Q1: Read the following extract and answer the questions: "The leaves strain toward the glass small twigs stiff with exertion long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof like newly discharged patients half-dazed, moving to the clinic doors."
(i) How does the comparison between the boughs and newly discharged patients contribute to the theme or message of the poem? (Answer in about 40 words.) (2 Marks)
Solution:
Ans: The comparison likens the boughs' slow, uncertain movement to newly discharged patients, emphasising weakness and gradual recovery. It suggests renewal after confinement, showing how life slowly reclaims freedom and the hope involved in that delicate, halting process.
(ii) Complete the sentence with the appropriate option. The imagery and descriptions in the poem create a mood of ____________ (1 Mark) (a) satisfaction and elation (b) transition and uncertainty (c) confusion and chaos (d) pessimism and certainty
Solution:
Ans: (b) Explanation: The poem's images of movement out of confinement and hesitant adjustment convey change and an uncertain, in-between state rather than joy or despair.
(iii) Fill in the blank with one word. The stiff movement of the twigs in the above extract suggests the _______. (1 Mark)
Solution:
Ans: struggle. The twigs' stiff, effortful movement indicates a struggle to break free and reach light, so 'struggle' is the most fitting word.
(iv) Why does the poet describe the bough as 'shuffling'? (1 Mark)
Solution:
Ans: The poet uses 'shuffling' to convey a slow, hesitant, slightly awkward movement as the boughs adjust to freedom. The word suggests weakness and tentative motion, similar to someone leaving confinement and finding their footing.
Q2: Read the following extract and answer the questions. "I sit inside, doors open to the veranda writing long letters in which I scarcely mention the departure of the forest from the house. The night is fresh, the whole moon shines in a sky still open"
(i) What atmosphere or mood is created by the language and imagery used in the above lines? (1 Mark)
Solution:
Ans: A mood of calm reflection with a trace of melancholy. The open doors and shining moon suggest peace and clarity, while the careful omission of the forest's departure introduces a gentle sadness about change.
(ii) Choose the option that correctly pairs the two different meanings implied by the use of 'open' twice in the extract: (1 Mark) (a) entry point - vastness (b) sharing a common space - great view (c) allowing access and vision - expanse of space (d) advantage - obstacles ahead
Solution:
Ans: (c) Explanation: The first 'open' suggests physical access (doors open to the veranda); the second 'open' describes the vast, unobstructed sky, so together they mean access/vision and expanse.
(iii) From the provided extract, what is conspicuously absent from the long letters the speaker is writing while they sit indoors with the doors open to the veranda? (1 Mark)
Solution:
Ans: The departure of the forest from the house is conspicuously absent from the letters; the speaker chooses not to record that event.
(iv) How does the poet describe the night? (1 Mark) 1. dark 2. frightening 3. dense 4. fresh 5. bright Select the correct option: (a) 1 and 5 (b) Only 3 (c) 4 and 5 (d) 2 and 4
Solution:
Ans: (c) Explanation: The night is described as both fresh and bright: fresh because of the cool, clear atmosphere, and bright because the whole moon shines in the open sky.
Q3: Both Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela and The Trees by Adrienne Rich explore themes of transformation, liberation, and the power to change. Examine the commonality of themes in both the works. (100-120 words) (6 marks)
Solution:
Ans: Both Long Walk to Freedom and Adrienne Rich's The Trees centre on transformation and the struggle for freedom. Mandela's autobiography traces a prolonged political and personal journey from oppression to leadership, showing how sacrifice, perseverance and collective action achieve social liberation. Rich uses the trees as a symbol of confined lives reclaiming their natural place; their slow, determined movement out of the house represents renewal, resistance and the desire for autonomy. Both works stress that liberation is a gradual, often difficult process requiring endurance; each celebrates resilience and the restoration of dignity, whether for a nation or for individual lives and identities.
Q4: Read the given extracts and answer the questions. (5 Marks) My head is full of whispers which tomorrow will be silent. Listen. The glass is breaking. The trees are stumbling forward into the night. Winds rush to meet them. The moon is broken like a mirror, its pieces flash now in the crown of the tallest oak.
