Balbharati Maharashtra Board Class 11 English Solution Chapter 2.1: Cherry Tree. Marathi or English Medium Students of Class 11 get here Cherry Tree full Exercise Solution.
Std | Maharashtra Class 11 |
| Subject | English Solution |
Chapter | Cherry Tree |
ICE BREAKERS
Q.) Trees are revered because:
Ans. (a) They give us joy.
(b) They are a big source of our livelihood; we get fruits, vegetables and even medicines.
(c) They give us oxygen.
(d) They provide habitation to many birds and animals.
(e) They also prevent natural disasters.
Q.) Column A shows your involvement in growing a tree, as well as the stages in the life of a tree. Column B shows the feelings you experience at all the stages. Match them appropriately.
Ans.
| COLOUMN A | COLOUMN B |
| 1. You planted a sapling. | You wanted to make a humble beginning. |
| 2. You watered the plant. | You cared for it. |
| 3. You saw the shoot for the first. | The new experience brought excitement to you. |
| 4. You fenced the plant. | Your motive was to protect it. |
| 5. The plant gradually saw lush green leaves grow on it. | The colour, symbolizing life, gave you a feeling of hope. |
| 6. The tree had buds too. | Gave you a feeling of joy to see the promising future. |
| 7. Birds made a nest on the tree which was fully grown and laden with flowers. | You were happy and satisfied because you experienced what you had often heard, that small beginnings can lead to great achievements. |
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
Q.
The thought which prompted the poet to plant the cherry seed
Ans. (a)The poet wanted to have his own cherry tree.
(b)He wanted to take care and nurture it.
(c) Goats ate the leaves.
(d)The grass cutter and heavy rain were a threat.
Q.) State whether the following statements are true or false:
1.) They destroyed the Cherry tree.
Ans. False.
2.) The Cherry tree had an instinct to survive.
Ans. True.
3.) The blossoms are fragile.
Ans. True.
Q.) The poet felt richer because
Ans. The cherry tree grew beautifully tall at the poet’s door. He was overwhelmed seeing the six feet high dark cherry and could scarcely believe that berry grew over in the tree. Ripened and jeweled in the sun.
Q.) The beneficiaries of the cherry tree are
Ans. The beneficiaries of the cherry trees were the bees, who drank the nectar from each bloom, the moon-moths and singing crickets and the poet himself.
BRAINSTORMING
A1.) (i) Find proof from the poem for the following.
(a) The poet has mentioned different seasons.
Ans.Summer Season– “And suddenly that summer near the end of May.”
Monsoon Season– “Split it apart and monsoon blight.”
Spring Season– “Next spring I watched three new shoots grow.”
(b) The poet’s minute observations of the steady growth of the cherry tree.
Ans. “I found a tree had come to stay.
It was very small, five months child,
Lost in the tall grass running wild.”
(c) The colour imagery in the poem.
Ans. “Green growing pain”, “blossom small pink”, “dark cherry” and “blue blind sky”
(d) The struggle of the cherry tree for survival.
Ans. “The young tree struggle, upward thrust
Its arms in a fresh fierce lust
For light and air and sun.”
(ii) State whether the following statements are True or False. Correct the false statements by finding evidence from the poem to support your remark.
(a) The cherry tree did not take long to grow.
Ans. False. The cherry tree took eight long years to grow as mentioned by the poet in the very first line of the poem.
(b) Birds and insects were benefitted from the tree.
Ans. True.
(c) The poet was exalted at the sight of the cherry tree.
Ans. True.
(d) The poem has an underlying message about the importance of trees.
Ans. True.
(e) The poet repents planting the cherry tree.
Ans. False. The poet was very happy seeing the cherry tree grow so beautifully. Through some lines in the poem we even could understand that the poet was quite emotional regarding the cherry tree.
A2) (i) Discuss in groups, reasons/ consequences/ effects:
(a) The life of the cherry tree was threatened.
Ans.The life of the cherry tree was threatened because of heavy rain, scythe cutting the grasses and goats that ate the leaves. The cherry tree was all damaged; even the poet forgets to water it initially. But when the spring season came the poet saw three new shoots growing, and the tree was struggling for light, air and the sun and some amount of rain as well. Finally after all these struggles the tree grew beautifully tall with dark berries on it.
(b) The cherry blossomed.
Ans.The very first year the cherry tree had just one berry and it was dried and damaged as well. The struggle it went through, made it grow beautifully the next year and it bloomed with fragile pink blossoms. The bees, moon – moths, crickets were very happy seeing the beautiful cherry tree. The poet was overwhelmed seeing it grow and used to cherish its beauty every day.
(ii) A small thought, put in action, led to a great achievement. Pick out the lines from the beginning and end of the poem and explain their significance.
Ans. a) “Eight years have passed since I placed my cherry seed in the grass.”
Significance– The poet planted a cherry tree and had to wait for eight years to see it grow and bloom.
b) “I found a tree had come to stay,
It was very small, five months child.”
Significance– Though the poet forgot to water it, it somehow made its way to life and started growing.
c) “Next spring I watched three new shots grow.”
