Q. 1. How does the poet describe the laburnum tree top?
Ans. The poet describes the laburnum tree top as quiet and motionless in the warm, yellow afternoon of September. Its few remaining leaves are turning yellow, and all its seeds have already fallen to the ground, giving the top a still, autumnal look.
Q. 2. How does the laburnum tree appear in September?
Ans. In the September afternoon sunlight, the laburnum top appears calm and almost lifeless. Only a few leaves are left and these are turning yellow, while all the seeds have dropped, leaving the tree looking bare and tranquil.
Q. 3. Describe the scene when goldfinch with her family starts chirruping to the maximum.
Ans. When the goldfinch and her family begin to chirrup loudly, the scene becomes vividly musical. Chittering and trilling spread through the branches, and the whole tree seems to tremble with excitement. The combined noise and movement make the tree appear as if a powerful engine has been set in motion.
Q. 4. What does the goldfinch do after showing her barred face?
Ans. After showing her barred face, the goldfinch utters a series of strange, anxious chirrups that change into a soft, delicate whistle-like song. Having sung fully and enlivened the tree with her music, she quickly flies away into the open sky.
Q. 5. What happens to the laburnum tree after the goldfinch flies away?
Ans. After the goldfinch flies away, the laburnum tree returns to its previous silence. The excitement fades, leaving the top empty and still once more, as if life has drained out of it and it stands quiet again.
Q. 6. How does the poet describe the beauty of the goldfinch?
Ans. The poet presents the goldfinch's beauty mainly through its song and movements. Its chirruping is musical and lively, and this song brings life and brightness to the otherwise silent laburnum top; this vivacity and the pleasing sound are what the poet calls the bird's beauty.
Q. 7. Give a brief account of the sounds and movements of the goldfinch on the top.
Ans. The goldfinch first perches at the tip of a branch and then slips quickly and alertly into the middle of the tree. It moves with the smooth, watchful agility of a lizard. Soon a rapid succession of high-pitched chattering notes, wing-shakings and quavering calls fills the tree. The whole top shivers as if a machine had started up; this activity supports the bird's family like an engine. After energising the tree with her song, the goldfinch flies away and silence returns to the laburnum top.
NCERT CORNER
Q. 1. What Laburnum is called in your language?
Ans. Laburnum is called Amaltas (vernacular).
Q. 2. Which local bird is like the goldfinch?
Ans. A locally coloured sparrow, which has patches of bright plumage, resembles the goldfinch in appearance and behaviour.
Q. 3. What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
Ans. At the beginning the laburnum top stands silent and still; when the goldfinch arrives it becomes lively and noisy, and at the end, after the bird has flown away, the top becomes silent again.
Q. 4. To what is the bird's movement compared? What is the basis of the comparison?
Ans. The bird's movement is compared to that of a lizard because it slips into the tree with sleek, alert, and abrupt motions, giving an impression of cautious, agile movement.
Q. 5. Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
Ans. The poet evokes the image of an engine because the combined chattering, wing-shakings and quavering calls make the tree sound and feel as though a machine has started working; this noise supports and energises the bird family much like an engine supports a machine.
Q. 6. What do you like most about the poem?
Ans. I like the vivid comparison of the bird's movement and the tree's sounds to mechanical activity; it makes the scene lively and memorable.
Q. 7. What does the phrase "her barred face identity mask" mean?
Ans. The phrase refers to the goldfinch's striped face, which acts like a mask of identification and helps to recognise the bird by its distinctive facial markings.
