*Poem-3. A Tiger in the Zoo (Leslie Norris)*
*1. Who is the poet of this poem?*
Ans. Leslie Norris
*2. What does the tiger have on his body?*
Ans. Stripes
*3. Where is the tiger?*
Ans. In a zoo
*4. How does ‘he’ walk?*
Ans. He walks with pride inside his cage
*5. What emotions does ‘he’ show?*
Ans. He shows anger
*6. How should the tiger walk through the grass?*
Ans. He should slide through the grass
*7. Who passes near the water hole?*
Ans. A plump deer
*8. Where should the tiger hide himself?*
Ans. Near the water hole
*9. How would he terrorise the villagers?*
Ans. By showing his fangs and claws
*10. Where should the tiger be snarling?*
Ans. Around the houses at the jungle’s edge
*11. In what kind of a cell is he locked?*
Ans. In a concrete cell
*12. How do the eyes of the tiger look?*
Ans. Brilliant
*13. What sound does the tiger hear at night?*
Ans. The sound of the patrolling cars
*14. What does the tiger look at night?*
Ans. The shining stars
*15. What are ‘brilliant’ in the poem?*
Ans. The tiger’s eyes and the stars
16. What does the phrase "pads of velvet quiet" mean?
Ans. It refers to the soft, smooth paws of the tiger.
17. Identify the poetic device used in the first line: "He stalks in his vivid stripes."
Ans. Personification. (the tiger is treated like a human character with feelings of pride and rage.)
*3. A Tiger in the Zoo (Leslie Norris)*
*1. How does the tiger terrify the villagers?*
Ans. He terrifies the villagers by snarling around their houses at the jungle’s edge. He terrifies them by baring his white fangs and showing his long claws.
*2. How does the tiger walk in the cage?*
Ans. The tiger walks in the cage in a proud manner. He stalks a few steps along the length of his cage. But his eyes show that he is very angry. He also ignores the visitors who arrive there to see him.
*3. What is the tiger doing? Why is he ignoring the visitors?*
Ans. The tiger is moving slowly and quietly along the length of the cage. The tiger ignores the visitors because he feels helpless inside his cage. He knows the visitors cannot free him out of the prison.
*4. How does the tiger behave at night?*
Ans. 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.
*5. Where is the strength of the tiger and how does he treat the visitors?*
Ans. The tiger is imprisoned in a concrete cell. So his strength is behind the bars. He takes no interest in the visitors so it will be more comfortable for the people to stay and watch the tiger in the zoo.
*6. How does the poet contrast the tiger in the cage with the tiger in the forest?*
Ans. The tiger has only a few steps to walk around in his cage. He is very angry in the cell. He also ignores the visitors. But the forest tiger hides himself behind the trees. He slides through the long grass. He hunts the plump deer near the water hole. He also terrifies the villagers by baring his long teeth and claws.
Q.7 What is the meaning of the phrase "in his quiet rage"?
Ans: It represents the tiger’s anger and helplessness. He is furious because he has lost his freedom, but he keeps his rage "quiet" because he cannot break through the concrete cell bars.
Q.8 What message or theme does the poet convey through this poem?
Ans: The poem conveys a strong message against keeping wild animals in captivity. It highlights the importance of freedom and argues that wild animals belong in their natural habitats (forests) rather than being caged in zoos for human amusement.
Poetic Devices
Metaphor: "Pads of velvet quiet" (The tiger’s soft paws are directly compared to smooth velvet without using 'like' or 'as').
Oxymoron: "Quiet rage" (Two opposite words placed side by side to show conflicting feelings).
Alliteration: "Behind bars" (Repetition of the 'b' sound) and "concrete cell" (Repetition of the 'c' sound).