FIND OUT
1. What is laburnum called in your language?
Answer: In Assamese, laburnum may be referred to as a golden-flowering tree. In Hindi, it is commonly known as Amaltas.
2. Which local bird is like the goldfinch?
Answer: A local bird similar to the goldfinch may be identified by its small size, bright colouring and quick movements. The exact local equivalent may vary from place to place.
THINK IT OUT
1. What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
Answer: The poem begins with the laburnum tree standing silent and still in the September afternoon.
The arrival of the goldfinch suddenly fills the tree with movement, sound and activity.
At the end, the goldfinch flies away and the tree again becomes quiet and empty.
Thus, the poem moves from silence to activity and back to silence.
2. To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
Answer: The movement of the goldfinch is compared to that of a lizard.
A lizard moves quickly, smoothly and cautiously. In the same way, the goldfinch enters the thick branches of the laburnum in a sudden, alert and swift manner.
The comparison highlights the bird’s quickness and careful movement.
3. Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
Answer: The image of an engine is used to describe the sudden burst of life and activity inside the tree.
The goldfinch enters the branches where her young ones are waiting. Their chirping and movements make the tree seem like a machine that has suddenly started.
The mother bird is the source of this energy and activity, just as an engine provides energy to a machine.
4. What do you like most about the poem?
Answer: I like the vivid description of nature and the way the poet transforms an ordinary scene into something lively and beautiful.
The comparison of the goldfinch with a lizard is especially effective because it clearly shows the bird’s quick and alert movements.
I also like the contrast between the silence of the tree and the sudden burst of sound and activity created by the bird and her young ones.
5. What does the phrase “her barred face identity mask” mean?
Answer: The phrase refers to the distinctive markings or stripes on the goldfinch’s face.
These markings act like a natural “mask” and make the bird easily recognisable.
Thus, the phrase describes the special facial pattern that forms part of the bird’s identity.
NOTE DOWN
1. The sound words used in the poem.
Answer: Some sound-related words are:
- silent
- chirrup
- chitterings
- trillings
- whistle
- whisperings
2. The movement words used in the poem.
Answer: Some movement-related words are:
- still
- comes
- suddenness
- startlement
- abrupt
- enters
- tremor
- trembles
- flirts out
- launches away
- subsides
3. What is the dominant colour in the poem?
Answer: The dominant colour is yellow.
The laburnum flowers, the September sunlight and the goldfinch together create a strong yellow or golden visual impression.
LIST THE FOLLOWING
1. Words that suggest the goldfinch is sleek, alert and abrupt.
Answer: The words and expressions that suggest these qualities are:
- suddenness
- startlement
- sleek
- alert
- abrupt
These words emphasise the bird’s quick and cautious movement.
2. Words containing the ‘ch’ sound and the ‘tr’ sound.
Answer:
‘ch’ sound:
- goldfinch
- twitching
- chirrup
- branch
- chitterings
- launches
‘tr’ sound:
- tremor
- trembles
- trillings
- tree
3. What other sounds occur frequently in the poem?
Answer: The poem also frequently uses sounds such as ‘t’ and ‘s’.
Examples include:
- silent
- still
- subsides
- seeds
- quiet
- alert
These sounds help create the rhythm and musical quality of the poem.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
1. Name another poem about a bird or a tree.
Answer: One well-known English poem about a bird is “To a Skylark” by P. B. Shelley.
It celebrates the skylark and uses the bird as a symbol of joy, freedom and inspiration.
TRY THIS OUT
1. Write four lines in verse form on any tree that you see around you.
Answer:
The mango tree stands calm and wide,
With birds and shadows by its side.
Its branches dance in the evening breeze,
A quiet home for birds and bees.
IMPORTANT QUESTION AND ANSWER
1. How does the poet describe the laburnum tree before the goldfinch arrives?
Answer: Before the goldfinch arrives, the laburnum tree is silent and still.
It stands quietly in the yellow September sunlight.
There is almost no movement or sound, creating a calm and lifeless atmosphere.
2. What is the significance of the goldfinch’s sudden arrival?
Answer: The goldfinch’s arrival completely changes the atmosphere of the tree.
Before her arrival, the laburnum is silent and motionless. As soon as she enters the branches, the tree becomes full of chirping, movement and energy.
Her arrival therefore brings the tree to life.
3. Why is the goldfinch compared to a lizard?
Answer: The goldfinch is compared to a lizard because both move in a quick, smooth, cautious and alert manner.
The comparison helps the reader imagine how suddenly and carefully the bird moves into the thick branches of the tree.
4. What does “the engine of her family” symbolise?
Answer: The expression symbolises the goldfinch as the central source of energy and activity for her family.
When she enters the nest, her young ones become active and begin chirping.
She brings food, care and life to them, just as an engine provides energy to a machine.
