Q1. Who is the main character of the story?
Ans: The main character is Rakesh, a young boy living with his grandfather in Mussoorie.\
Q2. Where did Rakesh live?
Ans: He lived with his grandfather on the outskirts of Mussoorie.
Q3. Why did Rakesh live with his grandfather?
Ans: Because there were no schools in his village, his parents sent him to study in Mussoorie.
Q4. What fruit was Rakesh eating at the beginning of the story?
Ans: He was eating cherries bought from the bazaar.
Q5. Where had the cherries come from?
Ans: They had come from the Kashmir Valley.
Q6. How many cherries were left by the time Rakesh reached home?
Ans: Only three cherries were left.
Q7. What did Rakesh offer his grandfather?
Ans: He offered him one cherry.
Q8. What did Rakesh do with the last cherry seed?
Ans: He kept it in his hand, studied it, and later planted it.
Q9. Who suggested planting the cherry seed?
Ans: Grandfather suggested it.
Q10. Where did Rakesh plant the seed?
Ans: In a shady corner of the garden where it wouldn’t be disturbed.
Q11. When did Rakesh discover that the seed had grown into a small plant?
Ans: He discovered it the following spring.
Q12. What did Rakesh do to protect the tiny plant?
Ans: He circled it with pebbles “for privacy.”
Q13. What damaged the cherry tree the first time?
Ans: A goat entered the garden and ate its leaves.
Q14. What damaged the tree the second time?
Ans: A woman cutting grass accidentally cut the tree in two with her scythe.
Q15. What was Rakesh’s reaction when the tree was cut?
Ans: He thought the tree might die.
Q16. Did the tree survive after being cut?
Ans: Yes, it grew again with new shoots.
Q17. What insect did Rakesh find sitting on the tree?
Ans: A bright green praying mantis.
Q18. What did Rakesh do when a caterpillar began eating the leaves?
Ans: He removed it and told it to come back as a butterfly.
Q19. When did the cherry tree first blossom?
Ans: It blossomed when Rakesh was nine years old.
Q20. What was Grandfather doing when Rakesh saw him under the tree one afternoon?
Ans: He was reclining on a cane chair, enjoying the shade of the tree.
Q21. Why did Rakesh and his grandfather feel the cherry tree was special?
Ans: Because they had planted it themselves.
Q22. What did Rakesh feel when he touched the tree’s bark at the end?
Ans: He wondered if that was what it felt like to be God, creating life.