Poetry 1. GRANDMA CLIMBS A TREE
– Ruskin Bond

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Poetry 1. GRANDMA CLIMBS A TREE
– Ruskin Bond

 

This poem by Ruskin Bond poetically describes his granny’s love for trees. The poet
begins the poem by calling her ‘genius’ as she could climb any type of tree easily. She
had learnt it from her brother when she was six; and she had been climbing trees since then.
She could climb up any trees very quickly even at the age of sixty-two. As she grew old, she
was advised not to climb trees as it looked disgraceful, however, she did not pay heed to
this advice.
It was feared that one day she would fall. But she never fell! However, one day when she
was alone at home, she climbed a tree, but could not come down. She was rescued from the
tree top. After that she fell ill; the doctor was called; he took her temperature and advised
her bed rest for a week. Everyone felt relieved as this would curb granny’s tree-climbing.
Quite contrary to everyone’s expectations, the granny grew miserable lying in the bed.
Obviously, she was missing tree climbing. She sat up on her bed and declared she would not
be confined to bed any longer. She called the poet’s father and instructed him to have a
house built for her in the treetop.
The dutiful dad started his work immediately. With the poet’s help he built a beautiful
treetop house with doors and windows for the granny. The granny moved into the treetop
house. The poet took her meals up the treetop house. She had a wonderful time living in the
treetop house enjoying sherry with the poet.

 

Multiple choice questions:
1. Grandma was a genius because ……………………………..
a. she was skillful b. she could climb a tree
c. she was good d. she loved trees

2. The poet calls his grandmother ………………………
a. a brave woman b. a genius c. childish d. a silly woman

3. Poet’s grandma was happier in ……………………
a. a boat b. a lift c. a house d. a tree

4. Grandma learnt to climb a tree from ……………….
a. a trainee b. her brother c. her father d. her son

5. As soon as the doctor recommended ‘a quiet week in bed’ for granny, all the family
members………
a. sighed with relief b. laughed happily
c. danced with joy d. felt very bad

6. For granny, ‘a quiet week in bed’ was like a brief season in …………………..
a. hell b. heaven c. prison d. jail

7. Grandma wanted a house ……………
a. in a tree top b. beside a river c. on a beach d. in a forest

8. My grandmother was a genius. The underlined word means …………..
a. a tree climber b. an elderly person
c. a gifted person d. a happy person

9. The opposite of ‘gracefully’ is …………….
a. ungracefully b. disgracefully c. misgracefully d. ingracefully

10. “It was like a brief season in hell” Figure of speech used in the above sentence is
a. simile b. metaphor c. alliteration d. paradox

II. Answer the following in a word or a phrase or in a sentence (one mark questions)

1. What does the poet call his grandmother?
Ans.The poet calls his grandmother a genius.

2. Why does the poet call his grandmother ‘genius’?
Ans.The poet calls his grandmother ‘genius’ because, she could climb any kind of trees
spreading or high.

3. Who taught grandmother to climb trees?
Ans.Her loving brother taught grandmother to climb trees.

44. What was her age where she climbed the tree last?
Ans.She was sixty-two when she climbed the tree last.

5. What did the doctor strongly recommend?
Ans.The doctor strongly recommended a quite week in bed.

6. What did grandma tell her son one day?
Ans.Grandma told her son to build a house in a tree top.

7. According to the poet what was grandmother’s right?
Ans.To reside in a tree is considered as grandmother’s right.

8. “My dad knew his duties” what did he think his duty was?
Ans.Poet’s father was a dutiful son and in accordance with grandma’s wishes, he immediately
started to build a house for her in a tree top.

III Answer the following questions in two or three sentences:

1. What did people tell the grandmother as went by?
Ans:People told grandma that she should stop climbing trees as she grew old, and also that
one should grow old gracefully

2. What was usual in the reply given by the grandma?
Ans:Grandma was very childish in her reply. She said that she would grow disgracefully.

3. What did the doctor recommend? How did the family members react?
Ans:The doctor recommended grandma a quiet week in bed. Family members sighed with
relief.

4. How did grandma feel while she lay in bed?
Ans:Grandma felt miserable as she lay in bed. She loved to look at the dancing leaves. For
her, it was like a brief season in hell.

5. What did she ask for as soon as she was better?
Ans.As soon as she was better, Grandma as ked her son to build a house in a tree top.

IV. Read each of the following extracts and answer the questions given below:

1. “Ever since childhood, said had this gift”
a. Who does ‘she’ refer to?
Ans:Grandma

b. What was the gift that she had?
Ans:She had the gift of climbing trees easily whether it was spreading or high.

2. I strongly recommend a quiet week in bed”
a. Who recommended bed rest?
Ans Doctor

b. For whom was the rest recommended and why?
Ans:Rest was recommended to grandma because she was ill.

3. She sat up and said, “I’ll live here no longer”
a. Who does ‘I’ refer to?
Ans:‘I’ refers to grandma.
b. Why was the speaker forced to lie down?
Ans.After the rescue, the doctor took granny’s temperature and strongly recommended her
a quiet week in bed.

4. He said, “That’s all right. You’ll have what you want dear”.
a. Who does ‘you’ refer to?
Ans:‘You’ refers to granny.
b. What does the speaker mean by above words?
Ans:Granny wished for a house in a tree top and his son readily agreed to fulfil her wish.

5. “I’ll start work tonight”
a. Who started to start the work?
Ans:Poet’s father
b. What was the work and why was he doing it?
Ans:The work was to build a house in tree top. He wanted to do it to fulfil his mother’s
wish to live on a tree.

V. Write the summary of the poem ‘Grandma climbs a Tree’. (4Marks)

The poem ‘Grandma Climbs a Tree’ is written by Ruskin Bond. He calls his grandmother
a genius because she could climb any kind of tree spreading or high even at the age of
sixty-two years. She had this gift from her child hood. She learnt to climb trees from
her loving brother at the age of six years. She was very happy in a tree than in a lift.
When her family members advised her to stop climbing trees in old age and spend her
life gracefully, she just laughed and said that she would grow old disgracefully and she
could do that well.
One day, when the family members went to town, she climbed a tree and could not
come down. People who saw her rescued her and she was admitted in a hospital. The
doctor took granny’s temperature and advised her to take one week bed rest. The
family members felt relieved that she could no more climb trees. They took care of her
up in bed. But for granny it was like a brief season in hell.
As soon as she felt stronger, she refused to lie in bed. She called her son and asked him
to build her a house on a tree top. The poet’s father was a dutiful son and in accordance
with her wishes, with the help of the poet he immediately started to build a tree house
with doors and windows.
Grandma moved up the tree and the poet would climb up every day with glasses and a
tray and sit with her while she drinks sherry. She lived like a queen in her tree house
drinking sherry with the poet.