A Tiger in the Zoo Class 10: Summary, Themes and Devices
Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked
A Tiger in the Zoo is a poem by Leslie Norris in First Flight. It contrasts a tiger trapped in a zoo cage with the free tiger it should be in the jungle. The board tests it through poetry extracts, 40-50 word short answers and 100-120 word long answers on contrast, devices and captivity.
What A Tiger in the Zoo is about
A Tiger in the Zoo is a five-stanza poem by Leslie Norris in your First Flight textbook. In one line, it shows a powerful tiger pacing angrily in a small zoo cage while the poet imagines the wild, free life it should be living in the jungle.
In the board paper, this poem appears in Section C. You may get a poetry extract in Q7 with MCQs, one-word or one-sentence answers and a 2-mark inference part of 30-40 words. It can also come as a 3-mark short answer in Q8 (40-50 words) or a 6-mark long answer in Q10 (about 100-120 words), where you may have to compare, evaluate or extend the ideas of the poem.
In real board papers: asked in 13 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 3.9 marks per paper. See the questions
A Tiger in the Zoo: explanation
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
The poem moves from the zoo to the jungle and then back to the zoo. This movement is the key to understanding it.
Stanza 1 (the zoo): The tiger walks slowly and silently in his cage. His stripes are bright and beautiful, but the cage is so small that he can take only a few steps. His paws are soft like velvet, so he makes no sound. Yet inside he is full of anger. His rage is quiet because he can do nothing about it.
Stanza 2 (the jungle): The poet now tells us where the tiger really belongs. He should be hiding in the shadows and moving through tall grass near a water hole, waiting for fat deer to come and drink. Here he would be a hunter, using his natural skills.
Stanza 3 (the jungle's edge): The poet imagines the tiger growling near houses at the edge of the jungle, showing his white teeth and claws and frightening the villagers. This is the tiger at his wildest and strongest, feared by humans instead of watched by them.
Stanza 4 (back to the zoo): The word "But" pulls us back to reality. The tiger is shut inside a concrete cell. His great strength is held behind bars. He keeps walking up and down the length of his cage and pays no attention to the visitors. We can infer that he refuses to be entertainment for them.
Stanza 5 (night in the zoo): At night the zoo becomes quiet. The tiger hears the last voices and the cars that patrol the area. He looks up with his shining eyes at the shining stars. This suggests that he longs for the open, free world that he can see but cannot reach.
Central idea: The poem contrasts the tiger's natural, free and powerful life in the jungle with his helpless, angry life in a cage. It suggests that keeping a wild animal locked up takes away its true nature, strength and dignity. The poet's sympathy lies with the tiger, and the poem quietly questions whether humans have the right to cage such a magnificent creature.
Themes and message
Captivity versus freedom
This is the main theme. The poem places the cage and the jungle side by side. In the cage, the tiger has only "few steps", a "concrete cell" and bars. In the jungle, he has shadow, long grass, a water hole and the village edge. The contrast shows how much freedom has been taken from him. The structure itself (zoo, jungle, zoo) traps the reader back in the cage at the end, just as the tiger is trapped. You can say the poem presents freedom as the natural right of a wild animal.
From the text: Stanzas 2 and 3 begin "He should be...", while stanza 4 begins "But he’s locked in a concrete cell,".
Suppressed anger and helplessness
The tiger is not calm or content. He is angry, but his anger has no outlet, so it stays silent. The phrase "quiet rage" captures this perfectly: a strong feeling held inside. His constant pacing up and down the cage is a sign of restlessness and frustration. His ignoring of visitors also suggests silent protest. We can infer that captivity does not tame the tiger; it only bottles up his wild spirit.
From the text: "In his quiet rage." and "Stalking the length of his cage, / Ignoring visitors."
Loss of natural instincts and strength
A tiger is built to hunt, hide and frighten. In the jungle he would be "lurking", "sliding" and "snarling", and would be "Baring his white fangs, his claws". In the zoo, all this power is wasted. The line "His strength behind bars" suggests that his strength itself has been imprisoned. The poet shows that a cage takes away not only space but also the animal's purpose and identity.
From the text: "His strength behind bars," contrasted with "Terrorising the village!"
Longing for the wild
In the last stanza, the tiger stares at the stars at night. The stars are far away, free and open, unlike his concrete cell. This suggests a deep longing for the open world he has lost. The repeated word "brilliant" links his eyes with the stars, as if he still belongs to the vast, natural world outside. The ending is sad and quiet, leaving the reader to feel his loss.
