The Cherry Tree Summary and Explanation
CBSE Class 8 English Unit 4 Environment Chapter 1 The Cherry Tree Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from Poorvi Book
The Cherry Tree Summary– Are you looking for the summary, theme and lesson explanation for CBSE Class 8 English Unit 4 Environment Chapter 1 The Cherry Tree from English Poorvi Book. Get Lesson summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings
CBSE Class 8 English Unit 4 Environment Chapter 1 The Cherry Tree
By Ruskin Bond
The chapter is about a cherry tree Rakesh sows and grows in the garden of his grandfather’s cottage, its challenges and rewards.
- The Cherry Tree Summary
- The Cherry Tree Summary in Hindi
- The Cherry Tree Theme
- The Cherry Tree Explanation
Related:
- The Cherry Tree Question Answers
- The Cherry Tree Character Sketch
- Class 8 English Poorvi Book Lesson Notes
The Cherry Tree Summary
Rakesh lived with his grandfather at the outskirts of Mussoorie. His parents lived in a village, but sent him to live with his grandfather because there were no schools there and grandfather sent him to the school in Mussoorie. One day, he was coming back to the cottage from the bazaar. He had bought a bunch of cherries. When he ate the last tangy cherry, he did not throw away that seed. He kept it with him. Grandfather advised him to sow the seed to make it useful. Rakesh listened to his wisdom and sowed it in a shady corner of the garden where the soil was softer. Both Rakesh and Grandfather forgot about it for a year. The winds were cold and dry, and so most of the sown crops did not survive. However, Rakesh saw that a tiny tree, about four inches in height, was coming up from the soil. Grandfather then advised him to water it every now and then and warned him not to drown the tiny tree with the bucketful of water that he got to water the tiny sapling. Rakesh sprinkled some water on it and made a protective circular boundary around it with pebbles. After about two weeks, it had grown another inch, and soon it was two feet high. But a goat invaded their territory and ate the leaves until just the main stem and two thin branches were left. Grandfather believed that cherry trees are tough, and gave the young boy hope that the cherry tree would not die. Then, the monsoon arrived, which helped the tree grow quickly. But the woman who was trimming the long grass with a scythe, ignorantly cut the tree in half. Grandfather scolded her, but the damage to the tree could not be undone. Both he and Rakesh had now lost hope in the tree. However, the summer season came around, and the tree grew again. Rakesh also grew up, and grandfather called his black eyes ‘blackberry eyes’. Rakesh would give the tree company by watering it even if it rained. Then, the tree grew enough to attract insects like praying mantis. Rakesh removed a hairy caterpillar, which was damaging the tree. One warm sunny afternoon, Grandfather was enjoying the sunlight when he saw a flower blossoming on the tree. Flowers attracted birds and bees. Cherries also grew, which tasted sour at first. Then, when he and his grandfather were under the shade of the tree, Rakesh was full of wonder as he touched the bark of the tree. He wondered if God also felt so happy when he saw his creations develop and grow like the cherry tree did.
