LITERATURE: WHEN THE BULLDOZER CAME (FORM 3)

Exercise 1: Complete the blanks in the passage below about the poem
The Day the Bulldozers Came by David Orme. Use the words given.
HIDE
DESTROYED

HABITAT
UNDERGROUND

MACHINES
TREES

The poem describes how a normal day in the countryside was interrupted by the
arrival of bulldozers. These (1)
_____________
_____________of

and
the

prepare

the

creatures

________________ came to clear the (2)

land

for

described

development.
in

the

poem

The

natural

(3)

was

to

(4)

be

___________________. The frightened animals had nowhere to (5) ______________.

Even the fox in his (6) _______________ den was not safe.

Exercise 2: Answer the following questions on the poem The Day the
Bulldozers Came by David Orme.
Refer to stanza 1 of the poem
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

What
What
What
What
What

are rooks?
do egg baskets refer to?
are oaks?
does the word them in line 6 refer to?
does the description cold-eyed tell us about the toad?

Exercise 2: Answer the following questions on the poem The Day the
Bulldozers Came by David Orme
a. What does the expression scattering mean?
b. What is the connection between the squirrels behavior and the coming of
the bulldozers?
c. What does line 11 tells about the trees?

Refer to stanza 3 of the poem.

a. What animal is described in stanza 3?
b. What was the fox doing when the bulldozers came?

c. What does the word stirred in line 13 mean?

d. What literary device is used in line 14?
e. Why was the fox unafraid?
f. Do you think the fox would be safe from the bulldozers? Give a reason
for your answer.
g. Whose voice do we hear in this poem?
h. What is the poem mainly about?
i. Give an example of sound imagery in the poem
j.
Describe how you feel about protecting wildlife after reading the
poem.
Set 1: Read the poem The Day the Bulldozers Came and answer the
following questions.
a.
b.
c.
d.

What were the rooks making?

According to verse 2, what was happening to the trees?
What woke the fox up from his sleep?
If you were one of the animals in the poem, how would you feel when the
bulldozers come? Give a reason for your answer.

Set 2: Read the poem The Day the Bulldozers Came and answer the
following questions.
a. What was the toad waiting for?
b. How were the squirrels behaving when the bulldozers came? Why?
c. Why did the ground tremble?
d. In your opinion, do you think the bulldozers should be stopped? Give a
reason for your answer.