Chapter 10 The Banyan Tree Important Questions Class 6 Honeysuckle English
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. How did the author patronise the banyan trees?
Answer
The author thought that the big banyan tree belonged to him. He enjoyed climbing it, sitting on its branches on a platform and reading books.
Question 2. Who were the other two spectators? What did they do? (Did they watch, or did they join in the fight)?
Answer
The other two spectators were a myna and a jungle crow. They settled on a cactus to watch the outcome joined in the fight off and on.
Question 3. Why was the banyan tree the noisiest place in the garden in spring?
Answer
The banyan tree was the noisiest place in the garden because it was home to many kinds of birds and in spring when the banyan tree was full of red figs, the bulbul, myna, parrots and crows made a cheerful noise.
Question 4. What changes came about in the tree in spring?
Answer
The banyan tree bore small red fruit, and attracted all kinds of birds to sit on it.
Question 5. What trick did the mongoose apply to overpower and kill the cobra?
Answer
He first bit the snake twice on the back. When the cobra was tired, the mongoose caught it by the snout. He finally dragged the dead snake into the bushes.
Question 6. When did the banyan tree become a noisy place?
Answer
The banyan tree became the noisiest place in the garden during the fig season.
Question 7. Who was the author’s first friend?
Answer
A small grey squirrel was authors first friend.
Question 8. Why did the speaker find the old banyan tree exclusively his own?
Answer
The old banyan tree became the narrator’s own property because his grandfather was too old to climb it.
Question 9. Where did the author usually spend his afternoons?
Answer
The author usually spent his afternoons on the platform he had built half way up the tree.
Question 10. Who won the fight between the mongoose and the snake?
Answer
The mongoose first bit the snake twice on the back. When the cobra was tired, the mongoose caught it by the snout. He finally dragged the dead snake into the bushes.
Question 11. Creatures lost their lives in the classic struggle between the cobra and the mongoose. Who were those victims?
Answer
The cobra and the crow.
Question 12. What change did the fig season bring in?
Answer
The banyan tree became the noisiest place in the garden during the fig season.
Question 13. How did the author spend the afternoons in the banyan tree?
Answer
The author had built a crude platform on the banyan tree and when it was not too hot, in the afternoon, he would sit there and read his favourite books. If he did not feel like reading, he just looked down at the world below.
Question 14. Who did not know about the author’s presence on the tree?
Answer
The snake and the mongoose did not know the author’s presence on the tree.
Question 16. What did the speaker do while hiding himself in the banyan tree branches?
Answer
The author used to read story books and watch the world below.
Question 17. What exciting scene did the author enjoy from his platform in the banyan tree?
Answer
The author enjoyed the fight between a mongoose and a cobra, a battle of two champions.
Question 18. Why did the speaker claim that the old banyan tree was his?
Answer
The old banyan tree became the narrator’s own property because his grandfather was too old to climb it.
Question 19. Why did the squirrel become friendly with the author?
Answer
The squirrel became friends with the author because he did not harm the squirrel. He gave it pieces of cake and biscuits.
Question 20. How did the crow die?
Answer
The crow was bitten by the snake and he died.
Question 21. What was the ‘classic’ of the Indian wilds?
Answer
A fight between a mongoose and a cobra has been referred here as a ‘classic’.
Question 22. What did the speaker do on his crude platform?
Answer
The author used to read story books and watch the world below from his crude platform.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. How did the myna and the crow interfere in the classic fight?
Answer
The myna and a jungle crow sat on the cactus plant and watched the fight. Both made a couple of attempts to attack the cobra. The crow wanted to peck and hurt the snake. Both flew over the snake but crow was bitten by the snake and it fell dead.
Question 2. What is the significance of the banyan tree in the story of Ruskin Bond’s?
Answer
The whole story revolves around the tree. The tree was a second home to the author and gave a panoramic view of the world around it. The banyan tree served as a platform for the writer to sit and watch the thrilling fight between a cobra and a wild mongoose. The tree was almost the speaker’s property. The fight started under that tree in sunshine. The other spectators, a myna and a crow also arrived to feed on the dead cobra. But they sat on a cactus plant not the tree.
