Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: Trees are of importance not only to man but also to birds and animals. The branches of trees give shelter to millions of birds and forest give shelter to numerous wild animals. We value trees not only for their usefulness but also for their beauty. They have a way to refreshing the eye and also refreshing the mind. Perhaps that is why the rishis of olden days were drawn to the forests, and they and their peoples chose to going forest homes in company of Nature. In modern times when Rabindranath Tagore started a school, he too chose a place full of trees and called it Shanti Niketan or the home of peace. Once upon a time large areas of India were covered with forests full of numerous kinds of trees. As the population grew, trees began to be cut down for the use of men. That is how the wonderful forest described In our ancient poems came to be destroyed, and a great part of our forest wealth was lost. Now we are trying to replace this loss, and our government wants trees to be planted all over the country. A new festival called ‘Van Mahotsava’ has been started for this purpose. Since trees are the country’s wealth we must consider it our sacred duty to protect them. We should plant new trees wherever we can and look after them well.
On the basis of the reading of the passage, answer the following questions in brief:
1. How are trees important for birds and animals?
2. Why did the rishis in olden days make forests their homes?
3. Mention the reason that became the cause for the destruction of the wonderful forest.
4. How can we replace the loss of forests?
5. What is meant by ‘Shanti Niketan’? Who started it?
6. Why is Van Mahotsava organised?
7. What message do we get from the above passage?
8. Give a suitable title for the above passage.
Answers
On the basis of the passage, here are the answers.
1. Trees give food and shelter to animals and birds.
2. Because of the purity and spirit attached to trees.
3. Overpopulation and lack of space were the main reasons.
4. By planting more trees, we can help replacing loss of forests.
5. Rabindranath Tagore started Shanti Niketan which means home of peace.
6. The mahotsava is organized to plant more trees.
7. We should be a part of afforestation not deforestation.
8. The life we cut.
Answer:
1. The branches of trees give shelter to birds and forests give shelter to wild animals.
2. Forests axe valuable for their beauty too. They have a way to refreshing the eye and also refreshing the mind. The rishies therefore made forests their homes.
3. With the growth of population, trees began to be cut down on a large scale. By destroying forests man began to satisfy his various needs such as accommodation.
4. By planting more and more trees we can replace the loss of forests.
5 ‘Shanti Niketan’ means ‘the home of peace’. Rabindranath Tagore started it.
6 Van Mahotsava is organised time to time to spread awareness among people about the importance of trees.
7. We should protect trees because they are country’s wealth. We should plant more and more trees.
8. ‘Trees and their Importance’.