Class X : Poem : Unit -5 : THE TREES

🌳 The Trees – Adrienne Rich 

I. Comprehension and Theme (1–10)

1. Who is the poet of the poem “The Trees”?

a) Kamala Das

b) Adrienne Rich

c) Robert Frost

d) Sylvia Plath

Answer: b) Adrienne Rich

2. What is the central theme of the poem?

a) Deforestation

b) Freedom and connection with nature

c) Beauty of gardens

d) Human progress

Answer: b) Freedom and connection with nature

3. Where are the trees described to be at the beginning of the poem?

a) In the forest

b) In the garden

c) Inside the house

d) By the roadside

Answer: c) Inside the house

4. What do the trees want to do in the poem?

a) Stay in the room

b) Grow tall

c) Go back to the forest

d) Be decorated

Answer: c) Go back to the forest

5. What does the movement of trees represent?

a) Human carelessness

b) Struggle for freedom and growth

c) Seasonal change

d) Earthquake

Answer: b) Struggle for freedom and growth

6. Why do the trees move “out into the forest”?

a) To seek sunlight

b) To regain their natural habitat

c) To find animals

d) To escape humans

Answer: b) To regain their natural habitat

7. What does the phrase “the forest that was empty all these days” suggest?

a) The trees had died

b) The forest was waiting for their return

c) Humans had cut all trees

d) It was a desert

Answer: b) The forest was waiting for their return

8. What happens when the trees start moving out?

a) The walls crack

b) The glass breaks

c) The poet feels calm

d) The moon hides

Answer: b) The glass breaks

9. What does the breaking of glass symbolize?

a) Destruction

b) Shattering of confinement

c) Natural disaster

d) Fear

Answer: b) Shattering of confinement

10. Where is the poet while the trees are moving out?

a) In the garden

b) In her room

c) In the forest

d) On the roof

Answer: b) In her room

II. Mood and Tone (11–20)

11. What is the general tone of the poem?

a) Angry

b) Hopeful and liberating

c) Sad and nostalgic

d) Sarcastic

Answer: b) Hopeful and liberating

12. What mood does the poet create through the imagery of trees breaking out?

a) Joy and freedom

b) Fear and chaos

c) Guilt

d) Calmness

Answer: a) Joy and freedom

13. The poet’s tone in describing the forest can be seen as:

a) Hostile

b) Rejuvenating

c) Indifferent

d) Pessimistic

Answer: b) Rejuvenating

14. The mood when the trees move out of the house changes from:

a) Stillness to movement

b) Anger to peace

c) Sadness to joy

d) Boredom to excitement

Answer: a) Stillness to movement

15. The silence inside the room represents:

a) Peace

b) Loneliness and emptiness

c) Happiness

d) Nature’s rest

Answer: b) Loneliness and emptiness

16. What mood is created by the poet’s observation of the moon?

a) Mystery and reflection

b) Fear and anxiety

c) Brightness and hope

d) Guilt

Answer: a) Mystery and reflection

17. The tone of liberation in the poem is closely tied to:

a) Nature’s reclaiming of space

b) Urban development

c) Human victory

d) Silence of night

Answer: a) Nature’s reclaiming of space

18. What emotion does the poet feel when she says, “The trees are moving out into the forest”?

a) Surprise

b) Relief and wonder

c) Sadness

d) Confusion

Answer: b) Relief and wonder

19. The overall mood of the poem can best be described as:

a) Confined and hopeful

b) Angry and destructive

c) Dull and lifeless

d) Frightened and anxious

Answer: a) Confined and hopeful

20. What shift in tone occurs by the end of the poem?

a) From sadness to joy

b) From confinement to freedom

c) From chaos to peace

d) From excitement to boredom

Answer: b) From confinement to freedom 

III. Figures of Speech and Poetic Devices (21–30)

21. “The trees inside are moving out into the forest.” — This is an example of:

a) Simile

b) Personification

c) Metaphor

d) Alliteration

Answer: b) Personification

22. The poem “The Trees” is written in:

a) Free verse

b) Sonnet form

c) Rhymed couplets

d) Ballad form

Answer: a) Free verse

23. The phrase “the forest that was empty” is an example of:

a) Hyperbole

b) Metaphor

c) Imagery

d) Irony

Answer: c) Imagery

24. The breaking of glass is a:

a) Symbol

b) Rhyme

c) Irony

d) Simile

Answer: a) Symbol

25. “The night is fresh, the whole moon shines in a sky still open” — highlights which figure of speech?

a) Alliteration

b) Imagery

c) Onomatopoeia

d) Metaphor

Answer: b) Imagery

26. “The trees are moving out into the forest” — represents what broader idea?

a) Escape from captivity

b) Urban pollution

c) Environmental destruction

d) Human indifference

Answer: a) Escape from captivity

27. Which literary device dominates the poem overall?

a) Personification

b) Irony

c) Pun

d) Paradox

Answer: a) Personification

28. The word “whisper” in the poem suggests:

a) Onomatopoeia and secrecy

b) Repetition

c) Comparison

d) Personification

Answer: a) Onomatopoeia and secrecy

29. The trees’ struggle mirrors:

a) Human struggle for freedom

b) Political conflict

c) Economic development

d) Scientific progress

Answer: a) Human struggle for freedom

30. The tone of the last line, “Listening to the whisper of the trees,” is:

a) Calm and reflective

b) Angry

c) Fearful

d) Doubtful

Answer: a) Calm and reflective

✅ Summary of Key Poetic Elements:

Mood: Reflective, hopeful, liberating

Tone: Calm yet determined; moves from confinement to freedom

Figures of Speech: Personification, Imagery, Symbolism, Onomatopoeia

Theme: Rebirth of nature and liberation from human control