Important Questions for Class 11 English Poem Chapter 2 The Laburnum Top
Summary of Poem 2 The Laburnum Top
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Table of Contents
Stanza
Question 1:
Read the given stanza and answer the questions:
The Laburnum top is silent, quite still
In the afternoon yellow September sunlight,
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.
Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup
A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end.
(1) What is the condition of the laburnum top described in the excerpt?
(a) It is lively and bustling
(b) It is silent and still
(c) It is covered in flowers
(d) It is full of seeds
Answer
(b) It is silent and still
(2) What signifies the arival of the goldfinch?
Answer
The arrival of the goldfinch is signified by its “twitching chirrup” and the sudden movement and startlement at the end of the branch.
(3) At what time does the goldfinch arrive at the laburnum top?
Answer
The goldfinch arrives in the afternoon, in the yellow September sunlight.
Question 2:
“Then sleek as a lizard, and alert and abrupt,
She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings—
The whole tree trembles and thrills.”
(i) Who is referred to as “sleek as a lizard”?
(a) The goldfinch bird (b) The laburnum tree
(c) The poet (d) A squirrel
Answer
(a) The goldfinch bird
(ii) What does the phrase “a machine starts up” refer to?
(a) A real machine nearby
(b) The tree’s movement in the wind
(c) The sudden liveliness of the tree due to bird activity
(d) The poet’s imagination
Answer
(c) The sudden liveliness of the tree due to bird activity
(iii) What literary device is used in “sleek as a lizard”?
(a) Personification (b) Simile
(c) Metaphor (d) Alliteration
Answer
(b) Simile
Question 3:
It is the engine of her family.
She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end
Showing her barred face identity mask
Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings
She launches away, towards the infinite
And the laburnum subsides to empty.
(i) What is referred to as the “engine of her family”?
(a) The laburnum tree
(b) The mother bird
(c) The wind
(d) The poet
Answer
(b) The mother bird
(ii) Identify the line from the stanza in which the poetic device “metaphor” is used.
(a) then flirts out to a branch-end
(b) Showing her barred face identity mask
(c) It is the engine of her family.
(d) Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup.
Answer
(c) It is the engine of her family.
(iii) What does the line ‘And the laburnum subsides to empty.’ suggest?
(a) It becomes lively
(b) It starts blooming
(c) It becomes still and quiet
(d) It falls
Answer
(c) It becomes still and quiet
Important Questions for Class 11 English Poem Chapter 2 The Laburnum Top
Short-Questions (40-50 words)
Questions 1:
What happened when the goldfinch came to the laburnum tree?
or
How does the arrival of the goldfinch change the scene on the laburnum tree?
Answer
Before the goldfinch arrives, the laburnum tree is silent and still, almost lifeless. With the arrival of the goldfinch, the scene changes completely. The tree becomes lively and full of movement. There is sound, fluttering, and energy as the bird feeds its young. The goldfinch’s presence fills the tree with life and activity.
Question 2:
Comment on the relationship between the laburnum tree and the bird goldfinch.
Answer
The laburnum tree and the goldfinch share a close, interdependent relationship. The tree provides shelter and a safe place for the goldfinch and her young, while the bird brings life, sound, and movement to the otherwise silent tree. Together, they show how nature depends on mutual support.
Question 3:
What do the laburnum tree and the goldfinch symbolize respectively? What made you draw the inference?
Answer
The laburnum tree symbolizes a quiet, passive world—lifeless, still, and waiting. This is inferred from its silence, fallen seeds, and motionless state in the September afternoon.
The goldfinch symbolizes life, energy, and renewal. Her arrival fills the tree with sound, movement, and warmth, showing how life awakens nature.
Question 4:
What is the central idea of the poem “The Laburnum Top”?
Answer
The central idea of “The Laburnum Top” is the contrast between stillness and liveliness in nature. The poem shows how the silent, lifeless laburnum tree is suddenly filled with energy when the goldfinch arrives, highlighting the interdependence of living beings and the nurturing role of the mother bird in sustaining life.
Question 5:
Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet in ‘The Laburnum Top’?
Answer:
The image of an engine is evoked to describe the sudden movement, noise, and energy created by the goldfinch and her young ones. Like an engine, the once silent tree becomes lively, full of sound, and vibrant with activity.
Question 6:
How does the poet describe the relationship between the bird and the tree?
Answer:
The poet shows a relationship of mutual dependence between the bird and the tree. The tree provides shelter and safety, while the bird brings life, sound, and movement to the silent tree. Together, they create harmony and balance in nature.
Long-Questions (120-150 words)
Question 1:
Imagine you are the goldfinch in the poem. How would you describe your relationship with the laburnum tree and how it feels to return to it. (The Laburnum Top)
Answer
I am the goldfinch, and the laburnum tree is more than just a resting place for me—it is my home and my strength. When I leave, the tree waits in silence, holding my nest and protecting my young ones within its branches. Each time I return, it feels like coming back to something familiar and safe. My arrival fills the quiet tree with movement, sound, and life, and together we wake the afternoon from stillness. I feel a deep sense of belonging as I flutter through its leaves, feeding my family and caring for them. The laburnum supports me without asking, and in return, I bring it warmth and liveliness. Leaving again is never easy, but I know the tree will stand patiently until I return, just as it always does.
Question 2:
The Laburnum tree and the goldfinch in the poem ‘Laburnum Top’ depend on each other for their happy survival. Do you agree? Write your views, giving reasons. State any person that you depend on for your happy survival in about 120–150 words.
Answer:
Yes, I agree that the Laburnum tree and the goldfinch depend on each other for happy survival. In the poem “Laburnum Top”, the tree appears silent and lifeless until the goldfinch comes and fills it with movement and sound. The tree provides shelter and safety to the bird, while the bird brings life, joy, and energy to the tree. This shows the deep interdependence between nature and living beings. Similarly, I depend greatly on my parents for my happy survival. They provide me with love, guidance, and emotional support. Their encouragement gives me confidence and motivation. Just like the tree and the bird, mutual care and support make life meaningful and joyful.
Question 3:
Life thrives through relationship between the connections in nature. How does The Laburnum Top portray the symbolic relationship between the tree and the goldfinch?
Answer:
The Laburnum Top beautifully presents the interdependence of living beings in nature through the symbolic relationship between the tree and the goldfinch. At the beginning, the tree is silent and lifeless, symbolizing stillness and emptiness. When the goldfinch arrives, the tree suddenly becomes vibrant with sound, movement, and energy. The tree provides shelter and safety to the bird and her young ones, while the bird brings life and warmth to the otherwise quiet tree. This mutual relationship shows how life in nature survives through cooperation and balance. The poet suggests that nature functions as a harmonious system where every element depends on another. The tree and the bird together symbolize the cycle of life, energy, and renewal in the natural world.
Important Questions for Class 11 English Poem Chapter 2 The Laburnum Top
