KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 English Poem Chapter 8 The Axe in the Wood

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Karnataka State Syllabus Class 8 English Poem Chapter 8 The Axe in the Wood

The Axe in the Wood Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes

ILA – Your teacher will recite a poem for you. (Listening passage L-8A) Listen to your teacher carefully and answer the questions given below.

Question 1.
Who does ‘I’ refer to in this poem?
Answer:
‘I’ refers to a shady tree.

Question 2.
How is the speaker a source of joy to children?
Answer:
The children play among the branches of the tree.

Question 3.
Name any two creatures that find comfort from the speaker.
Answer:
Worms, small creatures and resting herds of animals and shepherds.

Question 4.
What do you think will happen to the speaker in the end?
Answer:
People would cut it down.

Textbook Questions and Answers

C1 Answer the following questions and share your responses with your partner.

Question 1.
What words in stanzas 1 and 2 mean
a) 100 years
b) scene?
Answer:
a) century
b) sight.

Question 2.
Make a list of all the words that are used in the poem to describe the ‘axe’.
Answer:
Quick, sharp, glittering and bright.

Question 3.
Read the following words:
trunk, axe, wood, timber, tree.
Which word does not fit into the list above?
Answer:
Axe.

C2. See multiple-choice questions given at the end.

Read and Write:

C3. Read and discuss your responses with your partner. Then write.

Question 1.
Who do you think T refers to in this poem?
Answer:
‘I’ refers to the poet.

Question 2.
Why do you think the poet stopped?
Answer:
The poet stopped to watch a man cutting a tree.

Question 3.
Which line tells us that the tree is aged?
Answer:
The second line – ‘of a tree grown strong through many centuries’.

Question 4.
Does the poem mean that cutting a tree is a huge loss for human beings? Which line supports your answer?
Answer:
Yes. The thirteenth line supports the answer – ‘But I saw death cut down a thousand men’.

Question 5.
Do you think the poet wrote this poem while the tree was being cut? Support your answer picking up the relevant line/lines from the poem.
Answer:
Yes, at that moment only the poet constructed this poem. This was known by the lines. I stopped to watch a man strike at the trunk.

Question 6.
Do’ you think the poet has made his intention clear to the reader at the end? Which lines support your answer?
Answer:
Yes. His intention was clear by seeing these lines in the poem Had more good in it.

Question 7.
What message does the poem give us?
Answer:
The poet is against indiscriminate cutting of’ trees. We should preserve whatever that has been passed on to us by our predecessors and pass it on to our successors.

Question 8.
What do you learn about the trees from this poem?
Answer:
Trees are precious gifts of Nature to man. They help the man in many ways to live on this earth. We should not be blind to the treasure and beauty of nature.

Question 9.
“But I saw death cut down a thousand men”. Explain. What does the poet mean by ‘lovely legacy of wood’?
Answer:
The tree takes many years to grow strong, when it was old men fell the tree and its timber is of more value. After the death also the tree is useful as a timber.

Question 10.
A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines. Usually, a sonnet has a rhyme scheme. Is this poem a sonnet? Check whether this poem has a rhyme scheme or not.
Answer:
The poem ‘The Axe in the Wood’ is a sonnet. It has fourteen lines. There are three quatrains and a couplet. But, there is no rhyme scheme in the poem.

Question 11.
Read the second stanza carefully. Do you find any expressions of irony in it?
Answer:
Yes. The irony is in these lines,
“And I remember how I liked the sight Of poise and rhythm as the bright axe swung”.
(Note: Irony – conveying a meaning that contradicts the literal sense of the words used; Being the reverse of what was expected.)

The Axe in the Wood Poem Additional Questions and Answers

Question 12.
What did the poet stop to watch?
Answer:
The poet stopped to watch a man strike at the trunk of a tree that had grown strong through the centuries.

Question 13.
How is the cutting down of a tree described in stanza 1?
OR
What went ‘spinning in the air’ as the woodcutter struck deep into the trunk?
Answer:
A man struck at the trunk of a strong ancient tree. His strokes were quick and sharp and sank deep into the body of the tree, making yellow chips go spinning in the air. As he struck, the axe glittered in the light.

Question 14.
The poet says that he liked the sight of a tree being cut. Why?
Answer:
The poet liked the sight of a tree being cut. He admired the poise of the woodcutter, and the rhythm of his strokes as he swung the bright axe. He was not the only one who liked watching the felling of a tree. A swinging axe wielded by a woodcutter always drew a crowd.

Question 15.
The poem seems to suggest two conflicting points of view about cutting of trees. What are they?
Answer:
One view was that the tree was very old and it was dangerous to let it stand, for it might fall any moment. It was much better to cut it down and saw the trunk into logs and have them stacked up in a timber yard. The other view was that, when such an ancient tree, grown strong through the centuries, was cut down a tall lovely legacy of wood was lost to posterity.

