Workbook Questions, Beeta Publications
ASSIGNMENTS — ANSWERS
Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions
Question 1. Which of the following poetic devices is used
in the title of the poem?
(a) Simile
(b) Metaphor
(c) Personification
(d) Metonymy
Answer: (b) Metaphor
2. What happens to the ‘small things’ when great
trees fall?
(a) They die due to shock.
(b) They look up to large things for shelter.
(c) They curl up in silence.
(d) None of the above.
Answer: (c) They curl up in silence.
3. Which figure of speech is used in the
following line?
‘The air around us becomes light, rare, sterile.’
(a) Asyndeton
(b) Anaphora
(c) Refrain
(d) Polyptoton
Answer: (a) Asyndeton
4. Which of the following poetic devices is used
in the lines given below?
‘We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly, see with...’
(a) Anaphora
(b) Polyptoton
(c) Epizeuxis
(d) Epistrophe
Answer: (d) Epistrophe
5. What is suggested by the phrase ‘memory gnaws
on’?
(a) The phase of forgetfulness
(b) Time spent grieving for the dead
(c) Unsaid words and unkept promises
(d) None of the above
Answer: (c) Unsaid words and unkept promises
6. How do the survivors see the world after the
departure of great souls from this world?
(a) The world becomes unrecognisable.
(b) The world remains the same.
(c) The world loses its beauty.
(d) All of the above
Answer: (a) The world becomes unrecognisable.
7. Which figure of speech is used in the
following line?
‘Our minds, formed and informed by their radiance...’
(a) Alliteration
(b) Simile
(c) Metaphor
(d) Polyptoton
Answer: (d) Polyptoton
8. What is suggested by the line ‘Our minds,
formed and informed’?
(a) The great souls remain in our minds.
(b) The great souls shape the way people think.
(c) The great souls have great minds.
(d) The great souls cannot touch the minds of people.
Answer: (b) The great souls shape the way people
think.
9. The image of ‘dark, cold caves’ conveys which
of the following?
(a) Loneliness and incomprehension that accompany the loss of great souls
(b) The feeling of despair experienced by the bereaved
(c) The world after the departure of great souls
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Answer: (d) Both (a) and (b)
10. What is suggested by Maya Angelou when she
says, ‘after a period peace blooms’?
(a) Healing follows grief.
(b) Peace occurs while remembering the great souls.
(c) People remain silent during the period of mourning.
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a) Healing follows grief.
11. How does the speaker think that the bereaved
can continue to ‘be and be better’?
(a) By forgetting the departed souls after some time
(b) By drawing inspiration from the great souls
(c) By accepting the fact that they are gone forever
(d) None of the above
Answer: (b) By drawing inspiration from the great
souls.
12. Which of the following lines contains the
same literary device as the title ‘When Great Trees Fall’?
(a) ‘Were gathered there for vengeance/ [revenge] and I knew / That if I dipped
my hand the spawn/[offspring] would clutch it.’
(b) ‘The woods decay, the woods decay and fall. / The vapours weep their burden
to the ground.’
(c) ‘Admit impediments,/[barriers] love is not love / Which alters when it
alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove.’
(d) ‘In small towns by the river / We all want to walk with the gods.’
Answer: (d) ‘In small towns by the river / We all
want to walk with the gods.’
Because the title ‘When Great Trees Fall’ and the line ‘We all
want to walk with the gods’ both contain a metaphor.
- ‘When Great Trees Fall’ is metaphorical. The ‘great trees’ do not merely mean
actual trees; they represent great souls or influential human beings.
Their ‘fall’ represents their death or departure from the world.
- In (d), ‘We all want to walk with the
gods,’ the word ‘gods’ is used metaphorically to represent great,
extraordinary or highly accomplished people. ‘Walking with the gods’
suggests aspiring to associate with or attain the greatness of such
people.
Therefore, both expressions use metaphor, making option (d)
the correct answer.
Section B: Context Questions
I. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follow:
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
(i) State three effects of the fall of great
trees in the forest.
Answer: The fall of great trees causes the rocks on
distant hills to shudder, makes lions hunker down in the tall grasses, and
drives even elephants to lumber away in search of safety. These reactions
suggest that the fall of a great presence creates a powerful disturbance
throughout the natural world.
(ii) Why do the rocks on distant hills
shudder? What is suggested by their shuddering?