Summary of the Lesson The Cherry Tree in Hindi
राकेश अपने दादाजी के साथ मसूरी के बाहरी इलाके में रहता था। उसके माता-पिता एक गाँव में रहते थे, लेकिन उन्होंने उसे दादाजी के पास रहने के लिए भेज दिया क्योंकि उनकी झोपड़ी स्कूल के पास थी। एक दिन, वह बाज़ार से झोपड़ी की ओर लौट रहा था। उसने चेरी का एक गुच्छा खरीदा था। जब उसने आखिरी तीखी चेरी खाई, तो उसने उसका बीज नहीं फेंका। उसने उसे अपने पास रख लिया। दादाजी ने उसे बीज बोने की सलाह दी ताकि वह उपयोगी हो। राकेश ने उनकी बात मानी और बगीचे के एक छायादार कोने में, जहाँ मिट्टी नरम थी, बीज बो दिए। राकेश और दादाजी, दोनों एक साल तक इस बारे में भूल गए। हवाएँ ठंडी और शुष्क थीं, इसलिए ज़्यादातर बोई गई फसलें नहीं बचीं। फिर भी, राकेश ने देखा कि लगभग चार इंच ऊँचा एक छोटा सा पेड़ मिट्टी से निकल रहा था। दादाजी ने उसे समय-समय पर उसे पानी देने की सलाह दी और उसे चेतावनी दी कि वह छोटे से पेड़ को न डुबोए। राकेश ने उस पर थोड़ा पानी छिड़का और उसके चारों ओर कंकड़-पत्थरों से एक सुरक्षा घेरा बना दिया। लगभग दो हफ़्तों बाद, पेड़ एक इंच और बढ़ गया, और जल्द ही दो फ़ीट ऊँचा हो गया। लेकिन एक बकरी उनके इलाके में घुस आई और उसके पत्ते खा गई, यहाँ तक कि सिर्फ़ मुख्य तना और दो पतली शाखाएँ ही बचीं। दादाजी का मानना था कि चेरी के पेड़ मज़बूत होते हैं, और उन्होंने उस छोटे लड़के को उम्मीद दी कि चेरी का पेड़ नहीं मरेगा। फिर, मानसून आ गया, जिससे पेड़ तेज़ी से बढ़ने लगा। लेकिन जो महिला पेड़ों की कटाई कर रही थी, उसने अनजाने में पेड़ को आधा काट दिया। दादाजी ने उसे डाँटा, लेकिन नुकसान हो चुका था। वह और राकेश, दोनों अब पेड़ से उम्मीद खो चुके थे। हालाँकि, गर्मी का मौसम आ गया, और पेड़ फिर से उग आया। राकेश भी बड़ा हो गया, और दादाजी उसकी काली आँखों को “ब्लैकबेरी आँखें” कहते थे। राकेश बारिश होने पर भी पेड़ को पानी देकर उसका साथ देता था। फिर, पेड़ इतना बड़ा हो गया कि प्रेइंग मेंटिस जैसे कीड़े उसे आकर्षित करने लगे। राकेश ने एक रोएँदार इल्ली को हटाया, जो पेड़ को नुकसान पहुँचा रही थी। एक दोपहर, जब दादाजी धूप का आनंद ले रहे थे, तभी उन्होंने पेड़ पर एक फूल खिलते देखा। फूलों ने पक्षियों और मधुमक्खियों को आकर्षित किया। चेरी भी उग रही थीं, जिनका स्वाद पहले खट्टा था। फिर, जब वह और उनके दादाजी पेड़ की छाया में थे, तो राकेश ने पेड़ की छाल को छूकर आश्चर्य से भर गया। उसने सोचा कि क्या भगवान भी अपनी रचनाओं को चेरी के पेड़ की तरह विकसित होते देखकर इतने खुश होते होंगे?
Theme of the Lesson The Cherry Tree
The chapter is themed on growth and development. It displays parallels between Rakesh, a young developing boy, the cherry tree, and Grandfather, who is old and wise. It highlights the challenges and obstacles that arise during the growth process. It shows an optimistic view of growing up, depicting how hardships can make one resilient and stronger just like the cherry tree. It showcases growth and development by illustrating how trees can evolve into strong and healthy specimens, even in harsh conditions.
The Cherry Tree Lesson Explanation
I
Passage: One day, when Rakesh was six, he walked home from the Mussoorie bazaar eating cherries. They were a little sweet, a little sour; small, bright red cherries, which had come all the way from the Kashmir Valley.
Here in the Himalayan foothills where Rakesh lived, there were not many fruit trees. The soil was stony, and the dry cold winds stunted the growth of most plants. But on the more sheltered slopes there were forests of oak and deodar.
Word-meanings:
stunted: stopped (from growing to the usual size)
Explanation: Rakesh was a six-year-old boy. He lived in Musoorie, located in the Himalayan foothills. Rakesh had bought small, bright red cherries from the Mussoorie bazaar. The cherries were sweet and sour in taste. They were from Kashmir valley in Jammu and Kashmir. In Musoorie, fruit trees were not common due to the quality of the soil. The soil was full of stones, and the dry, cold weather stopped the growth of the plants. There were some places where the dry, cold winds did not blow as strongly and one could find trees of oak and deodar.
