Welcome to “When Great Trees Fall Workbook Ans: ICSE Treasure Chest (Evergreen),” your essential companion for unraveling the profound layers of Maya Angelou’s poignant poem “When Great Trees Fall,” featured in the ICSE English Literature Treasure Chest by Evergreen Publications. This guide provides in-depth answers to workbook questions, designed to deepen your understanding of the poem’s powerful themes and emotional resonance.
Journey with us as we explore the intricate imagery and symbolism woven into Angelou’s verses, reflecting on the impact of loss and the enduring strength found in memory and legacy. Our answers offer a comprehensive approach to multiple-choice and contextual questions, guiding readers to dissect the nuances of Angelou’s language and intent.
Contextual inquiries invite a deeper engagement with the poem, prompting reflections on the universal human experience of loss and resilience, while highlighting the broader socio-cultural implications. Through this exploration, readers not only enhance their analytical skills but also cultivate a richer appreciation for Angelou’s literary artistry.
Whether you’re a student navigating ICSE English Literature or an avid reader seeking to connect with this evocative work, “When Great Trees Fall Workbook Answers” provides invaluable insights. Join us as we delve into the poem’s emotional depths, offering clear and thoughtful guidance through every workbook solution.
Table of Contents
Poem In Details :
The poet refers to the fall of a big tree which, as the poem progresses, becomes a metaphor for the death of a great person. When a big tree falls, it is felt for miles around.
The rocks tremble, the lions hide themselves in tall grass, the elephants too become alert as if unsafe, and small animals of the forest shrink into silence as their senses are benumbed. Similarly, when a great man passes away, people of all sorts, significant or insignificant, rich or poor, get affected and fall into silence of despair. Even the air becomes light and ‘sterile’, that is, it becomes difficult to breathe even.
With the death of a great person, those who are affected feel ‘hurtful’ clarity. They come to realize clearly how they have lost a valuable soul. Their memory is suddenly ‘sharpened’, that is, they suddenly remember all the moments spent with the departed soul. These memories act like a dagger to the soul.
When one loses a loved one, he or she will sometimes feel sorry that the words which should have been said remain unsaid, and the promised walk remains unfulfilled. These things leave him or her with a gnawing pain of despair and regret.
The loss of the great soul who had great impact on us leaves us with feeling small as if our souls had shrunk. We feel a sense of anger too, which is a part of despair. This anger is directed towards us as we have lost an opportunity to have any communion with the departed great soul.
There is some consolation. Some time after the death of a dear one, our bruised souls are healed and we are at peace. Of course, the anguish of the loss still buzzes in the background of our very being but the memory of the lost one lingers on. The whisper They existed. They existed’ gives us hope that we can be better, we can become like the great departed souls.
Line Wise Explanation :
Stanza 1 (When great after safety)
The poet begins with an image from the world of nature. When big trees fall, rocks even on distant hills feel the impact and tremble. Brave lions squat in fear in tall grass, and elephants walk awkwardly to seek shelter in a safe place.
As the poem advances, we realize that the fall of great trees symbolises the deaths of great persons. When a great soul departs, the effect is felt for miles around, and people of every sort, significant or insignificant, feel despair and unsafe in some peculiar way.
Stanza 2 (When great trees fear)
The poet here asserts that the fall of big trees has as much effect on small things or animals as on big ones. Small animals are so benumbed that they recoil into total silence. It means that the loss of great men is felt intensely even by unknown, insignificant persons. They are unable to express their despair. Their senses are benumbed; they do not even feel any fear in this state of inertia and hopelessness.
Stanza 3 (When great souls never taken)
Now the poet directly refers to the deaths of great men. The loss of great souls affects the hearts of all those who have been touched by their greatness in some way. They feel the air ‘light, rare, sterile’, that is, it becomes difficult for them even to breathe. For a moment they also face ‘hurtful clarity’, that is, they come to understand as to how a valuable soul has been lost. Their memory is suddenly sharpened. They begin to clearly remember the moments spent with the departed soul. They feel regretful for the kind words they should have spoken to the dear departed, or for the promised walks they could not have with him or her.
