Poem A Poison Tree : Questions + Answers

1. What emotion is expressed in Stanza 1 ?

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2. Which word in stanza 2 that has the same meaning as “dishonest”?

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3. What happened to the persona’s foe eventually and how did the persona react to this?

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4. What would you do if you had a misunderstanding with your enemy? Suggest 2 ways.

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5. In stanza 1, what happened to the persona when he did not express his anger?

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6. In stanza 3, what did the apple refer to?

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7. In stanza 4, why did the persona feel happy?

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8. In this poem, the persona was angry with his foe. If you were the persona’s friend, what advice
would you give to him?

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9. What did the persona do when he was angry with his friend?

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10. In stanza 2, how did the persona allow his anger to grow?

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11. In stanza 3, what does the word it refer to?

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 12. If you were the persona, would you have been glad to see your “foe outstretched beneath the
tree”? Give a reason to support your answer.

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13. In stanza 1, who is the persona angry with?

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14. Which word in stanza 1 shows the persona is similar to an apple tree?

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15. In stanza 2, what does the word ‘it’ refer to?

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16. How would you feel if you had a misunderstanding with your friend? Explain.

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17. Which phrase is stanza 1 has the same meaning as ‘kept his anger to himself’ ?

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18. What did the persona do to ensure that the tree grew healthily?

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19. -‘In the morning glad I see

-My foe outstretched beneath the tree’
-In your opinion, how did the persona feel that morning?

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20. Do you agree with the persona’s feeling? Give a reason for your answer.

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