Welcome to “A Work Of Artifice Workbook Solution: ICSE Treasure Chest,” where we embark on a journey through the captivating narrative of ICSE English Literature Treasure Chest Part 1. Within these pages, we meticulously unravel the essence of “A Work Of Artifice” through comprehensive workbook solutions. This post offers comprehensive answers to multiple-choice and contextual questions, deepening your understanding of this timeless tale. Meet the characters and delve into the nuances of character development and thematic exploration. Each question serves as a gateway to dissecting the text, urging readers to analyze subtle nuances and extract deeper meanings. Contextual inquiries broaden our canvas for exploration, encouraging critical engagement with socio-cultural backdrops and universal themes. Through this examination, readers sharpen analytical skills and develop a profound appreciation for literary craftsmanship. Whether a student navigating ICSE English Literature or an avid reader unraveling beloved stories, “A Work Of Artifice Workbook Solutions” promises valuable companionship. Join us on this literary journey as we illuminate the path to understanding, one workbook solution at a time.
Table of Contents
Poem Summary :
The Poem in Detail
The poem begins with a reference to bonsai, a popular Japanese gardening technique in which trees are miniaturised so that they can be grown in a pot. is considered a form of art.
Lines 1-5
The Bonsai Tree Is In An Attractive Pot. It Could Have Been An Eighty-Feet-Tall Infallible Tree By The Mountainside That Could Be Damaged Only By Lightning.
Lines 6-11
But The Gardener Carefully Prunes It To A Height Of Mere Nine-Inches. The Gardener Sings While Trimming Its Branches Everyday.
Lines 12-16
The Gardener Says That Nature Has Made It Small And Weak So That It Can Be Domesticated, Grown Indoors. It Is Fortunate To Have A Pot In Which It Can Grow.
Lines 17-22
The Bonsai Tree Becomes An Extended Metaphor For A Woman. Like A Bonsai Tree, A Woman From A Very Young Age Is Kept In Control. Here The Speaker Offers Examples Of How Their Growth Is Stunted By Binding Their Feet, Brainwashing Them And Putting Their Hair In Curlers.
Lines 23-24
Here The Speaker Shifts The Narrative From Third Person To Second Person By Using ‘You’. The Speaker Rebukes The Gardener Or The Reader For Damaging The Things They Love.
Workbook MCQs :
1. What does the word “Artifice” mean?
(a) Talent
(b) Deception
(c) Beauty
(d) Nature
Answer: (b) Deception
2. The bonsai tree did not grow eighty feet tall as
(a) the gardener whittled back its branches everyday
(b) the gardener pruned it
(c) it grew in a pot
(d) All of the above.
Answer: (d) All of the above.
3. The tree’s hidden potential is that
(a) it does not require any care
(b) it can grow without water
(c) it can grow in a week
(d) it can grow to an enormous height.
Answer: (d) it can grow to an enormous height.
4. The Bonsai tree symbolises is a metaphor for
(a) all trees
(b) children
(c) men
(d) women
Answer: (d) women
5. What does “bound feet” suggest?
(a) Binding of objects in feet
(b) Putting restrictions on growth
(c) Feet bound to shoes
(d) Feet on earth.
Answer: (b) Putting restrictions on growth
6. The gardener represents the ____ of the society.
(a) Patriarchs
(b) matriarchs
(c) all workers.
(d) children
Answer: (a) Patriarchs
7. Why does the gardener whittle back the Bonsai’s branches every day?
(a) to keep it tidy
(b) to shape it to his liking
(c) itis a routing
(d) the gardener likes to do it
Answer: (b) to shape it to his liking
8. The gardener says that the tree is lucky because
(a) it has a pot to grow in
(b) itis pretty and domestic
(c) it has special qualities
(d) it does not require water to grow
Answer: (a) it has a pot to grow in
9. The theme of the poem is
(a) suppression of women
(b) inequality
(c) deception
(d) all of the above
Answer: (d) all of the above
10. Who is referred to as “your” in “it is your nature to be small and cozy”?
(a) The gardener
(b) Patriarchs
(c) The bonsai tree
(d) Awoman and bonsai tree
Answer: (c) The bonsai tree
11. The gardener altered the tree’s by changing its
(a) size
(b) natural habitat
(c) both (a) and (b)
(d) None of the above
Answer: ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
12. The term “dwarf” in the poem means.
(a) to curb the needs
(b) to curb someone’s growth
(c) to trivialise someone
(d) None of the above
Answer: ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
13. Which figure of speech is used in the line “how lucky, little tree’?
(a) Simile
(b) Metaphor
(c) Metonymy
(d) Irony
Answer: ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
14. With living creatures one begin very early to dwarf their growth. Whose growth is the poet talking about?
(a) Men’s
(b) Plant’s
(c) Children’s.
(d) Women’s
Answer: ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
15. Why did the gardener limit the bonsai tree’s growth?
(a) To keep it tidy and beautiful
(b) To stifle its growth
(c) To gift it to someone
(d) To protect the trees from winds
Answer: ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
16. Which of the following is similar to the word ‘crippleed’?
(a) Deformed
(b) Healthy
(c) small
(d) Sick
Answer: ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
Workbook Questions :
Extract 1
The bonsai tree
in the attractive pot
could have grown eighty feet tall
on the side of a mountain
till split by lightning
(i) Which tree is the poet talking about? How tall would it have grown and in which circumstances?
Answer : The poet is talking about the Bonsai tree. if it had been allowed to grow in the wild, could have reached a height of eighty feet on the side of a mountain before being split by lightning.
(iI)What does the bonsai tree symbolise? Explain.
