CBSE Class 10 English A Tiger in the Zoo VBQs

Choose the correct answer.

Question. The tiger in the poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’ is able to take only a few steps because:
(i) the forest is too small.
(ii) the cage is too small.
(iii) the park is too small.
(iv) the zoo is too small.
Answer. B

Question. According the poem, one cannot hear the sound of the tiger’s footsteps because:
(i) he has very soft feet like velvet.
(ii) he was unable to move anywhere.
(iii) he was moving in the cage.
(iv) no one goes near him.
Answer. A

Question. How does the caged tiger react to the visitors?
(i) He ignores them.
(ii) With a happy face
(iii) With a sad face
(iv) Proudly
Answer. A

Question. By “ignoring visitors”, what is the poet trying to say?
(i) That the tiger knows his power is restricted.
(ii) That there is no use of showing rage.
(iii) That he is less terrorising because of the cage.
(iv) All of the above
Answer. D

Question. Name the poetic device used in the line, “Baring his white fangs, his claws”.
(i) Metaphor
(ii) Assonance
(iii) Oxymoron
(iv) Consonance
Answer. D

Question. Name the poetic device used in the line, “He stalks in his vivid stripes”.
(i) Metaphor
(ii) Assonance
(iii) Oxymoron
(iv) Consonance
Answer. D

Read the extracts below and answer the questions that follow:

1. But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars

Questions:

Question. The fact that the tiger is ‘stalking the length of his cage’ tells us that he is:
(i) restless.
(ii) reckless.
(iii) resilient.
(iv) reverent.
Answer. A

Question. What is the rhyme scheme of the given stanzas?
(i) abcb; abcb.
(ii) abcb; abcd.
(iii) abcd; abcd.
(iv) abcd; abcb.
Answer. D

Question. These stanzas bring out the contrast between:
(i) zoos and cities.
(ii) strength and weakness.
(iii) freedom and captivity.
(iv) visitors and patrolling cars.
Answer. C

Question. What is the caged tiger NOT likely to say to the visitors?
(i) “Stop staring”.
(ii) “Set me free”.
(iii) “Join me”.
(iv) “Go away”.
Answer. C

Question. The tiger’s ‘brilliant eyes’ reveal that he:
(i) hopes to be free and in the wild, someday.
(ii) is looked after well and is nourished and healthy.
(iii) enjoys staring at the bright stars each night.
(iv) is well-rested and hence, wide-awake.
Answer. A

2. He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the waterhole
Where plump deer pass.

Questions:

Question. According to the extract, the poet wishes for the tiger to be ‘sliding’ through the foliage as this would:
(i) assist in keeping the prey unsuspecting of the predator’s sound.
(ii) aid in camouflaging the presence of the predator before it rushes in.
(iii) help the predator pounce on the prey comfortably without getting tired.
(iv) Support the predator’s vision as it eyes its prey.
Answer. A

Question. Which fact DOES NOT connect with the significance of the waterhole for the tiger?
(i) Many tigers chase prey into the water and holds the victim’s head under water until it drowns.
(ii) Prey feed in the water on water-lilies, and often wander into the middle of the waterhole, where they are vulnerable and easy for the tiger to kill.
(iii) Prey that has quenched its thirst ensures consumption of hydrated meat for the tiger.
(iv) Chasing the panicked prey from shallow to deep water where the tiger grabs it.
Answer. C

Question. Pick the option that DOES NOT use ‘lurking’ correctly to fill in the blank.
(i) The thug was ............. in the alley late evening, for unsuspecting passers-by.
(ii) The hyena was ............. in its den after a good meal.
(iii) The detective cautioned her team about the ............. dangers likely to impact the case.
(iv) The prejudices ............. beneath the surface create misunderstandings.
Answer. B

Question. ‘shadow’ here, refers to the shadow of:
(i) the tiger.
(ii) long grass.
(iii) waterhole.
(iv) deer.
Answer. B

Question. Pick the phrase that DOES NOT suggest that the forest in the extract is lush.
(i) long grass
(ii) the waterhole
(iii) plump deer
(iv) lurking in shadow
Answer. D

Short Answers Type Questions

Question. What does the tiger do in the case?
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. What message does the poem give?
Answer. The poem gives out the message that the animals in the zoo do not live happily. They lead a miserable life in the cages. They want to be in their habitats.
They can be free and happy only in their natural habitats. They should not be kept in zoos.