(i) The metaphorical expression used by the poet to describe the movement of the trees is ________.
Solution:
Ans: "The trees are stumbling forward into the night."
(ii) Based on the tone, discuss how Adrienne Rich presents the conflict between man and nature. (2 Marks)
Solution:
Ans: Adrienne Rich presents a tone of resistance and awakening. She shows nature, represented by the trees, struggling to free itself from human confinement. The poem criticises human control and celebrates nature's sudden reclaiming of space and balance as a corrective to that control.
(iii)What is the mood or atmosphere conveyed by the imagery in the passage? (1 Mark) (a) Calm and tranquil (b) Eerie and foreboding (c) Joyful and celebratory (d) Melancholic and traumatic
Solution:
Ans: (b) Explanation: The images of whispers, breaking glass, stumbling trees and a moon 'broken like a mirror' create an eerie, foreboding mood that suggests disturbance and an unsettling change.
(iv)Why would the whispers be silent tomorrow? (1 Mark)
Solution:
Ans: The whispers will be silent because, by tomorrow, the trees will have completed their movement out of the house and regained their freedom; the secret struggle will have ended and with it the soft sounds of effort.
Previous Year Questions 2024
Q1: "The Trees" is a symbolic poem and Adrienne Rich has used trees as a metaphor for human beings. What do they symbolize ? Explain. (CBSE 2024)
Solution:
Ans: In "The Trees," Adrienne Rich uses the trees as a metaphor for human resilience, growth and the desire for liberation. They symbolise the human capacity to transform and free themselves from limiting conditions, the opening up to new beginnings and opportunities, and the process of reconnecting with a natural, liberated identity as the trees move from captivity back into the forest.
Previous Year Questions 2020
Q2: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow: (CBSE 2020) _______ Winds rush to meet them. The moon is broken like a mirror, Its piece flash now in the crown of the tallest oak. (a) The above lines were written by (i) Robert Frost (ii) John Berryman (iii) Robin Klein (iv) Adrienne Rich
Solution:
Ans: (iv) Explanation: These lines are from Adrienne Rich's poem "The Trees," which describes nature's movement and freedom.
(b) The crown of the oak lies in its (i) top most branch (ii) roots (iii) rich and tasty fruit (iv) broad leaves
Solution:
Ans: (i) Explanation: 'The crown of the tallest oak' refers to the uppermost part of the tree made up of its top branches and foliage.
(c) The winds are rushing to meet the _____.
Solution:
Ans: trees. The winds in the extract are described as rushing to meet the trees, emphasising the movement and the meeting of natural forces.
(d) Find the word from the extract which means the same as 'shine'.
Solution:
Ans: flash. 'Flash' here means to shine or reflect light, as the pieces of the broken moon catch the light.
Q3: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow: (2020) The trees inside are moving out into the forest, the forest that was empty all these days where no bird could sit no insect hide no sun bury its feet in shadow the forest that was empty all these nights will be full of trees by morning.
(a) What are the trees trying to do?
Solution:
Ans: The trees are trying to move out of the house and return into the forest.
(b) Why was the forest empty?
Solution:
Ans: The forest was empty because the trees had been removed, so there were no birds, insects or shaded places; this absence suggests human activity had cleared the forest for other uses.
(c) All these days, the forest referred to here was (i) filled (ii) empty (iii) hidden (iv) separated
Solution:
Ans: (ii) Explanation: The forest is described as empty because it lacks trees and the life they support.
(d) The figure of speech used in these lines is______. (i) Simile (ii) Alliteration (iii) Personification (iv) Metonymy
Solution:
Ans: (iii) Explanation: The lines give the trees human-like actions (moving out), so this is personification.
Previous Year Questions 2019
Q4: Why is the poet writing long letters? Why does she not mention the departure of the trees? (Al 2019)
Solution:
Ans: The poet writes long letters perhaps to keep herself occupied and to preserve a sense of normality. She does not mention the trees' departure because it is a quiet, private act of rebellion; by staying silent she protects that secret movement and allows the trees to reclaim their freedom without attention or interference.