Question 3. It is said that one should never underestimate the power of one’s opponent. Why?
Answer
Yes, it is true that one should never underestimate the power of one’s opponent because whenever a person develops overconfidence. He is sure to lead to failure. The cobra was well known to the fact that the grey mongooses were superb fighters and clever too in fighting. But it made wrong decisions, so it fell in the mongoose’s trap and died at the end. Instead of giving full attention to the mongoose, the cobra focused on killing the crow and the myna which it should have avoided. The cobra killed the crow but could not save itself from the clutches of mongoose. So enemy should never be thought to be weak.
Question 4. What do you learn from the fight of swift mongoose and venomous snake?
Answer
One can easily learn that the one with energy and swiftness in action can succeed in life. The snake was a great threat to one as it is filled with deadly venom. The patience and strategic fight plan along with understanding of weakness and strength of the opponent make one a winner. One more thing to be understood here is that various opportunist viable to make use of opportunities.
Question 5. Describe the fighter qualities of the mongoose and the cobra.
Answer
The mongoose is a small, three feet long animal yet a superb fighter. He is clever and aggressive. The mongoose is faster and quicker in motion than the cobra and therefore, overpowers him soon. The cobra too is a skillful and experienced fighter. It stares at the opponent with glossy unwinking eyes. It moves swiftly and strikes with the speed of light. It has two fangs full of deadly poison.
Question 6. (i) What happened to the crow in the end?
(ii) What did the myna do finally?
Answer
(i) In the end the crow flung nearly twenty feet across the garden by a blow from the cobra’s snout. It fluttered about for a while, then lay still.
(ii) Myna finally dropped cautiously to the ground, hopped about, the peered into the bushes from a safe distance and then with a shrill cry of congratulations flew away.
Question 7. Bring out the relevance/significance of the banyan tree in the title of Ruskin Bond’s story.
Answer
The banyan tree served as a platform for the writer to sit and watch the thrilling fight between a cobra and a wild mongoose. The tree was almost the speaker’s property because his grandfather could not climb it. The fight started under that tree in sunshine. Two other spectators, a myna and a crow, also arrived to feed on the dead cobra. But they sat on a cactus plant not the tree.
Question 8. What is your opinion about the myna that behaved in a clever way?
Answer
It is true that the myna behaved in a clever way because it never took any risk to its life. It always reached a safer place after diving at the cobra which was fighting with the mongoose. The crow was fool so it lost its life behaving in a foolish manner but the myna survived because of its clearness. It later wisely decided not to interfere in the fight and silently flew away when the fight was over.
Question 9. How did the cobra and the mongoose come face to face?
Answer
The cobra moved his split tongue in and out. He spread his broad spotted hood. He moved cleverly around the mongoose in an action of attack. Mongoose in its swift movement attacked the cobra from the back. At last, the mongoose was able to catch the cobra by its snouts. The cobra coiled itself around the mongoose, but it did not serve any purpose. The cobra died and was pulled away into the bushes.
Question 10. How does sense of belongingness develop faith?
Answer
The author describes that the house belongs to his grandfather yet the tree belongs to him. He found a comfort place in the branches and made it a resting place to read various books of his interest. He got a over view of every activity that took place around him. His faith helped him in befriending a squirrel. The child brought food for squirrel. So with time faith was developed and the squirrel could delve into his pockets.
Question 11. What is the story The Banyan Tree about? Narrate the incident in brief.
Answer
The Banyan Tree is about a deadly fight between a mongoose and a snake. The outcome of such a fight is the death of the cobra. The mongoose is faster in movement than his opponent. The writer witnessed such a fight, sitting on a branch of a banyan tree. He enjoyed the fight. Both the mongoose and the cobra were experienced fighters. They could strike with speed. A myna and a crow also arrived to feed on the dead crew. The crow had hard luck. He was bitten and he fell dead. The cobra got tired in the fight and the mongoose dragged it into the bushes.
Question 12. How did the mongoose kill the snake?