Stanza 4 (Great souls die cover)
When great souls die, the reality of our being determined and affected by them also take leave of us, and our souls, dependent upon their nurture, shrink in despair. In other words, the death of those who have great effect on our life leave us emotionally shattered. Our minds shaped by their intelligence seem to ‘fall away’ with their deaths. We feel a mix of anger and despair. We feel as if we had fallen into the dark caves of silent despair.
Stanza 5 (And when For they existed)
The poet here refers to the fact of time being a great healer. After the death of a great soul our minds are restored to peaceful state slowly, and irregularly. Sometimes the pain comes back to haunt us once again. When we regain our senses our memories speak to us in whispers that they did exist. These memories give us hope that we could be better, that we could be like those great souls.
Workbook MCQs :
Read the following questions and select the correct option:
1. Select the option that shows the correct relationship between these two statements,
Statement 1: Great men’s loss is felt intensely by all, significant or insignificant,
Statement 2: All are benumbed for a while.
(a) 1 is the cause for 2.
(b) 1 is an example of 2.
(c) 1 is independent of 2.
(d) 1 is a contradiction of 2.
Answer:- (a) 1 is the cause for 2.
2. Which of these assertions is NOT true?
(a) Fall of great trees symbolises the death of great men.
(b) In one way or the other all feel affected when great men die.
(c) It is futile to remember those who leave us suddenly.
(d) One cannot help recall good moments lived in the company of the dear departed.
Answer:- (c) It is futile to remember those who leave us suddenly.
3. The lines ‘lions hunker down/in tall grasses’ reveal that lions
(a) are ready to pounce upon their preys.
(b) are resting.
(c) hide themselves in fear
(d) hide themselves out of play
Answer:- (c) hide themselves in fear
4. Which of the following lines contains the same literary device as the one in these lines from the poem ‘Our memory, suddenly sharpened/examines/gnaws on kind words’.
(a) The weakening eye of a day
(b) As silent as pictures on the wall
(c) My spirit flew in feathers then
(d) The little window where the sun came peeping in at the morn.
Answer:- (d) The little window where the sun came peeping in at the morn.
5. “When great trees fall in forests,
small things recoil into silence
What does the word ‘recoil’ suggest in the lines above?
(a) disgust
(b) fear
(c) hope
(d) distaste
Answer:- (b) fear
6. Which extended metaphor is used in the poem?
(a) the deaths of great men
(b) the falling of great trees
(c) nature
(d) big and small animals
Answer:- (b) the falling of great trees
7. When do animals seek safety?
(a) when the earth shakes
(b) when wolves howl
(c) when great trees fall
(d) when hunters appear
Answer:- (c) when great trees fall
8. Which positive event happens when great men die?
(a) Our senses are benumbed.
(b) Our memory is suddenly sharpened.
(c) We feel sorry for ourselves.
(d) We feel pity for great men.
Answer:- (b) Our memory is suddenly sharpened.
9. In what state are we thrown suddenly when we hear about the death of a great soul?
(a) sullen
(b) indifferent
(c) sorrowful
(d) amusing
Answer:- (a) sullen
10. What do great men generally care for?
(a) our souls
(b) our bodies
(c) our wealth
(d) our health
Answer:- (a) our souls
11. The phrase ‘dark cold, caves’ symbolises in the poem.
(a) cheerfulness
(b) depth of mind
(c) despair
(d) ignorance
Answer:- (d) ignorance
12. What happens to our souls on hearing the news of a great man who has impacted our lives greatly?
(a) We begin to cry.
(b) We become mad.
(c) We become silent.
(d) Our souls shrivel.
Answer:- (d) Our souls shrivel.
13. Which figure of speech is used in the line ‘We can be. Be and be’?
(a) personification
(b) irony
(c) alliteration
(d) sarcasm
Answer:- (c) alliteration
14. Which of these statements is NOT true?
(a) When great trees fall the rocks on distant hills shudder.
(b) When great trees fall small animals do not bother.
(c) The falling of great trees causes ripples for miles.
(d) We should try to be better than we are.
