21. In which language was Our Casuarina Tree originally written?
a) Hindi
b) Bengali
c) English
d) French
Answer: c) English
Explanation: Toru Dutt was one of the earliest Indo-Anglian poets, meaning she was among the first Indians to write poetry in English. Our Casuarina Tree was originally composed in English, showcasing her mastery over the language despite being a non-native speaker. Her ability to blend Indian themes with English literary traditions made her work stand out. She also wrote in French, making her one of the most versatile poets of her time.
22. The poem Our Casuarina Tree is a tribute to which aspect of the poet’s life?
a) Her homeland and nature
b) Her favorite book
c) Her school days
d) Her religious beliefs
Answer: a) Her homeland and nature
Explanation: The poem is deeply personal, reflecting Toru Dutt’s love for her homeland and its natural beauty. The Casuarina tree represents not just nature but her childhood memories, lost loved ones, and the nostalgia associated with home. Through her vivid descriptions, she immortalizes the tree in literature, making it a lasting symbol of her past.
23. What kind of relationship does the poet share with the Casuarina tree?
a) A spiritual connection
b) A childhood attachment
c) A scientific interest
d) A casual admiration
Answer: b) A childhood attachment
Explanation: Toru Dutt’s bond with the tree is deeply emotional and personal. She played under its shade as a child, and even as she grew up and moved away, the tree remained a symbol of her happy memories. The poem reflects a strong sense of longing and nostalgia, showing how deeply childhood experiences shape one’s emotions and perceptions of nature.
24. What is the purpose of the poem?
a) To describe the tree’s economic value
b) To praise the beauty of the tree and its significance in the poet’s life
c) To discuss the importance of tree conservation
d) To criticize deforestation
Answer: b) To praise the beauty of the tree and its significance in the poet’s life
Explanation: Rather than focusing on the economic or environmental value of the tree, the poem serves as a tribute to the poet’s personal connection with it. The Casuarina tree is more than just a plant—it is a keeper of memories, a witness to her childhood, and a symbol of love and endurance. Through her words, she ensures the tree’s immortality in literature.
25. How does the poet describe the tree’s trunk?
a) Smooth and golden
b) Rough and indented with scars
c) Covered with moss and vines
d) Soft and hollow
Answer: b) Rough and indented with scars
Explanation: In the first stanza, Toru Dutt writes, “Like a huge Python, winding round and round / The rugged trunk, indented deep with scars.”Unlike the romanticized descriptions of trees in poetry, Toru Dutt presents a realistic and detailed image. The rough and scarred trunk suggests age, endurance, and resilience, much like human beings who carry their past experiences. This also reinforces the theme of nostalgia, as the tree, despite its roughness, remains beloved and significant to the poet.
26. What is the significance of the creeper in the poem?
a) It makes the tree weak
b) It enhances the tree’s beauty
c) It kills other trees
d) It symbolizes destruction
Answer: b) It enhances the tree’s beauty
Explanation: In the first stanza, Toru Dutt describes the creeper as winding around the tree “like a huge Python” and climbing “up to its very summit near the stars.” She then says, “But gallantly / The giant wears the scarf, and flowers are hung / In crimson clusters all the boughs among,” suggesting that the creeper, despite its tight grip, adds to the tree’s charm. The image of the creeper as a “scarf” adorned with “crimson clusters” of flowers shows it decorating the tree, making it more beautiful and livelier, attracting birds and bees. It doesn’t weaken or destroy the tree; instead, the tree carries it proudly, enhancing its majestic appearance.
27. What kind of poetic device is used in “The tree’s lament, an eerie speech”?
a) Metaphor
b) Simile
c) Hyperbole
d) Personification
Answer: d) Personification
Explanation: Personification is a literary device where human qualities are given to non-human things. Here, the tree’s sound is described as a lament or an eerie speech, as if the tree itself is mourning or expressing sorrow. This poetic device makes the tree feel more alive and emotionally significant, reinforcing its symbolic role as a keeper of memories.