Passage: Rakesh lived with his grandfather on the outskirts of Mussoorie, just where the forest began. His father and mother lived in a small village fifty miles away, where they grew maize and rice and barley in narrow terraced fields on the lower slopes of the mountain.
Word-meanings:
outskirts: the areas that form the edge of a town or city
Explanation: Rakesh lived with his grandfather. His grandfather lived on the edge of Mussoorie town where the forest began. Rakesh’s parents lived fifty miles away from Rakesh and his grandfather. They lived in a small village. They were farmers and worked on the narrow terraced field on the lower slopes. They grew three crops—maize, rice, and barley.
Passage: But there were no schools in the village, and Rakesh’s parents were keen that he should go to school. As soon as he was of school-going age, they sent him to stay with his grandfather in Mussoorie.
He had a little cottage outside the town.
Word-meanings:
keen: eager
cottage: a small house in the countryside
Explanation: Rakesh’s parents sent Rakesh to his grandfather because there were no schools the village. They wanted Rakesh to go to school. So as soon as Rakesh was of the age when he could go to school, they sent him to live with his grandfather. Rakesh and his grandfather lived in a small house at the edge of the town.
Passage: Rakesh was on his way home from school when he bought the cherries. He paid fifty paise for the bunch. It took him about half-an-hour to walk home, and by the time he reached the cottage there were only three cherries left.
‘Have a cherry, Grandfather,’ he said, as soon as he saw his grandfather in the garden.
Grandfather took one cherry and Rakesh promptly ate the other two. He kept the last seed in his mouth for some time, rolling it round and round on his tongue until all the tang had gone. Then he placed the seed on the palm of his hand and studied it.
Word-meanings:
promptly: immediately
tang: a strong, sharp taste
Explanation: Rakesh was walking back to his grandfather’s cottage while eating the cherries he had bought from the bazaar. He paid fifty paise for the entire bunch of cherries. The walk back home took half an hour or 30 minutes. When he reached the cottage, there were only three cherries left. He saw his grandfather in the garden. He offered them to his grandfather. Grandfather took one, and Rakesh quickly ate the remaining two cherries. Rakesh did not throw away the last seed. He kept it inside his mouth, rolling it around his tongue until he had enjoyed all the strong, sharp taste. He then took the seed from his mouth and placed it on the palm of his hand. He looked at the seed carefully.
Passage: ‘Are cherry seeds lucky?’ asked Rakesh.
‘Of course.’
‘Then I’ll keep it.’
‘Nothing is lucky if you put it away. If you want luck, you must put it to some use.’ ‘What can I do with a seed?’
‘Plant it.’
Explanation: Rakesh asked his grandfather if cherry seeds were lucky. Grandfather confirmed it, and so Rakesh decided to keep the seed. Grandfather then gave him some wise advice. He said that the seed could not be lucky for him if he simply put it away. He advised Rakesh to use the seed wisely. Rakesh asked him what he could do with the seed. Grandfather suggested that he could plant the seed and let it grow.
Passage: So Rakesh found a small space and began to dig up a flowerbed.
‘Hey, not there,’ said Grandfather. ‘I’ve sown mustard in that bed. Plant it in that shady corner, where it won’t be disturbed.’
Rakesh went to a corner of the garden where the earth was soft and yielding. He did not have to dig.
Word-meanings:
yielding: giving way under pressure
Explanation: Rakesh then found a small space in the garden. He started to dig up the flowerbed to plant the cherry seed there. Grandfather told him not to dig the flowerbed because he had planted mustard seeds there. He then told Rakesh to plant the cherry seed in the shady corner of the garden, where the cherry seed would not disturb the mustard seeds. Rakesh then went to the shady corner that his grandfather had pointed out. The soil was soft and was able to change shape even under low pressure. Therefore, he did not have to dig it up.
Passage: He pressed the seed into the soil with his thumb and it went right in.
Then he had his lunch, and ran off to play cricket with his friends, and forgot all about the cherry seed.
Explanation: Rakesh pressed the seed into the soil with just his thumb. The soil was so soft that the seed went right in without much effort. Then, Rakesh went to have lunch. He then went to his friends to play cricket. He completely forgot about the cherry seed he had sown into the shady corner of the garden.
Passage: When it was winter in the hills, a cold wind blew down from the snows and went whoo-whoo-whoo in the deodar trees, and the garden was dry and bare.