Answer: The rocks shudder because the fall of a great
tree is imagined as producing such a tremendous impact that even distant
objects seem to feel its effect. Their shuddering suggests the enormous
influence and significance of great beings and the widespread disturbance
caused by their loss.
(iii) Lions are regarded as fearsome
predators. Why, then, do they ‘hunker down in tall grasses’? What does their
fear symbolise?
Answer: Lions hunker down because even powerful
creatures feel frightened and insecure when a great tree falls. Their fear
symbolises the vulnerability and sense of insecurity experienced by everyone,
including the strong and powerful, after the loss of a great soul.
(iv) a. Explain briefly the meaning of the
line ‘and even elephants lumber after safety’.
Answer: The line means that even the huge and
powerful elephants become frightened and move away in search of safety after
the great trees fall. Metaphorically, it suggests that the death of a great
soul can deeply disturb even those who are normally strong and confident.
b. Which figure of speech is used in the above
line?
Answer: Personification is used because the
elephant is presented as reacting to the fall of the great trees in a
human-like manner by seeking safety. The line also contributes to the poem’s
extended metaphor of great trees representing great souls.
(v) Explain, with examples, the metaphoric use
of ‘trees’ in the poem.
Answer: The ‘great trees’ are a metaphor for great
souls—people whose wisdom, talent, character or achievements have a profound
influence on others. Just as a great tree provides shelter, strength and
nourishment to smaller creatures, great individuals provide inspiration,
guidance and cultural or intellectual nourishment to society. Their fall
therefore represents their death or departure from the world.
II. Read the extract given below and answer
the questions that follow:
‘When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear’
(i) What are the ‘small things’ referred to in
this extract? What happens to them when great trees fall?
Answer: The ‘small things’ refer literally to the
smaller creatures and forms of life living in the forest. Metaphorically, they
represent ordinary people or those who depend upon great individuals for
guidance and security. When great trees fall, these small things recoil into
silence and become so deeply affected that their senses seem to be overwhelmed.
(ii) What are the ‘small things’ contrasted
with in the previous extract of the poem?
Answer: The ‘small things’ are contrasted with the
‘great trees’. The great trees represent powerful and influential beings, while
the small things represent weaker, dependent or less influential beings.
(iii) What happens to the ‘senses’ of the
small things when great trees fall? How can this be compared with the
experience of human beings?
Answer: The senses of the small things become so
overwhelmed that they are described as being ‘eroded beyond fear’. Similarly,
human beings may experience shock, confusion and emotional numbness after
losing someone greatly important to them. For a time, they may become unable to
understand or respond normally to the world around them.
(iv) State two poetic devices used in this
extract. Give an example of each.
Answer:
1.
Metaphor: ‘great trees’ metaphorically represent great souls or influential
people.
2.
Personification: ‘small things recoil into silence’ gives the smaller creatures a
human-like reaction to fear and grief.
(v) Explain briefly how the fall of great
trees affects both big and small things.
Answer: The fall of great trees affects all forms of
life. Powerful creatures such as lions and elephants become frightened, while
smaller creatures recoil into silence. Metaphorically, the death of a great
soul affects both powerful and ordinary people because everyone who has been
influenced by that person experiences a sense of loss and insecurity.
III. Read the extract given below and answer
the questions that follow:
‘When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly, see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.’
(i) What is the effect of the death of great
souls on the air around us? What does it suggest?
Answer: The air becomes ‘light, rare, sterile’. This
does not refer to a literal change in the air. It metaphorically suggests that
the world feels empty, lifeless and unfamiliar after the death of a great soul.
The survivors feel as though something essential has been removed from their
lives.
(ii) Which figure of speech is used in the
following lines? What does it suggest?
‘We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly, see...’
Answer: The repetition of the word ‘briefly’ creates
an emphatic repetition that draws attention to the temporary and disturbed
state of the survivors. It suggests that grief is so intense that even ordinary
activities such as breathing and seeing seem momentary and difficult.
(iii) What do our eyes see with ‘hurtful
clarity’? Why?
Answer: Our eyes see the painful reality of the loss
with unusual clarity. The death of a loved one makes us suddenly aware of
everything that has been lost, including opportunities, conversations and
moments that can never be recovered. This clarity is ‘hurtful’ because it
intensifies our grief.
(iv) What happens to our memory after the
death of a loved one?
