Class 10 English Treasure Chest Poem When

Great Trees Fall Text Based Multiple Choice

Questions
Read the following questions and select the correct option:
1. Which extended metaphor is used in the poem?
(a) the deaths of great men
(b) the falling of great trees
(c) nature
(d) big and small animals
2. When do animals seek safety?
(a) when the earth shakes
(b) when wolves bowl
(c) when great trees fall
(d) when hunters appears
3. Which positive event happens when great men die?
(a) Our senses are benumbed.
(b) Our memory is suddenly sharpened.
(c) We feel sorry for ourselves.
(d) We feel pity for great men.
4. In what state are we thrown suddenly when we hear about the death of
a great soul?
(a) sullen
(b) indifferent
(c) sorrowful
(d) amusing
5. What do great men generally care for?
(a) our souls
(b) our bodies
(c) our wealth
(d) our health
6. The phrase ‘dark cold, caves’ symbolises ………. in the poem.
(a) cheerfulness
(b) depth of mind
(c) despair
(d) ignorance
7. What happens to our souls on hearing the news of a great man who has
impacted our lives greatly.
(a) We begin to cry.
(b) We become mad.
(c) We become silent.
(d) Our souls shrivel.
8. Which figure of speech is used in the line ‘We can be. Be and be’.
(a) personification
(b) irony
(c) alliteration
(d) sarcasm
9. Which of these statements is NOT true ?
(a) When great trees fall the rocks on distant hills shudder.
(b) When great trees fall small animals do not bother.
(c) The falling of great trees causes ripples for miles.
(d) We should try to be better than we are.
10. The poem ‘When Great Trees Fall’ is on the whole ….. .
(a) depressing
(b) realistic and positive
(c) ironical
(d) amusing
11. According to the poem, which of the following DOES NOT happen when
trees fall?
(a) lions hide behind tall grass
(b) birds hide in the nests
(c) elephants run for safety
(d) small things become silent
12. Find a synonym of wrinkled as used in the poem-
(a) wizened
(b) maddened
(c) eroded
(d) sharpened
13. The senses whisper ________
(a) sadness
(b) pain
(c) inspiration
(d) hatred
14. What happens to our senses when great men die?
(a) they work better
(b) they remain normal
(c) they stop working
(d) not mentioned
15. Our minds are formed by ____________________
(a) the care of great souls
(b) the radiance of great souls
(c) the love of great souls
(d) the promises made by the great souls
16. What is the meaning of recoil as used in the poem?
(a) to go back
(b) spring back
(c) shrink
(d) wither
17. Which figure of speech is used in ‘When Great Trees Fall’?
(a) simile
(b) personification
(c) metaphor
(d) alliteration
18. Which of the following lines has been repeated in the poem?
(a) When great souls die
(b) Webreathe, briefly
(c) a hurtful clarity
(d) all of these
19. Which figure of speech has been used in the following line –
‘After a period peace blooms’
(a) simile
(b) personification
(c) repetition
(d) alliteration
20. The lines ‘
‘slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.’
Show the use of ___________
(a) anaphora
(b) enjambment
(c) metaphor
(d) repetition
Answers
1. (b) the falling of great trees
2. (a) when the earth shakes
3. (b) Our memory is suddenly sharpened.
4. (c) sorrowful
5. (a) our souls
6. (c) despair
7. (d) Our souls shrivel.
8. (c) alliteration
9. (b) When great trees fall small animals do not bother.
10. (b) realistic and positive
11. (b) birds hide in the nests
12. (a) wizened
13. (c) inspiration
14. (c) they stop working
15. (b) the radiance of great souls
16. (a) to go back
17. (c) metaphor
18. (a) When great souls die
19. (d) alliteration
20. (b) enjambment