Answer:- (c) The falling of great trees causes ripples for miles.
15. The poem ‘When Great Trees Fall’ is on the whole
(a) depressing
(b) realistic and positive
(c) ironical
(d) amusing
Answer:- (b) realistic and positive
Comprehension Passages :
Passage – 1
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder.
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
(I) What does “great trees” repressed in the poem?
Answer:- In the poem the words ‘great trees’ represent great men. Their death has been equated with the fall of a great or big tree.
(II) What does the shuddering of ‘rocks’ on distant hills symbolise?
Answer:- The ‘shuddering of rocks’ on distant hills symbolizes the far reaching impact of the death of great men. Their death affects the people living far away also.
(III) How do animals behave when great trees fall? Why?
Answer:- When a great tree falls animals get shocked. Lions also bend down and hide
in grass. Elephants start walking in a strange way to seek shelter at some safe place. Their behaviour undergoes change because they get afraid of the sudden shock.
(IV) What happens to small things when great trees fall?
Answer:- Small things including little creatures in the forest also feel frightened on the fall of a great tree. They recoil, sit huddled together and turn silent out of fear.
(V) Which words used in this extract give us the idea that the fall of great trees impact all?
Answer:- The words ‘rocks on distant hills shudder’, and ‘even elephants lumber for safety’, give the idea that the fall of great trees impacts all. Their fall is felt at distant places also.
Passage – 2
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
(I) What does the fall of great trees symbolise in the poem ?
Answer:- The fall of great trees in the poem symbolizes the death of great men.
(II) What happens to big animals when great trees fall?
Answer:- Big animals get frightened. Their behaviour changes. Animals like lions and elephants also run to seek shelter at some safe place.
(III) What happens to small things when great trees fall?
Answer:-Small things turn silent and their senses become numb. They sit huddled in fear.
(IV) Explain the meaning of Their senses/eroded beyond fear’.
Answer:- “Their senses / eroded beyond fear’, means that these small creatures are so shocked on the fall of a big tree that their senses fail to realize the intensity of the fear. They get dazed.
(V) When great men die, what kind of ‘clarity’ do we have all of a sudden?
Answer:- When great men die all of us remember the times spent in their company very clearly. We also regret that we could be more kind to them during their stay with us.
Passage – 3
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly.
see with
a hurtful clarity.
(I) What image from the world of nature has been used earlier in the context?
Answer:- The image of small things recoiling with fear has been used to refer to the shock resulting from the death of great men or the fall of big trees in a forest.
(II) What happens when great trees fall?
Answer:- The impact of the fall of great trees is felt by all. Animals and small creatures also get frightened. The distant lands and rocks on them shudder.
(III) ‘We breathe, briefly’. What does the poet mean by this?
Answer:- The poet has used the words ‘we breathe, briefly’ to say that it becomes difficult even to have normal breath when great men die. It happens because of the shock
and jolt caused by the death and the sense of loss resulting from it.
(IV) What kind of ‘clarity’ does the poet refer to ?
Answer:- The poet refers to the feeling of ‘hurt’ people experience at the loss of a great soul. It reminds us of the promises we could not fulfil for them and the way we could not show our intended respect and kindness towards them during their life-time.
(V) What do we come to remember when great men die ?
Answer:- We remember all the unsaid words and undone works that we could do while the great men were alive. We also recollect the days spent in their company.
Passage – 4
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
(I) What happens when great trees fall, according to the poet?
Answer:- When great trees fall, they cause a commotion everywhere. The jolt of the fall is felt far and wide. The animals and creatures in the forest feel shocked.
(II) Why does it become difficult to breathe when great souls die ?
Answer:- When great souls die, it becomes difficult to breathe because of the shock felt due to the loss.
(III) What do we come to remember suddenly when great souls die ?
Answer:- We come to realize that we have not been as kind towards the departed souls as we could be.
(IV) In what state of mind is the speaker here?
Answer:- The speaker is in a sorrowful and repentant mood.
(V) Explain the phrase ‘promised walks never taken’ in its context.
Answer:- ‘Promised walks never taken’, in the given context means the failure to redeem the pledges taken. It also means the undone works that could be completed during the life time of the great men.