28. “What does the poet compare the sound of the tree’s lament, heard in the poem, to?”
a) A lullaby
b) A sea breaking on a shingle-beach
c) A whispering wind
d) A church bell ringing
Answer: b) A sea breaking on a shingle-beach
Explanation: In the poem, Toru Dutt writes, “What is that dirge-like murmur that I hear / Like the sea breaking on a shingle-beach?” This directly compares the tree’s mournful sound to waves crashing on a stony shore. Let me know if this works or if you’d like another adjustment!
29. What does the poet recall seeing near the Casuarina tree?
a) A herd of elephants
b) A gray baboon and its offspring
c) A group of tigers resting under it
d) A flock of migratory birds
Answer: b) A gray baboon and its offspring
Explanation: The presence of the gray baboon adds a wild and naturalistic element to the setting. The baboon’s still and observant nature contrasts with the playfulness of its offspring, much like how the poet reflects on her past while younger generations continue to live and grow. This imagery also enhances the theme of continuity in nature and life.
30. What natural feature is present near the tree?
a) A mountain range
b) A river
c) A broad tank (pond)
d) A vast desert
Answer: c) A broad tank (pond)
Explanation: In the second stanza, Toru Dutt writes, “And in the shadow, on the broad tank cast / By that hoar tree, so beautiful and vast, / The water-lilies spring, like snow enmassed.” Here, “tank” refers to a man-made pond or small body of water, common in Indian landscapes, and the poet describes how the tree’s shadow falls on it, highlighting its presence near the casuarina tree. None of the other options—mountain range, river, or vast desert—are mentioned in the poem.
31. What do the water-lilies in the tank symbolize?
a) Wealth and prosperity
b) Purity and beauty
c) Loneliness and sadness
d) Change and destruction
Answer: b) Purity and beauty
Explanation: The water-lilies in the broad tank near the Casuarina tree symbolize purity, serenity, and beauty. Their white color evokes a sense of spiritual innocence, and their presence in the calm water reinforces the tranquil atmosphere of the poem. Water-lilies, often associated with spiritual symbolism in various cultures, serve as a visual contrast to the tree’s resilience, highlighting the delicate nature of beauty and the passage of time.
32. How does the poet express her love for her lost companions?
a) By dedicating a poem to them
b) By planting more trees
c) By writing letters to them
d) By making a painting of the tree
Answer: a) By dedicating a poem to them
Explanation: In the poem, Toru Dutt connects the casuarina tree to her “sweet companions, loved with love intense,” who are now gone, and she honors their memory through her verse. In the fifth stanza, she says, “Therefore I fain would consecrate a lay / Unto thy honor, Tree, beloved of those / Who now in blessed sleep, for aye, repose,” showing that this poem (“lay”) is a tribute not just to the tree but also to those dear ones tied to it in her memory. The act of writing “Our Casuarina Tree” itself is her way of expressing that love, keeping their memory alive. There’s no mention of planting trees, writing letters, or painting in the poem.
33. What literary device is used in the phrase “May Love defend thee from Oblivion’s curse”?
a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Personification
d) Hyperbole
Answer: c) Personification
Explanation: In this line from the fifth stanza, Toru Dutt gives human qualities to “Love” and “Oblivion.” “Love” is portrayed as a protector that can “defend” the tree, while “Oblivion” (forgetfulness) is given a “curse” it can impose, like a person casting a spell. This makes abstract ideas act like living beings, which is personification. It’s not a comparison (simile or metaphor) or an exaggeration (hyperbole); it’s about bringing these concepts to life as if they have power and intent.
34. Which tree does the poet compare the Casuarina tree to?
a) The deathless trees of Borrowdale
b) The banyan tree of India
c) The sacred fig tree
d) The Christmas tree
Answer: a) The deathless trees of Borrowdale
Explanation: The poet compares the Casuarina tree to the deathless trees of Borrowdale, which are famous for their longevity and symbolic immortality. This comparison shows the poet’s desire to immortalize the tree through poetry and memory, making it as enduring as these ancient, revered trees. The deathless trees symbolize how certain memories and symbols live on forever, just as the tree in the poem will continue to live in the poet’s heart and words.
