On Killing a Tree 9th Eng Vocabulary

On Killing a Tree

Takes = Requires, Consumes (लेना) , jab = Quick stab, Pierce (तेज वार) , Grown = Developed, Matured (बढ़ा हुआ)  , Crust = Earth’s surface, Outer layer (पृथ्वी की बाहरी परत) , Absorbing = Taking in, Soaking up (अवशोषण करते हुए)  , Sunlight = Daylight, Sun’s rays (सूर्य की रोशनी)  ,

Air = Atmosphere, Oxygen (हवा) , Water = Liquid, H2O (पानी) , Leprous hide = Diseased bark, Affected skin (रोगग्रस्त दिखने वाली छाल), Sprouting = Growing out, Budding (अंकुरित होना) , Hack and chop = Cut down, Sever (बार-बार काटना),

Bleeding bark = Oozing sap, Leaking tree.

 skin (वृक्ष की छाल से निकलता रस) , Green twigs = Young branches, Fresh shoots (हरी शाखें)  ,

Boughs = Branches, Limbs (वृक्ष की शाखाएँ) , Unchecked = Unhindered, Unrestricted (अवरोधित) , Root = Base, Foundation (जड़) , Anchoring = Holding firm, Securing (मजबूती से जमा हुआ) , Roped = Tied up, Bound (रस्सी से बाँधना) ,

Snapped out = Forcefully removed, Uprooted (ज़ोर से निकाल दिया) , Slowly = Gradually, Over time (धीरे-धीरे)  , Feeding = Nourishing, Sustaining (पोषित करना) , Pain = Hurt, Discomfort (दर्द) , Expand = Grow, Stretch (विस्तार करना) , Former size = Previous dimension, Earlier magnitude (पूर्व आकार) , Miniature = Small, Tiny (लघु)

Pulled out = Uprooted, Dislodged, Extracted, Removed (निकाला हुआ)  , Earth-cave = Ground, Earth’s depth (पृथ्वी की गहराई)  , Strength = Power, Vigor (बल)  , Exposed = Displayed, Made visible, Revealed, Uncovered (प्रकट किया गया)  , Source = Origin, Root (स्रोत)  ,

White = Pale, Colorless, Light-colored, Bleached (सफेद)  , Wet = Moist, Damp (गीला)  , Sensitive = Delicate, Tender (संवेदनशील)  , Hidden = Concealed, Covered (छिपा हुआ)  , Scorching = Burning, Searing (जला हुआ)  , Choking = Suffocating, Strangling (गला घोंटना)  ,

Browning = Turning brown, Discoloring (भूरा होना)  , Hardening = Solidifying, Stiffening (कठिन होना)  , Twisting = Turning, Coiling (मोड़ना)  , Withering = Shrinking, Wilting (सुखना)  , Done = Finished, Completed (समाप्त)

On Killing a Tree NCERT Solutions

1. Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?
Ans. No, a simple jab of the knife cannot kill a tree. The place from where the tree is cut will give out sap and once the wound heals, new branches and leaves will grow from it which will develop into trees.

2. How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.
Ans. The tree has grown by consuming nutrients from the Earth, absorbing sunlight, air and water. The words suggestive of its life and activity are – consuming the earth, Rising out of it, feeding Upon its crust, absorbing years of sunlight, air, water.

3. What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?
Ans. Bleeding bark refers to the sap which flows out of the tree’s bark where it is cut. The tree bleeds when it is cut with a knife.

4. The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?
Ans. ’No’ means that the tree will not die by cutting or chopping the trunk.

5. What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?
Ans. “Anchoring Earth” means that the Earth supports the tree firmly. “Earth cave” refers to the pit in the Earth where the roots of the tree bind it firmly to the Earth.

6. What does he mean by “the strength of the tree exposed”?
Ans. “the strength of the tree exposed” means that upon being uprooted, the most sensitive and important part of the tree i.e. the roots will no longer remain hidden in the Earth.

7. What finally kills the tree?
Ans. The tree dies when it is uprooted. When it is detached from the Earth, it withers, hardens twists and finally dies.

Q7. What are the two important stages for killing a tree?
Ans. A tree can be killed in two stages. The tree should first be completely uprooted. Its roots must be exposed to the elements of the nature, like air and sun. Second, the roots must be exposed to the sun’s heat. The roots become dark, hard, and withering when they are burnt. Finally, the tree is killed.

