Question Bank — The Laburnum Top

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

1. What is the dominant mood of the laburnum tree at the beginning of the poem?
   a) Noisy and lively
   b) Silent and still
   c) Bright and colourful
   d) Windy and restless

2. The goldfinch is compared to a lizard because of its:
   a) Colour
   b) Sleek, alert and abrupt movement
   c) Size
   d) Sound

3. Assertion (A): The laburnum tree becomes alive only after the goldfinch arrives.
   Reason (R): The bird brings activity, sound and movement to the otherwise silent tree.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

4. Which phrase in the poem suggests that the tree functions like a living machine?
   a) “twitching chirrup”
   b) “a machine starts up”
   c) “eerie delicate whistle-chirrup”
   d) “launches away”

5. The phrase “barred face identity mask” refers to:
   a) The goldfinch’s distinctive facial markings
   b) The leaves of the laburnum
   c) The seeds of the tree
   d) The sunlight on the branches

6. Assertion (A): The poem ends with the tree becoming empty and silent again.
   Reason (R): The goldfinch leaves the tree after feeding her young.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

7. The sound words used in the poem are:
   a) Yellow, still, fallen
   b) Chirrup, chitterings, trillings, whisperings
   c) Sleek, alert, abrupt
   d) Trembles, thrills, launches

8. The poet uses the image of an “engine” to describe:
   a) The goldfinch’s flight
   b) The activity of the goldfinch’s family inside the tree
   c) The September sunlight
   d) The falling seeds

9. What happens to the laburnum tree when the goldfinch departs?
   a) It becomes full of flowers
   b) It subsides to empty
   c) It starts trembling violently
   d) It turns completely yellow

10. The poem is set in:
    a) Early morning in spring
    b) Afternoon in September
    c) Evening in winter
    d) Night in July

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“The Laburnum top is silent, quite still
In the afternoon yellow September sunlight,
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.”

1. Who is the speaker / what is the context of these lines?
2. What does the poet mean by “a few leaves yellowing”?
3. Identify the literary device used in “yellow September sunlight”.
4. What does the word “quite” suggest about the tree’s condition?

Extract 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.”

1. Who is “she” in the extract?
2. Explain the meaning of “a machine starts up”.
3. Name the literary device used in “sleek as a lizard”.
4. What change occurs in the tree after the bird enters?

Extract 3

“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.”

1. What does “stokes it full” mean in the context of the poem?
2. What is the significance of the “barred face identity mask”?
3. Identify the literary device in “launches away, towards the infinite”.
4. How does the tree’s condition change after the bird leaves?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

1. What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
2. Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
3. What does the phrase “her barred face identity mask” mean?
4. How does the goldfinch bring life to the laburnum tree?
5. Mention any two sound words and two movement words from the poem.

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

1. Describe the relationship between the goldfinch and the laburnum tree as presented in the poem.
2. How does the poet create a contrast between stillness and movement in “The Laburnum Top”? Discuss with examples from the text.

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

1. From the poem, list:
   a) Three words containing the sound “ch” as in “chart”
   b) Two words containing the sound “tr” as in “trembles”
   c) Two movement words and two sound words (other than those already listed).

2. Write a short paragraph (80–100 words) on “A Tree I Often See” using at least three descriptive words related to sound or movement, inspired by the style of “The Laburnum Top”.