10.7 Going Deeper (Exam Prep)

Real-world connections

Rakesh’s cherry tree is a small lesson in environment and patience that fits our times perfectly. Planting and caring for trees fights pollution, cools our towns, and shelters wildlife — and, as the story shows, it rewards us with beauty and a sense of belonging. The tree’s resilience also mirrors our own lives: setbacks in studies, sport, or friendship are like the goat and the frost — what matters is springing back and growing on.

Quick revision card

Quick Revision Card

  • Author: Ruskin Bond. Setting: Mussoorie (Himalayan foothills).
  • Characters: Rakesh (a boy of ~8); his wise, patient grandfather.
  • Plot: Rakesh plants a cherry seed → it sprouts → survives a goat, a scythe, and winters → grows taller than Rakesh → blossoms pink and bears sour cherries.
  • Symbolism: the tree’s growth mirrors Rakesh’s growing up.
  • Theme: growth, patience, resilience, love of nature.
  • Moral: small beginnings nurtured with care grow into something beautiful.

Exam Corner

Objective / one-mark questions

  1. Who wrote The Cherry Tree, and where is it set?
  2. How did Rakesh get the seed he planted?
  3. Name two dangers the young tree survived.
  4. What did the tree look like once grown?
  1. Ruskin Bond; it is set in Mussoorie. 2. He saved a seed from cherries he was eating. 3. (Any two) a goat eating its leaves; a woman’s scythe cutting it; harsh winter frost. 4. It grew taller than Rakesh, with pink blossoms and small, sour cherries.

Short-answer questions (2–3 marks)

  1. Why is the cherry tree called resilient?
  2. How did Grandfather help Rakesh?
  3. In what ways do Rakesh and the tree grow together?
  1. Because it recovered from every harm — being eaten by a goat, cut by a scythe, and chilled by frost — sprouting fresh leaves each time and continuing to grow.
  2. He encouraged Rakesh to care for the tree, shared his wisdom and love of nature, and rejoiced with him as it grew, guiding gently rather than forcing.
  3. As the tree slowly overcomes hardship and grows tall and strong, Rakesh grows up too, becoming patient, caring, and responsible. Their growth runs side by side.

Long-answer questions (5–6 marks)

  1. How does the cherry tree symbolise growth and resilience in the story?
  2. Describe the bond between Rakesh, his grandfather, and nature.
  1. From a tiny seed the tree becomes a blossoming tree, surviving repeated harm. Its struggle and recovery stand for resilience, and its slow growth stands for the patient process of growing up — the tree mirrors Rakesh’s own development.
  2. Grandfather guides Rakesh with patient encouragement; Rakesh learns to love and nurture the tree; and through it all, both deepen their bond with each other and with the natural world. The shared joy of the blossoming tree expresses this loving connection.

HOTS (Higher-Order Thinking)

  1. Rakesh almost forgot the seed after planting it, yet the tree still grew. What does this suggest about nature and about care?

It suggests that nature has its own quiet power to grow, even without constant attention — but that the tree truly flourished once Rakesh began to care for it. Care does not create life by itself, yet it protects and nurtures it; the best results come when nature’s resilience meets human care.

Assertion–Reason

  1. Assertion (A): The cherry tree survived several hardships. Reason (R): Each time it was harmed, it sprouted fresh leaves and kept growing.

Choose: (a) Both A and R true and R explains A; (b) Both true but R does not explain A; (c) A true, R false; (d) A false, R true.

(a) Both statements are true, and R correctly explains how the tree survived.

A note on the author

Did You Know? Ruskin Bond has lived for decades in the hills around Mussoorie, and many of his stories grow out of that landscape. He often writes about children, trees, and small everyday wonders — and famously loves to plant and watch over trees himself, just like Rakesh.