Karnataka SSLC First Language English Part 1 Lesson 5 Poetry A Poison Tree Question Answers Solution

KSEEB Karnataka SSLC Solution Class 10 English First Language – A Poison Tree

Board

KSEEB (Karnataka Board)
Exam

SSLC (Class 10)

Subject

English
Language

1st Language

Part

1
Chapter

5

Chapter Name

A Poison Tree
Topic and Notes

Solution of Question Answer/ Study Material

A Poison Tree Class 10 English SSLC Study Material / Notes / Question Answer

 

POEM 5

A Poison Tree

 

II.) COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS :

A.) Answer the following questions briefly.

1.) What happened when the speaker expressed his anger?

Answer: When the speaker expressed his anger, his anger ended.

2.) What happened when the speaker suppressed his anger?

Answer: When the speaker suppressed his anger, it grew.

3.) How are the results different in the two instances?

Answer: In the first instance, there is no feeling or anger or hatred left when it is expressed. On the other hand, when anger is not expressed, it grows and it affects like poison.

4.) When the poet is thinking about his anger, the picture of a tree comes to his mind. Which word in the first stanza suggests a tree?

Answer: ‘Grow’

5.) The speaker helped his anger to grow. The second stanza mentions the different ways in which he helped his anger grow. What are the different ways?

Answer: He watered his anger with fears, morning and night with his tears and he sunned it with smiles.

 

6.) “Water’d it in fears” suggests that

a) the speaker did not have the courage to express his anger

b) the speaker was afraid of the consequences

c) the speaker didn’t want to displease his enemy

 

7.) The word “tears” suggests that

a.) the speaker too suffered for suppressing his anger

b.) the enemy suffered

c.) the speaker had to go through a lot of anxiety

 

8.) “sunned it with smiles” suggests that

a.) the speaker cunningly hid his anger with bright smiles

b.) the speaker pretended that he was not angry

c.) the speaker let his anger grow secretly

 

9.) Which line tells you that the speaker is a scheming and cunning friend?

Answer: And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

 

10.) The second stanza continues the image (picture) of a tree sug­gested in the first stanza. Which words in the second stanza refer to a growing tree?

Answer: water’d it, sunned it

 

11.) The poet, so far, has been talking about

a.) his suppressed anger

b.) a growing tree

c.) both

 

12.) What kind of a tree and fruit (here apple) can grow when they are nurtured by fears, tears, hypocritical smiles and deceitful wiles?

Answer: A poison tree

 

13.) The word “it” occurs in all the four lines of the 3rd stanza. What does “it” refer to in each line?

Answer:  In the first line of the 3rd stanza, ‘it’ refers to the poet’s suppressed anger. In the second line, ‘it’ refers to the poisonous tree. In the third and fourth lines, ‘it’ refers to the poisonous apple.

 

14.) “Apple” in the poem refers to

a.) the forbidden but tempting apple in the garden of Eden (in The Bible)

b.) the consequence of suppressing anger

c.) the fruit of his enmity

 

15.) The apple is “bright” because

a.) it is intended to attract the foe

b.) it is intended to tempt the foe

c.) it is cunningly devised to hide the bitterness

 

16.) Who “stole” into the speaker’s garden?

Answer:  The speaker’s enemy

 

17.) The word “stole” means

a.) that the enemy stole the apple

b.) that the enemy entered the speaker’s garden stealthily

 

18.) What does the speaker see in the morning?

Answer: The speaker saw his dead enemy under the poisonous apple tree.

 

19.) Who, do you think, “dies” at the end? Is it only the enemy? Does the speaker also die? What kind of death does he die?

Answer:  The speaker’s enemy died physically atthe end. But the speaker died emotionally inside by hurting himself and suffering a lot.

 

20.) “A Poison Tree” could refer to

a.) the tree of hatred and enmity grown by the seed of suppressed anger

b.) the destructive effect of being hypocritical and deceitful

c.) the spiritual death of a person for nurturing base passions

 

B.) Close Study:

Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then write the answers to the questions given below them:

1.) “And into my garden stole/when the night had veiled the pole.”

a) Who stole into the garden?

Answer:  The speaker’s enemy stole into the garden.

 

b) Why did he steal into the garden?

Answer:  He came to steal the apple from the speaker’s apple garden.

 

c) Explain the phrase “veiled the pole”.

Answer: Here “veiled the pole” could mean to pretend or hide the real one to deceit someone.

2.) And I sunned it with smiles

And with soft deceitful wiles

a) What does the word “sunned” suggest?

Answer: The speaker let his anger grow by pretending with fake smile.

b) Explain the phrase “deceitful wiles”

Answer: Here the speaker is pretending to smile because he wants to hide his anger from his enemy. It is a deceitful way to fool someone.

c) Why had the speaker “sunned” it ?

Answer: The speaker was afraid to express his anger to his enemy so he pretended to be friendly with his enemy. His pretence made his anger grow and made him suffer.

 

III.) PARAGRAPH WRITING :

Discuss in pairs or groups of four each, the answers to the following questions. Note down the important points and then develop them into a paragraph.

1.) How does the poet use the image of a tree to bring out the destructive effect of suppressed anger?

Answer: The poet was angry with his enemy but he didn’t express it. He let his anger grew every day. The way we sow and reap the benefits from the tree, in the same way, we nurture our thoughts. But here the poet gives the nurtures his anger with tears, fears, fake smile and pretence. As a result, the tree becomes poisonous and bears a bright apple. One day the enemy enters the speaker’s garden. The bright apple attracts the enemy and deceits him. It is like an apple which was eaten by Eden. The enemy eats the poisonous apple and dies. This is the sad end of the enemy but the speaker also dies emotionally for letting his anger grow so much and hurting so much. In other, we reap what we sow, so if we sow good thoughts, the result will be the best. But we keep sowing anger, fear and all such negative thoughts, then the result will definitely be the worst.

 

IV.) ACTIVITIES :

Discuss the following in groups of four each. One in each group notes down the important points. Share the group’s findings with the neighbouring group.

1.) Do you think the speaker was right in being “glad” at his foe’s death? Why? Why not?

Answer: When the speaker’s enemy was alive, the speaker had to pretend. The speaker had to fake smile and deceit him. So when the enemy ate the poisonous apple grown by the speaker, he died. The speaker was glad that finally he had not to pretend anymore. He was relieved that he was not being deceitful anymore so he became glad. From his side, it was completely right for being ‘glad’ as there would be no longer emotions of hatred or anger anymore.

 

2.) What has happened to his own garden now with a poison tree? Was he happy in growing a poison tree?

Answer: The speaker took no pride in growing such poisonous tree. He was guilty of suppressing his anger and emotions. He also suffered emotionally for hiding his anger and covering with fake smile. He was spiritually disturbed when he grew the poison tree.

 

3.) How could he have avoided planting a poison tree?

Answer: The speaker could have talked to his enemy and expressed his anger the way he did with his friend. Half of our problems are solved when we communicate. Had the speaker let his emotions out, then there would not have been a poison tree.

 

a) Pick out a few more examples of alliteration from the poem.

Answer: I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

And I sunned it with smiles,

 

5.) Read the four rhyming words of stanza 3. Which vowel sound is repeated?

Answer: Night – bright, shine- mine. The vowel sound ‘ai’ is repeated.

Updated: March 15, 2022 — 4:05 pm

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