Previous Year Questions2017
Q5: What are the three things that can't happen in a treeless forest? (Delhi 2017)
Solution:
Ans: In a treeless forest no birds could sit, no insect could hide and no sun could bury its feet in shadow.
Q6:In the poem 'Trees', where are the trees? What are their roots, twigs, etc. trying to do? (Al 2017)
Solution:
Ans: The trees are inside the house. Their roots, leaves and twigs are trying to escape: roots pull away from cracks in the veranda, leaves press against the glass and twigs and boughs move towards the doors in an effort to reach the forest.
Q7: What happens to the house when trees move out of it? (Foreign 2017)
Solution:
Ans: When the trees move out, the doors stand open and the house is filled with moonlight, the scent of leaves and lichen, and the renewed presence of the natural world returning to the rooms.
Previous Year Questions 2015
Q8: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow: (Al 2015) long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof like newly discharged patients half-dazed, moving to the clinic doors. (a) What does the poet compare the branches to? (b) Name the figure of speech used in these lines. (c) What does the word 'shuffling' mean?
Solution:
Ans: (a) The poet compares the branches to newly discharged patients. (b) Simile - the boughs are compared to patients using 'like'. (c) 'Shuffling' here means moving slowly and awkwardly, a hesitant sliding or rearranging of position as they make their way.
Previous Year Questions 2014
Q9: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow: (Foreign 2014) The trees inside are moving out into the forest, the forest that was empty all these days where no bird could sit no insect hide no sun bury its feet in shadow (a) Which three things cannot happen in a treeless forest? (b) Why was the forest empty? (c) Which word here means 'hide from view'?
Solution:
Ans: (a) In a treeless forest no birds could sit, no insect could hide and no sun could bury its feet in shadow. (b) The forest was empty because the trees had been removed-often to make space for buildings and other human developments-so that birds and insects could not live there. (c) The word 'hide' here means to hide from view.
The document Previous Year Questions: The Trees is a part of the Class 10 Course English Class 10.
1. What are the main themes and message in The Trees poem for CBSE Class 10?
Ans. The Trees by Adrienne Rich explores themes of freedom, rebellion, and breaking free from confinement. The poem uses trees as metaphors for individuals or communities escaping oppressive constraints. Rich presents trees breaking through concrete and abandoning their domestic settings to reclaim their natural existence, symbolising the desire for liberation and authentic life beyond societal limitations.
2. Why does the speaker use metaphors of trees escaping in The Trees poem?
Ans. The poet employs tree metaphors to represent the universal human urge for independence and self-realisation. Trees breaking through concrete symbolise overcoming obstacles and artificial restrictions. This extended metaphor makes abstract concepts of freedom tangible and relatable, allowing readers to understand the struggle against confinement through natural imagery that resonates emotionally and intellectually.
3. What does the concrete and domestic setting represent in The Trees previous year questions?
Ans. The concrete represents human-made constraints, societal rules, and unnatural limitations imposed on natural freedom. Domestic settings symbolise comfortable but restrictive spaces where authentic growth becomes impossible. Together, they illustrate how civilisation confines individuals, forcing them to abandon their true nature. The poem suggests that genuine existence requires breaking through these artificial boundaries to reclaim wild, authentic living.
4. How should students answer questions about symbolism in The Trees for their Class 10 exams?
Ans. Students must identify symbols explicitly-trees symbolise freedom-seekers, concrete represents oppressive systems, and roots signify deep-rooted identity. Connect symbols to the poem's central message about liberation and resistance. Support answers with specific textual references and explain how each symbol develops the theme. Avoid vague interpretations; instead, trace how Rich's imagery creates meaning. Refer to flashcards and mind maps covering key symbolic elements for quick revision before exams.
5. What is the significance of trees leaving their domestic spaces in The Trees analysis?
Ans. Trees abandoning their domestic environments represent rejecting comfort for authenticity and choosing freedom over security. This action symbolises breaking generational patterns and societal expectations. The departure emphasises that true growth demands sacrifice and courage-individuals must leave familiar, safe spaces to achieve genuine self-discovery. Rich's trees model radical transformation, suggesting liberation requires decisive action and willingness to embrace uncertainty beyond civilisation's boundaries.
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