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Cherry Tree: Patience and Resilience | Class 8 English

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EnglishCBSE Class 8 · The Cherry Tree

The Cherry Tree, Class 8: Dangers, Patience and the Ending

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In The Cherry Tree, Rakesh plants a cherry seed on his grandfather's advice that luck must be put to use. The sapling survives a goat, a grass-cutter's scythe and heavy snow, and finally blossoms. Through this story Ruskin Bond shows patience, the toughness of nature and the joy of creating something yourself. At the end Rakesh whispers, "Is this what it feels to be God?"

Understand The Cherry Tree: Patience, Resilience and Growth

The seed and the advice. Rakesh eats small cherries from Kashmir and asks whether the seed is lucky. Grandfather says that nothing is lucky if you put it away; luck comes from using it. This is the story's first lesson: a chance becomes good fortune only when we act on it.

Three dangers the tree survives.
1. The goat eats all the leaves when the tree is about two feet tall. Grandfather says that cherry trees are tough, and new leaves come.
2. The scythe of a woman cutting grass cuts the tree in two. Grandfather scolds her, but the tree sends out new shoots the next summer.
3. Heavy snow bends the tree down, yet it survives the winter.

Rakesh's care. He waters the seedling, rings it with pebbles "for privacy", moves a caterpillar away and tells it to return when it is a butterfly, and sometimes waters the tree even in the rain so that it knows he is there. These details show a growing bond with nature.

Growing together. Rakesh and the tree grow side by side. The tree is almost as tall as he is when he turns nine. Then it grows taller than him and taller than his grandfather. In the end it bears blossoms and fruit, and birds and bees visit.

Personification. The writer treats the tree like a person: "the cherry tree had no intention of dying". This makes the tree's survival feel like determination.

The ending. In the evening Rakesh asks why the tree is so special. Grandfather says, "We planted it ourselves." Touching the bark and a leaf, Rakesh whispers, "Is this what it feels to be God?" He feels the wonder of having helped a living thing grow.

Themes. Patience and care; the resilience of nature; the bond between grandfather and child; the joy of creation; harmony with nature.

Answer pattern. For a theme question: name the theme, give an event and say what it teaches.

The Cherry Tree: Patience, Resilience and Growth: key facts

Three dangers
  • Goat eats the leaves
  • Scythe cuts the tree in two
  • Snow bends the tree
Each time the tree recovers.
Rakesh's acts of care
  • Waters the seed
  • Rings it with pebbles
  • Moves the caterpillar
  • Waters it in the rain
Evidence of his growing love for the tree.
Themes
  • Patience
  • Resilience of nature
  • Grandfather and child
  • Joy of creation
  • Harmony with nature
Pick two or three with proof.
Key lines
  • Nothing is lucky if you put it away
  • The cherry tree had no intention of dying
  • We planted it ourselves
  • Is this what it feels to be God
Short quotes for explanation.

The Cherry Tree: Patience, Resilience and Growth in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Caring patiently for something that grows slowly

Suppose Tanvi plants a mango seed in a large pot on her balcony. A pigeon tramples the first shoot, and a heavy rainstorm knocks the pot over. Each time she repairs it, waters it and puts it in a safer corner. After many months, the plant has a few strong leaves and she smiles every morning when she sees it.

Which ideas in the story does Tanvi's experience match?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The dangers are like the goat and the scythe.
  2. Her repeated care matches Rakesh's watering and protecting.
  3. Her pride matches the joy of creating something yourself.

Answer: It matches patience and care, the resilience of living things and the joy of growing something yourself.

Memory hook: Plant, protect, wait.

Tricks to remember The Cherry Tree: Patience, Resilience and Growth

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • G-S-S

    Goat, Scythe, Snow.

    Use it when: The three dangers in order.

  • P-R-J

    Patience, Resilience, Joy.

    Use it when: Main themes of the story.

  • Luck is used

    Luck is not kept, it is used.

    Use it when: The meaning of grandfather's advice.

The Cherry Tree: Patience, Resilience and Growth: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: What ate the leaves · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Which animal ate all the leaves of the cherry tree when it was about two feet tall?
(a) a monkey (b) a goat (c) a rabbit (d) a deer

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A goat ate the leaves (1 mark).

Answer: (b)

Example 2: Grandfather's advice · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

What did Grandfather mean by "Nothing is lucky if you put it away"? Answer in 30-40 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A thing becomes lucky only when used (1).
  2. So Rakesh should plant the seed (1).

Answer: Grandfather meant that an object does not bring luck by itself. Luck comes when we put it to use. So he told Rakesh to plant the cherry seed instead of keeping it, and in time it grew into a tree.

Example 3: Resilience of the tree · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Describe two difficulties the cherry tree faced and how it recovered. What does this tell us about nature? Answer in 60-70 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Difficulty 1 with recovery (1.5).
  2. Difficulty 2 with recovery (1.5).
  3. Message about nature (1).

Answer: A goat ate all the leaves when the tree was about two feet tall, but new leaves appeared. Later a grass-cutter's scythe cut the tree in two; the tree sent out new shoots the next summer. These events show that nature is resilient and can recover from harm. Like Grandfather says, cherry trees are tough, and the tree "had no intention of dying".

