Read the passage and answer the following questions.
There is a lovely story of a tree and a little boy who used to play in its shade. They had become friends. One day, the boy sat leaning against the trunk of the tree, crying. He was hungry. "Eat my fruit" said the kind tree bending down one of its branches. The boy ate the fruit and was happy. The boy grew up. One day, he sat under the tree with an anxious look on his face. "What is the matter?" asked the tree. "I am going to marry and I want a house to live in," said the young man. "Cut down my branches and build your house." said the tree. The young man built a house with the branches of the tree. The young man became a sailor. One day, he sat under the tree with a worried look. "What is the matter?" asked the tree. "My captain is a cruel fellow. I want a ship of my own." said the sailor. "Cut down my trunk and build a ship." The sailor lost his ship and returned home as a helpless old man. On a cold winter's day, he stood where the tree once was, leaning on his stick and trembling with cold. "Make a fire of me, and warm yourself' said the stump of the tree. The stump of the unselfish tree burnt in the fire, softly humming a tune.
"The stump of the unselfish tree burnt in the fire, softly humming a tune." means:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The selfless tree felt no pain even in its acute suffering while dying, caring for others.
The tree had given away its fruit, branches and trunk, and at last offered its stump as firewood. Humming a tune while burning shows that it was content and at peace, even in its last suffering, because it was still caring for the boy and keeping him warm. The line praises its selflessness to the very end.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Every tree sings when it is burnt. — Incorrect. Too broad: the line is about this one tree's feeling, not a fact about all trees.
Option 3: The frail and wonderful tree tried to forget its pain by humming — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: Frail means weak and easily broken. The humming shows peace and contentment, not an effort to escape from pain.
Example: My grandmother has grown frail with age.
Option 4: The tree was a fool and was humming as it did not realize that it was dying — Incorrect. Contradicted: the tree itself said "Make a fire of me"; it knew it was giving up its life, so it was not a fool unaware of its death.