Thinking About the Poem
(Page 30)
Question 1.
Read the poem again and work in pairs or groups to do the following tasks.
1. Find the words that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the cage and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.
2. Find the words that describe the two places and arrange them in two columns.
Now try to share ideas about how the poet uses words and images to contrast the two situations.
Answer1:
| In the Cage | In the Wild |
| Stalks, Few steps of his cage, Quiet rage Locked in concrete cell, Stalking-the length of his cage Ignoring visitors. He hears the last voice Stares at the brilliant stars. | Lurking in shadow, Sliding through long grass, Snarling around houses, Baring his white fangs, his claws, Terrorising the village. |
Answer 2:
| Cage | Wild |
| Few steps of his cage, | Shadow, Long grass, Water |
| Locked, Concrete cell, | hole, Plump deer, |
| Behind bars, Visitors, | Houses at jungle’s edge, |
| Patrolling cars | Village |
Question 2.
Notice the use of a word repeated in lines such as these
1. On pads of velvet quiet, In his quiet rage.
2. And stares with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars.
What do you think is the effect of this repetition?
Answer:
This repetition is a poetic device used by the poet in order to increase the intensity of the tiger’s rage and his helpless silence. ‘Velvet quiet’ refers to the quiet velvet pads of the tiger, which cannot run or leap. They can only walk around the limited space in the cage. The use of ‘quiet rage’ symbolises the anger and ferocity that is building up inside the tiger as it wants to run out into the forest and attack a deer, but the rage is quiet because he is locked in the cage and is helpless. The repetition of ‘quiet’ has, thus, brought immense beauty to the poem. Similarly, the use of ‘brilliant’ for the tiger’s eyes as well as the stars also brings out the magnificence of these lines. The tiger stares at the brilliant stars with his brilliant eyes dreaming about how beautiful his life could be in the forest. The repetition thus, gives a wonderful effect to the poem.
Question 3.
Read the following two poems one about a tiger and the other about a panther. Then discuss:
Are zoos necessary for the protection or conservation of some species of animals?
Are they useful for educating the public?
Are there alternatives to zoos?
The Tiger
The tiger behind the bars of his cage growls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage snarls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage roars,
Then he thinks.
It would be nice not to be behind bars all
The time
Because they spoil my view
I wish I were wild, not on show.
But if I were wild, hunters might shoot me,
But if I were wild, food might poison me,
But if I were wild, water might drown me.
Then he stops thinking
And…
The tiger behind the bars of his cage growls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage snarls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage roars.
– Peter Niblett
The Panther
His vision, from the constantly passing bars,
has grown so weary that it cannot hold
anything else. It seems to him there are
a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world.
As he paces in cramped circles, over and over,
the movement of his p0werful soft strides
is like a ritual dance around a centre
in which a mighty will stands paralysed.
Only at times, the curtain of the pupils
lifts, quietly. An image enters in,
rushes down through the tensed, arrested muscles,
plunges into the heart and is gone.
– Rainer Maria Rilke
Answer:
Several species of animals are on the verge of
extinction. Even tigers and lions are not safe in the forest due to poaching that is done for trade, etc. Zoos are, thus, necessary for the protection or conservation of these species. Zoos are safe and can also be used to educate the public about the importance of wild animals and their role in maintaining the ecological ‘ balance. Wildlife sancturies, reserves and national parks are some alternatives to zoos. These not only help in the protection and conservation of these species, but also provide them with a natural habitat.
A Tiger in the Zoo Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
He stalks in his vivid stripes,
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
(a) Why the tiger could walk only a few steps?
(b) How does the tiger move in the cage?
(c) What are the two qualities of the animal under reference?
(d) Why is he in quiet rage? [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
(a) The tiger could walk only a few steps because he was locked in a very small cage.
(b) The tiger moves very slowly and quietly in a threatening way.
(c) The tiger has vivid stripes on his body and soft velvet pads.
(d) He is in quiet rage as he is locked and his freedom has been curtailed. Thus, he is unable to show his anger and ferocity.
Question 2.
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass,
Near the water hole,
Where plump deer pass.
