A work of Artifice
{Workbook solution from BEETA PUBLICATION –IX }
SECTION- A
MCQS ANSWERS - 1)b 2)d 3)d 4)d 5)b 6)a 7)b 8)a
9)d 10)c 11)c 12)b 13)d 14)d 15)b 16)a
SECTION
– B: CONTEXT QUESTIONS
Read the extracts given
below and answer the questions that follow:
I.
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 what
circumstances?
Ans: The poet is talking about the little bonsai
tree that is kept in the beautiful pot. It would have grown eighty feet tall on
the mountain side in its full potential in nature outside without any human
interference.
ii)What
does the bonsai tree symbolize? Explain.
Ans: The bonsai tree
symbolizes women who are subjugated, suppressed and compelled to lead the
limited life in a patriarchal (male dominated) society.
iii)Where
would it have grown tall? How would have been its height its enemy?
Ans: The bonsai tree
could have grown tall on the mountain side up to 80 feet in its natural
habitat. If it is not interfered by human and by lightning to strike it. So,
its enemy is lightning and human beings.
iv)Why
do you think the poet used the words ‘attractive pot’ in the extract?
Ans: The poet used the
words ‘attractive pot’ in the extract because it is used for interior
decoration for show off. So, in order to suppress its natural growth kept in an
attractive pot. Metaphorically, it suggests deceptively safe domestically.
v)What
does ‘till split by lightning’ symbolize? How is the tree protected from
lightning?
Ans: ‘Till split by lightning’
symbolizes the hardships, difficulties and challenges faced by the women in the
patriarchal society. Women have a vast potential to grow and accomplish things.
Only a freak incident like lighting can cause damage if the woman is allowed to
reach her potential like a eighty feet tall tree. The tree is protected by the
gardener planting it if a beautiful pot and pruning it carefully so that it
does not grow.
II.
….carefully pruned it.
It is 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?
Ans: The bonsai tree is
described as being ‘nine inches high. It is pruned and its roots are limited to
a beautiful pot. It doesn’t grow to its full height to its potentials because it
is deliberately confined by the human beings.
ii)Who
prunes the tree? Why does he do so?
Ans: Gardener prunes the
bonsai tree and doesn’t allow to be eighty feet tall. Gardener does the pruning
and stops the growth of the tree limiting to its size and shape to just fit to
the attractive pot.
iii)What
does croons means? Briefly describe the symbolism used here.
Ans: ‘Croon’ is a verb
which means to sing or hum in a soft, soothing voice. So, it means humming or
singing softly and lovingly. The crooning of the gardener that could easily be
transferred to a male member talking to a female. The man, like the gardener
would be telling the woman that she is lucky to be in a home because she is
small and weak just like the bonsai tree.
iv)What
role do the short lines of the poem play?
Ans; The short lines lend
a sing-song tone to the poem. The lines seem broken just like the ‘whittling’
of a bonsai’s branches. This shortness of the lines stresses that the poet
wants to deliver the message urgently. By using short and simple lines, the
poet emphasizes the confinement of both the bonsai tree and women.
v)Identify
the gardening vocabulary used in this extract. How do these aid in the artifice
of the bonsai?
Ans: the gardening
vocabulary used in this extract are – pruning, whittling etc. The gardener
carefully prunes and whittles the branches while he swoons in reassurance that
all is well. The gardener stunts the potential of the tree by pruning and
whittling under the pretext of keeping it safe. Patriarch in society do the
same with women. They restrict their (women) movement in the garb of protecting
them.
III.
It is your nature to be small and cozy,
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?
Ans: The nature of the
tree according to the gardener is to be small and beautiful; domesticated and
weak. The gardener thinks that tree looks beautiful and taken care better when
its small. So he restricts the growth of the tree.
ii)Is
the tree lucky to grow in a pot? Explain the irony in this line?
Ans: According to the
gardener the tree is fortunate to grow in a pot. Irony refers to a statement or
expression whose intended meaning is quite contrary to the literal meaning.
Just like the growth of a tree is stunted by the gardener, the growth and
development of women controlled as early as possible.
iii)What
effect do these lines have on the tree? Explain.
Ans: These lines suggest
that tree believes that she is meant to be small, weak and beautiful. She is
weak and needs to be domesticated. The tree thinks that she is fortunate to
have a pot of her own to grow in as well as a gardener to look after her.
iv)Even
though the tree had the potential to grow taller, it didn’t. why?
Ans: The tree in the poem
is described as having the potential to grow up to 80 feet tall, but the
gardener doesn’t allow to grow it. The gardener keeps in an attractive pot by
pruning it so that it looks beautiful and doesn’t grow more than nine inches.
v)If
the tree was nurtured, it would’ve grown tall and reached its potential.
Comment.
Ans: If the gardener
doesn’t prune the tree and allows it to grow normally, the beauty of the tree
could be seen. The tree would grow tall and reach to its full potential. By
seeing that people could admire, appreciate and look up to it in great respect.
IV.
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’?
Ans: In order to create a
successful bonsai tree, one should begin very early because the process of
shaping and pruning the tree into the desired form is a long and gradual one.
So condition them to be confined to their pot and to allow the gardener to
manipulate them in the same of artificial beauty standards. Dwarf is a term
that can either mean to stunt one’s growth or to belittle a person and to make
them feel small.
ii)What
is the significance of dwarf and crippled’?
Ans: The bonsai tree is
dwarfed because it is grown in a small pot which limits its growth; while the
tree is crippled because it is pruned and shaped to fit in pot. So, it
significance is that it evokes an image of a doll rather than a woman,
suggesting objectification of women in society. They are seen as ambassadors of
beauty.
iii)Briefly
explain the meaning and significance of bound feet?
Ans: Bound feet’ refer to
the ancient Chinese practice of binding women’s feet for aesthetic purposes,
and also preventing their freedom.
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