From the text: "And stares with his brilliant eyes / At the brilliant stars."
Human control over animals
The poem quietly criticises the way humans treat wild animals. Humans build the concrete cell, put up the bars, visit to watch the tiger and send patrolling cars at night. The tiger, who once frightened villagers, is now controlled by them. We can infer that the poet sympathises with the tiger and questions the idea of caging wild creatures for human viewing.
From the text: "locked in a concrete cell", "Ignoring visitors" and "The patrolling cars"
The speaker and the people in the poem
The tiger
The central figure of the poem, a wild tiger kept in a small zoo cage.
- Beautiful and majestic
- Powerful but helpless
- Angry and frustrated
- Restless
- Proud and independent
His beauty shows in "vivid stripes" and "brilliant eyes". His power shows in "white fangs, his claws" and "His strength behind bars". His anger is a "quiet rage". His restlessness shows as he keeps "Stalking the length of his cage". His pride shows when he goes on "Ignoring visitors", refusing to perform for them.
The poet (speaker)
The observer who watches the caged tiger and imagines its life in the wild.
- Sympathetic towards the tiger
- Observant
- Imaginative
- Critical of captivity
He notices small details such as the tiger's soft "pads" and his stares at the stars. He imagines the jungle in detail in stanzas 2 and 3. His repeated "He should be" shows he believes the tiger belongs in the wild, which suggests he disapproves of the cage.
Poetic devices
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Oxymoron | "In his quiet rage." | Rage is usually loud, but here it is quiet. Joining opposite ideas shows the tiger's anger is strong but held in, because he is helpless in the cage. |
| Metaphor | "On pads of velvet quiet," | The tiger's paws are compared to soft velvet without using 'like' or 'as'. It shows how silently and gracefully he moves, a skill meant for hunting, now wasted in a cage. |
| Repetition | "And stares with his brilliant eyes / At the brilliant stars." | Repeating 'brilliant' links the tiger's eyes with the stars. It suggests his spirit still belongs to the vast, free world and highlights his longing for it. 'quiet' is also repeated in stanza 1 to stress his silent anger. |
| Alliteration | "Where plump deer pass." and "He stalks in his vivid stripes" | The repeated 'p' and 's' sounds create rhythm. The soft 's' sounds also echo the tiger's silent, sliding movement. |
| Imagery and contrast | "He should be lurking in shadow," against "But he’s locked in a concrete cell," | Visual pictures of the jungle (shadow, long grass, water hole) are set against hard images of the zoo (concrete, bars). The contrast makes the tiger's loss of freedom vivid and moving. |
| Rhyme scheme | Stanza 1: stripes / cage / quiet / rage (abcb) | Most stanzas follow abcb, with the second and fourth lines rhyming (cage/rage, grass/pass, cars/stars). It gives the poem a steady rhythm, like the tiger's steady pacing. |
| Enjambment | "He stalks in his vivid stripes / The few steps of his cage," | The sentence runs on to the next line without a pause, mirroring the tiger's continuous, restless walking. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
He stalks in his vivid stripes
poet: The opening line, describing the tiger in the zoo cage.
Shows the tiger's bright beauty and his hunter's way of walking, even though there is nothing to hunt. It sets up the contrast between his nature and his cage.
In his quiet rage.
poet: End of stanza 1, describing the tiger's feeling as he paces.
The oxymoron reveals his suppressed anger and helplessness, the emotional heart of the poem.
He should be lurking in shadow,
poet: Start of stanza 2, where the poet moves to the jungle.
'Should be' shows the poet's belief that the tiger belongs in the wild, hiding and hunting naturally.
Terrorising the village!
poet: End of stanza 3, picturing the tiger at the jungle's edge.
Shows the tiger's true power: in the wild, humans fear him; in the zoo, they stare at him.
But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
poet: Start of stanza 4, the return to the zoo.
'But' breaks the dream of the jungle. 'Concrete cell' makes the cage sound like a prison.
His strength behind bars,
poet: Stanza 4, describing the caged tiger.
Suggests that his very strength has been imprisoned and made useless.
At the brilliant stars.
poet: The last line, as the tiger looks up at night.
The stars stand for the freedom and open world he longs for but cannot reach.
A Tiger in the Zoo in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Captivity versus freedom
Imagine your summer holidays are spent indoors in extra coaching classes. Every evening you watch your friends play cricket in the colony ground from your window, but you are not allowed to join them.
How would your feelings compare with the tiger's in 'A Tiger in the Zoo'? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Name the shared feeling: trapped and restless.
