Nothing Is Lucky If You Put It Away. If You Want Luck, You Must Put It To Some Use.'

The Cherry Tree
Questions & Answers

Question 1: Read the lines and answer the questions:
‘Nothing is lucky if you put it away. If you want luck, you must put it to some
use.’
(a) Who said this and to whom?
Answer: Grandfather said this to Rakesh.
(b) What was the speaker referring to?
Answer: Rakesh’s grandfather was referring to the cherry seed that Rakesh
had with him.
(c) How did the person being spoken to ‘put it to some use?’
Answer: Rakesh put it to some use by planting it into the ground.
Question 2: Read the line and answer the questions:
‘Hey, not there!’
(a) Who said these words?
Answer: Grandfather said these words.
(b) Why did the speaker say, ‘not there’?
Answer: The speaker (Grandfather) did not want Rakesh to plant the cherry
seed there because he had planted mustard in that flower bed.
(c) Did the listener go somewhere else? If so, where?
Answer: Yes, the listener went somewhere else. He went to a corner of the
garden where the earth was soft and yielding.
Question 3: Grandfather says, ‘Nothing is lucky if you put it away. If
you want luck, you must put it to some use. What, do you think, he
means?
Answer: I think Grandfather wants Rakesh to realize that we should make use
of the opportunity given to us to achieve something. If things are not put to
proper use and just stored, they will be of no use to us.
Question 4: How did Rakesh and his grandfather spend the winter
evenings?
Answer: In the winter evenings, grandfather and Rakesh used to sit by a
charcoal fire. Grandfather would tell Rakesh stories about people who turned
into animals and in turn, Rakesh would read to him from the newspaper.
The Cherry Tree Questions & Answers
‘What’s so special about this tree? Why do we like it so much?’
(a) Who said this?
Answer: Rakesh said these words.
(b) Why did they like the tree so much?
Answer: They liked the tree so much because they had planted the seed
themselves and had watched it grow into the tree.
(c) How did the speaker feel about himself after watching the tree grow?
Answer: The speaker felt almost like God who had created everything.
Question 6: Rakesh thought that the cherry tree had died on two
occasions. Narrate the incident briefly.
Answer: Rakesh thought that the cherry tree had died on two occasions, when
a goat had eaten all its leaves, and when a woman had chopped off half the
tree while cutting the grass.
Question 7: Who benefitted from the cherry tree besides Rakesh and
Grandfather and how?
Answer: Besides Rakesh and Grandfather, the birds benefitted from the cherry
tree. They came to feed on the nectar in the blossoms and tiny birds pecked at
the blossoms. They liked the cherries too, especially the bigger birds, such as
bulbuls and scarlet minivets which flitted in and out of the foliage, feasting on
the fruit.
‘Come back when you are butterfly,’ he said.
(a) Who said this and to whom?
Answer: Rakesh said this to a hairy caterpillar.
(b) Why did the speaker not want the creature to stay?
Answer: Rakesh did not want the caterpillar to stay because it was feasting on
the cherry tree’s leaves.
(c) What does it tell you about the speaker?
Answer: This line tells us that Rakesh was a kind boy. Though the caterpillar
was feasting on the cherry tree’s leaves, he did not want to harm it.
Question 9: Why did Rakesh only look at the tree out of the corner of
his eye?
Answer: Rakesh thought that the tree had stopped growing. So, he stopped
looking at it as he knew he would be disappointed. Yet, he couldn’t resist
looking at it. So, he looked at it from the corner of his eye to see if there was
any sign of its growth.
Question 10: Do you think that Grandfather was as excited as Rakesh
about the cherry tree? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: Yes, Grandfather was as excited as Rakesh about the cherry tree. He
was the first to see the pale pink blossom at the end of cherry tree. When the
tree was fully grown, he sat under it on a cane chair and enjoyed looking at
the leaves.
The Cherry Tree Questions & Answers
Question 11: Read the line and answer the questions:
“……he could see the mountain striding away into the clouds.”
(a) Who is referred to as ‘he’ in this line?
Answer: Rakesh is referred to as he in this line.
(b) From where could ‘he’ see the mountain?
Answer: Rakesh could see the mountain from where he lay under the cherry
tree.
(c) What does the expression ‘striding away into the clouds’ mean?
Answer: The expression striding away into the cloud means that the range of
mountains extended a great distance up to the horizon, where they were
covered by the clouds. It appeared as if the mountains ended in the clouds
Question 12: What question does Rakesh ask at the end of the story?
What does he mean by the question?
Answer: At the end of the story, Rakesh wondered what it felt to be God. He
was amazed by how a small seed, he had planted had grown into a beautiful
tree that provided fruits, shade and shelter to everyone. He considered it as a
miracle that he had performed and was happy that his efforts had been
fulfilled.
Question 13: How many years of Rakesh’s childhood does the story
covered? Describe how his relationship with his Grandfather changes
as the tree grows.
Answer: The story covers four years of Rakesh’s childhood. When the story
begins, Rakesh enjoyed a good relationship with his grandfather, who taught
him how to put the cherry seed to good use by planting it, how to look after it
and nurture it. Grandfather told stories whose ending depended on his moods.
After Rakesh grew older, he read a lot of books but he still liked listening to
grandpa’s tales. They enjoyed spending time under the cherry tree. Their bond
of affection became stronger as the tree grew and yielded fruits.
Question 14: In the story, Rakesh and Grandfather take care of the
cherry tree. They also take care of each other. According to you, how
can we show concern for the needs of other people?
Answer: There are various ways to show concern and care for the needs of
other people. But as a student too, we can display a good example in our
society. We can help our classmates if they miss school due to any illness by
visiting them, assisting them in homework too. At home, we can share the
household chores, take care of elderly grandparents living with us. We can
give away clothes, toys and books which are in good condition to the needy
children.
So, these were The Cherry Tree Questions & Answers.

Nothing Is Lucky If You Put It Away. If You Want Luck, You Must Put It To Some Use.'

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The Cherry Tree

Questions & Answers

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