Welcome students to an amazing analysis of the poem titled, “Dad and the Cat and the Tree” by Kit Wright. We have presented these solutions in a simple and interesting manner to ensure that you understand all the nuances clearly. Feel free to go through them in detail – because they will guide you on how to craft clear, concise and accurate solutions to the questions. Our team of English experts, trained both in India and abroad have crafted model answers to all the questions in the book and also provided many extra questions in a playful manner to ensure that you enjoy the learning process.
Find Answers to NCERT Class 7 English Unit 7 Poem ‘Dad and the Cat and the Tree,’ here
Working with the Poem
1. Why was Dad sure he wouldn’t fall?
Answer:
Dad was sure that he wouldn’t fall because he was confident that he was a seasoned climber. Climbing trees was like child’s play to him.
2. Which phrase in the poem expresses Dad’s self-confidence best?
Answer:
The phrase in the poem that expresses Dad’s self-confidence best is:
“Child’s play, this is!”
3. Describe Plan A and its consequences.
Answer:
Dad’s Plan A was to climb up the tree with the help of a ladder. But the plan failed when the ladder slipped and Dad landed down in the flower bed instead of up on the tree.
4. Plan C was a success. What went wrong, then?
Answer:
Plan C was a success because Dad climbed up the garden wall without falling. But things went wrong as Dad leapt onto the tree and landed in the crook of the tree-trunk right on the cat. The startled cat instantly sprang to the ground and was free. However, poor Dad remained stuck on the tree.
5. The cat was very happy to be on the ground. Pick out the phrase used to express this idea.
Answer:
The phrase used to express the idea that ‘the cat was very happy to be on the ground’ is:
“Pleased as Punch to be safe and sound”.
6. Describe the Cat and Dad situation in the beginning and at the end of the poem.
Answer:
In the beginning of the poem, the cat got stuck on the tree, and Dad was looking up at it from the ground. However, at the end, their positions got reversed with Dad being stuck on the tree and the cat roaming freely on the ground.
7. Why and when did Dad say each of the following?
(i) Fall?
(ii) Never mind
(iii) Funny joke
(iv) Rubbish
Answer:
(i) Fall?:Dad said so when he decided to climb the wobbly tree for the first time and Mom urged him to be careful. Dad scoffed at the idea that a seasoned climber like him could ever fall.
(ii) Never mind: Dad said so when the ladder slipped and he fell into the flower bed. He pretended the fall was of no consequence as he brushed the dirt off his face, hair and clothes.
(iii) Funny joke: Dad said so when Mom warned him before he went ahead with his plan B and attempted to swing up on the branch of the tree. He meant that the idea of his falling again was ludicrous.
(iv) Rubbish: Dad said so when Plan B failed because the branch on which he had swung up broke and he landed on his back with a thump. Mum told Dad to stop trying to climb the tree afraid that he would break his neck, but he dismissed Mum’s fears as ‘Rubbish!”
8. Do you find the poem humorous? Read aloud lines which make you laugh.
Answer:
Yes, the poem is humorous indeed. The humour stems primarily from the contradiction between Dad’s bragging about his expertise in climbing trees and his actual blundering performance. It is rather comical to see him falling repeatedly while brushing aside his wife’s concerns. Lines that made me laugh are:
“Fall again? Said Dad.
“Funny joke!”
Then he swung himself up
On a branch. It broke.”
- “He gave a great leap
And he landed flat
In the crook of the tree-trunk
Right on the cat!
Extra Questions on NCERT Class 7 English Honeycomb Unit 7 Poem “Dad and the Cat and the Tree”
A. Multiple Choice type Questions
Choose the correct option:
1. The poem is:
(i) sad
(ii )humorous
(iii) painful
(iv) didactic
2. Whose cat got stuck on the narrator’s tree?
(i) The narrator’s pet
(ii) the neighbour’s cat
(iii) an unidentified cat
(iv) none of the above
3. Who took the responsibility of rescuing it?
(i) The Narrator
(ii) Dad
(iii) Mom
(iv) All of the above
4. What did Mom tell him?
(i) not to be too adventurous
(ii) not to hurt himself
(iii) not to climb
(iv) not to fall
5. Why did Mom caution Dad?
(i) because he was old
(ii) she did not have confidence in him
(iii) the tree was wobbly,so climbing would be tricky
(iv) All of the above
6. What do the words “child’s play” project about Dad?
(i) enthusiasm
(ii) shakiness
(iii) over-confidence
(iv) None of the above
7. How did dad react when the ladder slipped and he landed in the flower bed?
(i) He was nervous
(ii) he cried out in pain
(iii) he swore angrily
(iv) he acted as if it was nothing to be worried about and calmly dusted the dirt off.