- Link to the poem: the few steps of his cage; the jungle he should be in.
- Note the shared pain: freedom is visible but out of reach.
Answer: Like the tiger stalking the few steps of his cage, I would feel trapped and restless. The poet pictures the tiger in long grass; I would picture the cricket field. Both of us can see freedom but cannot reach it, which makes the confinement feel even harder.
Memory hook: The window to the cricket ground is my cage bars: freedom seen, not reached.
Suppressed anger and helplessness
Suppose your class teacher scolds you in front of everyone for a broken window that someone else broke. You know you are innocent, but you are told to stay quiet and sit down.
How does this experience help you understand the tiger's 'quiet rage'? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Define 'quiet rage': anger that cannot be shown.
- Apply it: calm face, boiling inside.
- Compare with the tiger: soft steps, but fury at being caged and powerless.
Answer: 'Quiet rage' is anger that cannot be shown. When I am scolded unfairly and must stay silent, my face looks calm but I am boiling inside. The tiger is the same: his steps are soft, yet he is furious at being caged and powerless to act.
Memory hook: Silent in the classroom, storming inside: that is quiet rage.
Human control over animals
Imagine that at a Diwali fair your younger brother begs your parents to buy a green parrot sold in a tiny cage. Your parents ask you what you think.
Using the tiger in the poem, argue whether your family should buy the caged parrot. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Take a clear stand.
- Evidence from the poem: strength wasted behind bars; he ignores the people who watch him.
- Apply it to the parrot: a bird meant to fly.
- Offer a kinder alternative.
Answer: No. The tiger in the poem shows what a cage does: his strength is wasted 'behind bars' and he ignores the people who watch him. A parrot meant to fly would suffer the same way. Enjoying birds in trees is kinder than owning one in a cage.
Memory hook: A cage at the fair is a small zoo: remember the tiger before you buy.
Longing for the wild
Suppose you study at a residential school far from your home town and cannot go back until the vacations. At night, from the hostel terrace, you look up at the stars.
How does this situation help you understand the ending of the poem? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Your longing: home, which you cannot reach yet.
- The tiger's parallel: he stares at the stars.
- The inference: the stars stand for lost freedom; his silent gaze shows longing.
Answer: At night, looking at the sky, I would think of home, which I cannot reach yet. The tiger stares at the stars in the same way. We can infer that the stars stand for the freedom he has lost; his silent gaze shows deep longing.
Memory hook: Hostel terrace stars equal the tiger's stars: both mean the place you belong.
Topics in this chapter
- A Tiger in the Zoo Summary and ExplanationComing soon
- A Tiger in the Zoo Poetic DevicesComing soon
- A Tiger in the Zoo Theme and MessageComing soon
- A Tiger in the Zoo Extract Based QuestionsComing soon
- A Tiger in the Zoo Question AnswersComing soon
How the board asks A Tiger in the Zoo
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Poetry extract (Q7, 5 marks) | A stanza or two is given, followed by MCQs, fill-in-the-blanks, complete-the-sentence, mood or tone, figure of speech, rhyme scheme, and one 2-mark inference question in 30-40 words. | Read the whole extract first and decide whether it is about the zoo or the jungle. For the 2-mark part, make a clear point and back it with a word from the extract. For devices, name the device and quote the exact words. |
| Identify and explain a poetic device | Name a figure of speech in given lines, or explain the effect of repeated words like 'quiet' and 'brilliant'. | Name the device correctly (oxymoron, metaphor, repetition, alliteration), quote the example exactly, and add one line on its effect linked to the tiger's feelings or captivity. |
| Contrast question (Q8, 3 marks) | How does the poet contrast the tiger in the cage with the tiger in the jungle? Answer in 40-50 words. | Give two or three clear contrasts: movement (few steps vs sliding through grass), place (concrete cell vs shadow and water hole), power (strength behind bars vs terrorising the village). Stay within 50 words. |
| Mood, feelings and tone | What mood is created? Which words describe the tiger's feelings? What is the poet's attitude? | Use precise words: frustrated, restless, angry, helpless, longing. Mention the poet's sympathy. Support each with a phrase such as 'quiet rage' or 'Ignoring visitors'. |
| Long answer: comparison or evaluation (Q10, 6 marks) | Compare the tiger with an animal in another First Flight poem, or evaluate whether zoos are fair to wild animals, in about 100-120 words. | Have an introduction, two or three developed points with evidence from this poem, and a short conclusion. For comparisons, give clear similarities and differences point by point. For opinion questions, take a stand and justify it. |
| Extrapolation and values | Suppose you were the tiger, or a zoo visitor: write your thoughts. Or: what message does the poem give about how humans should treat animals? | Stay true to the poem's details (cage, pacing, stars) while using your own imagination. End with a value such as respect for wildlife and natural habitats. |
Tricks to remember A Tiger in the Zoo
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Stanza order: Z-J-J-Z-Z
Zoo, Jungle, Jungle, Zoo, Zoo-at-night. Key word chain: Cage, Grass, Village, Bars, Stars.