Class 10 English Treasure Chest Poem When
Great Trees Fall Text Based Multiple Choice
Questions
Read the following questions and select the correct option:
1. Which extended metaphor is used in the poem?
(a) the deaths of great men
(b) the falling of great trees
(c) nature
(d) big and small animals
2. When do animals seek safety?
(a) when the earth shakes
(b) when wolves bowl
(c) when great trees fall
(d) when hunters appears
3. Which positive event happens when great men die?
(a) Our senses are benumbed.
(b) Our memory is suddenly sharpened.
(c) We feel sorry for ourselves.
(d) We feel pity for great men.
4. In what state are we thrown suddenly when we hear about the death of
a great soul?
(a) sullen
(b) indifferent
(c) sorrowful
(d) amusing
5. What do great men generally care for?
(a) our souls
(b) our bodies
(c) our wealth
(d) our health
6. The phrase ‘dark cold, caves’ symbolises ………. in the poem.
(a) cheerfulness
(b) depth of mind
(c) despair
(d) ignorance
7. What happens to our souls on hearing the news of a great man who has
impacted our lives greatly.
(a) We begin to cry.
(b) We become mad.
(c) We become silent.
(d) Our souls shrivel.
8. Which figure of speech is used in the line ‘We can be. Be and be’.
(a) personification
(b) irony
(c) alliteration
(d) sarcasm
9. Which of these statements is NOT true ?
(a) When great trees fall the rocks on distant hills shudder.
(b) When great trees fall small animals do not bother.
(c) The falling of great trees causes ripples for miles.
(d) We should try to be better than we are.
10. The poem ‘When Great Trees Fall’ is on the whole ….. .
(a) depressing
(b) realistic and positive
(c) ironical
(d) amusing
11. According to the poem, which of the following DOES NOT happen when
trees fall?
(a) lions hide behind tall grass
(b) birds hide in the nests
(c) elephants run for safety
(d) small things become silent
12. Find a synonym of wrinkled as used in the poem-
(a) wizened
(b) maddened
(c) eroded
(d) sharpened
13. The senses whisper ________
(a) sadness
(b) pain
(c) inspiration
(d) hatred
14. What happens to our senses when great men die?
(a) they work better
(b) they remain normal
(c) they stop working
(d) not mentioned
15. Our minds are formed by ____________________
(a) the care of great souls
(b) the radiance of great souls
(c) the love of great souls
(d) the promises made by the great souls
16. What is the meaning of recoil as used in the poem?
(a) to go back
(b) spring back
(c) shrink
(d) wither
17. Which figure of speech is used in ‘When Great Trees Fall’?
(a) simile
(b) personification
(c) metaphor
(d) alliteration
18. Which of the following lines has been repeated in the poem?
(a) When great souls die
(b) Webreathe, briefly
(c) a hurtful clarity
(d) all of these
19. Which figure of speech has been used in the following line –
‘After a period peace blooms’
(a) simile
(b) personification
(c) repetition
(d) alliteration
20. The lines ‘
‘slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.’
Show the use of ___________
(a) anaphora
(b) enjambment
(c) metaphor
(d) repetition
Answers
1. (b) the falling of great trees
2. (a) when the earth shakes
3. (b) Our memory is suddenly sharpened.
4. (c) sorrowful
5. (a) our souls
6. (c) despair
7. (d) Our souls shrivel.
8. (c) alliteration
9. (b) When great trees fall small animals do not bother.
10. (b) realistic and positive
11. (b) birds hide in the nests
12. (a) wizened
13. (c) inspiration
14. (c) they stop working
15. (b) the radiance of great souls
16. (a) to go back
17. (c) metaphor
18. (a) When great souls die
19. (d) alliteration
20. (b) enjambment

