The Treasure in the Forest
Answer the following questions
a. Describe the expository scene of the story.
=> Answer: The story starts with Evans and Hooker making their way toward an island in a canoe. The island appears covered with thick vegetation, while a sloping hill and a small watercourse extending toward the sea form the main features of the landscape they see.
b. What does the map look like and how do Evan and Hooker interpret it?
=> Answer: The map is a badly preserved old document, marked by repeated folding, creases, and general wear. Evans examines its symbols and assumes that the curved lines show the river and the star identifies the treasure's position. Hooker reaches another conclusion, interpreting the dotted and straight markings as the route leading to the lagoon.
c. How did Evan and Hooker know about the treasure?
=> Answer: The information came to them through two sources. First, they had secretly listened to a Chinese man's conversation about the treasure. They then found the map in his possession, which helped them understand where the hidden wealth might be located.
d. Describe Evanās dream.
=> Answer: During the journey, Evan enters a strange dream in which Chang-hi and the treasure are connected. He imagines three Chinese men sitting beside a small fire in the forest and discussing matters in English. Their conversation tells him that Chang-hi had recovered gold from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon and hidden it on the island. He had originally kept the treasure under his own control but eventually required assistance to bring it out. A violent conflict followed and ended with Chang-hi's brutal death. Evan's vision is interrupted when he hears his name being called.
e. What do the two treasure hunters see when they walk towards the island?
=> Answer: Deeper inside the island, the two men encounter three palm trees, thick plant growth, and small white flowers growing close to the mouth of the stream. Their attention is then drawn to the shocking sight of Chang-hi's dead body.
f. In what condition did the treasure hunters find the dead man?
=> Answer: They discover Chang-hi's body lying in an open place among the surrounding trees. His neck has turned purple and become swollen, and his hands and ankles are also severely swollen.
g. How did the treasure hunters try to carry gold ingots to the canoe?
=> Answer: Since they need a way to transport the heavy gold, Evan and Hooker use a coat as a makeshift container. They hold opposite ends of its collar and carry the ingots together as they return toward the canoe.
h. How were Evan and Hooker poisoned?
=> Answer: The poison enters their bodies through the island's slender thorns. One thorn, measuring close to two inches, pierces Hooker's thumb. Evan then falls against him, and the two men collapse together after being struck by intense pain.
Reference to the Context
a. How do you know the story is set on a tropical island?
=> Answer: The physical environment gives several clues about the setting. Evan and Hooker reach a coral island beneath a hot sun, where they find abundant greenery and tropical vegetation. The streams and coastal surroundings add further evidence that the place is a tropical island.
b. Why do you think Evan and Hooker took such a risk of finding the buried treasure on a desert island?
=> Answer: Their willingness to take the risk is largely driven by their desire to become wealthy. They imagine that the buried treasure will provide them with riches, making the dangers of the remote island seem worth facing. The origin of the gold from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon makes the treasure even more attractive. Their greed blinds them to the hazards that surround them.
c. Do you think the narrator of the story is racist? If yes, what made him feel superior to other races?
=> Answer: Yes, the characters' treatment of Chang-hi shows strong elements of racial prejudice. Evan and Hooker place themselves in a superior position and treat Chang-hi as though he is less important than they are. Their controlling behaviour, particularly Hooker's manner of speaking, reveals this sense of superiority. Their actions demonstrate racial prejudice and superiority toward Chang-hi.
d. What do you think is the moral of the story?
=> Answer: The unfortunate ending shows that greed can become destructive when it is allowed to control human behaviour. Evan and Hooker become so determined to obtain the treasure that they fail to recognize the danger of their surroundings. Their search for wealth eventually costs them their own lives when the poisonous thorns attack them. The story teaches that people should restrain greed, be satisfied with what they have, and achieve their desires through honest means.
Reference Beyond the Text
a. Interpret the story as a mystery story.
=> Answer: The story follows the pattern of a mystery story because it combines secrecy, suspense, unexplained incidents, and a surprising ending. Evan and Hooker journey to a remote island after learning about valuable treasure connected with a Spanish galleon that had been shipwrecked.
The reader's curiosity grows when Chang-hi's dead body is discovered under strange circumstances. The unfamiliar forest creates an atmosphere of uncertainty, while Evan's dream provides hidden information about the Chinese man and the treasure he had concealed.
The mystery becomes most dramatic at the end. Instead of successfully escaping with the gold, Evan and Hooker encounter the poisonous thorns and suffer a fatal fate. The secret treasure, Chang-hi's unexplained death, the isolated island, Evan's strange vision, and the deadly plants all contribute to the story's suspense and mystery.
b. Treasure hunting is a favorable subject of childrenās story. Remember a treasure hunting story you read in your childhood and compare and contrast it with The Treasure in the Forest.
=> Answer: āTreasure Islandā by Robert Louis Stevenson** is another famous story that centres on the pursuit of hidden treasure. Although it shares the same basic idea as The Treasure in the Forest, the two works differ in their atmosphere, characters, and endings.
The story of Treasure Island follows Jim Hawkins, whose discovery of a treasure map leads him into a dangerous expedition involving pirate treasure. The narrative features pirates, sailors, betrayal, adventure, and sea journeys. One of its best-known characters is Long John Silver, whose role is important to the unfolding events.
In The Treasure in the Forest, Evan and Hooker are the ones who pursue hidden wealth. They travel to a distant island to recover gold that had been concealed following a shipwreck. Both stories consequently deal with treasure hunting, mystery, danger, and adventure.
Their treatment of the treasure-hunting theme is nevertheless quite different. Treasure Island is largely exciting and adventurous, with the spirit of a children's adventure tale. The Treasure in the Forest gradually becomes threatening and dark, finally ending in tragedy when the two treasure hunters are poisoned by the thorns. Thus, the stories are similar in their central theme but contrast sharply in tone, plot development, and conclusion.