Question. 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 paded paws and brilliantly shining eyes.

Question. How is the tiger in the cell? How does he react to the visitors?
Answer. The tiger is in the cell in the zoo which has a concrete floor. His strength now is behind the bars of iron.
These bars can’t be broken. He walks his way in rage in his cage and ignores the visitors completely.

Question. What could 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. How does the tiger terrify the villagers?
Answer. The tiger terrifies the villagers by snarling around their houses. Their house were situated near the jungle. He terrified them by showing his white fangs and long claws. They were greatly afraid of him due to it.

But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
(a) What do you understand by ‘His strength behind bars’?
(b) Why do you think the tiger was stalking in the cage?

Answer. (a) The tiger is caged. His power is limited, and he feels locked devoid of freedom. He feels unhappy, angry, restless and furious.
(b) The tiger is a huge cat and was definitely not
comfortable being confined in a small cage. He was frustrated as well as helpless. He was not happy being treated as a showpiece for human beings. His anger, fury and helplessness was making him stalk in the cage.

He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass
(a) How does a tiger behave in his natural surroundings?
(b) What is the theme of the poem?

Answer. (a) A tiger is a free carnivore in his natural habitat –the jungle. He moves around in the long grass near a water hole. He hides in a shadow to hunt for a deer as his food.
(b) The poet wants to convey that it is wrong to keep the wild animals in small enclosures of the zoo, away from their natural habitat. They feel angry, helpless and yearn for their life and environment in the forest.

He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
(a) What does the tiger want to do at night?
(b) Why are the eyes brilliant? What is common between the eyes and the stars?
Answer. (a) The tiger hears the sound of the patrolling cars at night. Being locked in a cage, the tiger stares at the brilliant stars shining in the vast and open sky through his hopeful and shining eyes.
(b) The tiger’s eyes shine brightly in the darkness of night. The stars are also shining the sky. The common thing between the tiger’s eyes and the stars is that both are brilliant and shiny.

Question. Describe some of the activities of the tiger as stated by the poet.
Answer : Some of the activities of the tiger as stated by the poet are - walking along the cage, hearing the patrolling of cars,
ignoring visitors and staring at the brilliant stars of the sky.

Question. Why does the tiger express his anger quietly ?
Answer : The tiger expresses his anger quietly, because he is helpless. He can do nothing from behind the bars. He is not
free as he was in the forest. The tiger’s strength is locked behind the bars. Thus it can only show anger.

Question. What does the poet want to convey through the poem ?
Answer : The poet exhibits the miserable life led by the animals in the zoo. He shows the two different lives i.e., in the zoo
and the life at a natural habitat. According to the poet, animals should not be caged. They should be let free in
the wild. Even they have a right to remain free. They should not be caged for our personal interests.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. Do you agree that wild animals should be caged ? Comment ‘yes’ or ‘no’ giving reasons.
Answer : Wild animals should not be caged. This is a well known fact that tiger is a royal species which is on the verge of extinction. In ancient times, tigers moved around freely in the forests. But today, they are caged and left in the zoo for the entertainment of people. In fact, they are not meant for confinement. The result is that their off spring also do not learn to hunt, when they are caged. Caging wild animals also leads to disturbance of ecological balance.
So, wild animals should be let free. They belong to the forest. Cages are not meant for a wild animal, specially a tiger. We should not cage them for our personal interests. Even animals love to live in their natural habitat along with their families. We should not separate them from their families.