Grade 5 English worksheet on tree conservation with a story and comprehension questions.

Passage: Let’s Save Our Trees!

In today’s day and age we have moved from paper to technology, but despite that trees are still being cut for several reasons! Trees are cut for their wood. This wood is used in building furniture or burning fires. The trees may also be used for medicinal purposes and most importantly for paper. Trees are also cut down to make buildings, malls, schools or to grow food on that land.

There is a big pine forest at Keroli Tappar, Uttarkashi. Once there stood a tall pine tree, which was the tallest amongst all trees. It grew up to 63.14 meters. It won the award of the tallest pine tree of Asia.

Tourist from many places came to see it. They were fascinated with this tree. They wrote their names on its trunk with nails and knives. Over time, it became infected with bacteria and grew sick. Later, its trunk became hollow. People no longer came to view this art of nature. Scientists were specially called from Dehradun to come for its treatment and it soon began to recover.

But unfortunately a storm broke it into two pieces since it had become very weak. After it broke, its wood was cut into logs which were used for the above purposes.

Once this tree was tall and beautiful and man had to raise his head with pride to look at it. Today man has to bend his head in regret. We have destroyed the tallest pine tree of Asia.

We should conserve our environment and take care of our surroundings. It is our duty to give back to nature. As a citizen of our country it is our responsibility to use resources sensibly. Being the youth, we have to save these resources for the future world which is yet to come.

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Questions and Answers:

#### 1. Why are trees cut down?
Answer:
Trees are cut down for various reasons:
- Wood: Used for building furniture, burning fires, and other purposes.
- Medicinal purposes: Trees provide materials used in medicine.
- Paper production: Wood is a primary material for making paper.
- Construction: Trees are cleared to make space for buildings, malls, schools, etc.
- Agriculture: Land is cleared to grow food crops.

#### 2. Why did the tourists visit this tree and what did they do?
Answer:
The tourists visited the tree because it was the tallest pine tree in Asia, standing at 63.14 meters. They were fascinated by its height and beauty. While visiting, they wrote their names on the tree's trunk using nails and knives.

#### 3. What happened to the tree? Why did the tourists stop visiting it?
Answer:
The tree became infected with bacteria due to the damage caused by tourists writing on its trunk with nails and knives. Over time, the infection weakened the tree, and its trunk became hollow. Eventually, a storm broke the tree into two pieces because it had become very weak. Tourists stopped visiting the tree because it was no longer in good condition and had lost its appeal as a natural wonder.

#### 4. Have you learnt from this passage?
Answer:
Yes, I have learned several important lessons from this passage:
- Importance of conservation: Trees and natural resources are vital for our environment and should be conserved.
- Impact of human activities: Human actions, such as cutting down trees and damaging them, can have severe consequences on nature.
- Responsibility as citizens: It is our duty to use resources responsibly and sustainably to protect the environment for future generations.
- Consequences of neglect: Neglecting and misusing natural resources can lead to irreversible damage, as seen with the destruction of the tallest pine tree in Asia.

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Final Answer:

1. Why are trees cut down?
Trees are cut down for wood, medicinal purposes, paper production, construction, and agriculture.
Boxed Answer:
\boxed{\text{Wood, medicinal purposes, paper, construction, agriculture}}

2. Why did the tourists visit this tree and what did they do?
Tourists visited the tree because it was the tallest pine tree in Asia. They wrote their names on its trunk with nails and knives.
Boxed Answer:
\boxed{\text{Fascination with its height; wrote names on the trunk}}

3. What happened to the tree? Why did the tourists stop visiting it?
The tree became infected with bacteria due to tourist damage, weakened, and was eventually broken by a storm. Tourists stopped visiting because it was no longer in good condition.
Boxed Answer:
\boxed{\text{Infected, weakened, broken by storm; stopped visiting due to poor condition}}

4. Have you learnt from this passage?
Yes, I learned about the importance of conserving natural resources, the impact of human activities, the responsibility of citizens, and the consequences of neglect.
Boxed Answer:
\boxed{\text{Yes, about conservation, human impact, responsibility, and consequences}}