Killing a Tree Multiple Choice Questions
1. Gieve Patel’s “On Killing a Tree” is
A. an ironical poem
B. a meditative poem
C. a dramatic poem
D. a ballad
Answer: A
2.Gieve Patel’s “On Killing a Tree” describes the act of killing a tree as
A. a celebratory task
B. a ceremonial task
C. a religious task
D. none of the above
Answer: B
3. In Gieve Patel’s “On Killing a Tree” one finds nature’s resilience in
A. the first stanza
B. the first three stanzas
C. the first two stanzas
D. the second stanza
Answer: C
4.Gieve Patel’s “On Killing a Tree” is read at
A. two levels
B. three levels
C. four levels
D. five levels
Answer: A
5. In Gieve Patel’s “On Killing a Tree” one finds the images of a bleeding tree and a healing tree in
A. the last two stanzas
B. the first two stanzas
C. the first stanza
D. the last stanza
Answer: B
On Killing a Tree MCQs from stanza 1
1. In “On Killing a Tree” According to Gieve Patel to kill a tree it takes
A. much time
B. very little time
C. no time at all
D. less time than expected
Answer: A
2. According to Gieve Patel a simple jab of the knife
A. will kill a tree
B. will not kill a tree
C. should not kill a tree
D. should kill a tree
Answer: B
3. In “On Killing a Tree ” A tree grows
A. rooted deep in the earth
B. shedding leaves
C. slowly, consuming the earth
D. eroding soil
Answer: C
4. According to the poet a tree grows
A. quickly
B. steadily
C. slowly
D. none of the above
Answer: C
5. According to the poet in the process of its growth a tree consumes
A. air
B. water
C. soil
D. fire
Answer: C.
6. According to the poet a tree rises out of
A. air
B. water
C. fire
D. soil
Answer: D
7. According to the poet a tree procures food from
A. the
B. the core of the soil
C. the crust of the soil
D. none of the above
Answer: C
8. According to the poet a tree absorbs
A. sunlight and air only
B. sunlight, air, and water
C. sunlight and water only
D. sunlight and oxygen only
Answer: B
9. According to the poet a tree absorbs sunlight, air, and water
A. for months
B. for decades
C. for years
D. for a few days
Answer: C
10. As a result of the simple jab of the knife the hide of the tree becomes
A. leprous
B. hideous
C. courteous
D. none of the above
Answer: A
11. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree”, the word ‘leprous’ means
A. rough
B. spotted
C. ugly looking
D. rough and spotted
Answer: D
12. The word ‘leprous’ refers to the disease called
A. canker
B. cancer
C. leprosy
D. none of the above
Answer: C
13. According to the poet the things which sprout from the leprous hide are
A. leaves
B. boughs
C. twigs
D. roots
Answer: A
On Killing a Tree MCQs from stanza 2
1. The second thing to be done is to kill a tree is to
A. hack it
B. hack and chop it
C. chop it
D. cut it
Answer: B
2. According to the poet, the thing which is said to be hacked and chopped is
A. the branch
B. the leaves
C. the stem
D. any part of the tree
Answer: C
3. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” the word ‘hack’ means
A. cut with a human hand
B. cut into pieces
C. cut with rough blows
D. none of the above
Answer: C
4. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” the word ‘chop’ means
A. cut into pieces
B. cut with the human hand
C. cut with rough blows
D. none of the above
Answer: A
5. According to the poet hacking and chopping
A. will kill a tree
B. will not kill a tree
C. will enliven a tree
D. none of the above
Answer: B
6. In the expression “But this alone won’t do it.” the word ‘this’ refers to
A. exerting pressure
B. hacking and chopping
C. only chopping
D. only hacking
Answer: B
7. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree”, hacking and chopping a tree will cause
A. pain to the tree
B. insensibility to the tree
C. death to the tree
D. growth to the tree
Answer: A
8. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” in the phrase “bleeding bark” blood is compared to
A. oil
B. water
C. sap
D. none of the above
Answer: C
9. In the phrase “bleeding bark” the word ‘bleeding’ means
A. oozing
B. snoozing
C. sneezing
D. none of the above
Answer: A
10. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” the ‘bark’ is said to be ‘bleeding’ because
A. the bark is growing
B. blood is flowing out of it
C. water is dripping out of it
D. the sap is oozing out of it
Answer: D
11. According to Gieve Patel “the bleeding bark” will heal
A. all of a sudden
B. slowly but steadily
C. very rapidly
D. very slowly
Answer: B
12. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” the time taken by the “bleeding bark” to heal is
A. of trivial importance
B. of a negligible amount
C. of a considerable amount
D. within a moment
Answer: C
13. After “The bleeding bark will heal” the things which will rise from close to the ground are
A. leaves
B. curled twigs
C. green twigs
D. curled green twigs
Answer: D
14. According to Gieve Patel “curled green twigs” will rise from
A. close to the ground
B. below the ground
C. above the ground
D. from the branches
Answer: A
15. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree”the colour of the twigs which have risen from close to the ground is
A. brown
B. green
C. yellow
D. red
Answer: B
16. The shape of the twigs which have risen from close to the ground is
A. straight
B. wavy
C. curled
D. round
Answer: C
17. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” the word ‘twigs’ means
A. small branches
B. long branches
C. tall branches
D. none of the above
Answer: A
18. The “curled green twigs” are called “Miniature boughs” because
A. they do not have the size and the shape of the mature boughs