Answer: Our memory becomes ‘suddenly sharpened’. It
brings back memories of the deceased and makes us think about the kind words we
failed to say and the promised walks or experiences that never took place.
Thus, memory becomes a source of both remembrance and regret.
(v) Explain how this extract portrays the
feelings of despair and regret experienced by a bereaved person after the loss
of someone close.
Answer: The extract portrays grief as a state of
emptiness, confusion and painful awareness. The world seems ‘light, rare,
sterile’, while the bereaved person struggles to breathe and see normally.
Memory becomes sharper and forces the person to remember words left unsaid and
promises unfulfilled. In this way, Angelou effectively presents both the
despair caused by loss and the regret arising from things that can no longer be
done.
IV. Read the extract given below and answer
the questions that follow:
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their,
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their radiance,
fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
dark, cold
caves.
(i) What happens to our ‘reality’ when great
souls die?
Answer: When great souls die, the reality that is
connected with them seems to disappear from our lives. Since they have shaped
our understanding of the world, their absence makes our familiar reality seem
strange, empty and difficult to comprehend.
(ii) Explain how our souls depend on great
souls for their nurture. What happens when these great souls depart?
Answer: Great souls nurture others through their
wisdom, love, achievements, guidance and inspiration. Their influence gives
people emotional and intellectual strength. When they depart, the people who
depended on them feel diminished, weakened and spiritually impoverished, as
suggested by the words ‘shrink, wizened’.
(iii) Which figure of speech is used in the
line ‘Our minds, formed and informed...’?
Answer: Polyptoton is used through the
repetition of words derived from the same root: ‘formed’ and ‘informed’. The
expression also emphasises the powerful influence of great souls on the minds
of others.
(iv) How do the great souls impact our minds?
Answer: Great souls shape and enrich our minds
through their ideas, wisdom, creativity and example. Their influence changes
the way we understand life and the world. Even after their death, their
thoughts and achievements continue to influence us.
(v) Why does the speaker say that ‘we are not
so much maddened’?
Answer: The speaker means that grief does not
necessarily make the survivors literally insane. Instead, it leaves them in a
state of profound confusion, helplessness and ignorance. They feel lost because
the person who gave meaning and direction to their world is no longer present.
(vi) Explain the connotations associated with
the phrase ‘dark, cold caves’.
Answer: ‘Dark, cold caves’ symbolise loneliness,
ignorance, emptiness and emotional isolation. Darkness suggests the absence of
understanding or guidance, while coldness suggests the absence of warmth and
companionship. The image therefore conveys the deep emptiness experienced after
the death of a great soul.
V. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follow:
‘And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us:
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be better.
For they existed.’
(i) How does peace bloom after a period of
grief?
Answer: Peace comes gradually and irregularly after
the initial period of intense grief. As time passes, the survivors begin to
accept the loss and recover emotionally. Their memories of the great soul
become a source of comfort and inspiration rather than only pain.
(ii) Which ‘spaces’ is the speaker referring
to? How are these spaces filled?
Answer: The ‘spaces’ refer to the emotional and
psychological emptiness created by the death of the great souls. These spaces
are gradually filled with comforting memories, renewed understanding and the
continuing influence of the departed person. This is described as a ‘soothing
electric vibration’.
(iii) How are our senses restored? What do
they whisper to us?
Answer: Our senses are restored gradually as we
recover from the shock and grief of loss. However, they are ‘never to be the
same’ because the experience has changed us permanently. They whisper the
reassuring truth that the great souls existed and that their existence has
enriched our lives. Their example inspires us to ‘be and be better’.
(iv) Which poetic device is used in ‘They
existed. They existed.’? What is suggested by this repetition?
Answer: Repetition is used in ‘They existed.
They existed.’ The repetition emphasises the continuing importance of the
departed souls. Although they are no longer physically present, their
existence, achievements and influence remain alive in the memories and lives of
others.
(v) Explain how this extract signifies the
role played by great souls, or immensely talented people, in bringing about
massive cultural change.
Answer: Great souls influence society through their
ideas, achievements, creativity, wisdom and moral example. Their presence can
transform the way people think and contribute to cultural and intellectual
progress. Even after their death, their work continues to inspire others. The
final words, ‘Be and be better’, suggest that their greatest legacy is the
inspiration they leave behind, encouraging future generations to live better
and contribute meaningfully to society.
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