Question 1
Why are the trees described as moving out?
The movement imagines trees returning to their natural environment. It conveys the idea that living nature cannot remain comfortably confined for human convenience.
Poem guide: central idea and structure
The poem imagines trees inside a house moving out toward the forest. Their departure suggests a return to natural space and can also be read as an image of release from confinement.
Key ideas
- Nature resists being permanently contained.
- The poem uses a night-time movement to suggest gradual change.
- The image can invite reflection on freedom and restoration.
Reading checklist
- Identify who is speaking and what changes.
- Support each interpretation with a detail from the text.
- Explain how the title, structure or ending develops the central idea.
Literary techniques
- Personification gives the trees purposeful movement.
- Extended metaphor links trees leaving a house with release.
- Enjambment and imagery create a sense of quiet motion.
Important vocabulary
- lichen — a growth formed by fungi and algae on surfaces
- bough — a large branch of a tree
- lichen — a growth formed by fungi and algae
Answer-writing tip: Begin with a direct response, support it with a relevant event or image, and finish by linking the detail to the question. Avoid retelling the entire text.
Activity for close reading
Sketch the poem’s movement from indoor to outdoor space. Add three labels showing how the imagery changes as the trees approach the forest.
This is an original study activity based on the text; use the prescribed book for the full work and exact exercise wording.
Solved questions in CBSE/PYQ style
Newly written practice modeled on common extract, inference, theme and character question patterns; these are not copied past-paper questions.
Question 2
What might the house represent?
The house can be read as an artificial space that restricts the trees. Symbolically, it may suggest any enclosure that limits natural growth or freedom.
Question 3
How does personification support the poem?
Giving trees human-like intention makes their movement purposeful. This helps the reader imagine the forest reclaiming what was separated from it.
Self-check
- Can I state the central idea in one or two sentences?
- Can I explain one important turning point, image or technique?
- Can I support my interpretation with evidence without copying long passages?
- Can I answer in the required word limit and keep the response focused?
Prepared as supplementary revision for CBSE Class X English Language and Literature 2026–27. Consult the current CBSE syllabus and your prescribed NCERT edition for assessment details.