Question 16.
In describing people’s reaction to the cutting of a tree, the poet is also commenting on:
a) their delight in destruction.
b) their selfishness.
c) their indifference.
Answer:
a.

Question 17.
What does “reproach ” in line 9 suggest? Why does the poet call it “chanced reproach”?
Answer:
Reproach suggests that people may object to an old tree being allowed to stand when it might fall any moment. It was dangerous to let it stand. The poet calls it “chanced ‘reproach”, as the reproach may occur to one by chance (This reproach is in answer to the contention of the tree-lover that a tree must not be cut down)’.

Question 18.
Who makes excuses for cutting trees? Do these excuses satisfy the poet? Which is the word that provides a clue to your answer?
Answer:
The people who come to watch a tree being cut down always make excuses for its being brought down. But, these excuses do not satisfy the poet. The word “But”, following immediately after the statement of excuses indicates he does riot accept the excuses.

Question 19.
What was the man striking at with his axe in the poem ‘The Axe in The Wood’?
Answer:
He was striking at the trunk of a tree.

Question 20.
How long does it take for a tree to grow strong, according to Clifford Dyment?
Answer:
It takes many a century for a tree to grow strong.

Question 21.
What sight did the poet like in the poem ‘The Axe in The Wood’?
Answer:
He liked the sight of the poise of the man and the rhythm with which he swung the bright axe.

Question 22.
What has a swinging axe always drawn, according to the poet in ‘The Axe in The Wood’?
Answer:
A swinging axe has always drawn a crowd.

Question 23.
Who knows the answers for the chanced reproach in the poem ‘The Axe in The Wood’?
Answer:
The poet knows the answers.

Question 24.
What does the poet see in the death of a tree in the poem ‘The Axe in The Wood’?
Answer:
He sees death cut down a thousand men.

Question 25.
Who makes excuses for cutting trees in the poem ‘The Axe in The Wood’?
Answer:
Those who say the tree is very old and how dangerous it is, for it might fall, and how timber stacked is better than a growing tree.

Question 26.
Mention one of the excuses made by people who cut down trees in the poem ‘The Axe in The Wood’.
Answer:
The tree was old and so, might fall.

Question 27.
What sort of a tree does the poet watch being cut?
Answer:
A tree has grown strong over many centuries.

Question 28.
List the justifications given in support of cutting the tree. Whose point of view is this? Does the poet share this point of view?
Answer:
The justifications for cutting down the tree are: The tree is very old. It is dangerous to let it stand. It might fall any moment. It is best to cut it down. Then it can be converted into timber and piled up in a timber-stack. Timber is much better than a growing tree, growing older and more likely to fall. These are the views held by the people who stop to watch a tree being cut down. They will give these views to a person who might object to the cutting down of a tree.

The poet does not hold this view, though ironically. When he saw the woodsman wield the axe and strike at the tree he stopped to admire the action. He feels that destroying a tree that has grown strong through many centuries, and has become “a lovely legacy of wood” for posterity amounts to “killing” of thousands of people who derive benefits of various kinds from a strong old tree.

Question 29.
How does the poet describe the cutting of a tree in ‘The Axe in The Wood’?
Answer:
The poet stopped to watch a man strike at the trunk of a tree that had grown old through the centuries. His axe, sharp and glittering, struck deep into the trunk, and yellow chips came flying through the air. The sight fascinated him. He liked the poise of the cutter and the rhythm in the movement of the swinging bright axe. A man who cuts a tree down always makes people watch him; his swinging axe always attracts a crowd. But, all the same, to the poet, the fall of a strong giant of a tree, has something tragic about it.

Question 30.
How does the poet present two conflicting views in the poem ‘The Axe in The Wood’?
OR
What is the attitude of the poet towards the cutting of trees in ‘The Axe in The Wood’?
OR
The poem ‘The Axe in The Wood’ is about cutting a tree, but its message is the conservation of nature. – Explain.
Answer:
A tree that has grown strong through the centuries invites admiration. But, when a cutter strikes at the trunk of that old tree, that too invites attention. We admire the poise of the cutter and the quick rhythmic movements of his- bright swinging axe, and we watch fascinated as the yellow chips go spinning in the air.

But, then come some disturbing murmurs: Should such an old tree be allowed to stand? Is it not dangerous to let it stand when it might come crashing down? Won’t it be better if it were stacked in the timber yard? And then, when it is cut down, admiration disappears: There is only regret that this “tall lovely legacy of wood” is no more. Centuries ago our wise forefathers planted this tree. It grew through the ages, providing shade, shelter to men and beasts, and helping to preserve the environment. And now it is gone through man’s insensitivity.

C4. Death lays his icy hands on kings.
The tree raised his hands to pray.
The above lines are instances of personification where human qualities are attributed to inanimate objects like ‘death’ and ‘tree’. What is personified in the last stanza?
Answer:
In the last stanza of the poem,
“But I saw death cut down a thousand men”,
‘Death’is personified.