Q8. How does the poet create the feelings of sadness in the poem ‘On Killing A Tree’?
Ans. The poet uses terms like “killing,” “jabbing,” “bleeding,” “uprooting,” etc. to convey a sense of melancholy. The “bleeding bark” symbolises a tree’s suffering. The sentences that make readers melancholy include “No so much suffering will do it” and “The wounded bark will heal.”

Q9. What does the killing of a tree symbolize?
Ans. Killing a tree is a metaphor for breaking a habit. Habit strengthens over time, much like a tree. It cannot be abandoned all at once. To break a habit, significant time is required. It must be abandoned with unwavering resolve.

Q10. “The strength of the tree exposed.” Explain.
Ans. The strength of a tree is in its roots. The tree is secure as long as its roots are protected. It cannot be killed. As the roots are removed and exposed to the air and sun, they wither, ultimately causing the tree to die

A. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow

It takes much time to kill a tree,
Not a simple jab of the knife
Will do it. It has grown
Slowly consuming the earth,
Rising out of it, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing
Years of sunlight, air, water,
And out of its leprous hide
Sprouting leaves.

Q1. Which poem does this extract belong to?
Ans. It comes from Gieve Patel’s poem, “On Killing A Tree”.

Q2. Can a few blows from an axe kill a tree?
Ans. No, a few blows from an axe can not kill a tree. It takes much more than that to kill a tree.

Q3. How does a tree gain its strength?
Ans. A tree draws its strength from the earth’s crust by absorbing the sunlight, air and water.

Q4. Where do the leaves come from?
Ans. Leaves sprout from the bark of a tree.

Q5. Identify the poetic device in the first line of the poem.
Ans. Consonance (prominence of ‘t’ sound) is used in the first line of the poem.
“It takes much time to kill a tree.”

So hack and chop
But this alone wont do it.
Not so much pain will do it.
The bleeding bark will heal
And from close to the ground
Will rise curled green twigs,
Miniature boughs
Which if unchecked will expand again
To former size.

Q1. Which poetic device is used in the phrase, ‘bleeding bark’?
Ans. Alliteration is used in the phrase, ‘bleeding bark’

Q2. What happens when a tree is cut down?
Ans. When a tree is cut down, it sprouts green curled twigs which develop into full-sized branches.

Q3. What happens to the bleeding bark?
Ans. A bleeding bark heals up again and sprouts fresh twigs.

Q4. What does regrowing of a hacked tree indicate?
Ans. Hacked tree indicates that nature is not easily defeated by man.

Q5. What do you understand by “miniature boughs”?
Ans. Miniature boughs are new branches that sprout where a tree has been cut or hacked. If left unchecked, they will grow into a massive tree.

C. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

No,
The root is to be pulled out-
Out of the anchoring earth;
It is to be roped, tied,
And pulled out-snapped out
Or pulled out entirely,
Out from the earth-cave,
And the strength of the tree exposed
The source, white and wet,
The most sensitive, hidden
For years inside the earth.

Q1. What is meant by the phrase, “anchoring earth”?
Ans. “Anchoring Earth” refers to the tree’s roots that lie within the earth and act as an anchor for the tree to growQ2. Where does the strength of the tree lie?

Ans. The strength of a tree lies in its roots.

Q3. How can the root of a tree be destroyed?
Ans. Root is to be pulled out of the earth and exposed to scorching heat.

Q4. Which is the most sensitive part of a tree?
Ans. Its root is the most sensitive part of a tree.

Q5. Which part of the tree is wet and white?
Ans. The roots of a tree are wet and white.

D. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

Then the matter
Of scorching and choking
In sun and air,
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done.

Q1. What remains to be done to kill a tree after its root has been pulled out?
Ans. The tree has to be dried up after being uprooted.

Q2. What dries up the tree?

Ans. The hot and scorching sun dries up the tree. and hold it firmly

Q3. What happens to the tree in the sun and dry air?
Ans. The tree turns brown, hardens, twists and withers in sun and dry air.

Q4. “And then it is done.” What does ‘it’ stand for?
Ans. ‘And then it is done’ means finally the tree will die.

Q5. Find a word in the extract which means the same as the following words. “Blazing, Torrid, Searing”
Ans. Scorching