Word-meanings:
bare: empty, naked
Explanation: During winters, cold dry winds blew down from the snowy peaks. When the wind blew down in the deodar trees, it made a whoo-whoo-whoo noise. The garden would be dry and empty, with no crops growing due to the cold wind.
Passage: In the evenings Grandfather and Rakesh sat over a charcoal fire, and Grandfather told Rakesh stories—stories about people who turned into animals, and ghosts who lived in trees, and beans that jumped and stones that wept—and in turn, Rakesh would read to him from the newspaper, Grandfather’s eyesight being rather weak. Rakesh found the newspaper very dull— especially after the stories—but Grandfather wanted all the news…
Word-meanings:
weep: cry
dull: boring
Explanation: During the evenings, Rakesh and his grandfather would sit near a fire. The fire was made by setting charcoal rocks on fire. Grandfather would tell Rakesh imaginative stories. The stories were about people who could turn into animals, ghosts who lived in trees, beans which could jump, and stones which could cry. All these things did not exist in real life, and so they made the young boy curious and excited. In exchange for the stories, Rakesh would read the newspaper to his grandfather. Grandfather could not read the newspaper anymore due to his weak eyesight, and so he depended on Rakesh for daily news. The newspaper was boring in comparison to the stories Grandfather would tell. However, he would still read out the newspaper because he knew that his grandfather wanted to hear the news. This shows that children prefer imaginative and fun stories instead of news and real-life events. This also shows Rakesh’s love and devotion towards grandfather, as he put aside his boredom to fulfill grandfather’s wish.
Passage:
They knew it was spring when the wild duck flew north again, to Siberia. Early in the morning, when he got up to chop wood and light a fire, Rakesh saw the V-shaped formation streaming northward, the calls of the birds carrying clearly through the thin mountain air.
Explanation: The wild duck is a migratory bird who arrives to Mussoorie from Siberia during the onset of winter season and returns to Siberia when spring arrives. So, when Rakesh saw a flock of birds flying towards the northern direction, he and grandfather knew that spring had arrived. The way the flock was positioned, the formation looked like the alphabet V. The sounds of the birds echoed throughout the thin mountain air.
Passage: One morning in the garden he bent to pick up what he thought was a small twig and found to his surprise that it was well rooted. He stared at it for a moment, then ran to fetch Grandfather, calling, ‘Dada, come and look, the cherry tree has come up!’
Word-meanings:
fetch: go for and then bring back someone
Explanation: One spring morning, Rakesh went to the garden to get some wood for the fire. He bent down to pick up something. The boy thought that the thing was just a twig that could be used for the fire. But when he tried to pick it up, he found out that it was attached firmly to the soil, and was hard to take out. He was so surprised by this that he stared at it for a moment. Then, he must have remembered the cherry seed that he had planted. He ran to get his grandfather, saying that the cherry tree had grown.
Passage: ‘What cherry tree?’ asked Grandfather, who had forgotten about it. ‘The seed we planted last year—look, it’s come up!’
Rakesh went down on his haunches, while Grandfather bent almost double and peered down at the tiny tree. It was about four inches high.
Word-meanings:
haunches: sit on the feet with legs bent
peered down: looked carefully or with difficulty
Explanation: Grandfather had also forgotten about the cherry tree, because he was old and his memory was no longer as good. Rakesh reminded him of the seed he had planted the previous year. He then sat down on his feet with his legs bent, pointing at the tiny tree above the root. Grandfather bent down a lot, so much that he folded into half. He looked down at the tiny tree with difficulty because of his old age. The tiny tree was four inches in height.
Passage: ‘Yes, it’s a cherry tree,’ said Grandfather. ‘You should water it now and then.’
Rakesh ran indoors and came back with a bucket of water.
‘Don’t drown it!’ said Grandfather.
Explanation: Grandfather confirmed that it was the cherry tree. He then told Rakesh that he should give the growing tree some water for it to grow. Rakesh ran inside and returned with a bucket of water. There was too much water, and putting it all on the tiny tree could drown it. Grandfather warned not to do that.
Passage: Rakesh gave it a sprinkling and circled it with pebbles.