Answer : Bonsai tree uses as a symbol of the human desire to control and shape nature. Bonsai trees are intentionally grown and pruned to be small and shaped in a particular way. They are living works of art that represent the human ability to manipulate and shape the natural world for our own purposes.
(iII) Where would it have grown tall? How would have been its height its enemy?
Answer: The tree would have grown tall on the side of a mountain. Its height would have been its enemy as it could have been split by lightning due to its prominence and exposure.
(iV)Why do you think the poet used the words “attractive pot” in the extract?
Answer : In the poem “Work of Artifice” by Marge Piercy, the phrase “attractive pot” is used to describe the container in which the bonsai tree is planted. The poet likely used the words “attractive pot” to highlight the aesthetic appeal of the container, which is an important aspect of the bonsai tree’s presentation. At the same time, the phrase also underscores the artificiality of the bonsai tree’s environment and the ways in which human intervention has shaped and controlled its growth.
(v) What does “till split by lightning’ symbolise? How is the tree protected from lightning?
Answer : “till split by lightning” refers to the fate of the bonsai tree if it were to grow in its natural environment, there is potential for destruction and loss in the natural world This line is a metaphor for the natural course of life, where even the strongest and tallest trees can be destroyed by the forces of nature. speaker constructed trees with limited growth with the idea that is fortunate to have a pot in which to grow, suggesting that the tree confinement is a form of protection, it protects from all the disasters that happen by nature.
Extract 2
..carefully pruned it.
Itis nine inches high.
Every day as he
whittles back the branches
the gardener croons.
(i)How tall is the tree? Why did it not grow any further?
Answer : The bonsai tree is described as being “nine inches high” in the lines “carefully pruned it. / It is nine inches high.” The tree did not grow any further because it has been deliberately confined in a pot and pruned to prevent it from reaching its full potential.
(iI)Who prunes the tree? Why does he do so?
Answer : Bonsai gardener or caretaker prunes the tree. Bonsai trees require frequent pruning and training in order to maintain their small size and to achieve a particular shape or style. The reason why the gardener prunes the tree is to create a specific aesthetic effect. By carefully shaping and pruning the tree, the gardener can create a work of art that is both beautiful and evocative.
(iII)What does ‘croons’ mean? Briefly describe the symbolism used here.
Answer : “Croons” is a verb that means to sing or hum in a soft, soothing voice. In the context of the poem “the gardener croons” suggest that the gardener is singing or humming while working on the tree, perhaps indicating a sense of enjoyment or satisfaction with the process. The act of crooning can be seen as a representation of the way in which humans seek to control and shape nature. The soft, gentle voice of the gardener represents the gentle touch of human intervention, carefully guiding and shaping the bonsai tree to fit a particular aesthetic ideal.
(iV)What role do the short lines of the poem play?
Answer : The short line lends a “song-song” tone to the poem. The line seems broken just like the “whittling” of a bonsai branch. This shortness of the line stressed that the poet wants to deliver a message urgently. The structure is also significant by using short and simple lines. The poem emphasises the confinement of both the bonsai tree and the woman
(v)identify the gardening vocabulary used in this extract. How do these aid in the artifice of the bonsai?
Answer : The gardening vocabulary used in this extract includes “pruned”, “whittles”, and “branches”.
1. In the context of the bonsai tree, pruning is an essential aspect of maintaining its miniature size and sculpting it into a desired shape.
2. In the context of the bonsai tree, whittling back the branches refers to the careful and precise cutting of the tree’s branches to achieve a desired aesthetic effect.
3. In the context of the bonsai tree, branches are a key element of its overall shape and aesthetic and must be carefully shaped and pruned to maintain the miniature size and desired form.
Together, these gardening terms help to create a sense of precision, care, and attention to detail in the process of creating and maintaining a bonsai tree.
Extract 3
It is your nature
to be small and cory,
domestic and weak;
how lucky, little tree,
to have a pot to grow in
(i) What is the nature of the tree according to the gardener?
Answer : According to the gardeners in the poem, the nature of the tree is to be “small and cozy, domestic and weak.” They believe that the tree is naturally meant to be confined and limited, rather than tall and robust. The gardeners intentionally manipulate the tree’s growth and shape through pruning, so that it stays small and can be easily cared for.
(iI) is the tree lucky to grow in a pot? Explain the irony in this line.
Answer : ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
(iII)What effect do these lines have on the tree? Explain.
Answer : ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
(iV)Even though the tree had the potential to grow taller, it didn’t. Why?
Answer : ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
(v) If the tree was nurtured, it would’ve grown tall and reached its potential. Comment.
Answer: ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
Extract 4
With living creatures
one must begin very early
to dwarf their growth;
the bound feet,
the crippled brain,
the hair in curlers,
the hands you
love to touch
(i)Why should one begin very early? What do you understand by ‘dwarf’?
Answer : In order to create a successful bonsai, one should begin very early, because the process of shaping and pruning the tree into the desired form is a long and gradual one. Bonsai cultivation involves a great deal of patience, care, and attention to detail, and it may take many years of careful pruning and training to achieve the desired results. The term “dwarf” in the context of bonsai cultivation refers to the practice of intentionally keeping the tree small and contained, in order to create a miniature version of a full-sized tree.
(iI)What is the significance of ‘dwarf and ‘crippled?
Answer : ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
(iII) Briefly explain the meaning and significance of bound feet?
Answer : ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
(iV) “The bound feet” and “the hair in curlers” indicates that the poet is to | talking about a tree. Who/what is the poet talking about? Justify
Answer : ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
(v) Explain the meaning and symbolism in “the hands you/love to touch”
Answer : ( For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View )
