Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options :
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
The word, ‘mouth’ in line 3 refers to the ________ of the tree.
Correct Answer :
roots
Solution :
The correct option is roots.
Explanation:
In the poem, Joyce Kilmer writes:
"A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;"
Here, the poet uses personification to describe the tree as a living entity that draws nourishment from the Earth. The "hungry mouth" pressing against the earth refers to the tree's roots, which absorb water and nutrients from the soil to sustain the tree, just as a child takes milk from its mother's breast.
Therefore, the word "mouth" refers to the roots of the tree.
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