NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English, Chapter 2 – The Laburnum Top

NCERT Solutions offer a broad variety of definitions and introduction to the topic for Class 11 English, which includes all the questions provided in the NCERT books.

NCERT Solutions of the 11th Std English has been provided to ace up your preparation. Access and use the direct links available for Chapterwise Class 11 NCERT Solutions whenever you want. The detailed approach used to explain the NCERT Solutions of the 11th Std English makes it easy for you to understand the concepts behind them.

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English, Chapter 2 – The Laburnum Top provides us with all-inclusive information on all concepts. As students would have to learn the basics about the subject in class 11, this curriculum for class 11 is a comprehensive study material, which explains the concepts in a great way.

Question 1:

Look for some other poem on a bird or a tree in English or any other language.

Answer:

1. ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ by John Keats
2. ‘Yew Trees’ by William Wordsworth
3. ‘To the Cuckoo’ by William Wordsworth
4. ‘To a Skylark’ by P. B. Shelley

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Question 1:

What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?

Answer:

The poem begins on a very melancholic note. The laburnum is described as standing silent and still. There is no sign of movement. The leaves of the tree have started turning yellow and the seeds have already fallen. It indicates the season of autumn.

At the end of the poem, the laburnum is left silent once again. This time the silence brings in a note of emptiness in the poem after all the commotion that the goldfinch causes. When she leaves the tree, ‘the laburnum subsides to empty’.

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Question 1:

What laburnum is called in your language.

Answer:

Laburnum is known as Amaltas in Hindi.

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Question 1:

the sound words

Answer:

‘chirrup’, ‘chitterings’ ‘trillings’, ‘whistle-chirrup’, ‘whisperings’.

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Question 1:

Words which describe ‘sleek’, ‘alert’, and ‘abrupt’

Answer:

Words which describe ‘sleek’ are tender, soft, smooth, shiny, glossy, etc.

Words which describe ‘alert’ are attentive, aware, vigilant, ready, prepared, etc

Words which describe ‘abrupt’ are sudden, sharp, quick, immediate, unforeseen, etc.

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Question 2:

To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?

Answer:

The movement of the bird is compared to that of a lizard.

A lizard moves in a sleek and smooth manner, reflecting a lot of dexterity in its alertness and quickness of movement. Similarly, the entry of the goldfinch into the thickness of the tree is ‘sleek’, ‘alert’ and ‘abrupt’.

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Question 2:

Which local bird is like the goldfinch.

Answer:

In India, Lutino Indian Ringneck, a singing bird with yellow feathers, is like the goldfinch.

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Question 2:

the movement words

Answer:

‘enter’, ‘tremor’, ‘stokes’, ‘flirts’, ‘launches’

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Question 2:

Words with the sound ‘ch’ as in ‘chart’ and ‘tr’ as in ‘trembles’ in the poem.

Answer:

In the poem, the words with the sound ‘ch’ are chirrup and chitterlings.

In the poem, the words with the sound ‘tr’ are tremor, trillings, and trembles.

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Question 3:

Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?

Answer:

Engine refers to the driving force that brings a machine to action. However, the engine also needs fuel to work. Similarly, with the arrival of the goldfinch, ‘a machine starts up’ as the entire tree livens up with the chitterings, singing and commotion caused by the bird and its young ones. Thus, the tree is compared to a machine whose ignition is turned on by the arrival of the bird.

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Question 3:

the dominant colour in the poem

Answer:

Yellow is the dominant colour in the poem.

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Question 3:

Other sounds that occur frequently in the poem.

Answer:

The other sounds that occur frequently in the poem are listed below.

• ‘-st’ as in still, startlement and stokes.
• ‘-ill’ as in still, till, trillings and thrills.
• ‘-ing’ as in ‘yellowing, twitching, chitterings, wings, trillings, showing and whisperings.

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Question 4:

What do you like the most about the poem?

Answer:

The poem presents a beautiful interaction between the elements of nature – the tree and the bird. The universal concept of the exchange of energy is aspect in the poem. The goldfinch enlivens the tree with its presence while the tree serves as a nesting place for the goldfinch’s family.

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Question 5:

What does the phrase “her barred face identity mask” mean?

Answer:

The bird mentioned in the poem has black markings similar to a mask. Looking beyond the physical, it seems to refer to the fact that her family sees her as she truly is. Throughout the day she may wear many masks, however, it is impossible to hide one’s true self at the end of the day.