‘What are the pebbles for?’ asked Grandfather.
‘For privacy,’ said Rakesh.
Word-meanings:
privacy: a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people
Explanation: Rakesh listened to Grandfather’s advice and sprinkled some water instead of pouring it all down on it. He then took pebbles and made a circular boundary around the tiny cherry tree to protect it.
Passage: He looked at the tree every morning but it did not seem to be growing very fast, so he stopped looking at it except quickly, out of the corner of his eye. And, after a week or two, when he allowed himself to look at it properly, he found that it had grown—at least an inch!
Explanation: Rakesh looked at the tree every morning. It was not growing at a fast pace. So he stopped looking at it. He would only look very quickly out of the corner of his eye. This shows that Rakesh wanted to see the tree grow quickly. After a week or two weeks passed, he looked at it carefully again and he saw that it had grown another inch.
Passage: That year the monsoon rains came early and Rakesh plodded to and from school in raincoat and chappals. Ferns sprang from the trunks of trees, strange-looking lilies came up in the long grass, and even when it wasn’t raining the trees dripped and mist came curling up the valley. The cherry tree grew quickly in this season.
Word-meanings:
plodded: walked slowly
Explanation: That year, the monsoon season came earlier than usual. Rakesh walked to and from school slowly because he had to go through rain wearing a raincoat and chappals. The vegetation and flora was also influenced by the monsoon season. Ferns and strange-looking lilies grew. Trees continuously dripped by the rains, and the valley was covered with mist. The cherry tree grew quickly due to the monsoon season.
Passage: It was about two feet high when a goat entered the garden and ate all the leaves. Only the main stem and two thin branches remained.
‘Never mind,’ said Grandfather, seeing that Rakesh was upset. ‘It will grow again, cherry trees are tough.’
Explanation: The tree, which was four-five inches in height before, was now two feet high. One day, a goat entered the garden and ate all the leaves. So, now only the main stem and two branches from it were left. Rakesh was upset that the tree, which was growing properly, was now so weak. Grandfather soothed the boy by saying that cherry trees can endure harsh conditions. He gave the boy hope that the cherry tree would be able to grow into a proper tree.
II
Passage: Towards the end of the rainy season new leaves appeared on the tree. Then a woman cutting grass scrambled down the hillside, her scythe swishing through the heavy monsoon foliage. She did not try to avoid the tree: one sweep, and the cherry tree was cut in two.
Word-meanings:
scrambled: moved quickly and with difficulty
scythe: a tool with a long, sharp, curved blade with a long handle
foliage: green leaves
sweep: swift, smooth movement
Explanation: When the rainy season ended, new leaves came up on the tree. A woman was cutting the grass to make it more presentable. She moved quickly down the hillside. She was cutting the dense green leaves with a scythe. While cutting the grass, she also cut the cherry tree in one swift movement of the scythe.
Passage: When Grandfather saw what had happened, he went after the woman and scolded her; but the damage could not be repaired.
‘Maybe it will die now,’ said Rakesh.
‘Maybe,’ said Grandfather.
But the cherry tree had no intention of dying.
Word-meanings:
intention: a plan or aim
Explanation: Grandfather saw what happened. He went to the woman and scolded her. However, the damage was done. A cut tree could not be put back together. Rakesh said that maybe the cherry tree would die now that it was cut in half. Even grandfather could not give hope to the boy. The cherry tree was not going to die, and it would surprise them both.
Passage: By the time summer came round again, it had sent out several new shoots with tender green leaves.
Rakesh had grown taller too. He was eight now, a sturdy boy with curly black hair and deep black eyes. Blackberry eyes, Grandfather called them.
Word-meanings:
tender: soft and not tough
sturdy: strongly built
Explanation: When the summer season arrived, new shoots of soft tender green leaves grew around the cherry tree. Rakesh had also grown in the meantime. He was now eight years old. He was taller, with a strong body, curly black hair and deep black eyes. His eyes were so black that grandfather called them ‘blackberry eyes’.
Passage: That monsoon Rakesh went home to his village, to help his father and mother with the planting and ploughing and sowing. He was thinner but stronger when he came back to Grandfather’s house at the end of the rains to find that the cherry tree had grown another foot. It was now up to his chest.