5. What does the expression “flirts out” suggest about the goldfinch’s movement?
Answer: “Flirts out” suggests a quick, light and graceful movement.
The goldfinch comes out towards the end of a branch in a lively manner before flying away.
6. What happens to the laburnum tree when the goldfinch enters it?
Answer: When the goldfinch enters the tree, the silence is suddenly broken.
Her young ones begin chittering and trilling, and the whole tree seems to tremble with activity.
The previously quiet tree becomes lively and energetic.
7. What happens after the goldfinch leaves?
Answer: After the goldfinch flies away, all the movement and sound disappear.
The laburnum tree gradually becomes silent and empty again.
This restores the calm atmosphere with which the poem began.
8. How does the poem present the relationship between the bird and the tree?
Answer: The poem presents the bird and the tree as closely connected parts of nature.
The laburnum provides shelter for the goldfinch and her young ones, while the bird brings movement, sound and life to the tree.
Their relationship shows the interdependence of living creatures in nature.
FILL IN THE BLANKS
1. The Laburnum top is __________ in the yellow September sunlight.
Answer: silent
2. The goldfinch arrives with a __________ chirrup.
Answer: twitching
3. The goldfinch enters the __________ of the tree.
Answer: thickness
4. The whole tree __________ and thrills after the goldfinch enters.
Answer: trembles
5. After the goldfinch leaves, the laburnum __________ to empty.
Answer: subsides
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. What is the state of the Laburnum top before the goldfinch arrives?
(a) Full of movement
(b) Silent and still
(c) Full of birds
(d) Shaking violently
Answer: (b) Silent and still
2. What happens when the goldfinch arrives?
(a) The tree becomes lifeless.
(b) The tree trembles and thrills with activity.
(c) The tree loses all its leaves.
(d) The tree becomes darker.
Answer: (b) The tree trembles and thrills with activity.
3. The goldfinch’s movement is compared to that of a:
(a) snake
(b) butterfly
(c) lizard
(d) eagle
Answer: (c) lizard
4. What kind of sound accompanies the goldfinch’s arrival?
(a) A deep roar
(b) A chirrup and chittering
(c) Complete silence
(d) A loud scream
Answer: (b) A chirrup and chittering
5. What does the “machine” in the poem refer to?
(a) A real mechanical machine
(b) The sudden activity of the goldfinch and her family
(c) The movement of the wind
(d) The shaking branches only
Answer: (b) The sudden activity of the goldfinch and her family
6. What does the goldfinch show as she moves towards the branch-end?
(a) Her nest
(b) Her barred face identity mask
(c) Her long tail
(d) Her food
Answer: (b) Her barred face identity mask
7. What does the goldfinch do at the end?
(a) Remains in the nest
(b) Flies away
(c) Falls asleep
(d) Hides in the trunk
Answer: (b) Flies away
8. What happens to the Laburnum after the bird leaves?
(a) It becomes more active.
(b) It subsides to empty.
(c) It begins flowering.
(d) It starts shaking.
Answer: (b) It subsides to empty.
9. What time of day is described in the poem?
(a) Morning
(b) Afternoon
(c) Midnight
(d) Dawn
Answer: (b) Afternoon
10. What does “the engine of her family” mainly suggest?
(a) The tree works like a machine.
(b) The goldfinch is the source of energy and activity for her family.
(c) The bird is very strong.
(d) The young birds can fly a machine.
Answer: (b) The goldfinch is the source of energy and activity for her family.
11. What does “startlement” mean?
(a) Calmness
(b) Sudden surprise
(c) Anger
(d) Sleepiness
Answer: (b) Sudden surprise
12. What does “sleek” mean?
(a) Smooth and graceful
(b) Rough and dirty
(c) Large and heavy
(d) Weak and slow
Answer: (a) Smooth and graceful
13. What does “tremor” mean?
(a) A loud cry
(b) A slight shaking movement
(c) Complete stillness
(d) A bright colour
Answer: (b) A slight shaking movement
14. What does “flirts out” suggest?
(a) A light and lively movement
(b) A slow and heavy movement
(c) An angry attack
(d) A fall from the tree
Answer: (a) A light and lively movement
15. What does the “identity mask” refer to?
(a) An artificial mask worn by the bird
(b) The distinctive markings on the bird’s face
(c) The nest covering the bird
(d) The leaves hiding the bird
Answer: (b) The distinctive markings on the bird’s face
(For Paid User)
(āĻ¸āĻāĻ˛ো āĻĒাāĻ ā§° Paid āĻāĻ¤্āĻ¤ā§°āĻŦোā§° āĻাāĻŦ āĻĒাā§°িāĻŦ)
Paid E-Notes Available
Only 50 Rupees (Get All Chapter Notes)