8. What did he do before he launching Plan B?
(i) he flexed his muscles
(ii) he took a deep breath
(iii) he measured the distance from the tree
(iv) he ordered Mom to move out of the way
9. What did Mom fear that Dad would break?
(i) His legs
(ii) His head
(iii) His neck
(iv) None of the above
10. What happened when Dad leapt off the wall?
(i) he fell flat on his face
(ii) He landed on the cat in the crook of the tree-trunk.
(iii) The cat gave a yell and sprang to the ground.
(iv) Both (ii) and (iii)
Answer:
1. (ii)humorous
2. (iii) an unidentified cat
3. (ii) Dad
4. (iv) not to fall
5. (iii) the tree was wobbly,so climbing would be tricky
6. (iii) over-confidence
7. (iv) he acted as if it was nothing to be worried about and calmly dusted the dirt off.
8. (iv) he ordered Mom to move out of the way.
9. (iii) His neck
10. (iv) Both (ii) and (iii)
B. Fill in the blanks with suitable wordsfrom the box to complete the following sentences:
| yell | smiling | wallop | sprang | hair | deck | smirking | trousers |
| break | Dad | brushing | stuck | pleased | sound | neck |
1. “Never mind,” said Dad, __________the dirt off his ________ and his face and his ________and shirt.
2. Dad landed _________back on the __________. Mom said, “Stop it, You’ll _______your ____!
3.The cat gave a _____and ________to the ground __________ as Punch to be safe and _______.
4. So it’s _____ and _______, smug as can be, But poor old _____ is still ________up the tree!
Answer:
1. “Never mind,” said Dad, brushing the dirt off his hair and his face and his trousers and his shirt.
2. Dad landed wallop back on the deck. Mom said, “Stop it, You’ll breakyour neck!
3. The cat gave a yell and sprang to the ground pleased as Punch to be safe and sound.
4. So it’s smiling and smirking, smug as can be, But poor old Dad is still stuck up the tree!
C. Match the words in column A with those in column B
| A | B |
| The cat was | Child’s play, this is! You wait and see. |
| Dad said | Dad would reach the tree top with the help of the ladder |
| Plan A | Dad would climb the garden wall and leap from there to the branch where the cat was |
| Plan B | Pleased as Punch to be safe and sound |
| Plan C | Dad would swing himself up on a branch |
Answer:
| A | B |
| The cat was | Pleased as Punch to be safe and sound |
| Dad said | Child’s play, this is! You wait and see. |
| Plan A | Dad would reach the tree top with the help of the ladder |
| Plan B | Dad would swing himself up on a branch |
| Plan C | Dad would climb the garden wall and leap from there to the branch where the cat was |
D. State whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:
1. The narrator’s pet cat got stuck in their tree.
2. Mother asked Dad to rescue the poor frightened cat.
3. The tree was unsteady, and it was dangerous to climb.
4. Father was shaken up when he fell off the ladder.
5.Father fell off the garden wall.
Answer:
1. False – The cat that got stuck on the tree was not the Narrator’s pet cat. It was just a stray cat.
2. False – Mother did not tell Dad to rescue the cat. Dad took the responsibility by asking everyone to leave the matter to him.
3. True
4. False – Father was not perturbed when he fell off the ladder. He acted as if it was no big deal, brushed the dirt away and proceeded with the next Plan B.
5. False – He did not fall off the garden wall.
E. Very Short Answer type Questions:
1. What incident took place in the morning?
Answer:
A cat got stuck in a tree in the narrator’s garden.
2. What did Dad say when he saw the cat stuck on the tree?
Answer:
Dad said,”Right, just leave it to me.”
3. What adjectives does the poet use to describe the tree?
Answer:
The poet uses the adjectives “Tall” and “wobbly” to describe the tree.
