The Trees- Important Extra Questions- Short Answer Type

The Trees Poem by Adrienne Rich can be considered  and well explained through Introduction of The Trees Poem, Message from The Trees Poem, Theme, Title, Characters of The Trees Poem, Summary in English The Trees Poem, Summary in Hindi, Word meanings of The Trees Poem, complete lesson in Hindi, Extracts, Long answers, Short answers from The Trees Poem, Very short Answers, MCQs of the chapter The Trees Poem and much more.

The Trees

ByAdrienne Rich

Short Answer Type Important Questions

1. What is the central idea of the poem ‘The Trees’?

Ans. The central idea of the poem is the conflict between man and nature. A plant is brought inside the house when it is a sapling. But as it grows into a tree, it gets suffocated with the limited space available. So it departs to feel free. The tree is thus moving out to occupy the now empty forest, made so by man’s indiscriminate felling of trees. Humans must understand the negative impact of their actions on nature and mend their ways before it is too late.

2. Where are the trees at present? What do their roots, and leaves do?

Ans. The trees are in the house. The roots try to free themselves from the cracks of the veranda floor, and the leaves make efforts to move towards the glass perhaps in search of light. The small branches become stiff as they try to pull themselves towards the light.

3. Why is the description of the moon different in the beginning and at the end of the third stanza?

Ans. At the beginning of the third stanza, the poet says that one can see the whole moon shining in the open sky but in the end, the moon seems to be broken like a mirror and its pieces shine in the crown of the tallest oak tree. The change is caused by the shifting of the trees outside.

4. Justify the revolt of the trees and state two values which the man should possess to stop the revolt.

Ans. The trees inside the house get suffocated as they grow. They try to free themselves iron the cracks of the veranda floor and the leaves stretch out as if to move towards the glass. They are justified in their revolt. Men should learn the importance of trees.

5. How does the poetess describe the night? How does she feel?

Ans. It is night time. The night is fresh. In the open sky, the full moon is shining. The poetess feels the smell of leaves and lichen reaching inside the room. Her head is full of whispers. But she thinks that the next day these whispers will be silent.

Q.6. What is the theme of the poem ‘The ‘frees’?

Ans. The theme of the poem is the disappearance of trees. This poem also brings out the idea of conflict between man and nature. Man is doing more and more harm to nature. Nature is getting angry. Man’s existence on this planet is in danger. Thus it becomes the foremost duty of every citizen to work for the protection of the environment.

Q.7. Why are the trees described in the first stanza not useful for birds or insects?

Ans. The trees described in the first stanza are either decorative plants kept inside a house, or they are shown only in a painting or picture. Therefore, they are not useful for birds or insects. Birds cannot sit on their branches. Insects cannot hide in them.

Q.8. What happens to the roots and leaves of these trees at night?

Ans. The roots of these trees are engaged into the cracks of the veranda floor. At night, these roots try to free themselves from the cracks. The leaves try to move towards the glass. Twigs become harden and the boughs try to expand under the roof.

Q9. How does the poetess describe the growth of the trees inside the houses? [H.B.S.E. March 2017 (Set-D)]

 Ans. These trees grow in pots and pans. So their roots feel cramped. These roots try to free themselves from the cracks of the veranda floor. The leaves need light. So they move towards the glass. The twigs are stiff and the boughs are like the newly discharged patients coming out of clinic doors.

Q.10. Why does the poetess use the metaphor of newly discharged patients?

Ans. A patient feels depressed in a hospital. As soon as he recovers, he is eager to leave the hospital. He rushes towards the clinic doors. In the same way, the plants in the pots feel suffocated. They are deprived of adequate light. So they stretch themselves towards the glass door, in the hope of finding the light.

Q11. Why are the trees moving out into the forest?

Ans. In the poem, the trees are presented as a metaphor for human beings. As humans value freedom, nature can’t be subdued and controlled by man. The trees have been brought to the artificial glasshouses. The natural habitat of trees in the forest. Therefore, after a long and hard struggle, they are coming out of the artificial barriers. They are marching victoriously towards the forest which is their original habitat.

Q12. What will be the condition of a treeless forest?