Explanation: Rakesh had gone home to his village during the monsoon. He helped his mother and father in their farming work. He planted, ploughed and sowed the fields. He worked so hard that he became thinner, but had gotten stronger too. When he returned, he saw that the cherry tree had grown too. It had grown another foot and was now as tall as his chest.
Passage: Even when there was rain, Rakesh would sometimes water the tree. He wanted it to know that he was there.
One day he found a bright green praying-mantis perched on a branch, peering at him with bulging eyes. Rakesh let it remain there; it was the cherry tree’s first visitor.
The next visitor was a hairy caterpillar, who started making a meal of the leaves. Rakesh removed it quickly and dropped it on a heap of dry leaves.
‘Come back when you’re a butterfly,’ he said.
Word-meanings:
perch: to sit on something narrow
bulging: swelling outwards, protruding
heap: huge, tall pile
Explanation: Even on the days when it rained, Rakesh would sprinkle water on the tree to let it know that he was there for it. One day, he found a bright green insect called praying-mantis sitting on a narrow branch. It was looking at him carefully with swelling eyes. Rakesh let it stay there on the bench because it was the first creature on the cherry tree. The next day, he saw a hairy caterpillar, who was eating the leaves of the cherry tree. Rakesh removed it and put it on a pile of dry leaves. He did not want the tree to be eaten again. He told the caterpillar to return when it grew up into a beautiful butterfly.
Passage: Winter came early. The cherry tree bent low with the weight of snow. Field-mice sought shelter in the roof of the cottage. The road from the valley was blocked, and for several days there was no newspaper, and this made Grandfather quite grumpy. His stories began to have unhappy endings.
Word-meanings:
grumpy: bad-tempered
Explanation: Winter season came earlier than usual as well. The cherry tree was covered with snow. The weight of the snow made it bend down. Field-mice climbed the roof of the cottage to survive the cold weather. The road from the valley was blocked due to the snow. Because of the blockage, the newspaper could not be delivered to the cottage. Grandfather had a bad temper because he did not get the newspaper that he was habitual of. Due to his grumpy mood, the stories he told Rakesh ended unhappily.
Passage: In February it was Rakesh’s birthday. He was nine—and the tree was four, but almost as tall as Rakesh.
Explanation: Rakesh’s birthday was in February. He turned nine and the tree was four years old. The tree was almost the same height as the boy.
Passage: One morning, when the sun came out, Grandfather came into the garden to let some warmth ‘get into my bones,’ as he put it. He stopped in front of the cherry tree, stared at it for a few moments, and then called out, ‘Rakesh! Come and look! Come quickly before it falls!’
Rakesh and Grandfather gazed at the tree as though it had performed a miracle. There was a pale pink blossom at the end of a branch.
Word-meanings:
gazed: looked at something for a long time with admiration
pale: light in shade
Explanation: One sunny morning, Grandfather came into the garden to enjoy the sunlight. He stood in front of the cherry tree and stared at it. He then called Rakesh to look at the cherry tree. They admired the tree, as if looking at a divine event. At the end of one of the branches, there was a light pink flower.
Passage: The following year there were more blossoms.
And suddenly the tree was taller than Rakesh, even though it was less than half his age. And then it was taller than Grandfather, who was older than some of the oak trees.
Explanation: As time went by, the end of the branch continued to have more flowers. Rakesh was twice the tree’s age, but still, the tree was now taller than the boy. Slowly, the tree became taller than Grandfather, who was older than the oak trees in their garden.
Passage: But Rakesh had grown too. He could run and jump and climb trees as well as most boys, and he read a lot of books, although he still liked listening to Grandfather’s tales.
Explanation: Rakesh had also grown up. He could now run, jump and climb trees. He read books, but he preferred listening to grandfather’s imaginative stories.
Passage: In the cherry tree, bees came to feed on the nectar in the blossoms, and tiny birds pecked at the blossoms and broke them off. But the tree kept blossoming right through the spring, and there were always more blossoms than birds.
