PODAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, AMBEGAON

PERIODOC TEST 2 – 2024-25

When Great Trees Fall - REVISION
1. Choose the correct option.

a. The falling of a great tree symbolises the _________________.

i. loss of a great tree iv. loss of people taking shelter
ii. loss of a great person under the tree
iii. loss of birds living on the tree

b. ‘small things recoil into silence,’

The meaning of the word ‘recoil’ is ______.
i. meet iii. flinch
ii. remain iv. race

c. Rocks shudder on the distant hills _______________.

i. when there is a snowfall iii. when there is a cyclone
ii. when there is a heavy rainfall iv. when great trees fall

d. The loss of a great soul alters _______________.

i. people’s habits iii. people’s senses
ii. people’s livelihood iv. people’s way of talking

e. Identify the figure of speech in the given line.

We breathe, briefly. Our eyes, briefly,
i. Repetition iii. Simile
ii. Metaphor iv. Alliteration

f. The empty spaces get filled with ______________.

i. soothing memories iii. pain and sadness
ii. soothing electric vibration iv. joy and laughter

g. Identify the figure of speech in the given line.

Our senses, restored never to be the same, whisper to us.
i. Personification iii. Metaphor
ii. Alliteration iv. Simile
h. According to the poetess, there is _______ in the midst of great loss.
i. pain iii. life
ii. sadness iv. hope

2. Match the columns.

Element in nature Effect
a)small things i.shudder
b)lions ii.lumber to safety
c)air around us iii.hunker in tall grasses
d)rocks iv.recoil in silence
e)elephants v.light, rare and sterile
Answers:
a) Iv b) iii c) v d) I e) ii

3. Read the extract and answer the questions.

(a) What does the falling of a Tree symbolize?

Answer:The falling of a great tree symbolizes the loss of
a great person.
(b) What happens when great souls die?
Answer:When a great soul departs, it affects the
hundreds or thousands of hearts, he or she has touched
during the time they lived. The air around becomes
difficult to live in. People begin feeling lost, miserable
and unproductive.
(c) How does the falling of great trees affect
small things?
Answer:Small things symbolise the physically small,
children, etc. who also feel the effects of the loss as
much as their older counterparts. It could also mean
that those who are unknown, without fame or political
significance, too, feel the effects of the loss just as the
great minds of their day feel it.
(d) Find a word from the chapter which means the
same as ‘flinch’.
Answer:Recoil
4. Read the extract and answer the questions.
(a) What theme does the poet highlight in the above lines?
Answer:The poet discusses or highlights the theme of hope.
(b) According to the poet what happens to the empty spaces?
Answer:The empty spaces get filled with a kind of soothing electric
vibration.
(c) How does the loss of a great soul affect people?
Answer:The loss of a great soul alters people’s senses such that they
cannot be restored again.
(d) Find a word from the chapter which is the opposite of
‘Upheaval’.
Answer:Peace
(e) Identify the tone of the above lines.
The tone of the above poem is ‘hopeful’ as the poet discusses or
highlights the theme of hope.
(f) What insight does the poet give on the mental and emotional
effect of losing some one?
The poet explains that loss can truly change a person’s reality. When
one’s reality is bound up in the life of another, the loss of that person
changes everything. She explains the way that our souls can depend on
the nurture of another, and when that person dies, it leaves us feeling
small, like our very souls have shrunk. This has immense strain on a
person’s mental and emotional being.

5. Answer the following in 30-40 words.

a)How does the poetess offer hope to those who have suffered a
loss?
The poetess offers hope to all who have suffered loss by revealing that
healing does occur in the aftermath of death. She implies that time has
allowed for this healing to occur. She explains that after a period she was
able to feel peace bloom.
b)What regrets does the poetess mention in the poem?
The poetess regrets the things not done when the person was alive. She
regrets not having said kind words. She also regrets having promised
walks or spending time when the person was alive.
c) What does the poet mean by ‘their senses erode beyond fear’?
In the phrase ‘their senses erode beyond fear’ the poet emphasises that
the ones at loss are not even sure what they feel for their senses (are)
eroded beyond fear. This refers to the numbness of heart and soul that
often immediately follows the loss of someone great.
d) What feeling does the poet explore in the line ‘Our memory,
suddenly sharpened, examines, gnaws on kind words unsaid?
Why?
In this line the poet explores the feeling of anger and regret as she
highlights the baggage of having unexpressed feelings in the heart, that a
person experiences. This loss has left her desperately longing for more
time to express the love she felt in her heart for the person who was
taken too soon.
f) Describe the brief moments of ‘Hurtful Clarity’ mentioned in
the poem.
The speaker describes the way in which those affected by loss have a
brief moment of hurtful clarity in which they are able to see and
understand just what a valuable soul has been lost. These moments serve
as a reminder of the loss of the person.

6. Answer in 100 – 120 words.

a) How does the poet strike a comparison
between nature and humans?
The poet opens the poem with the metaphor of the
falling of great trees. In the literal sense it means when
great trees fall the effect is felt for miles. Inanimate
objects like rocks shudder. Animals big or small hunker
and run for safety. Metaphorically the poet draws a
striking comparison between the falling of great trees
to the loss of a person making it very symbolic. When a
great soul departs, the effects are felt deep and far.
Just like the lions hunker, people too react to the loss of
life with fear and the pressing need to hide away to
safety. The speaker’s use of nature and animals to
create the image of the effects of death allows the
reader to connect with the feeling through the visual
imagery presented.

b) What theme has been discussed in the line ‘They existed. They
existed we can be. Be and be better. For they existed?
In these lines the poet explores the theme that life goes on despite a
great loss. These lines give a new meaning and purpose to her life. She
claims that because this great one existed, she can be better. It even
offers great hope to all who have experienced loss. The speaker continues
to identify with others who have lost loved ones which create a sense in
the readers that they are not alone. Readers can know that others have
felt such grievous pain, and yet have not only healed but been made
better by the loss. Even if they will never be the same again, and even if
there will always be pain and sadness, there is hope for healing and joy in
the midst of great loss.
c) Write about someone who has been like the great tree in your life; ever
loving, protective and always providing. You can tell how you consider this
person important. Mention how has the presence of this person made a
difference in your life.
Student specific
d) You are a news reporter. Write about an incident when the
felling of a tree has impacted your locality.
Student specific
7. Word Association
List one word or phrase that you associate with each of the following
vocabulary words:
hunker down: ________________________ shelter
recoil into silence: _____________________ withdrawal
hurtful clarity: _________________________ painful awareness gnaws:
______________________________ anxiety
wizened: _______________________________ aging
8. Complete the sentences with the correct vocabulary words from the
poem:
i. When great souls die, our air becomes light, rare, and ____________.
sterile
ii. Small things ________ into silence when great trees fall. recoil
iii. The memory ________ on kind words unsaid. gnaws
iv. After a period, peace ________ slowly and always irregularly. blooms
v. Our senses, restored, will never be the same; they will ________ to us.
whisper