CBSE Class 10 English A Tiger in the Zoo Important Questions Set 02

Short Answer Questions

Question 1. Why does the tiger express his rage quietly?
Answer: The tiger expresses his rage quietly because he is held captive in the concrete cage. His strength lies behind those bars. He feels helpless. While dreaming of freedom, he has somehow accepted his state of being captive. He is no longer free and thus roams in the cage expressing his rage quietly.

Question 2. Where should the tiger have been, according to the poet?
Answer: The poet thinks that the tiger should have been in his natural habitat, the jungle. He should be roaming around freely there, lurking in the shadow of long grass, waiting to pounce on a healthy deer near the water hole. He should also be near the outskirts of the jungle, growling and snarling around the village, terrifying people.

Question 3. How does the tiger walk in the cage?
Answer: Even though the tiger is captive in a cage, he walks in a proud manner. He walks quietly. He ignores the visitors. But his eyes show that he is very angry at being imprisoned within confined concrete walls. But he is helpless.

Question 4. What is the theme of the poem?
Answer: The poet throws light on the miserable life of the animals who have been taken out of their natural habitat and put into a zoo. It is very cruel to keep animals in small places because they too feel angry, helpless and frustrated about their situation. Animals also have a right to freedom and they should be allowed to be in the wild.

Question 7. What does the tiger do in the cage?
Answer: The tiger keeps pacing about in his cage. He pays no heed to the visitors and quietly walks around in his small cage.

Question 8. What would the tiger be doing if it were in the wild?
Answer: In the wild, the tiger would be hunting for his prey near the village, at the water hole or in the long grass. He would be prowling at the edge of the village terrorising the villagers.

Question 9. Give the tiger’s appearance based on the poem.
Answer: The tiger has sharp, clear stripes on his body. He looks majestic as he prowls around his cage. He has soft velvety pads and brilliantly shining eyes.

Long Answer Questions

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.

Question 2. Freedom is important not only for us but also for animals, as emphasised in the poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’. Describe the value of freedom for human beings and how it is important for the growth of civilisation and humanism as described in the lesson ‘Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’.
Answer: Mandela was not born with a hunger to be free. With time and experience, he discovered that his boyhood freedom was only an illusion. He found that as a young man, his freedom had already been taken away from him. His people were denied the fundamental right to live a dignified life. This made him hungry for freedom. Every being, human or animal, wants to live free, as freedom is natural to all living beings. Any being who is chained values freedom more than anyone else. For instance, the value of freedom is known better to Mandela, who remained behind bars for most of his life. The caged tiger in the zoo is not free and is miserable. Like humans, he also longs to break the cage and be in the forest. Civilisation grows only when people are free. Similarly, humanism grows in an atmosphere of freedom.

Question 3. Imagine that you are a visitor at the zoo. Your heart is heavy with sorrow and despair as you see a tiger locked behind bars. Write a diary entry of about 120 words exploring the themes of loss and imprisonment.
Answer: 6 December 20XX, Monday 1 p.m.
Dear Diary,
I had a devastating incident at the zoo today that filled my heart with sadness. I came upon a tiger that was confined to a small space and pacing back and forth. It was imprisoned within steel bars, its strength and freedom taken away. Its silent rage was visible as it ignored the visitors. I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of loss, knowing that this magnificent animal was denied its natural habitat and the freedom it deserved.
In that moment, I realized the immense responsibility we hold as humans. We must strive to create a world where animals like the tiger can roam freely in the jungles, and their strength and beauty can be admired in their true element.
Abc

Question 4. As a journalist, write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, advocating for the release of the tiger to a sanctuary. Include arguments by taking reference from the poem.
Answer: 31, Lawrence Road
New Delhi - 110009
21 January, 20XX
The Editor
The Times of India
New Delhi - 110009
Subject: Requesting the release of the tiger
Sir
I am writing this letter to request the release of the caged tiger to a sanctuary. The tiger in the poem is locked in a cage and is just considered a source of entertainment for human beings to see and click pictures of. However, the animals deserve much more.
It deserves to roam freely in an open space and do what it wishes to do, rather than pacing back and forth in the cage. It looks at the open sky at night and yearns to escape and move around.
The government should take strict action against those who restrict the freedom of such innocent animals and also impose a heavy penalty.
Yours truly
Abc

Question 5. Notice the use of a word repeated in lines such as this: And stares with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars. What do you think is the effect of this repetition?
Answer: The repetition of the word "brilliant" in the lines serves to showcase the beauty and wonder of both the tiger's eyes and the stars in the night sky. It creates a powerful image in our minds, making us imagine the intensity of the tiger's stare and the beauty of the stars in the night sky. This repetition has been made to draw a connection between the captive tiger and the world outside the cage, highlighting the stark contrast between its present state and the captivating beauty of the stars. It evokes a sense of longing for the freedom and magnificence that it deserves.