ICSSE Class 10 English When Great Trees Fall

Extract Based Questions
PASSAGE-1
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) What does “great trees” represed in the poem?
Ans. Great men
(ii) What does the shuddering of ‘rocks’ on distant hills symbolise?
Ans. It symbolizes the ripple effect caused by any incident.
(iii) How do animals behave when great trees fall? Why?
Ans. The lions hide behind tall grass, the elephants run to safer places and the
smaller animals recoil and become silent.
(iv) What happens to small things when great trees fall?
Ans. The small things recoil and become silent.
(v) Which words used in this extract give us the idea that the fall of great
trees impact all?
Ans. even

PASSAGE-2
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 does the fall of great trees symbolise in the poem?
Ans. the death of great men
(ii) What happens to big animals when great trees fall?
Ans. The lions hide behind tall grass and the elephant run in search of safer places.
(iii) What happens to small things when great trees fall?
Ans. The small animals recoil into their homes and become silent.
(iv) Explain the meaning of ‘Their senses / eroded beyond fear’.
Ans. Their faculties of hearing, speaking, thinking, etc stop working due to the
intense fear.
(v) When great men die, what kind of ‘clarity’ do we have all of a sudden?
Ans. We get the clarity of the immense pain caused by such a loss.
PASSAGE-3
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.
(i) What image from the world of nature has been used earlier in the
context?
Ans. falling of great trees
(ii) What happens when great trees fall?
Ans. The rocks tremble, lions hide behind grass and elephants run to safer places.
The smaller animals become silent and go back into their hiding places.
(iii) ‘We breathe, briefly’. What does the poet mean by this?
Ans. We are uncomfortable and take shallow breaths.
(iv) What kind of ‘clarity’ does the poet refer to?
Ans. The clarity of the amount of pain that is caused by the loss.
(v) What do we come to remember when great men die?
Ans. Their kindness and the unfulfilled promises of going for walks are reminded to
us after they die.
PASSAGE-4
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
(i) What happens when great trees fall, according to the poet?
Ans. The forest trembles. The animals hide and run to safety. They become silent.
(ii) Why does it become difficult to breathe when great souls die?
Ans. They air seems to be light and it seems that there is insufficient oxygen in it.
This is so because actually we are not able to breathe and feel choked up with
emotions.
(iii) What do we come to remember suddenly when great souls die?
Ans. The kind words which were not spoken but were reflected through their kind
acts. The unfulfilled promises of going on walks with them.
(iv) In what state of mind is the speaker here?
Ans. The speaker is also reminded of great men whom she probably lost
PASSAGE-5
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.
(i) What does the fall of great trees symbolize in the poem, as suggested
earlier in the context?
Ans. The death of great men.
(ii) What do we remember when great souls die?
Ans. We remember their kindness and the promises which we made but could not
fulfil.
(iii) What happens to our ‘reality’ when great souls die?
Ans. The part of our reality which was linked to them ends.
(iv) What does the poet mean by ‘wizened’ souls here?
Ans. The soul gets shrunk.
(v) What does the word ‘nurture’ suggest in the context?
Ans. To take care of

PASSAGE-6
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
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) How has the poet compared the world of nature with the human world
earlier in the context?
Ans. The great trees have been compared to great men.
(ii) What happens when someone emotionally attached to us depart for
ever?
Ans. Our soul which was nourished by them gets shrunk. Our mind which was
formed of their shining qualities feels shattered. We feel as if we are isolated in a
cave of sadness.
(iii) How are our minds affected by great souls?
Ans. They are made up of their shining qualities.
(iv) In what state of mind are we thrown when great souls die?
Ans. Loneliness and despair.
(v) Explain the reference to the ‘ignorance of dark, cold caves.’
Ans. Figuratively, it is as if we are isolated in a dark cave of sadness.

PASSAGE-7
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.
(i) What is suggested by the fall of great trees earlier in the context?
Ans. The death of great men.
(ii) How do we feel when great men die?
Ans. After the initial period of pain and sadness, peace prevails.
(iii) How does the poet portray time as a healer here?
Ans. Gradually, with the passage of time, there is inner peace
(iv) What kind of ‘spaces’ are referred to here?
Ans. The spaces in our body
(v) How do we feel during those ‘spaces’?
Ans. There are vibrations of peace.
PASSAGE-8
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
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 do we feel when persons attached to us die?
Ans. After the initial period of pain, there is peace and their great lives inspire us.
(ii) When do we feel at peace when great souls die?
Ans. After sometime
(iii) Why do our sense never achieve the former state of normalcy after the
death of great souls?
Ans. They change due to the experience of losing a loved one which has caused
pain and sadness.
(iv) What is the significance of the repetition of words in Lines 3-4?
Ans. To emphasize on the importance of being great like those great souls.