Read the poem and answer the following question
In the lines “A tree whose hungry mouth is prest / Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast”, the tree drawing food from the soil is pictured as
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → a baby feeding at its mother’s breast
The tree has a “hungry mouth”.
- It is pressed against the earth’s “sweet flowing breast”. Prest is an old spelling of pressed.
- The roots of the tree are its mouth. The earth is like a mother whose breast gives milk.
- So the tree taking food from the soil is pictured as a baby drinking its mother’s milk.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: a beggar asking for food — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: the mouth is hungry, but nothing in the lines shows asking. The “breast” points to a mother and her child.
Option 3: a river flowing into the sea — Incorrect. Misread: the word “flowing” describes the earth’s breast, which gives food. The lines picture feeding, not a river.
Option 4: a farmer ploughing the land — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the tree is not working the soil. It is drawing food from it.