Class 10 English First Flight Poem 3 A Tiger in the Zoo Most Important Questions by PW

Most Important Questions for Class 10 English First Flight Poem 3 A Tiger in the Zoo by Physics Wallah help you understand the contrast between the tiger’s natural habitat and its life in captivity. They simplify the poem’s imagery and emotions, making it easier to grasp its deeper meaning.

These questions are designed to boost exam preparation by covering key themes, poetic devices, and important extracts. They guide you in framing clear, well-structured answers, improving both accuracy and confidence.

Poem 3 A Tiger in the Zoo MIQs

PW CBSE Class 10 important questions for this poem are designed to test interpretation skills. They revolve around theme, imagery, and poetic message. Below are the most important questions provided by PW:

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle's edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!

(i) State any one point of contrast between the tiger in the zoo and in its natural habitat.

Ans: He is confined in the zoo, whereas he experiences freedom in the jungle.

(ii) When the speaker suggests that the tiger should be “snarling around houses at the jungle’s edge”, what does he insinuate about the tiger’s natural behaviour and habitat?

Ans: By nature, the tiger is fierce, roaring to frighten the villagers residing near the jungle’s edge.

(iii) The poet’s skilful use of imagery effectively depicts the confinement and frustration of the tiger. Elaborate in about 40 words.

Ans: The poet talks about the tiger in the zoo, locked in a small cage. It walks quietly in the tiny space and doesn’t roar. Its soft paws, like velvet, make no noise as it moves.

(iv) Which phrase would correctly substitute ‘quiet rage’ in the given sentence from the extract?
The few steps of his cage on pads of velvet quiet in his ‘quiet rage’.

Ans: Hidden frustration

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage

(a) Explain the contrast created by the words ‘stalks’ and ‘few steps of his cage’.
(b) Which of the following best describes the tiger’s feelings in the context?
(c) Comment in about 40 words on the poet’s use of imagery in the above extract.
(d) Which word in the stanza means the same as ‘clear and bright’?

Ans:
(a) The word ‘stalks’ suggests walking with majesty, reflecting the tiger’s natural elegance and strength. In contrast, ‘the few steps of the cage’ highlight the tiger’s restricted movement and lack of freedom.

(b) The best description of the tiger’s feelings in this context is frustration and helplessness. The tiger, though powerful, is trapped in a small cage, unable to express its true nature.

(c) The poet uses strong imagery to depict the tiger’s confinement and suppressed anger. ‘Vivid stripes’ emphasise his majestic appearance, while ‘pads of velvet quiet’ contrasts with his ‘quiet rage’, showing his silent suffering. The imagery effectively evokes sympathy for the tiger’s captivity.

(d) The word ‘vivid’ in the stanza means ‘clear and bright’ and is used to describe the tiger’s stripes.

3. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
He stalks in his vivid stripes
A few steps of his cage.

(i) Whose is the last voice heard by the tiger?

Ans: The tiger hears the sound of patrolling cars at night, which is the last voice it hears before solitude takes over.

(ii) Complete the sentence appropriately.
It is clear that ‘repetition’ is the poetic device used for ‘his brilliant eyes at the brilliant stars’ because (Clue: explain how repetition applies here).

Ans: The word “brilliant” is repeated to emphasise the contrast between the tiger’s vivid eyes and the distant stars.

(iii) The main contrasting ideas in this extract are:
(A) Tiger and deer
(B) Cruelty and sympathy
(C) Confinement and freedom
(D) Master and slave

Ans: The extract contrasts the tiger’s confinement within the cage with its yearning for freedom, symbolised by the stars.

(iv) The use of the word ‘stalks’ creates an image of

Ans: The word “stalks” suggests the tiger’s restless movement, indicating frustration due to its confinement.

(v) State whether the following statement is true or false.
The poem uses ‘staring at the sky’ to symbolise the freedom ‘he’ yearns for.

Ans: The act of staring at the stars symbolises the tiger’s longing for freedom and a life beyond the bars of its cage.

4. Read the following extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage.
On pads of velvet quiet, in his quiet rage.
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass near the water hole where plump deer pass.

(i) ‘Quiet rage’ refers to the tiger’s ____
(A) helplessness
(B) has not been able to hunt
(C) his prey does not come to the water hole
(D) he is not free

Ans: “Quiet rage” indicates the tiger’s frustration and helplessness due to its confinement, where it cannot express its anger openly.

(ii) He is lurking in shadows because ____

Ans: The tiger is depicted as lurking in the shadows near a water hole, where it waits quietly for its prey, such as deer, to pass by.

(iii) Complete the sentence appropriately. It is clear that metaphor is the poetic device used for ‘pads of velvet’ because (clue – explain how metaphor applies here).

Ans: The softness of velvet is used to describe the softness of the tiger’s feet. The term “pads of velvet” is a metaphor, comparing the softness of the tiger’s paws to velvet, emphasising their quiet and gentle touch.

(iv) Find a word from the extract which means – to walk with measured, stiff or haughty strides:
(A) Steps
(B) lurking
(C) pads
(D) stalk

Ans: “Stalk” means to walk in a controlled and calculated manner, often indicating a sense of purpose or restraint, as the tiger does in its cage.

PW A Tiger in the Zoo Important Questions PDF

The PW PDF for A Tiger in the Zoo includes extract-based questions and concept-driven exercises based on the poem’s central idea of freedom vs captivity. These questions help in building clarity for exam answers and improving interpretation skills.

Regular practice of these questions makes it easier to understand how to frame answers in a relevant way.