A Tiger in the Zoo Class 10 Questions and Answers - Study Mitra
A Tiger in the Zoo: NCERT Solutions & 15 Extra Important Questions
Welcome students to Study Mitra! The poem "A Tiger in the Zoo" by Leslie Norris contrasts the life of a tiger in a cage with its life in the wild. This post provides complete NCERT solutions and 15 most important extra questions to help you prepare for your exams.
📌 Part 1: NCERT Textbook Exercise Solutions
Q1. Read the poem again, and work in pairs or groups to do the following tasks:
Answer:
(i) Movements and Actions of the Tiger
| In the Cage | In the Wild |
|---|---|
| Stalks, few steps of his cage, quiet rage, ignoring visitors, hears the last voice, stares at the brilliant stars. | Lurking in shadow, sliding through long grass, snarling around houses, baring his white fangs, terrorising the village. |
(ii) Description of the Two Places
| The Cage | The Wild |
|---|---|
| Few steps of his cage, pad of velvet quiet, locked in a concrete cell, behind bars, visitors. | Shadow, long grass, water hole, plump deer, houses at the jungle's edge, village. |
Q2. Notice the use of a word repeated in lines such as these: (i) 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: The repetition of these words creates a powerful poetic effect and intensifies the contrast between the tiger's two worlds. In the first instance, "quiet" highlights the helpless silence of his confinement against his intense hidden anger ("quiet rage"). In the second instance, "brilliant" links the tiger's sharp, shining eyes full of unfulfilled dreams to the free, beautiful stars, showing his longing for freedom.
📌 Part 2: 15 Extra Most Important Questions
Short Answer Type Questions (2-3 Marks)
Q3. What is the central theme or message of the poem 'A Tiger in the Zoo'?
Answer: The central theme of the poem is the immense value of freedom. Leslie Norris presents a strong contrast between a wild animal living in its natural habitat and the same animal trapped inside a human-made cage, showing that locking wild creatures up for human entertainment is cruel and unnatural.
Q4. How does the tiger move inside his cage?
Answer: The tiger moves slowly and proudly ("stalks") within the small space of his cage. His movements are highly restricted, limited to just a few steps back and forth, and he walks silently on his soft paws ("pads of velvet") while suppressing his deep anger.
Q5. What should the tiger be doing if he were free in his natural habitat?
Answer: If the tiger were free, he would be hiding quietly in the shadows of trees, sliding smoothly through the long grass near a water source, and waiting patiently to hunt a fat ("plump") deer for his food.
Q6. How does the tiger behave at the jungle's edge?
Answer: At the edge of the jungle, the tiger moves around the houses of the villagers. He displays his sharp white teeth ("fangs") and long claws, creating terror among the local people through his aggressive presence and wild snarls.
Q7. Why does the tiger ignore the visitors coming to the zoo?
Answer: The tiger ignores the visitors because he feels completely helpless and frustrated behind the iron bars. He knows that he cannot attack them or escape, so he treats the crowd with cold indifference, viewing them as pointless distractions.
Q8. What does the tiger do at night inside his cage?
Answer: At night, the lonely tiger listens to the loud sounds of the patrolling cars making security rounds. He then looks up with his bright, hopeful eyes and stares at the distant, brilliant stars shining in the open sky.
Q9. Explain the expression "quiet rage" used for the tiger.
Answer: "Quiet rage" is an oxymoron that beautifully describes the tiger's inner state. He is filled with violent anger ("rage") because his freedom has been snatched away, but he is forced to keep it completely hidden and silent ("quiet") due to his helplessness inside the concrete cell.
Q10. What does the poet want to convey by using the phrase 'locked in a concrete cell'?
Answer: By using this phrase, the poet emphasizes the harsh reality of captivity. It shows that despite being the strongest and most majestic predator of the forest, the tiger's immense physical power is completely useless because he is locked behind solid, unbreakable human structures.
Q11. Identify the primary poetic devices used in the poem.
Answer:
- Personification: The tiger is referred to as "He" instead of "it".
- Metaphor: The paws are directly compared to "pads of velvet".
- Oxymoron: The use of opposite words together in "quiet rage".
- Enjambment: Sentences running over into the next line without punctuation.
Q12. Why does the poet mention the 'plump deer'?
Answer: The poet mentions the 'plump deer' to showcase the natural food chain and the true active life of a wild predator. It highlights that a tiger's real purpose is to hunt skillfully in nature, rather than eating stale, served meat inside a zoo cage.
Long Answer Type Questions (5 Marks)
Q13. Compare and contrast the life of the tiger in the cage with his life in the wild as described by Leslie Norris.
Answer: The poem presents a heartbreaking contrast between captivity and freedom. In the cage, the magnificent tiger is weak and restricted; he can only take a few steps across a tiny concrete cell, his great strength is trapped behind iron bars, and he is reduced to a mere showpiece ignoring modern visitors. Conversely, in the wild, the tiger is the supreme king of his domain; he rules through natural instincts, hides stealthily in shadows to hunt plump deer near water bodies, and freely terrifies villages with his wild snarls. This sharp contrast reveals how captivity crushes an animal's pride, spirit, and true identity.
Q14. Love for freedom is natural to all living beings. Discuss this with reference to 'A Tiger in the Zoo'.
Answer: Freedom is a fundamental right not just for humans, but for every living creature on Earth. In this poem, the tiger's silent frustration, his decision to ignore casual visitors, and his long nighttime stares at the stars clearly show his intense longing to return to nature. No matter how safe or well-fed an animal is inside a concrete enclosure, a cage remains a prison that denies them their natural habits. The poem acts as a strong critique against human greed, reminding us that wild animals belong in open ecosystems where they can live with dignity, rather than inside closed cages meant for human amusement.
Q15. How does the poem create a visual transition between the zoo and the jungle?
Answer: Leslie Norris uses beautiful imagery to shift the readers' minds back and forth between two opposite settings. The poem begins in the dark, cramped cage with soft "velvet pads" and "quiet rage". Suddenly, the second and third stanzas transport us into a vibrant, open jungle filled with "shadows", "long grass", "water holes", and "plump deer". This smooth visual shift helps the reader physically feel the difference between the open, dangerous beauty of nature and the dull, artificial safety of a concrete cell, making the tiger's suffering look incredibly real.
We hope these 15 extra questions and NCERT solutions help you score full marks in your exams! Study Mitra is committed to providing the best study material for Class 10 students.
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