Passage – 5
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls.
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
(I) What does the fall of great trees symbolize in the poem, as suggested earlier in the context?
Answer:- The fall of the great trees symbolizes the death of great men.
(II) What do we remember when great souls die ?
Answer:- When great souls die we remember them and the way we could do better things in their company. We also remember our failures and unkept promises.
(III) What happens to our ‘reality’ when great souls die ?
Answer:- The death of great souls dissociates our reality linked with them. It moves away from us. We no longer feel related to them as before. Their departure leaves us
emotionally shattered.
(IV) What does the poet mean by ‘wizened’ souls here?
Answer:- The ‘wizened souls’ in the given context means shrivelled and shattered souls of the people who feel the loss of the great men.
(V) What does the word ‘nurture’ suggest in the context?
Answer:- The word ‘nurture’ suggests that the great souls used to be a source of strength and support to the people. Their death takes away this strength and leaves these people helpless.
Passage – 6
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance, fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
dark,
cold caves.
(I) How has the poet compared the world of nature with the human world earlier in the context?
Answer:- The poet has compared the human and the natural world by depicting the impact of the fall of a big tree on the animals in a forest. And the way it is similar to the impact of a great man’s death on the human world.
(II) What happens when someone emotionally attached to us depart for ever?
Answer:- We feel shocked and emotionally shattered. We remember the days spent in the company of our nears and dears. All this is felt deeply when someone near to us departs forever.
(III) How are our minds affected by great souls?
Answer:- Our minds are shattered and sorrowful. We feel reduced to miserable souls as the shock of the death of our dear ones affects our mind deeply.
(IV) In what state of mind are we thrown when great souls die?
Answer:- We are thrown in a shock. Our mind fails to work properly. The mind goes in a deeply disturbed state.
(V) Explain the reference to the ‘ignorance of dark, cold caves.’
Answer:- Our minds are shaped by the intellect and guidance of great men. After their death, we feel thrust into dark dungeons of ignorance.
Passage – 7
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
(I) What is suggested by the fall of great trees earlier in the context ?
Answer:- The fall of great trees in the given context suggests the death of great men and the way their death has a far-reaching impact on the natural and the human world.
(II) How do we feel when great men die ?
Answer:- We feel emotionally shattered and deeply pained when great men die. The loss of the great souls appears unbearable.
(III) How does the poet portray time as a healer here?
Answer:- The poet suggests that time acts as a great healer. The death of great men causes deep shock and immense sorrow. Gradually, time helps us in accepting the loss of great souls and a kind of calm prevails in our mind.
(IV) What kind of ‘spaces’ are referred to here?
Answer:- The ‘spaces’ here refers to the parts of our mind which are filled with sufferings and pain over the death of great men. These corners of our mind start soothing down with the passage of time and we turn calm and peaceful.
(V) How do we feel during those ‘spaces’?
Answer:- The “spaces’ i.e., the haunting feelings of loss of the departed dear ones make our thoughts sterile and full of despair. We remember the dead with painful intensity.
Passage – 8
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us,
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
(I) How do we feel when persons attached to us die ?
Answer:- We feel shocked, shattered and sorrowful when someone attached to us dies. We remember the time spent in the company of the dear departed ones.
(II) When do we feel at peace when great souls die ?
Answer:- The death of great people affects us deeply. Our mind feels disturbed and heart is full of pain. But a sense of calm returns to us after some time. It happens with the passage of time and the moment we realize that if great men like our dear ones have existed, we too can be like them.
(III) Why do our senses never achieve the former state of normalcy after the death of great souls?
Answer:- Our senses never achieve the former state of normalcy after the death of great souls because we always remember their existence and feel the loss.
(IV) What is the significance of the repetition of words in Lines 3-4?
Answer:- The repetition of the words is intended to emphasize the idea that ‘we’ i.c., people will certainly be better by learning from the lives of great men.
(V) The ending of the poem is quite positive. How?
Answer:- The ending of the poem gives the message of acceptance of loss with the hope of a better future. It makes the ending positive.