Ans. No one can imagine a forest without trees. They are the life-line of a forest. Without trees, there will be no activity of birds, insects as well as of the sun. The birds will have no place to perch on. The insects will have no place to hide in. Even the scorching sun will lose the shade to cool itself in the absence of trees.

Q13. Why is the poetess hopeful that the empty forest will be full of trees by the morning?

Ans. The poetess is quite optimistic. The natural barriers to contain and subdue nature created by man will be broken. The trees which have been deprived of their natural habitat will struggle to free themselves from the clutches of man.

The struggle of these trees will not go in vain. By morning, they will be marching victoriously to the forest. The forest will be full of trees by morning.

Q14. Describe the struggle of the roots, leaves, small twigs and long boughs to free themselves and break open the artificial barriers created by man.

Ans. Every part of the confined trees rises in revolt and struggles hard to free itself. The roots struggle all night to break free from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves struggle to come out of the glass. Small twigs have become hard due to overwork. Long cramped boughs are trying to break open the roof and come out.

Q15. Describe the comparison between boughs and the newly discharged patients in the last lines of the second stanza.

Ans. Freedom is a common theme. The cramped branches of the trees put in the artificial glasshouses, want to be free. They are shuffling hard to come out in the open. They want to be free. Similarly, the newly discharged patients are impatient to escape to freedom. They don’t want to be confined to the beds of the hospital. They run towards the doors of the hospital to have a taste of freedom again.

Q16. Why doesn’t the poetess make any mention of the struggle waged by the trees to free themselves to move towards the forest in her long letters?

Ans. The poetess is sitting inside her room writing long letters. She is witnessing what is going on in her house. The struggle of the leaves, twigs, boughs and roots of the trees to free themselves takes place in her presence. However, she ignores such a historical event. Perhaps she is shocked and embarrassed by the sudden and unexpected happenings.

Q17. Describe the pleasant night when ‘the forest’ departed from the house.

Ans. The struggle was going on. The trees were struggling to depart to the forest, their natural habitat. But outwardly the night was fresh. The full moon was shining in the open sky. The smell of leaves and lichen was reaching into the room like a voice.

Q18. What are the whispers that fill the head of the poet?

Ans. The head of the poetess is full of whispers. These are the whispers of the silent struggle that is going on in her house. The trees have been waging a heroic struggle to free themselves from the bondage of man. They are moving to their original home — the forest. The poetess is a witness to all that is happening in the house.

Q19. Describe the sound and fury of the victorious march of the trees to the forest.

Ans. Now the silent struggle gets more vocal and visible. The trees have won their hard-earned victory. The artificial glasshouse that imprisoned them has been broken to pieces. The trees are stumbling forward towards the forest. Winds rush in to meet them. Even the full moon is covered by the full-grown up oak tree. Only a fragmented moon is visible through its expanding leaves and boughs.

Q20. Why is the full moon broken to pieces like a mirror in the last lines of the poem?

Ans. Previously it was a peaceful night hiding the struggle that was going on silently. The moon was full. But now the full grown-up trees like oaks with their boughs spreading out all around have obstructed the sight of the moon. The full moon is fragmented and partly visible only through the top boughs and leaves of a huge oak tree.

Q21. What is the message that the poetess wants to give to the readers through the poem ‘The Trees’?

Ans. Adrienne Rich uses trees as a metaphor for human beings, more particularly women. In a male-dominated society, women are in bondage. They are struggling to free themselves. Similarly, nature, represented by trees and forests, is struggling to escape itself from the onslaughts of man to destroy it. The victorious march of the trees gives a message of hope that nature can’t be tamed or subdued by the onslaughts and arrogance of man.

Q22. What changes can be seen in the moon during the course of the poem “The Trees”?

Ans. Initially, it was the full moon shining in a clear sky. Then the moon is broken like a mirror. Its rays fall on the top of an oak tree.

Want to Read More Check Below:-

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The Trees- About the Author & Introduction

The Trees- Central Idea & Style of the Poem

The Trees- Short & Detailed Summary

The Trees- Value Points of the Poem

The Trees- Summary in Hindi – Full Text

The Trees- Comprehension Passages

The Trees- Multiple Choice Questions in Quiz

The Trees- Extract Based comprehension test Questions

The Trees- Important Extra Questions- Very Short Answer Type

The Trees- Important Extra Questions- Long Answer Type

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