Comprehension:

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:

I. I know the answer to the chance reproach:
How old the tree was, and how dangerous,
How it might fall, how timber in a stack
Had more good in it than a growing tree.
a) What does ‘chance reproach ’ mean?
b) Who knows the answer to the chance reproach?
c) What excuses do people make for cutting trees?
Answer:
a) ‘Chance reproach’ means ‘possible blame’.
b) The poet knows the answer.
c) The tree is very old, how dangerous it is, it might fall, how timber stacked is better than a growing tree are some of the excuses people make.

2. But I saw death cut down a thousand men In that tall lovely legacy of wood.
a) Who is the 77
b) Explain “I saw death cut down a thousand men”.
c) How is the tree a legacy?
Answer:
a) The poet, Clifford Henry Dyment.

b) ‘Death’ here means the felling, the killing, of a fine tree. Such a destructive act destroys the happiness of many people (“a thousand men”) who sought shade and shelter under it, who found happiness in listening to the chirruping of birds that the tree housed, who found protection of the environment offered by that tree and other trees.

c) The tree that was being cut down was planted long time ago, and it had grown strong through the centuries. Thus, for the present generation this strong and lovely tree with its precious wood, had become a lovely legacy or inheritance. It was a gift from the past to be enjoyed by all generations – the present and to come.

Multiple Choice Questions

Four alternatives are given for each of the following questions/ incomplete statements. Choose the most appropriate one.

Question 1.
The poem ‘The Axe in the Wood’ is written by
A) Fleuf Adcock
B) Clifford Henry Dyment
C) James Kirkup
D) Isaac Watts
Answer:
B) Clifford Henry Dyment

Question 2.
What did the man strike the tree with?
A) knife
B) axe
C) sickle
D) saw
Answer:
B) axe

Question 3.
Who was watching the sight of the man cutting the tree?
A) women
B) people
C) woodcutters
D) children
Answer:
B) people

Question 4.
What did the tree look like?
A) small
B) strong
C) weak
D) dry
Answer:
B) strong

Question 5.
The expression “lovely legacy of wood” in the poem
‘The Axe in The Wood’ means:
A) the invaluable wealth of the forest left behind by earlier generations
B) the beautiful sight of the forest
C) the lovely furniture made of wood
D) the wood from the tree handed down by predecessors.
Answer:
A) the invaluable wealth of the forest left behind by earlier generations

Question 6.
“I know the answer to the chance reproach”. ‘Chance reproach’ means
A) rebuke
B) protest
C) a possible blame
D) objection
Answer:
C) a possible blame

Memorisation:

I stopped to watch a man strike at the trunk,
Of a tree grown strong through many centuries.
His quick axe, sharp and glittering, struck deep,
And yellow chips went spinning in the air.

And I remember how I liked the sight
Of poise and rhythm as the bright axe swung.
A man who fells a tree makes people watch,
For glory seems to crowd upon the axe.

I know the answer to the chance reproach:
How old the tree was, and how dangerous,
How it might fall, how timber in a stack
Had more good in it than a growing tree.

But I saw death cut down a thousand men
In that tall lovely legacy of wood.

The Axe in the Wood by Clifford Henry Dyment About the Poet:

Clifford Henry Dyment (1914-1971) was a famous British poet, critic, editor, and journalist. This is one of his popular poems. The poem tells us about the harmful effects of poaching and the indiscriminate cutting down of trees.

The Axe in the Wood Summary in English

The poet stopped to watch a man strike with his axe the trunk of a very ancient tree – a tree that had grown strong through many centuries of its existence. The way that man wielded his axe fascinated the poet, for his axe made quick, sharp strokes that cut deep into the body of the tree, gleaming in the light as it did so, and sending little pieces of wood whirling and spinning in the air.

And the poet remembers how he liked watching that woodsman – his balanced stance (position as he stood), and the regulated movements of his bright axe as he swung it. A man who cuts a tree is a compelling sight, people feel they must watch him, and the swinging axe always gathers a crowd. The people who gather to watch a man cutting down a tree, ask certain questions, of protest, which occur to them by chance. The poet thinks he knows the answers to those objections.

The questions would be: How terribly old the tree was, and how dangerous it was to let it stand, for it might fall any moment; how good it would be to saw it up into logs of wood, and have them all stacked or heaped together in a timber yard. That would be better than letting the tree grow. Those were the questions that came to the minds of idle watchers who came to that spot.

But, to the poet, other thoughts came. Here was beautiful, precious wood, preserved and handed down the ages for the benefit of after-ages. But, in the felling of that tree a thousand lives have been affected, denying them shade and shelter, denying them the protection that the ancient tree with its fellow-trees offered.

The Axe in the Wood Summary in Kannada