Important Questions Poem 2 English Poems Class 10 CBSE Board

A Tiger in the Zoo

Question 1. How does the poet describe the tiger’s movement in the cage?
Answer. The poet describes the tiger as stalking in his vivid stripes, taking only a few steps inside the cage, walking silently on soft pads, but filled with quiet rage.

Question 2. Where should the tiger have been instead of the cage?
Answer. The tiger should have been lurking in shadow, sliding through long grass near the water hole, where plump deer pass.

Question 3. How does the tiger behave at the jungle’s edge?
Answer. At the jungle’s edge, the tiger should be snarling around houses, baring his white fangs and claws, and terrorising the village.

Question 4. What kind of prison is the tiger locked in?
Answer. The tiger is locked in a concrete cell, with his strength confined behind bars.

Question 5. How does the tiger spend his time inside the cage?
Answer. The tiger stalks the length of his cage, ignoring visitors who come to see him.

Question 6. What does the tiger hear at night?
Answer. At night, the tiger hears the last voice, which is of patrolling cars.

Question 7. Where does the tiger look at night and with what expression?
Answer. The tiger stares with his brilliant eyes at the brilliant stars.

Question 8. What is the effect of the repetition of the word ‘quiet’ in the poem?
Answer. The repetition of the word ‘quiet’ emphasizes the contrast between the softness of the tiger’s steps and the suppressed anger within him.

Question 9. What words describe the tiger’s movement in the wild?
Answer. Words such as lurking, sliding, and snarling describe the tiger’s movement in the wild.

Question 10. How does the poet contrast the tiger’s life in the jungle and in the zoo?
Answer. In the jungle, the tiger is free, powerful, and dangerous, while in the zoo he is trapped, restricted, and helpless, with his strength wasted behind bars.