Word-meanings:
peck: strike or bite with a bird’s beak
Explanation: The cherry tree attracted wildlife. Bees came to the cherry tree for the nectar in the flowers. Tiny birds came to bite and eat the flowers. Because of them, the flowers would sometimes fall down. However, the fallen flowers would be replaced by new ones. The number of flowers was more than the birds. So, the tree was always full of flowers.
Passage: That summer there were small cherries on the tree. Rakesh tasted one and spat it out.
‘It’s too sour,’ he said.
‘They’ll be better next year,’ said Grandfather.
Explanation: During the summer season, small cherries grew on the tree. Rakesh took one of the cherries and ate it. The cherry was too sour, so he spat it out. Grandfather told him that the cherries would become better next year, after the tree grows a bit more.
Passage: But the birds liked them—especially the bigger birds, such as the bulbuls and scarlet minivets—and they flitted in and out of the foliage, feasting on the cherries.
Word-meanings:
scarlet: orangish-red
flitted: flew quickly
Explanation: The big birds like bulbuls and orange-red minivets loved to eat the small cherries. Rakesh would often see the birds flying in and out of the green leaves.
Passage: On a warm sunny afternoon, when even the bees looked sleepy, Rakesh was looking for Grandfather without finding him in any of his favourite places around the house. Then he looked out of the bedroom window and saw Grandfather reclining on a cane chair under the cherry tree.
Word-meanings:
reclining: lying back
Explanation: On a warm sunny afternoon, the bees looked sleepy. Rakesh was trying to find grandfather. Grandfather could not be found in any of his favorite places in the house. He looked out of the bedroom window. He saw Grandfather lying back on a cane chair in the shade of the cherry tree.
Passage: ‘There’s just the right amount of shade here,’ said Grandfather. ‘And I like looking at the leaves.’
‘They’re pretty leaves,’ said Rakesh. ‘And they are always ready to dance, if there’s a breeze.’
Explanation: Grandfather was enjoying the shade of the cherry tree while looking at the leaves. Rakesh agreed that the leaves were pretty. He thought that the leaves danced when there was a breeze.
Passage: After Grandfather had come indoors, Rakesh went into the garden and lay down on the grass beneath the tree. He gazed up through the leaves at the great blue sky; and turning on his side, he could see the mountains striding away into the clouds.
Explanation: Grandfather came inside and Rakesh came into the garden. He laid down on the grass under the shade of the tree. He looked up through the foliage at the vast blue sky. He turned to his side and saw the mountains drift behind the clouds.
Passage: He was still lying beneath the tree when the evening shadows crept across the garden. Grandfather came back and sat down beside Rakesh, and they waited in silence until the stars came out and the nightjar began to call. In the forest below, the crickets and cicadas began tuning up; and suddenly the trees were full of the sound of insects.
Word-meanings:
nightjar: a bird
cicadas: insects known for their loud distinctive calls, especially during evenings
Explanation: He was lying there till the evening came in. Grandfather came out again and sat down next to Rakesh. They simply sat there in silence until the stars came out. Nightjars, crickets, and cicadas came up. These creatures are nocturnal and so they made sounds during nighttime. The cherry tree was full of sounds of the birds and insects.
Passage: ‘There are so many trees in the forest,’ said Rakesh. ‘What’s so special about this tree? Why do we like it so much?’
‘We planted it ourselves,’ said Grandfather. ‘That’s why it’s special.’
Explanation: Rakesh then asked Grandfather why they both preferred the cherry tree even though there were so many other trees around them. Grandfather said that the cherry tree was special because they had planted it and helped it grow by their own efforts.
Passage: ‘Just one small seed,’ said Rakesh, and he touched the smooth bark of the tree that he had grown. He ran his hand along the trunk of the tree and put his finger to the tip of a leaf. ‘I wonder,’ he whispered. ‘Is this what it feels to be God?’
Explanation: Rakesh touched the smooth surface of the bark of the tree. He was full of wonder as he recalled how small the seed had been. He put his finger on the tip of a leaf and wondered if being God felt like that. He said that because he helped grow and develop a living thing, similar to how God developed us and the entire world.
Conclusion
This post on NCERT Class 8 English Poorvi book Unit 4 Environment Chapter 1 The Cherry Tree. Students can check out the summary, word meanings and explanation of the lesson to get a better grasp and answer questions in the exam.