NCERT Class 10 English Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3 A Tiger in the Zoo (Poem)
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.
Answer 1:
| 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.
Extra Questions and Answers
Reference-to-Context Questions
Read the stanza given below 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) The animal under reference is
Answer:
tiger
(b) In the above lines, the referred animal is in the
Answer:
cage
(c) The animal seems to be full of anger but is quiet. (True/False)
Answer:
True
(d) The word means same as ‘to follow or move’.
Answer:
stalks
Question 2.
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole.
Where plump deer pass.
(а) ‘He’ refers to the ………..
Answer:
tiger
(b) The figure of speech used in line 1 is …………….
Answer:
personification
(c) At the time of night, the animal should have been looking for a fat elephant for his meal. (True/False)
Answer:
False
(d) The word in the above stanza means same as ‘waiting in ambush for something or someone’.
Answer:
lurking
Question 3.
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
(a) ‘He’ in the above line has been used for the
Answer:
tiger
(b) ‘Here’ in the first line he is expected to
Answer:
snarl around houses
(c) The presence of tiger is a cause of terror for the villagers. (True/False)
Answer:
True
(d) The word in the stanza means same as ‘exposing’.
Answer:
baring
Question 4.
But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
(a) The reality is that, the tiger is kept locked in a concrete cell in the
Answer:
Zoo
(b) Though he has got whole lot of but he lies imprisoned behind the bars.
Answer:
strength
(c) He does not take a look at the visitors who come to see him. (True/False)
Answer:
True
(d) The word in the above stanza is antonym of ‘recognising’.
Answer:
ignoring
Long Answer Question
Question 1.
It is a paper tiger that we come across in the poem, ‘A Tiger in the Zoo.’ Justify with examples from the text.
Answer:
Though the tiger is portrayed as stalking about, it is only within the confines of a cage, where his stalking is mingled with quiet rage. Instead of lurking in the shadows of the jungle, in pursuit of some plump deer, the paper tiger is a confined animal. Instead of spreading terror among the villagers living in homes adjoining the jungle, the tiger of the poem is locked in a concrete cell where he ignores visitors. Instead of hearing the call of the jungle animals he hears the sounds of the patrolling cars. His brilliant eyes focus on stars visible through his cage instead of staring at a potential prey in the forest.