(a) Who is ‘He’ here?
(b) Where should he be lurking?
(c) Where should he be sliding?
(d) Who would pass through the water hole?
Answer:
(a) ‘He’ refers to the tiger.
(b) He should be lurking in the shadows in the forest.
(c) The tiger should be sliding through the long grass in the forest.
(d) A plump deer would pass through the water hole.
Question 3.
He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
(a) What does the poet try to suggest through these lines?
(b) How does the tiger scare the people? [CBSE 2015]
(c) Why does ‘he’ snarl?
(d) How does ‘he’ show his presence? [CBSE 2011]
Answer:
(a) The poet is trying to suggest that the tiger should be allowed to live in his natural habitat.
(b) The tiger scares the people by growling at them and showing his teeth and claws.
(c) ‘He’ snarls to show his anger and helplessness.
(d) ‘He’ shows his presence by baring his white teeth and claws.
Question 4.
But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
(a) What does the phrase ‘his strength behind the bar’ suggests?
(b) Why does the tiger ignore the visitors?
(c) What is the tiger doing in the cage?
(d) What does the expression ‘stalking the length of the cage’ imply? [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
(a) It means that he is helpless as he is locked in a cage.
(b) The tiger ignores the visitors because he considers them devoid of feelings as none of them tries to help him out of the prison.
(c) The tiger is moving slowly and quietly along the length of the cage.
(d) It implies walking to and fro in helplessness.
Question 5.
He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares With his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
(a) What kind of voices does the tiger hear?
(b) Where does the tiger look at in the night?
(c) What do you mean by ‘patrolling’?
(d) What is the effect of the repeated use of the word ‘brilliant’?
Answer:
(a) The tiger hears the voice coming from the patrolling cars at night.
(b) The tiger looks at the brilliant stars shining in the sky at the night.
(c) ‘Patrolling’ means to go around an area at regular times to check that it is safe.
(d) The repeated use of brilliant shows the contrast. The brilliant stars are free while the brilliant eyes are inside the cage.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]
Question 1.
How does a tiger create terror for the villagers?
Answer:
The tiger creates terror for the villagers by snarling
around their houses as they are situated near the jungle. He frightens them by showing his white fangs and claws.
Question 2.
Leslie Norris has described some of the activities of a tiger behind the bars of its cage. Write them.
Answer:
Some of the activities of the tiger behind the bars of its cage includes stalking along the length of the cage, ignoring visitors, hearing patrolling cars and staring at the brilliant stars shining in the sky.
Question 3.
Describe the tiger in the cage.
Answer:
The tiger in the cage is just a diminished form of his original self. He paces up and down in the cage restlessly. He is confined in the narrow cell and keeps staring the stars as if longing for freedom. He is helpless and draws pity for his condition.
Question 4.
Describe the tiger in the wild.
Answer:
The tiger in the wild is majestic. He is free and lies under the shades and hunts for prey. He moves near the water because food is in plenty there. Sometimes he growls and terrorises the villagers.
Question 5.
Why does the tiger express his rage quietly?
Answer:
The tiger expresses his rage quietly because
there is nothing he can do from behind the bars of his cage. He is helpless as his strength now lies inside the cage. He is no longer free as he was in the jungle.
Question 6.
Where should the tiger have been according to the poet? [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
The poet thinks that the tiger should have been in the jungle, lurking in the shadow of long grass to prey on the deer near the water hole. He should also be on the outskirts of the jungle snarling around houses and terrifying villagers.
Question 7.
How does the tiger make his presence felt in the village? [CBSE 2015]
Answer:
The tiger makes his presence felt by snarling around houses at the jungle’s edge and by showing his white fangs and claws.
Question 8.
What does the tiger do in his cage?
Answer:
The tiger is locked in a concrete cell where he can hardly take a few steps along the length of the cage. He doesn’t take any notice of the visitors who come there. With his shining eyes, he keeps staring at the bright stars in the sky.
Question 9.
Why should the tiger snarl around houses at the edge of the forest?’. [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
The tiger should snarl around houses at the edge of the forest because of the following reasons. Firstly the villagers will not disturb the peace of the forest. Secondly, they will not kill the animals for money or just for fun.
