The Laburnum Top Extract Questions | English Class 11

Extract Questions

Passage with linked answers

Extract

Extract 1

Reading Set

Extract 1

Passage

The Laburnum top is silent, quite still In the afternoon yellow September sunlight, A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen. Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end.

The time of day and month described in these lines are the _ and _.

afternoon, September

The tree is in a state of _________ before the bird arrives.

silence or stillness

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Extract Questions

Passage with linked answers

Extract

Extract 2

Reading Set

Extract 2

Passage

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.

The bird's movement is compared to a _________ to show her alertness.

lizard

The sudden noise of the young birds is metaphorically called a _________ starting up.

machine

What is the 'thickness' that the bird enters?

The 'thickness' refers to the dense part of the tree's branches and leaves where the nest is hidden. By entering this area, the bird moves from the exposed branch end to the safety of her home to feed her young ones.

Explain the significance of the tree 'trembling and thrilling'.

This means the tree is physically vibrating with the excitement and movement of the baby birds. It signifies that the tree, once dead and silent, has been transformed into a living, breathing entity full of life and joy because of the birds.

What auditory (sound) words does the poet use to show activity?

The poet uses words like 'chitterings' and 'trillings' to describe the high-pitched sounds of the birds. These words help the student hear the sudden explosion of life that occurs when the mother bird reaches her nest inside the dense foliage.

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Extract Questions

Passage with linked answers

Extract

Extract 3

Reading Set

Extract 3

Passage

It is the engine of her family. She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end Showing her barred face identity mask

The mother bird 'stokes' the engine by providing _________ to her family.

food

The bird's _________ is described as her 'identity mask'.

barred face

Who or what does the word 'It' refer to in the first line?

'It' refers to the collective group of the mother bird and her young ones. Their activity and noise are compared to a running engine that gives life and purpose to the tree, which serves as the body of this machine.

What does the word 'stokes' imply about the mother bird's role?

The word 'stokes' implies that the mother bird is the provider of energy. Just as one stokes a fire to keep it burning, she feeds her chicks to keep their energy levels high and the 'engine' of their family life running.

Why does the bird move to the 'branch-end' after feeding her young?

The bird moves to the 'branch-end' to prepare for her departure. It is a moment where she reveals herself briefly before flying away. It also serves as a transition point between the hidden nest and the open, infinite sky.

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Extract Questions

Passage with linked answers

Extract

Extract 4

Reading Set

Extract 4

Passage

Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings She launches away, towards the infinite And the laburnum subsides to empty.

The bird flies away towards the _________, which represents the vast sky.

infinite

After the bird leaves, the tree _________ to its original state of emptiness.

subsides

How is the bird's departure different from her arrival?

Her departure is described as 'eerie' and 'delicate,' with 'whisperings,' which is much softer than the 'suddenness' and 'startlement' of her arrival. It suggests a graceful, almost ghostly exit that leaves the tree in a state of quiet mourning.

What is the meaning of 'the infinite' in this context?

In this poem, 'the infinite' refers to the vast, limitless sky. It suggests that the bird belongs to a much larger world beyond the tree, and her visit to the Laburnum was just a small part of her endless journey.

What does the final line tell us about the nature of life?

The final line reflects the cycle of life and the transience of energy. It shows that periods of intense activity and connection are followed by silence. The tree’s return to 'empty' signifies the inevitable return to peace and solitude in nature.

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Chapter sections

Chapter the-laburnum-top: The Laburnum Top | Extract Questions

Extract 1

The time of day and month described in these lines are the _ and _.

The tree is in a state of _________ before the bird arrives.

What does the phrase 'all its seeds fallen' suggest about the tree?

How does the goldfinch break the silence of the Laburnum top?

Why is the word 'yellow' repeated or implied through various images here?

Extract 2

The bird's movement is compared to a _________ to show her alertness.

The sudden noise of the young birds is metaphorically called a _________ starting up.

What is the 'thickness' that the bird enters?

Explain the significance of the tree 'trembling and thrilling'.

What auditory (sound) words does the poet use to show activity?

Extract 3

The mother bird 'stokes' the engine by providing _________ to her family.

The bird's _________ is described as her 'identity mask'.

Who or what does the word 'It' refer to in the first line?

What does the word 'stokes' imply about the mother bird's role?

Why does the bird move to the 'branch-end' after feeding her young?

Extract 4

The bird flies away towards the _________, which represents the vast sky.

After the bird leaves, the tree _________ to its original state of emptiness.

How is the bird's departure different from her arrival?

What is the meaning of 'the infinite' in this context?

What does the final line tell us about the nature of life?

Chapter sections

Chapter the-laburnum-top: The Laburnum Top | Extract Questions

Extract 1

The time of day and month described in these lines are the _________ and _________.

The tree is in a state of _________ before the bird arrives.

What does the phrase 'all its seeds fallen' suggest about the tree?

How does the goldfinch break the silence of the Laburnum top?

Why is the word 'yellow' repeated or implied through various images here?

Extract 2

The bird's movement is compared to a _________ to show her alertness.

The sudden noise of the young birds is metaphorically called a _________ starting up.

What is the 'thickness' that the bird enters?

Explain the significance of the tree 'trembling and thrilling'.

What auditory (sound) words does the poet use to show activity?

Extract 3

The mother bird 'stokes' the engine by providing _________ to her family.

The bird's _________ is described as her 'identity mask'.

Who or what does the word 'It' refer to in the first line?

What does the word 'stokes' imply about the mother bird's role?

Why does the bird move to the 'branch-end' after feeding her young?

Extract 4

The bird flies away towards the _________, which represents the vast sky.

After the bird leaves, the tree _________ to its original state of emptiness.

How is the bird's departure different from her arrival?

What is the meaning of 'the infinite' in this context?

What does the final line tell us about the nature of life?

The time of day and month described in these lines are the _ and _.