Question 6. Find words from the poem that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the cage and in the wild.
Answer: Here are some words from the poem that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the cage and in the wild:
In the cage: few steps of his cage; quiet rage; locked in a concrete cell; stalking the length of his cage; ignoring visitors
In the wild: lurking in shadow; sliding through long grass; snarling around houses; baring his white fangs, his claws; terrorising the village

Question 7. Love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Comment. (Delhi Gov. QB 2022)
Answer: Every 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.

Question 8. Mijbil and the Tiger, were both looked after by humans. Assume they both meet each other in the zoo and have a conversation about their lifestyles and feelings. Write this conversation as per your understanding of the stories,' Mijbil the Otter, and, A Tiger in the Zoo, You may begin like this: Tiger: Thanks for visiting me, though I don’t usually like visitors. Mijbil: Oh? I would love visitors, I think. (CBSE SQP 2022)
Answer: Tiger: Thanks for visiting me, though I don’t usually like visitors.
Mijbil: Oh? I would love visitors, I think.
Tiger: It is hard to like visitors, or anyone for that matter, when you are stuck in a cage.
Mijbil: I understand that. I cannot imagine staying in a cage like you! Once, Maxwell put me in a cardboard box, and I felt so suffocated that I tried to tear the box apart. I got injured then.
Tiger: I like the sound of that. I wish my sharp claws and teeth could tear this iron cage apart too.
Mijbil: I hope you get out of here soon. You don’t look happy or healthy here.

Question 9. You have been chosen to address a student gathering from the neighbourhood schools, to speak on the dominance of human beings on nature. Prepare the speech draft in not more than 120 words, with reference to the theme in the poem, 'A Tiger in the Zoo'
Answer: Good morning, everyone.
Today, I wish to speak on man’s dominance over nature. In Leslie Norris’s ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’, a majestic tiger paces a small concrete cell, its strength behind bars, staring at stars it cannot reach. It should be hunting in the jungle, but man has caged it for display.
This is a picture of what we do to nature everywhere. We cut forests, pollute rivers and drive animals out of their homes. We forget that we are a part of nature, not its masters. Let us protect wildlife in its natural habitat, support sanctuaries rather than cages and live in harmony with all creatures.
Thank you.

Question 10. In the story 'His First Flight', the young seagull's flight symbolises independence, while in the poem 'A Tiger in the Zoo', the tiger's cage symbolizes loss of freedom. Write a paragraph in about 120 words showing the contrast between the two given texts.
Answer: In ‘His First Flight’, the young seagull is afraid to fly, but hunger and his family’s encouragement push him off the ledge. When he finally flies, he gains independence and joins the open sky with joy. In ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’, the tiger is the opposite. It is strong and fearless, yet it cannot use its power because it is locked in a concrete cell. The seagull’s world expands, while the tiger’s shrinks to a few steps. The seagull’s story is one of growth and freedom; the tiger’s is one of loss and frustration. Together, the two texts show that freedom is the natural right of every living being and that it brings out the best in a creature, while captivity crushes its spirit.

Question 11. Zoos are a good way for educating the public and are necessary for the protection or conservation of some species of animals. Do you agree? Give reasons.
Answer: Animals are born on this earth to occupy a certain space and level in nature, in their habitat. By keeping them in a zoo, we are killing their spirit. A tiger that should be prowling in the jungle paces up and down a small cage. A monkey that should be jumping from tree to tree, goes from iron bar to iron bar. This is cruelty. There are better ways of educating the public about animals and protecting or conserving their species. A national park or a sanctuary gives animals the free natural surroundings, educates us about the animals and also helps in the conservation or preservation of our wildlife. National parks and sanctuaries are the exactly right methods of educating people about animal life and also for preservation and conservation of wild life. Animals lose their natural qualities when trapped in a zoo and this is harmful for their survival.