays in his youth he used to be a theatre artist. What popularity he enjoyed! He was in great demand as an actor. In fact he would appear in advertising handbills of theatre clubs and people would buy tickets to his shows. He enjoyed so much popularity and fan following, yet he did not go overboard. He continued to be the man he was – simple, humble and respectable.
Then the demands of life took him away from theatre and he got busy in his railway company job. He switched his job for higher salary. He joined Hudson and Kimberley where he had a smooth sailing for nine years. But then the World War II broke out and he lost his job in retrenchment – then a long struggle began for him. He tried everything he could – opened up a variety store, did odd jobs in companies, sold insurance but success eluded him everywhere. He kept trying like every practical man ought to. When the film role was offered to him, he was trying to take up a job with scrap iron dealer.
In performing the film role too, he was out rightly practical. He demanded his dialogue well in time so that he could rehearse it and do full justice to it.Perhaps the only impractical thing he does is not accept his remuneration for his role. On the whole, Patol Babu was a practical man who comes to terms with whatever life has to offer.

Q.8. What picture do these words create in your mind: “… sun bury its feet in shadow…”? What could the poet mean by the sun’s ‘feet?’

The sun’s feet are the rays of sun that reach the earth after falling on the leaves of the trees and finally, reach the earth’s surface.

Q.9. What does the poet compare their branches to?

The poet uses the word long cramped for the branches. She says that the branches are trying hard to come out of the roof. She then compares them with newly discharged patients who are trying to move out in their half consciousness.

Q.10. Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves, and their twigs do?

The trees are in the poet’s house. The roots are working hard to remove themselves from the cracks of veranda. The leaves are making an effort to reach towards the glass in order to come out and the twigs are making attempts to set themselves free and reach the forest.