4. What did Mum caution Dad about?
Answer:
She warned him to be careful so that he does not fall.
5. How many times did dad attempt to climb the tree?
Answer:
Dad attempted to climb the tree three times.
5. Where did Dad land when the ladder slipped?
Answer:
Dad landed in the flower bed when the ladder slipped.
6. Why did Plan A fail?
Answer:
Plan A failed because the ladder slipped and dad landed in the flower bed.
7. How did Dad respond when Mum asked him to be careful not to fall again?
Answer:
Dad told her the thought of falling again was like a funny joke.
8. What did Mum ask him to stop doing?
Answer:
Mum asked him to stop attempting to climb the tree.
9. Why did she ask him to give up climbing the tree?
Answer:
She asked him to give up climbing the tree because she was afraid that he would break his neck.
10. Did he fall off while climbing the garden wall?
Answer:
No, he managed to climb the wall without any mishap.
11. What happened when he leaped on to the tree?
Answer:
Dad landed in the crook of the tree right on top of the cat.
12. What happened to the cat when the father landed on it?
Answer:
The frightened cat let out a yell and sprang to the ground.
13. Who rescued the cat?
Answer:
The cat managed to jump down from the tree by itself.
14. How did the cat act when it was back on the ground?
Answer:
The cat looked pleased as Punch to be safe and sound.
15. Who was smirking and smiling?
Answer:
The cat seemed to be smirking and smiling.
16. What happened to Dad?
Answer:
Dad was still stuck on top of the tree.
F. Short Answer Type Questions:
1. What was Dad’s Plan A and how did it go wrong? What was Dad’s reaction?
Answer:
Dad’s Plan A was to climb up the tree with the help of a ladder.
But as Dad attempted to climb up the ladder, it slipped and fell down throwing him into the flower bed.
Dad acted as if the failed attempt did not bother him. He calmly brushed off the dirt from his face, hair and clothes and got ready to try his Plan B.
2. What was Plan B and what was its fate? What was Dad’s reaction?
Answer:
Dad’s Plan B was to swing himself up on a branch of the tree. Unfortunately, the branch broke under Dad’s weight and this plan too failed as he crash landed on his back.
Dad’s confidence was not shaken one bit by the fall. He dismissed Mother’s fears as “Rubbish!” and moved on to Plan C which he said was as easy as winking to a climber of his stature.
3. Comment on the irony in the poem.
Answer:
The irony in the climax of the poem is unmistakable as the situation gets completely reversed at the end of the poem. Dad who was supposed to free the cat that was stuck on the tree, got stuck there himself in exactly the same position on the tree, whereas the cat roamed about freely on the ground.
G. Long answer Type Questions
1. How did the the narrator’s father react to his wife’s repeated warnings? Why did he react in this manner?
Answer:
When his wife first warned him of the danger of falling while attempting to climb the tall and unsteady tree, the narrator’s father seemed really surprised that such a possibility could even be considered. The second time she cautioned him about falling again, he laughed at her as if she had cracked a funny joke. And the third time she warned him after he landed heavily on his back, he brushed aside her concerns as “Rubbish”. The reason he did not pay heed to any of her warnings was his over confidence because he considered himself an expert climber.
Extract Based Questions
Read the extract given below and answer the following questions.
Extract 1.
“We’ll try Plan B. Stand
Out of the way!’
Mum said, “Don’t fall
Again, O.K.?’
“Fall again? said Dad.
“Funny joke!’
Then he swung himself up
On a branch. It broke.
1. What did Plan B involve?
Answer:
Dad’s Plan B was to swing himself up on a branch of the tree.
2. How does Dad prepare to execute Plan B?
Answer:
Dad asks mother to move out of the way.
3. Why does Dad ask Mum to move out of the way?
Answer:
Dad asks Mom to move out of the way so that she does not get hurt when he swings on the branch of the tree.
4. What did Dad consider a “funny Joke?”
Answer:
Dad thought that Mom’s cautioning him about falling again was a funny joke because he was such an expert climber that the question of falling was ludicrous.
5. Did Dad succeed in implementing Plan B?
Answer:
No, Plan B failed when the branch on which Dad swung himself up broke and he landed heavily on the deck.
Read the extract given below and answer the following questions.
Extract 2
Then he climbed up high
On the garden wall.
Guess what?
