About the Poet

 Leslie Norris was an award-winning Welsh poet and short story writer
who wrote during the period after World War 2. He was also a professor
in academic institutions in Britain and the United States.

Poem in Detail
Stanza – 1
He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage
Interpretation
• The poet describes a tiger walking inside its cage in a zoo.
• It stalks the length of the cage in a few steps as the confinement of the
cramped space of its cage has restricted him.
• The velvet paws of the tiger make no sound.
• Yet, he is angry and impatient at being trapped inside.
Character's Mood

 infuriated; quiet; frustrated

Example 1. Briefly state the cause of destruction of world according to
Robert Frost. (Remember)

Evaluation Points
Marks
(As per CBSE Marking Scheme)
Present a proof of change in tiger's emotional state inside the cage.
ü Content: Express how the tiger controlled his natural emotion.
3 (2m)
ü Expression: Use words like although, rather, etc.
(1m)

Ans. The tiger was in extreme anger when his freedom was taken away and
he was kept in the cage. Although, the tiger was infuriated, he didn't
show it and rather, kept quiet. This shows that the zoo controlled his
natural state of emotions.

2 English Language & Literature Class X

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 Stanza – 2
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
Interpretation
• Comparing the life of the tiger in the zoo with his life in the forest the poet
suggests that the tiger should be roaming in the forest.
• It would be hiding behind tall grass waiting for prey.
• It should be stalking deer near the watering hole.
• Yet in reality, the tiger is trapped inside a cage.

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•
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Dictionary
Word Meaning Synonyms Antonyms

Stalks to move silently in a follow, chase ignore, avoid

threatening way

Vivid deep or bright radiant, vibrant dull, washed out

Rage anger temper, rampage serene, calm

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A Tiger in the Zoo 3
 OBJECTIVE Type Questions
[ 1 mark ]
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Choose the option that appropriately describes the relationship
between the two statements given below.
(1) The tiger’s movement in silence in its zoo cage
(2) The tiger staring at the stars in the sky
Options:
(a) Beginning – Ending
(b) Cause – Effect
(c) Question – Answer
(d) Introduction – Conclusion
Ans.(d) Introduction – Conclusion
Explanation: At the start of the poem, the tiger’s movement in its cage is
introduced to the readers. Then his staring at the stars shows that a wild
animal should never be caged. Hence, (d) is the right answer.

EXTRACT Based Questions

[ 5 marks ]

2. Readthe stanzas given below and answer the questions/complete

the statements that follow:
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle's edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorizing the village !
But he's locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
(A)Study the following statements:
(1) The villagers don't feel happy that the tiger is caged.
(2) We feel sad that the tiger is caged.
(3) The tiger is happy that he doesn't have to hunt for his food.
Select the appropriate option:
(a) (1) is right and (2) is wrong.
(b) (2) is right and (1) is wrong.

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 (c) (3) is right and (1) is wrong.
(d) (1) is wrong and (3) is right.
(B)We should protect the tigers as ............... .
(C)The tiger terrorizes the villagers as ................ .
(D)‘A tiger in the zoo ignoring visitors', is an example of:
(a) metaphor (b) simile
(c) irony (d) personification
(E)The tiger is reacting to his imprisonment in the zoo by:
(a) quietly walking in the cage
(b) showing his anger openly
(c) stalking in the cage
(d) ignoring visitors [Mod. CBSE Term-1 2021]
Ans.(A)(b)(2) is right and (1) is wrong
Explanation: It is very clear from the extract that (A) is wrong as
villagers were scared of the free tiger as he ‘terrorized them with his
fangs and claws’. Statement (C) is also wrong as tiger wasn’t happy
inside the cage as he was ‘locked behind bars of the concrete cell’. Only
(B) is right as we feel sad after reading about the tiger’s enslavement.
(B)they are part of our environment
(C)as they have cleared his habitat
(D)(c) irony
Explanation: The line ‘A tiger in the zoo ignoring visitors’ is an example
of irony as a tiger is so ferocious animal that it can never avoid the
existence of a human in front of it but here, as it is in a cage it is so
helpless that it needs to ignore the people staring at him. Hence, (c) is
the right answer.
(E)(a) quietly walking in the cage
Explanation: The tiger feels helpless as he moves quietly along the
length of his cage to show his frustration at the people for caging him.
Hence, (a) is the right answer.

SHORT ANSWER Type Questions (SA)

[ 3 marks ]
Answer the following questions in 40-50 words:
3. Comment on where should the tiger have been according to the poet?
Ans. According to the poet, the tiger should have been in his natural habitat,
i.e., a forest. He is a mighty predator who survives by hunting his prey. He
belongs to a place where he can freely move about, frighten people by
deadly growls.

A Tiger in the Zoo 5

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 4. Why should the tiger snarl around the houses at the edge of the
forest? [CBSE 2012]
Ans. T
 he tiger should snarl around the houses at the edge of the forest in
order to scare the villagers so that they won’t disturb the peace of the
mighty animal. Also, snarling is a natural characteristic of tiger.

LONG ANSWER Type Questions (LA)

[ 6 marks ]
Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:
5. Love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Comment.
[Delhi Gov. QB 2022]
Ans. E
 very living being deserves freedom. It is their natural instinct. As a man
loves freedom, so do all animals. As we human beings can’t think of
life in the prison where we would feel pain, hurt, suffering, and torture
similarly, it is not right to restrict the tiger in the prison.
The poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’ portrays the anguish of a tiger caged in a
zoo. The tiger feels like a slave in the concrete cell. It feels like a prisoner.
It misses its freedom in the forest where it should be lurking in the
shadows; stalking its prey in the long grass near a water hole, where
deer come to drink water and where it lurks to pounce on them.

6 English Language & Literature Class X