NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English (Woven Words) Poetry 10 Felling of the Banyan Tree

Class : 11th

Subject : English

Chapter : 10

Chapter Name : Felling of the Banyan Tree

Q1 Identify the lines that reveal the critical tone of the poet towards the felling of the tree.

Answer. Dilip Chitre’s “Felling of the Banyan Tree” contains various lines that show the felling of
the banyan tree. Such as “Its scraggy aerial roots fell to the ground”; “Sawing them off for seven
days and the heap was huge”; “Fifty men with axes chopped and chopped”; “Insects and birds
began to leave the tree”; “We watched in terror and fascination this slaughter”.

Q2 Identify the words that help you understand the nature of the poet’s father.

Answer. “Felling of the Banyan Tree” by Dilip Chitre provides us several instances that us about
the nature and temperament of the father. The narrative tells the father was a practical man who
removed all the trees from the land while they were shifting. Certain words that can capture this
side of the father are- “the structures were demolished”; “but he massacred them all”; “My father
ordered it to be removed”.

Q3 ‘Trees are sacred my grandmother used to say’— what does the poet imply by this line?

Answer. According to mythology, some trees are considered sacred. There have been many
beliefs neem tree, banyan, sheoga, tulsi, oudumber. The banyan tree is the most sacred of
these and the removing of a banyan tree is considered to be a sin as it was supposed to be
worshipped in the holy scriptures. Through the line “Trees are sacred my grandmother used to