A TIGER IN THE ZOO

Instructions: This complete file to be written in the cw side of the literature

Literary devices

 Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’.

 Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with velvet (pads of velvet)

 Alliteration: (plump pass)

(behind bars)

(he hears)

 Onomatopoeia: using words which denote sound (snarling)

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.