Significance– The cherry tree went through a lot and was almost damaged, still it grew upwards the next spring season with pink fragile blossoms on it.
d) “But richer by a cherry tree at my door. Six feet high my own dark cherry”
Significance– The poet didn’t think that the cherry tree will bloom and grow and will give berries as well. When he saw it grow, he was very happy and considered himself rich as he planted the tree and now it is bearing fruits.
e)“Yes, I! — praised Night and Stars and tree:
That small, the cherry, grown by me.”
Significance– Poet was very happy for the cherry tree as it went through a lot, but still it struggled and survived and grew beautifully. The poet was happy for it as he planted the tree.
A3) The cherry tree has inspired the poet to compose the poem. Such poems, describing Nature or aspects of Nature are called ‘Nature poems’. Find out some expressions from the poem that bring out the elements of beauty of Nature.
Ans. a)“Next spring I watched three new shoots grow.”
b) “Lost in the tall grass running wild.”
c) “The young tree struggle……………………For light and air and sun.”
d) “But richer by a cherry tree at my door”
e) “There were blossoms small Pink, fragile, quick to fall, at the merest breath, the sleepiest breeze.”
f) “Ripened and jeweled in the sun.”
g) “While bees in an ecstasy drank of nectar from each bloom and the sun sank.”
h) “While bees in an ecstasy drank ——–in the sky.”
i) “The stars turned in the sky, And moon-moths and singing crickets and I Yes, I! — praised Night and Stars and tree:”
Find out examples from the poem.
a) Alliteration:i) “It’s arms in a fresh fierce lust”
ii) “Made a miracle from green growing pain”
b) Antithesis: “But cherries have a way of growing,
Though know one’s caring very much knowing”
c) Personification: i) “I found a tree had come to stay.
It was very small, five months child”
ii) “Its arm in a fresh fierce lust.”
iii) “And moon-moths and singing crickets.”
A5. (i) ‘Cherry Tree’ is a narrative poem. Features that make it a narrative poem are given below. Justify them with proper examples.
(a) The poem has a beginning, middle and an end.
Ans.The poem begins with the poet planting a cherry seed and then its struggle and survival overcoming all the hurdles and at the end how beautifully it blooms and becomes a tall beautiful tree.
(b) Different places are mentioned.
Ans. First we see poet’s residence, where he plant the cherry tree and then he goes to Kashmir to spend a season.
(c) Characters are referred to.
Ans.The poet refers himself as he is the narrator also, the bees, cricket and moon-moths who are the beneficiaries of the cherry tree.
(d) Incidents are arranged in a sequence.
Ans.The planting and growth of the tree is in proper sequence like planting of the seed, how it struggled to grow and finally how it grew to be a beautiful tall tree.
(e) There is a dialogue between the poet and the reader or the characters of the poem.
Ans. a) “Must have a tree of my own,” I said. – Here the poet is talking to himself.
b) “I found a tree that had come to stay.”
c) “Next spring I watched three new shoots grow.”
d) “Yes, I! – praised Night and Stars and tree”- The poet is happily praising himself.
In the sentences ‘b’ and ‘c’, the poet is talking to the readers and telling them about the growth of the cherry tree.
(f) It is a time-bound poem.
Ans. It shows the seasonal changes like spring, summer and monsoon which are time bound and the time taken by the little sapling to grow and become a beautiful cherry tree.
iii) Write an appreciation of the poem considering the following points:
Ans.(i) About the poem, poet and title.
The poem is about the poet planting a small sapling and how he becomes over joyed seeing the tree grow which he planted. It took eight long years to grow.
The poem is penned by the famous poet Ruskin Bond who belongs to Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, India. He was born in the year 1934.
The title of the poem is ‘Cherry Tree’, as the poem talks about the struggle and growth of the cherry tree and how the poet feels himself richer when he sees the cherry tree grow tall, bearing fruits.
(ii) Theme/summary/gist of the poem.
The poem talks about the theme of struggle, resilience, growth, conflict of the cherry tree to grow out of all the odds and responsibility and pride of the poet to see how the tree grew up out of all the odds and his responsibility to take care of the tree. It also shows us that life may bring endless struggles, but we should learn to fight all the odds and when we come out of these odds, we will stand tall and strong just like the cherry tree.
The poem depicts a small of action of planting a cherry tree which resulted in the growth of a beautiful cherry tree, bearing berries and giving happiness to bees, moon-moths, cricket, and they become the beneficiaries of the tree. The poet also enjoys the beautiful view of the cherry tree ad takes pride within himself.
(iii) Poetic style/language, poetic devices used in the poem.
The style/language used in the poem is simple and cogent. Poetic devices used in the poem are Alliteration,Antithesis, Climax, Metaphor, Personification etc. which makes the poem even more beautiful and ornamented. E.g. ofPersonification from the poem- “And moon-moths and singing crickets……….”- the crickets and moon moths being insects cannot sing, but they are personified here and shown to the readers as they are happily singing. Numerous use of imagery has been seen in the poem, which makes the poem visually more beautiful, as we can read and imagine the whole process of a sapling growing into a tall tree bearing fruits. seasons, the sky, animals, birds, and insects.