Answer
The mongoose was very active. Though, both the cobra and the mongoose were champions yet the mongoose behaved in a clever and tricky way. The mongooses are superb and aggressive fighters. They are enemies of snakes also. The cobra tried to mesmerise the mongoose, but he was acquainted with the power of his opponent’s glassy eyes. The mongoose very bravely and cleverly fixed his gaze at a point just below the cobra’s hood and started the attack. He was clever enough to defend himself well, biting the snake again and again The cobra coiled itself around the mongoose but was not successful. But in the end the cobra was tired so it could not struggle any more and died and the mongoose dragged it away in the bushes.
Extract Based Questions
Extract 1
My first friend was a small grey squirrel. Arching his back and sniffing into the air, he seemed at first to resent my invasion of his privacy. But when he found that I did not arm myself with catapult or air gun, he became friendly, and when I started bringing him pieces of cake and biscuit he grew quite bold and was soon taking morsels from hand. Before long, he was delving into my pockets and helping himself to whatever he could find. He was a very young squirrel, and his friends and relatives probably thought him foolish and headstrong for trusting a human.
Questions
(i) Who is the first friend of the writer?
(ii) How did the squirrel become friendly with the child?
(iii) What did the writer bring for the squirrel?
(iv) What could be the opinion of squirrel’s family and friends about human being?
(v) Write antonym of ‘Probably’.
Answer
(i) A small grey squirrel is the first friend of the writer.
(ii) The squirrel did not see the child with any catapult or gun. So it become friendly with the child.
(iii) The writer brought pieces of cake and biscuits for the squirrel.
(iv) The opinion of squirrel’s family and friends could be that human beings are not trustworthy.
(v) Sure.
Extract 2
Halfway up the tree I had built a crude platform where I would spend the afternoons when it was not too
hot. I could read there ropping myself up against the tree with a cushion from the living room. Treasure Island, Huckleberry Finn and The Story of Dr Dolittle were some of the books that made up my banyan tree library. When I did not feel like reading, I could look down through the leaves at the world below. And on one particular afternoon I had a grandstand view of that classic of the Indian wilds, a fight between a mongoose, and a cobra.
Questions
(i) What did the child build on the tree?
(ii) What did the child do on the platform?
(iii) What did the child see one day?
(iv) From where did the narrator arranged a cushion?
(v) Find ‘present participle’ of‘prop’ from the above passage.
Answer
(i) The child built a crude platform on the tree.
(ii) The child read books on the platform.
(iii) The child saw a grandstand view of wild fights between a mongoose and a cobra.
(iv) The narrator arranged a cushion from his living room.
(v) Propping.
Extract 3
The warm breezes of approaching summer had sent everyone, including the gardener, into the house. I was feeling drowsy myself, wondering if I should go to the pond and have a swim with Ramu and the buffaloes, when I saw a huge black cobra gliding out of a clump of cactus. At the same time a mongoose emerged from the bushes and went straight for the cobra.
Questions
(i) What does the ‘warm breezes’ suggest?
(ii) What was he thinking of doing?
(iii) From where did the snake emerge?
(iv) Who went straight to attack cobra?
(v) Find a word from the passage, which means ‘a small group’?
Answer
(i) The “Warm breezes’ suggest about the approaching summer.
(ii) He was thinking of going for swimming.
(iii) The snake emerged from the clump of cactus.
(iv) A Mongoose went straight to attack cobra.
(v) Clump.
Extract 4
At the same moment that the cobra struck, the crow and the myna hurled themselves at him, only to collide heavily in mid-air. Shrieking insults at each other they returned to the cactus plant. A few drops of blood glistened on the cobra’s back. The cobra struck and missed. Again in the mongoose sprang aside, jumped in and bit. Again the birds dived at the snake, bumped into each other instead, and returned shrieking to the safety of the cactus.
Questions
(i) Where did the crow and myna collide each other?
(ii) Where did they myna and the crow land?
(iii) Whose attack was more fierce?
(iv) On whom were the eyes of the birds were focused?
(v) Choose the past participle of strike.
Answer
(i) The crow and the myna collided with each other in mid-air.
(ii) They landed onto the cactus plant.
(iii) Mongoose attack was more fierce.
(iv) The eyes of the bird were focused on snake.
(v) Struck.