Class 10 Notes

The Trees
Q1. 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) The Sun _______ their feet in the trees.
Ans :- buries
(b) The poet conveys that trees are __________ into the forest.
Ans :- moving
(c) The forest will be full of trees by evening.
Ans :- False
(d) Find the antonym of „full‟ in the extract.
Ans :- empty
Q2. All night the roots work to disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor.
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.
(a) Why do the roots work all night?
(b) Why do the twigs get stiff?
(c) Which word mean “to get free” in the stanza?
(d) Which poetic device has been used in the last line of the passage?
Ans :-
(a) The roots work all night so that they can free themselves from the walls put around them
by humans.
(b) The twigs get stiff due to the pressure they apply on the glasses.
(c) The word is „Disengage‟.
(d) „Simile‟ has been used here using „like‟ for comparison.
Q3. 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.
(a) Why would the whispers be silent tomorrow?
(b) Why are the trees stumbling?
(c) Which word in the stanza means the same as „Quiet‟?
(d) Which poetic device has been used in the sixth line of the stanza?
Ans :-
(a) The whispers will be silent because the trees will move outside to the forest.
(b) The trees are stumbling because they hurry to move outside after breaking the glass.
(c) The word is „Silent‟.
(d) Simile has been used using „like‟ for comparison.
Q4. Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves and twigs do?
Ans :- The poem by Adrienne Rich is referring to the trees grown indoor for their aesthetic
beauty. The poet imagines that the trees are stiffled in confined places and struggle to move
in the open towards their natural habitat. The roots make a deliberate effort to disentangle
themselves from the cracks in the floor while the leaves and twigs exert themselves to break
the glass barrier of the window and emerge into the open.
Q5. What does the poet compare the branches of the trees to?
Ans :- The poet compares the boughs and branches of the trees to newly discharged patients
moving out of the clinic doors in a half dazed condition, stiffled under the strain of
confinement. They are desperate to stretch themselves in the open and get a breath of fresh air.
Q6. How does the poet describe the moon: (a) at the beginning of the third stanza, and
(b) at its end? What causes this change?
Ans :- As the poet watches the night sky from the window overlooking the veranda, the moon
is whole, 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.
Q7. What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?
Ans :- The fragrance from the trees is filling the house like low whisperings of people. Thus,
the poet personifies that the house would be empty and silent, once the trees leave.
Q8. What is the central idea of the poem ‘The Trees’.
Ans :- The poem „The Trees‟ states that in the conflict between man and nature, man has
caused much harm to nature. Man has learnt to acquire a lot of material goods, but forgotten
the importance of nature and large forests have been cut down, animals have been killed and
water bodies have been destroyed. Man has judged nature wrongly to be weak, whereas nature
is the most powerful. Any natural disaster can not be prevented, though we are moving in a
technologically advanced world. The destructive forms of nature for eg: flood, earthquake,
volcanoes, tornadoes etc. teach man that the real power lies with nature and it can do anything.
Q9. I sit inside, doors open to the veranda writing long letters in which I scarcely mention the
departure of the forest from the house.
(a) Find the word from the passage which means „hardly‟.
(b) What is she doing?
(c) Where are the trees in the poem?
(d) What do you mean by veranda?
Answer :-
(a) The word is scarcely.
(b) She was writing long letters.
(c) The trees are inside the house in the poem.
(d) Veranda means a platform with an open front built on the ground floor of a home.
Q10. Freedom is the basic theme of happiness for all creatures as well as plants. Explain this
statement with reference to the struggle of the branches to come out in open in the
veranda of the poet‟s house.
Ans :- It is true that freedom is the basic theme of happiness in this universe. Freedom is the
true law of nature. This idea can be found everywhere and in all spheres, even the palace of
gold is useless without freedom. We have read about so many national heroes who have
sacrificed their everything for freedom and to make their country free. Freedom is the very
first need for all for human beings as well as for animals.
In this poem, the poet has described the deep feelings of the trees that want to become free
from human beings‟ prison. The description of struggle made by the branches to come out in
open from the floor is too real and heart touching. The trees don‟t want to live in these
surroundings. So they do their best to come out of the floor and window.

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