(iv) Special features/novelties/focusing elements.
The poet has bought out the beauty of nature by showing the wonders of various seasons, and also talked about the beauty of the blue sky, animals, birds, and insects like crickets, moon-moths and bees.
(v) Message/values/morals in the poem.
The underlying message of the poem is to plant trees, nurture them, see them grow and how much happiness it gives. Also it put a stress on the importance of trees and plants for our surroundings. There can be another underlying message in the poem i.e. the importance of hardship and struggling through those hardships in our lives and coming out strong.
(vi) Your opinion about the poem.
A beautiful poem in my opinion. The poem portrays a detailed and colourful image of the cherry tree, different season and there effects and how the insects fly around happily around the tree before our eyes, and how it teaches us to stand strong and fight with the problems of our lives and come out of it strong and tall.
iv.) Write a summary of the poem using the following points.
- Title
- Introductory paragraph (about the poem, type, Nature, tone)
- Main body (the central idea, gist of the poem)
- Conclusion (opinion, views, appeal)
Ans. The poem is about the poet planting a small sapling and how he becomes over joyed seeing the tree grow which he planted. It took eight long years to grow.The title of the poem is ‘Cherry Tree’, as the poem talks about the struggle and growth of the cherry tree and how the poet feels himself richer when he sees the cherry tree grow tall, bearing fruits.
The poem talks about the struggle and growth of the cherry tree to grow out of all the odds and responsibility and pride of the poet to see how the tree grew up so well. It also shows us that life may bring endless struggles, but we should learn to fight all the odds and when we come out of these odds, we will stand tall and strong just like the cherry tree.
The poem depicts a small of action of planting a cherry tree which resulted in the growth of a beautiful cherry tree, bearing berries and giving happiness to bees, moon-moths, cricket, and they become the beneficiaries of the tree. The poet also enjoys the beautiful view of the cherry tree ad takes pride within himself.
The poem is lucid and well organized. Numerous use of imagery has been seen in the poem, which makes the poem visually more beautiful.
The poem eloquently talks about planting trees, nurture them, see them grow and how much happiness it gives. Also it put a stress on the importance of trees and plants for our surroundings. According to me the poem also depicts the importance of hardship and struggling through those hardships in our lives and coming out strong.The poem portrays a detailed and colourful image of the cherry tree, different season and there effects and how the insects fly around happily around the tree before our eyes.
A6) i) Write the poem ‘Cherry Tree’ in the form of a story.
Ans. It was eight years ago, one beautiful day, the writer thought to himself that he should plant a tree of his own. Without much ado he planted a cherry seed, but unfortunately he forgot to water it as he didn’t know much about how to take care of the plant.
It was a summer day, in the month of May, when the little plant bloomed up. The writer felt very happy seeing the sapling and thought of it as a five month old child, who had come to stay with him. Unfortunate enough, heavy rains, grass cutters damaged the little tree. The goats came grazing and ate itsleaves; the little cherry tree was not able to take it all, but still the poor little plant didn’t lose hope and stood strong and it had a strong wish to survive. During the spring season, it finally reached up for the sun and light, its small arms stretched in the air. When the writer saw it, he was overwhelmed with joy, but that time he went to Kashmir to spend a season there, leaving the plant to grow on it own in the hands of nature. He knew he had to be patient to see the beautiful all grown cherry tree.
When the writer returned home from Kashmir, his health was not good, he became very thin and lean. As he was entering his house, he saw the cherry tree at his door all grown up, tall and beautiful, bearing berries. His happiness knew no boundaries. The view of berry hanging on his very own cherry tree felt like it was glistening like a jewel in the sun. The writer was overjoyed.
Time passed, seasons passed and the next year the tree was laden with pink flowers on all its branches. They were fragile but beautiful. One fine morning the writer was lying down in its shade one morning and was gazing the blue sky through the branches of the tree. He watched the birds flying by the bees were buzzing and were busy collecting nectar from the flowers of the cherry tree. Even during the night, the writer was still there in the company of his very own cherry tree and was enjoying the wonders of nature. The moon moths and the crickets also came singing to the tree under the starry night sky. That very moment the writer felt proud of himself thinking he did a noble job of planting a sapling eight years ago and now he and the birds and insects are all enjoying its company and are its beneficiaries.
ii) Write in 100 words what the cherry tree in the poem symbolises.
Ans.The cherry tree in the poem is symbolizes the human life and the hardships that one has to face and man’s struggle to overcome those hardships. Through the poem we get a very clear and common message of “survival of the fittest‟. The nature’s has made its way like that only the best can survive who doesn’t lose hope and is determined to rise high and come of the darkness of his/her life. Rest we should leave everything on time. Time has a wonderful way of showing the right thing in the right time. The cherry plant took its own sweet time to bloom, i.e. almost eight long years; but when it finally did, it was at its most beautiful form, with flowers and fruits laden on it making the poet very proud of his decision of planting the tree. We should take lesson from this cherry tree and learn to stand strong with our head held high and the immense will to fight the hardships of our lives