35. What does “Fear, trembling Hope, and Death, the skeleton” symbolize?
a) The power of love
b) The reality of life and death
c) The beauty of nature
d) The destruction of forests
Answer: b) The reality of life and death
Explanation: In this line, the poet uses personification to represent Fear, Hope, and Death as figures with human qualities. Fear and Hope embody the emotional responses to life’s uncertainties, while Death, depicted as a skeleton, represents the inevitable end. Together, these symbols reflect the complex nature of human existence, where hope and fear coexist with the undeniable certainty of death. The line expresses the fragility of life and the universality of human mortality.
36. How does the poet ensure the immortality of the Casuarina tree?
a) By building a monument around it
b) By writing about it in her poetry
c) By planting more Casuarina trees
d) By taking a photograph of it
Answer: b) By writing about it in her poetry
Explanation: The poet ensures the immortality of the tree by writing about it in the poem. By immortalizing the tree in words, she makes it timeless, preserving its memory beyond her lifetime. This reflects the poem’s central theme that love, memory, and poetry can preserve things that would otherwise fade away with time. Through her literary creation, the poet ensures that the tree remains alive in the collective memory of readers for generations.
37. Why does the poet mention France and Italy?
a) To describe their rich forests
b) To highlight their deforestation problems
c) To indicate that the tree’s lament reaches faraway lands
d) To compare the tree to famous European trees
Answer: c) To indicate that the tree’s lament reaches faraway lands
Explanation: The poet mentions France and Italy to show that the tree’s mournful lament is not confined to her homeland but resonates across distant lands. This suggests that the memory of the tree and its significance transcends geographical boundaries. By placing the tree’s lament in the global context, the poet underscores the universal nature of memories and loss, suggesting that the tree’s influence reaches beyond the local to become a universal symbol of nostalgia.
38. What kind of tone does the poet use in the poem?
a) Joyful and playful
b) Nostalgic and melancholic
c) Angry and critical
d) Humorous and satirical
Answer: b) Nostalgic and melancholic
Explanation: The tone of Our Casuarina Tree is predominantly nostalgic and melancholic, as the poet reflects on her childhood, the passing of time, and the loss of loved ones. Through her vivid descriptions of the tree and its significance, the poet conveys a deep sense of longing and sadness. The melancholy is softened by the beauty and tenderness of her memories, but there is an underlying sadness about the impermanence of life and the inevitable passing of time.
39. What was the fate of Toru Dutt?
a) She became a famous poet in her old age
b) She died at the young age of 21
c) She stopped writing poetry later in life
d) She became a novelist and moved to Europe
Answer: b) She died at the young age of 21
Explanation: Toru Dutt’s life was tragically short. She died at the age of 21 from tuberculosis, a disease that claimed many young lives during her time. Despite her early death, she left behind a significant body of work, including Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan and A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields. Her works, though few, continue to be celebrated for their elegance, emotional depth, and their contribution to Indo-Anglian literature.
40. What message does the poet convey in the last stanza?
a) Nature is immortal and will never die
b) Love and poetry can preserve memories and prevent oblivion
c) All trees will be forgotten eventually
d) Only those who plant trees are remembered
Answer: b) Love and poetry can preserve memories and prevent oblivion
Explanation: In the final stanza, Toru Dutt writes, “Therefore I fain would consecrate a lay / Unto thy honor, Tree, beloved of those / Who now in blessed sleep, for aye, repose,” showing her intent to honor the tree and her lost loved ones through this poem (“lay”). She hopes, “Mayst thou be numbered when my days are done / With deathless trees—like those in Borrowdale,” referencing immortal trees from Wordsworth’s poetry, and ends with, “May Love defend thee from Oblivion’s curse.” This suggests that her love for the tree and her poetic tribute can keep its memory alive, preventing it from being forgotten. It’s not about nature’s immortality, inevitable forgetting, or planting trees—it’s about the power of love and poetry to preserve what’s dear to her.