Example 4: Rakesh and the caterpillar · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Rakesh moves a hairy caterpillar from the tree and says, "Come back when you're a butterfly." What does this tell us about his attitude to nature? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. He protects the tree without harming the caterpillar (1).
  2. His words are friendly and playful (1).
  3. Shows gentle respect for all living things (1).

Answer: Rakesh does not hurt the caterpillar. He moves it away gently so that the tree is safe and talks to it as if it could understand. His words show kindness, imagination and respect for living things. He sees himself as part of nature and not as its master.

Example 5: The meaning of the ending · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Why does Rakesh ask, "Is this what it feels to be God?" Explain what he feels and what Grandfather's answer, "We planted it ourselves", adds. Answer in 80-100 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Rakesh's feeling of creating something alive (1.5).
  2. He compares it to the creator (1).
  3. Grandfather's answer: shared effort and pride (1.5).
  4. Expression (1).

Answer: When Rakesh touches the bark and the leaf, he feels that he has helped a living thing to grow from a tiny seed. This feeling of creating and caring for life seems so great to him that he wonders if this is what a creator feels. Grandfather's answer shows that the tree is special not because of the cherries but because they planted it together. It links the joy of creation with patience, effort and love between a grandfather and his grandson.

Where students lose marks in The Cherry Tree: Patience, Resilience and Growth

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Writing that Rakesh lived with his parents

    He lived with his grandfather in Mussoorie.

    Wrong working

    Rakesh and his parents planted the tree.

    Right working

    Rakesh and his grandfather planted the tree in the garden of the cottage near Mussoorie.

    Do this: Remember the two main characters.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Confusing the dangers or their order

    The sequence is goat, scythe, snow.

    Wrong working

    The snow cut the tree in two.

    Right working

    The scythe cut the tree in two; the snow bent it.

    Do this: Remember G-S-S.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Explaining personification without an example

    A device needs a quoted example.

    Wrong working

    The writer uses personification.

    Right working

    The writer says the tree "had no intention of dying", giving it a human intention.

    Do this: Quote and explain.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.

Exam tips

  • List the dangers in order and add how the tree recovered.
  • Use "resilience" and "patience" as key words.
  • Quote the ending in full and explain Rakesh's feeling.
  • Mention that the tree grows as Rakesh grows.
  • For a diary entry, use first person and the past tense.

Practice questions on The Cherry Tree: Patience, Resilience and Growth

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Rakesh lived with his grandfather because
    (a) his school was near the cottage (b) his parents' village had no school (c) he disliked the village (d) his grandfather was ill

    Hint

    His parents' village was fifty miles away.

    Answer

    (b)

  2. Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

    What did Rakesh do to protect the seedling when he first saw it? Answer in 25-30 words.

    Hint

    Water and pebbles.

    Answer

    Rakesh watered the seedling gently and put a ring of pebbles around it "for privacy". He wanted to protect the tender plant and show that he cared for it.

  3. Q3 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

    Assertion (A): Personification is used in "the cherry tree had no intention of dying."
    Reason (R): The sentence gives the tree a human intention.
    (a) Both A and R are true and R explains A
    (b) Both are true but R does not explain A
    (c) A is true but R is false
    (d) A is false but R is true

    Hint

    Intention belongs to people.

    Answer

    (a)

  4. Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    How does the writer show the passing of time in the story? Mention two details of the seasons. Answer in 50-60 words.

    Hint

    Winter charcoal fire, monsoon rains, spring ducks.

    Answer

    The writer moves through seasons. In winter, Grandfather and Rakesh sit by a charcoal fire. In spring, the wild ducks fly north and Rakesh finds the seedling. In the monsoon, rains come early and mist rises in the valley, and the tree grows quickly. These changes show the slow growth of the tree and of Rakesh.

  5. Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    Write a diary entry (80-100 words) by Rakesh on the day the first blossom opened, mentioning the dangers the tree faced and how he felt.

    Hint

    First person, past tense, feelings.

    Answer

    Sunday, morning. Dear Diary, today Grandfather found the first pale pink blossom on my cherry tree! I could hardly believe it. I remember the goat that ate the leaves, the scythe that cut the little tree in two and the heavy snow that bent it low. Each time I was afraid it would die, but it grew again, and Grandfather said that cherry trees are tough. I felt so proud and happy. Planting it was Grandfather's advice, and we looked after it together, and that is why it is special.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who wrote The Cherry Tree?Show answer

    Ruskin Bond.

  2. 2.Where do Rakesh and his grandfather live?Show answer

    In a cottage near Mussoorie.

  3. 3.What did Rakesh plant?Show answer

    A cherry seed.

  4. 4.What cut the tree in two?Show answer

    A grass-cutter's scythe.

  5. 5.What did Grandfather say about luck?Show answer

    That you must put it to use.

  6. 6.Who visited the tree first?Show answer

    A praying mantis.

The Cherry Tree: Patience, Resilience and Growth: frequently asked questions

What is the central idea of The Cherry Tree?

Patience and care help living things grow, and creating something yourself brings deep joy.

Why does Rakesh water the tree in the rain?

So that it knows he is there.

Is the story realistic?

Mostly yes, but the writer gives the tree human qualities through personification.

What exam questions come from the story?

Sequence of events, character sketch of Rakesh, themes, personification and a diary entry.