He didn’t fall!
He gave a great leap
And he landed flat
In the crook of the tree-trunk
Right on the cat!
The cat gave a yell
And sprang to the ground,
Pleased as Punch to be
Safe and sound.
So it’s smiling and smirking,
Smug as can be,
But poor old Dad’s
Still
Stuck
Up
The
Tree!
1. Who climbed the garden wall?
Answer:
Dad climbed the garden wall.
2. Why did Dad climb the garden wall?
Answer:
Dad climbed up the garden wall because from there he would be able to leap easily on to the tree.
3. Why does the poet mention specially that Dad didn’t fall while climbing the wall?
Answer:
The poet mentions specially that Dad didn’t fall while climbing the wall because he had fallen down during his two previous attempts to climb the tree – the first time when the ladder slid, and the second time when the branch broke.
4. What happened when Dad leaped on to the tree?
Answer:When Dad leaped on to the tree from the high garden wall, he landed in the crook of the tree-trunk right on the cat.
5. How did the cat save himself?
Answer:
The cat shrieked with fright and jumped to the ground.
6. Why did the cat not jump down from the tree earlier? Why was it able to jump down now?
Answer:
The cat was too nervous to jump from the tall swaying tree earlier. But he was so frightened when Dad suddenly landed on top of him that he sprang down instinctively without thinking about it. His instinct for self-preservation made him act.
7. Who is as pleased as Punch?
Answer:
The cat was as pleased as Punch”
8. Who won in the last round?
Answer:
The cat set himself free and roamed around looking as smug as can be, whereas poor Dad was still stuck on top of the tree. Obviously, the cat won the last round.
Frequently asked Questions (FAQ) on NCERT Class 7 English Honeycomb Unit 7 Poem “Dad and the Cat and the Tree”
Our team of English experts, trained both in India and overseas, have taken care to explain the poem to you simply and effectively. Plenty of additional questions have been provided which cover the all facets of the poem in detail to help you prepare. The stepwise and logical explanations provided for each question will help you grasp the concepts effortlessly.
We suggest you go through them in detail because they will enhance your self-confidence and help improve your writing skills.
You can also download the free PDFs of the solutions anytime you please! We will keep providing you with plenty of top-quality study material and resources to help you prepare. So, make sure you keep visiting our website and join our email list to take advantage of them!
The poem is a humorous illustration of the over-confidence often projected by some elders. A cat gets stuck in the tree and the narrator’s Dad undertakes to rescue it. The poem is about the blundering efforts of Dad to save the cat. He tries to climb the tree twice but falls down. Finally, he manages to climb the tree but gets stuck there while the cat makes a safe escape on its own. Dad becomes an object of ridicule for bragging about being a seasoned climber because his actions expose his lack of experience in tree climbing. The irony in the poem lies in the fact that Dad who had undertaken the responsibility of rescuing the cat needed to be rescued himself in the end.
The poet’s dad noticed a cat on their tree. The cat had ventured too high and got stuck in the tall swaying tree. The poor creature was too frightened to come down on its own. After taking stock of the situation, the narrator’s father told everyone to let him handle cat’s rescue.
The poet’s Mum observed that the tree was tall and unsteady. So, she warned narrator’s Dad to be careful not to fall while attempting to climb the tree. But Dad sneered at her saying that falling was out of the question because climbing the tree was like child’s play for a climber like him.
Dad acted as if the failed attempt did not bother him. He calmly brushed off the dirt from his face, hair and clothes and got ready to try his Plan B.
Our team of experts have framed plenty of extra questions, which cover the lesson in detail and are similar to exam questions, to help you prepare. Do go through the solutions before your exams so that you are ready to take on any challenge that your examiner may pose!
To master this chapter, you need to first go through all the questions we have thoughtfully provided -both the questions at the back of the book and the extra questions.
Subsequently, you need to practise writing down the answers within a specific time frame. This step is essential because as we all know practice makes perfect. Only then can you ace your exams!
Need us to coach you and prepare you for your exams? Our expert teachers look forward to teaching bright young students like you and will go the extra mile to help you succeed. Feel free to contact us with your requirements anytime and we’ll be happy to help you out! We provide on-demand one-to-one coaching, based on your convenience and your needs – have it completely your way! Book live online classes now!
