I sit inside, doors open to the veranda
writing long letters
in which I scarcely mention the departure
of the forest from the house.
The night is fresh, the whole moon shines
in a sky still open
the smell of leaves and lichen
still reaches like a voice into the rooms.
Read the given extracts and answer the questions for any ONE of the two given.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:19 · grounding stimulus+chapter
Model Answer
(i) The narrator is portrayed as contemplative and emotionally restrained. She sits indoors, writing long letters, yet deliberately avoids mentioning the significant departure of the trees. This suggests a quiet, introspective person who is aware of the change around her but chooses not to confront it directly in words.
(ii) The trees' movement from the house to the forest reflects the broader theme of nature reclaiming its freedom and the struggle between the natural world and human-made spaces.
(iii) The poet has hardly mentioned the departure of the forest (trees) from the house in her letter, even though it is a significant event happening around her.
(iv) (A) 1 and 4
The extract creates an atmosphere of nostalgia and loss — the smell of leaves still lingers, and the moon shines in a sky "still open," suggesting things are fading away.
Source: "Trees" by Adrienne Rich, First Flight (Class 10)
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Explanation
- (i) Focus on what the narrator does (sits, writes) and what she avoids (mentioning the departure) — this shows emotional detachment or restraint, worth 2 marks.
- (ii) Key theme of the poem is nature vs. confinement — trees escaping indoors to their natural habitat = freedom of nature.
- (iii) Direct textual answer: "scarcely mention the departure of the forest from the house."
- (iv) "Still" repeated twice and the lingering smell suggest things are ending (loss) and the speaker remembers (nostalgia) — Option A is correct. There is no joy, and serenity alone doesn't capture the tone fully.