B. they have both the shape and the size of the mature boughs
C. they have the size but not the shape of mature boughs
D. they have the shape but not the size of mature boughs
Answer: D
19. The twigs will expand again to former size on condition that
A. they will be allowed to grow freely
B. they will not be allowed to grow freely
C. they will be allowed to be hacked and chopped again and again
D. they will be cut
Answer: A
20. That the twigs will expand again to former size suggests that
A. the tree will remake itself
B. the tree will destroy itself
C. the tree will mar itself
D. the tree will rename itself
Answer: A
On Killing a Tree MCQs from stanza 3
1. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” to kill a tree it has to be
A. partly uprooted
B. fully uprooted
C. kept just as it is
D. cut in the stem
Answer: B
2. The verb “pulled out” means
A. taken out softly
B. taken out forcibly
C. taken out partly
D. taken out smoothly
Answer: B
3. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree”the earth is called ‘anchoring’ because
A. it stands erect on the tree like an anchor
B. it uses an anchor to help the tree to stand erect
C. it acts as an anchor to help the tree to stand erect
D. none of the above
Answer: C
4. In the phrase “anchoring earth” the thing which is compared to an anchor is
A. the root
B. the soil
C. the stem
D. none of the above
Answer: B
5. Before the root is fully pulled out of the anchoring earth, it is to be
A. hit hard
B. cut down
C. made soft
D. tied with a rope
Answer: D
6. In terms of parts of speech the word ‘roped’ is
A. noun
B. verb
C. adjective
D. pronoun
Answer: B
7. According to the poet for killing a tree the root has to be pulled out
A. fully
B. partly
C. quickly
D. none of the above
Answer: A
8. For killing a tree the part of the tree which has to be snapped out or pulled out entirely is
A. the root
B. the stem
C. the trunk
D. the tree
Answer: A
9. In the compound word “earth-cave” the word ‘cave’ means
A. cove
B. vacuum
C. ending
D. small house
Answer: B
10. The compound word ‘earth-cave’ refers to
A. a hollow on the surface of the soil
B. a hollow in the root of the tree
C. a hollow in the soil
D. a hollow in the stem of the tree
Answer: C
11. The “strength of the tree” lies in
A. the bough
B. the stem
C. the leaf
D. the root
Answer: D
12. When a tree is fully uprooted the thing which, according to the poet, is exposed is
A. the strength of the tree
B. the life of the tree
C. the energy of the tree
D. the size of the tree
Answer: A
13. The root has been called “the strength of the tree” because
A. it provides stability to the tree
B. it provides both stability and nutrients to the tree
C. it provides nutrients to the tree
D. none of the above
Answer: B
14. In the phrase “The source, white and wet” the word ‘source’ refers to
A. the stem
B. the foliage
C. the root
D. the leaves
Answer: C
15. The root is “the source” of the
A. colour of the tree
B. the shape of the tree
C. size of the tree
D. the vitality of the tree
Answer: D
16. The colour of the ‘source’ of the tree is
A. white
B. black
C. brown
D. green
Answer: A
17. In terms of feeling the root is
A. withered
B. dry
C. wet
D. none of the above
Answer: C
18. The root is the “The most sensitive” part of the tree because
A. a slight injury to it may cause the bleeding of the tree
B. a slight injury to it may cause the death of the tree
C. a slight injury to it may cause the tree slight damage
D. none of the above
Answer: B
19. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” according to the poet the root was hidden inside the soil for
A. centuries
B. ages
C. years
D. none of the above
Answer: C
On Killing a Tree MCQs from stanza 4
1. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” after the root of a tree is taken out fully it is
A. scorched
B. choked
C. both ‘a’ and ‘b’
D. none of the above
Answer: C
2. The root of the tree is scorched
A. in air
B. in water
C. in the sun
D. none of the above
Answer: C
3. The root of the tree is choked
A. in air
B. in water
C. in the sun
D. none of the above
Answer: A
4. The part of the tree which is to be scorched and choked is
A. the trunk
B. the branches
C. the roof
D. the root
Answer: D
5. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” as a result of “scorching and choking,” the root becomes
A. brown in colour, hard in feeling, twisted in shape and withered in appearance
B. brown in colour, hard in feeling, and withered in appearance
C. brown in colour, twisted in shape and withered in appearance
D. none of the above
Answer: A
6. After “scorching and choking” in the sun and air the colour of the root becomes
A. green
B. brown
C. white
D. black
Answer: B
7. After “scorching and choking” in the sun and air the shape of the root becomes
A. wavy
B. round
C. twisted
D. straight
Answer: C
8. After “scorching and choking” in the sun and air the root becomes
A. hard in feeling
B. soft in feeling
C. neither hard nor soft in feeling
D. none of the above
Answer: A
9. After “scorching and choking” in the sun and air the root becomes
A. withered in appearance
B. moist in appearance
C. neither withered nor moist in feeling
D. none of the above
Answer: A
10. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” the expression “And then it is done” implies that
A. the tree has become alive again
B. the tree is dead
C. the tree has become animated
D. the tree is half-dead
Answer: B
11. In the poem, “On Killing a Tree” in the expression “And then it is done” there is a note of
A. joy
B. triumph
C. sadness
D. none of the above
Answer: B