ENGLISH CLASS 10 SOLUTION

English Class 10 Solution

CHAPTER: A TIGER IN THE ZOO

BY  LESLIE NORRIS 

A TIGER IN THE ZOO

The poem 'A Tiger in the Zoo' is written by Leslie Norris. in this poem, the poet tries to depict the mental condition of a caged tiger. He compares the life of a tiger in the zoo with its lie in its natural habitat. The poet conveys an important message that wild animals should be left in their natural habitat. In the poem, he heightens the contrast between freedom and captivity. The poet, very impressively, shows us how love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being.

English Class 10 Solution

LESLIE NORRIS 

WORD MEANING AND EXPLANATION.
STANZA 1

stalks - stride, to move quietly and slowly in a threatening way
vivid - bright, clear
stripes - long narrow bands
pads - the soft part under the foot of the tiger
rage - anger

STANZA 2

lurking - hiding
sliding - moving
hole - pool
plump - chubby

STANZA 3 

snarling - to make an angry and warning sound                                      
baring - showing
fangs - two long sharp teeth at the front of the mouths of some animals 
terrorising - frightening or threatening, to create fear

STANZA 4

stalking - moving slowly and quietly in a threatening way

STANZA 5

patrolling - to go around an area at regular times ti check that it is safe
brilliant -  very bright


EXPLANATION 

The poet sees a tiger locked in a concrete cell in the zoo. It is a very small cage. the tiger can hardly take a few steps along the length of the cage. He looks majestic as he slowly moves up and down in his cage. The sharp and clear stripes on his body are of strong colour. His pads are velvet soft. Inspite of all his strength, he now lies imprisoned behind the bars. The caged tiger is angry but is quiet because he knows that he is helpless here. Looking at the imprisoned tiger, the poet is filled with pity. He says that the poor tiger should have been in its natural habitat i. e. in the jungle., hunting and resting. At night, he would have been lying in the shadows of trees and sliding quietly through the long grass. He would, then, near the water hole, wait for some fat and healthy deer to pass that way. Thus, he would be lying there in expectation of a heavy feast.  The poet imagines what the tiger would be doing in case he failed to find any prey. He says the tiger would be angrily moving around the houses in a nearby village. He would be growling at the edge of the jungle near some village showing his white fangs and terrible claws. he would thus become a cause of terror for the villagers. The poet sees the tiger is locked in a concrete cell in the zoo. Inspite of all his strength, he now lies imprisoned behind the bars. he moves in an angry and threatening manner. He takes no note of the visitors. He completely ignores them as none of them thinks of releasing him from the prison. Moreover, due to their presence, he hardly gets any rest during the day. Even at night, he remains disturbed due to the noise that comes from the patrolling cars. The tiger has, thus, feels very helpless. He stares at the brilliant stars shining brightly in the sky. It seems that he is looking for some sort of comfort and hope in these stars. His brilliant eyes show hat he still hopes for the day when he would be able to run free in the forest and live in natural surroundings.

A TIGER IN THE ZOO

English Class 10 Solution

SHORT ANSWERS

1. 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.

2. Leslie Norris has described some 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 include stalking along the length of the cage, ignoring visitors, hearing patrolling cars and staring at the brilliant stars shining in the sky.

3. 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.

4. 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.

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.

6. Where should the tiger have been according to the poet?
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.

7. How does the tiger make his presence felt in the village?
Answer: The tiger makes his presence felt by snarling around houses at the jungle's edge and by showing his white fangs and claws.

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.

9. Why should the tiger snarl around houses at the edge of the forest?
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.

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 prison. thus, he stops taking any notice of them.  

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, provide him with some sort of comfort.

12. What does the poet convey through the poem 'A tiger in the Zoo?'
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.

13. 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 zoo. We all know that the majestic species of the 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 to live a life of confinement. They also have the right to freedom like all other living beings. Confinement leads to depression and misery. Moreover, their offsprings lose 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 disturb the whole ecological balance. We should, thus, let the animals run free in the wild. They belong to the forest and to the cage.

TIGER IN THE WILD

English Class 10 Solution
14. Love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Comment.
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. 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.    

15. What does the tiger hunt near the water hole?

Answer: The tiger hunts deer near the water hole.

16. Who passes near the water hole?

Answer: The plump deer passes near the water hole.

17. In what kind of a cell is the tiger locked?

Answer: The tiger is locked in a concrete cell.

18. What sound does the tiger hear at night?

Answer: The tiger hears the sound of the patrolling cars at night. 

19. Where does the tiger generally go in the search of his prey?

Answer: The tiger generally goes to the water hole in search of his prey.

20. Why do cars patrol at night?

Answer: Cars patrol at night to oversee and safeguard the animals lodged in the zoo.

21. What does a tiger have on his body?

Answer: A tiger has stripes on his body.

22. Some animals are becoming extinct; the tiger is one such animal. What do you think could be the reason? Should this decrease in number be stopped? Why?

Answer: The primary threats dangers to the endurance of tigers are poaching and habitat loss due to escalated development. The Tigers are getting extinct. The Tigers are on the list of endangered species and the reason behind it is human interference. Humans hunt tigers for their commercial benefits. The loss of habitats additionally leads to a reduction in prey animals, so the area can support fewer tigers. In addition, tigers are poached for trophies such as teeth and fur and for traditional medicines. The growing population clears the forest areas to make them agricultural land for food. This creates a problem in the tiger’s habitat. Tigers are the backbone of food web and forest, hence they should be protected.

23. What is common between the tiger's eyes and the stars?

Answer: The common thing between the tiger’s eyes and the stars is that both are brilliant.

24. Who hears the last voice and of what?

Answer: The tiger hears the last voice. He hears the sound of the patrolling cars at night.

25. How does the tiger prepare himself for hunting when he is in his natural habitat?

Answer: The relentless tiger wanders freely in his natural habitat – the wilds. He knows how to ambush his prey. He waits for his prey lurking unseen in the shadow of trees. He slides through the long grass quite unnoticed. He comes to the water hole where he can find his favourite prey – plump deer.

26. How does the tiger behave at night? 

Answer: At night the tiger feels lonely. He hears the sound of the patrolling cars. He looks through the bars at the shining stars. His eyes are also shining.

HINKING ABOUT THE POEM

1. Read the poem again and work in pairs groups to do the following tasks.

(i) Find the words that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the cage and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.

Answer:

In the cage	In the wild
Stalks, Few steps of his cage, Quiet rage. Locked on 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

(ii) Find the words that describe the two places and arrange them in two columns.

Answer:

Cage	Wild
Few steps of his cage, Locked concrete cell, Behind bars, visitors, Patrolling of cars	Shadow, long grass, Water hole, plump deer, houses at jungle’s edge, Village

2. Notice the use of a word repeated in lines such as these

(a) On pads of velvet quiet, in his quiet rage.

(ii) 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 have been in the forest. The repetition thus gives a wonderful effect to the poem.

'ENGLISH CLASS 10 SOLUTION CBSE & SEBA'