The Laburnum Top NCERT Solutions Class 11 PDF Download 2026

Ans: Both the beginning and the ending of the poem are characterized by absolute silence, stillness, and a death-like atmosphere. The poem opens with the Laburnum tree standing completely silent and still in the autumn afternoon. After the dynamic, noisy interlude when the goldfinch feeds her young ones, the poem closes with the bird flying away, causing the tree to subside back to its original "empty" and silent state.

Ans: The bird’s movement into the thickness of the tree is compared to that of a lizard ("sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt"). The basis for this comparison is the smooth, quick, sudden, and highly watchful manner in which both the goldfinch and a lizard move to avoid predators while reaching their destination.

Ans: The image of the "engine" is evoked to represent the goldfinch's family. Just as an engine is the source of power and life for a machine, the mother goldfinch is the source of life and energy for her family. When she arrives and "stokes it full" (feeds her young ones), the nest suddenly starts up with noise, movement, and trembling, much like an engine starting up when fuel is added.

Ans: (Subjective answer) What I like most about the poem is the brilliant use of visual and auditory imagery. The poet beautifully contrasts the silent, yellowing, and death-like Laburnum tree with the sudden, chaotic burst of life brought by the tiny goldfinch. The description of the bird as a "lizard" and the nest as an "engine" creates a highly vivid and moving picture of nature.

Ans: The goldfinch is a yellow bird, and the Laburnum tree has yellow flowers and leaves. When the bird sits in the tree, her yellow body is perfectly camouflaged. The only part of her that is visible is her face, which has dark stripes or "bars" on it. These stripes act as an "identity mask," revealing her presence to her young ones and the observer against the yellow background.

Ans: At the beginning of the poem, the Laburnum top is completely silent and still. It is an autumn afternoon; a few of its leaves are turning yellow, and all its seeds have fallen, giving it a lifeless and desolate appearance.

Ans: The goldfinch arrives suddenly with a "twitching chirrup." Her arrival at the end of a branch is abrupt and startling, instantly breaking the death-like silence of the tree.

Ans: As soon as she enters the thicker branches where her nest is, a "machine starts up." The quiet tree is suddenly filled with the chitterings, tremors of wings, and trilling sounds of her young ones excitedly welcoming their mother.

Ans: The word 'stokes' means to add fuel to a fire or an engine. Here, it means that the mother goldfinch feeds her young ones to their full satisfaction, providing them with the necessary energy (fuel) to survive and grow.

Ans: After feeding her family to the full, she flirts out to the end of a branch. She shows her striped face (her identity mask) and then, with a delicate, eerie whistle-chirp, she flies away into the infinite sky.

Ans: Once the goldfinch launches away into the infinite sky, the tree "subsides to empty." The noise, movement, and life immediately cease, and the tree returns to its original state of death-like silence.

Ans: The poet uses the color yellow extensively to create a unified visual theme. The sunlight of the September afternoon is yellowish. The Laburnum tree has yellowing leaves and yellow flowers. The goldfinch itself is a yellow bird. The significance of this color is dual: it represents the decaying, fading aspect of autumn (the dying leaves), while simultaneously representing the camouflage that protects the vibrant life of the bird and her chicks from predators. It beautifully blends the ideas of death and life existing together.

Ans: Before the bird's arrival, the Laburnum tree is entirely static, silent, and appears dead, with falling seeds and yellowing leaves. The moment the goldfinch arrives, a dramatic transformation occurs. The tree suddenly awakens. It becomes a hub of energy, noise, and movement as the chicks start chittering and flapping their wings. The tree itself "trembles and thrills" with this sudden burst of life. The bird acts as a catalyst, transforming a desolate, dying tree into a lively, pulsating home, proving how interconnected elements of nature breathe life into one another.

Ans: The central theme of the poem is the symbiotic, mutually sustaining relationship in nature, and the cycle of life and stillness. The Laburnum tree provides a safe, camouflaged shelter for the goldfinch to raise her young ones. In return, the goldfinch brings vivacity, sound, and energy to the otherwise gloomy and decaying autumn tree. Another underlying theme is the transience of joy; the burst of life in the tree is temporary. It only lasts as long as the mother bird is present, and quickly fades into an "empty" silence once she departs, reflecting the fleeting nature of happiness.

Ans: Ted Hughes employs several effective poetic devices:
1. Simile: "Sleek as a lizard" compares the bird's smooth and alert movement to a lizard.
2. Metaphor: "She is the engine of her family" compares the mother bird to a mechanical engine that powers her family. "Machine starts up" compares the noisy chicks to a starting machine.
3. Alliteration: "September sunlight" (repetition of 's' sound) and "tree trembles and thrills" (repetition of 't' sound).
4. Personification: "The whole tree trembles and thrills" gives the tree human-like emotions and physical reactions to the bird's presence.

Ans: The poem highlights survival instincts through the goldfinch's behaviour. Her movement is "sleek, alert, and abrupt" like a lizard, showing she is constantly on guard against predators. She builds her nest in the "thickness" of the Laburnum tree, using the yellow leaves and flowers to camouflage her yellow body. She only reveals her "barred face" to her chicks. These cautious, calculated actions demonstrate the harsh reality of survival in nature.

Ans: "The infinite" refers to the vast, limitless, and boundless expanse of the open sky into which the goldfinch flies away after feeding her family.

Ans: The word 'empty' signifies the return of absolute silence and desolation. Although the tree physically still contains the nest and the chicks, the vibrant energy, noise, and life force that the mother bird brought have vanished, leaving the tree feeling devoid of life again.

Ans: These are examples of Onomatopoeia. The poet uses them to create a strong auditory image, allowing the reader to literally 'hear' the chaotic, high-pitched, and joyful noise made by the baby birds when their mother arrives with food.

Ans: The setting of the poem is a quiet, sunny September afternoon during the autumn season. The focus is exclusively on the top of a Laburnum tree whose leaves are turning yellow and seeds have fallen.