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DAD AND THE CAT AND THE TREE

Summary

-by Kit Wright 

The poem ‘Dad and the Cat and the Tree’ is written by ‘Kit Wright‘, an eminent British writer. The poem is divided into 14 quatrain-style stanzas. The poem tells the story of a day in the garden when a child notices an innocent cat trapped on a tree.

The above-mentioned issue serves as an introduction. The situation prompted the child’s father to take action in rescuing the cat from the tree. The poem’s subsequent lines are supposed to provide a solution to this dilemma. The poem’s central character is the child’s father.

Despite his wife’s concerns, the child’s father continued his attempts. Even after falling twice while attempting to climb the tree, he held his confidence.

To begin, the child’s father tried to climb the tree using a ladder. Second, he swung himself on a branch of the tree, but it broke. After trying these two attempts, he collapsed on the ground. Finally, he was able to reach the tree by climbing up the garden wall.

Despite the fact that he was successful in his third attempt, he was put at risk since the cat had safely dropped to the ground, but the kid’s father remained trapped in the cat’s place. The plot of the poem was fulfilled by his attempts to save an abandoned cat from a tree. The poem comes to a hilarious conclusion with a comedic climax.

The father of the child did not make a good plan or heed to his wife’s counsel, which put him in difficulties. The poem instills a sense of anticipation in the child’s father’s efforts to address the situation.

Conclusion

Dad and the Cat and the Tree Summary In English. One morning, a cat got stuck in the tree. The narrator’s dad decided that he will easily be able to take care of it. Narrator’s father decided to climb the tree. His wife warned him that he might fall, but ignoring her warnings he climbed the ladder, slipped and fell.

NCERT SOLUTIONS

Questions (Page No. 110)

(Working with the Poem)

Question 1. Why was Dad sure he wouldn’t fall?

Answer: Dad was sure that he wouldn’t fall because he thought that he was a great climber.

Question 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:

“Easy as winking to a climber like me.”

Question 3. Describe Plan A and its consequences.

Answer: Plan A was to climb the tree with the help of a ladder. Although the ladder slipped and Dad fell on the ground.

Question 4. Plan C was a success. What went wrong then?

Answer: Plan C was a success. Dad reached the place where the cat was stuck. But, the moment he reached the place, the cat jumped onto the ground.

Question 5. The cat was very happy to be on the ground. Pick out the phrase used to express this idea.

Answer: The phrase that expresses the idea that ‘the cat was very happy to be on the ground’ is:

“Smiling and smirking”.

Question 6. Describe the Cat and Dad situation in the beginning and at the end of the poem.

Answer: In the beginning, the cat was stuck on the tree and Dad was looking at it from the ground. At the end, Dad got stuck on the tree and the cat was free on the ground.

Question 7. Why and when did Dad say each of the following?

  1. Fall?
  2. Never mind
  3. Funny joke
  4. Rubbish

Answer:

  1. Fall?: As his wife warned him against falling, Dad said “fall?”, showing an expression of confidence that a climber like him can never fall.
  2. Never mind: As Dad fell from the tree, he said “Never mind” while brushing the dirt off his clothes.
  3. Funny joke: As his wife warned him again, he said “funny joke” boasting about his climbing skills again.
  4. Rubbish: Dad said this as he was yet again warned by his wife when he fell after trying plan B too.

Question 8. Do you find the poem humorous? Read aloud lines which make you laugh.

Answer: Yes, the poem is humorous. Lines that made me laugh are:

“Then he swung himself up

On a branch. It broke.”

“The cat gave a yell

And sprang to the ground,”