Question 10.
What is the tiger doing? Why is he ignoring the visitors?
Answer:
The tiger is slowly and quietly moving along the length of the cage in a threatening manner. He is ignoring the visitors because he considers them devoid of any feelings. None of them thinks of releasing him from his prison. Thus, he stops taking any notice of them.
Question 11.
Why do you think the tiger looks at the stars?
Answer:
The tiger feels very helpless in the cage. He stares with hope at the brilliant stars shining in the sky. He hopes for the day when he would be able to run free in the wild. The brilliant stars, thus, provides him with some sort of comfort.
Question 12.
What does the poet convey through the poem?
Answer:
The poet tries to expose the miserable life led by the animals in the zoo. He compares the life of the tiger in the zoo with its life at a natural habitat. The animals have the right to freedom and should not be caged. They should be allowed to run free in the wild.
Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]
Question 1.
Love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Comment. [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
It is rightly said that love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Everyone loves freedom and does not want to live in confinement. Similarly, the tiger also longed for freedom. He was so fed up being caged that he even ignored the visitors. He took to and fro steps in the cage as if trying to while away the time. The tiger wanted to escape this captivity.
God has made all living beings equally and thus, the animals too have the right to freedom. They should not be caged. It is their right to enjoy their natural habitat i.e. the forest and run freely in the wild. We should, thus, respect their freedom and should not put them in the zoo.
Question 2.
Is it right to confine wild animals into cages? Why or why not?
Answer:
Wild animals are meant to live in the wild. They are not meant to be caged and displayed in the zoos. We all know that the majestic species of tiger is on the verge of extinction. There used to be a time when they used to roam proudly and freely in the jungle. They are not meant to live a life in confinement. They also have the right to freedom like all other living beings. Confinement leads to depression and misery. Moreover, their offsprings lose the hunting capabilities as they are not trained to hunt in the wild. As a result, they would not be able to feed themselves. Furthermore confining wild animals disturbs the whole ecological balance. We should, thus, let the animals run free in the wild. They beloijg to the forest and not to the cage.
MCQ Questions for Class 10 English First Flight Poem 3 A Tiger in the Zoo with Answers
Question 1.
At what does the tiger look at in night?
(a) Patrolling cars
(b) His House
(c) Stars
(d) All of the Above
Answer
Answer: (c) Stars
Question 2.
How do the eyes of the tiger look?
(a) Sad
(b) brilliant
(c) dark
(d) Light
Answer
Answer: (b) brilliant
Question 3.
How does the caged tiger react to the visitors?
(a) He ignores them
(b) With a happy face
(c) With a sad face
(d) Proudly
Answer
Answer: (a) He ignores them
Question 4.
Who passes near the water hole?
(a) Fat Pig
(b) Fat Buffalo
(c) Fat Deer
(d) All of the Above
Answer
Answer: (c) Fat Deer
Question 5.
Where should the tiger hide to himself?
(a) behind the tree
(b) in the shadow
(c) in the house
(d) in the jungle
Answer
Answer: (b) in the shadow
Question 6.
What described “tiger in a jungle”?
(a) Locked in concrete cell
(b) his strength behind bars
(c) ignoring visitors
(d) baring his white fangs
Answer
Answer: (d) baring his white fangs
Question 7.
By “ignoring visitors”, what is the poet trying to say?
(a) tiger knows his power is restricted
(b) there is no use of showing rage
(c) he is less terrorising because of the cage
(d) all of the above
Answer
Answer: (d) all of the above
Question 8.
Name the poetic device used in the line “Baring his white fangs,his claws”.
(a) metaphor
(b) assonance
(c) Oxymoron
(d) Consonance
Answer
Answer: (d) Consonance
Question 9.
Name the poetic device used in the line “He stalks in his vivid stripes”.
(a) metaphor
(b) assonance
(c) Oxymoron
(d) Consonance
Answer
Answer: (d) Consonance
Question 10.
What has been personified in the poem?
(a) tiger
(b) forest
(c) zoo
(d) all of the above
Answer
Answer: (a) tiger