Use it when: To place any extract in the right stanza and to explain the zoo-jungle-zoo structure in long answers.
Pairs that repeat
Think 'Quiet twice, Should twice, Brilliant twice, Stalk twice'. 'quiet' comes twice in stanza 1, 'He should be' opens stanzas 2 and 3, 'brilliant' comes twice in stanza 5, and 'stalks' and 'Stalking' appear in stanzas 1 and 4.
Use it when: For device questions on repetition and for showing how the cage stanzas echo each other.
Themes: CALLS
C = Captivity versus freedom, A = Anger suppressed (quiet rage), L = Loss of strength and instincts, L = Longing for the wild, S = Subjugation, or human control over animals.
Use it when: To plan a 6-mark theme answer: pick two or three letters and give a line of evidence for each.
Rhyme scheme abcb
Only lines 2 and 4 of each stanza chime: cage/rage, grass/pass, cars/stars.
Use it when: For MCQs on rhyme scheme in the poetry extract.
A Tiger in the Zoo: extract-based questions
Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.
Extract 1: The tiger as he should be: in the jungle
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Choose the option that gives the meaning of 'lurking' as used in the extract.
(a) roaring loudly to scare others
(b) waiting hidden, ready to attack
(c) sleeping peacefully in the shade
(d) running away in fear(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Complete the sentence with a phrase from the extract: Near the water hole, the tiger would be waiting for the __________.
(3) · 1 mark · MCQ
The words 'He should be' at the start of the extract show the poet's
(a) fear of the tiger
(b) belief that the tiger's rightful place is the wild
(c) joy at seeing the tiger in the zoo
(d) lack of interest in the tiger(4) · 2 marks · Short answer
The stanza that follows says the tiger should be 'Terrorising the village!'. Why does the poet present this as something the tiger should be doing? Answer in 30-40 words.
Show the answersAnswers
- (b) waiting hidden, ready to attack. The tiger would hide in the shadow, ready to spring on its prey.
- plump deer (that pass by), which are his natural prey.
- (b) belief that the tiger's rightful place is the wild. 'Should' tells us what the tiger ought to be doing, not what it is doing.
- The poet is not praising violence. He suggests that snarling, baring fangs and frightening villages is the tiger's natural, untamed behaviour. The exclamation shows excitement at this lost power, sharpening the contrast with its caged helplessness.
Extract 2: Night in the zoo: the tiger and the stars
He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Which two sounds does the tiger hear at night?
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
Identify the poetic device in 'stares with his brilliant eyes / At the brilliant stars'.
(a) Simile
(b) Repetition
(c) Personification
(d) Onomatopoeia(3) · 1 mark · MCQ
Choose the rhyme scheme of the extract.
(a) aabb
(b) abab
(c) abcb
(d) abba(4) · 2 marks · Short answer
What does the tiger's staring at the stars suggest about his feelings? Answer in 30-40 words.
Show the answersAnswers
- The last voice at night and the patrolling cars.
- (b) Repetition. The word 'brilliant' is used for both the tiger's eyes and the stars, linking the two.
- (c) abcb. Only 'cars' and 'stars' (lines 2 and 4) rhyme.
- We can infer that the stars stand for the open, free world beyond the cage. Staring silently at them, the lonely tiger seems to long for the freedom of the wild, which it can see but never reach.
A Tiger in the Zoo: board-level solved questions
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: The tiger's movement in the cage · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
How is the tiger's movement in the cage described in the first stanza? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- He stalks the 'few steps of his cage': the space is tiny.
- He moves on 'pads of velvet': soft, silent steps.
- His movement hides a 'quiet rage': anger he cannot express.
Answer: In the first stanza, the tiger stalks up and down the few steps of his small cage. His padded paws move softly, like velvet, so he makes no sound. Yet beneath this quiet movement lies a silent anger at being trapped in so little space.
Example 2: Zoo versus jungle: two places · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does the poet use the descriptions of two places to contrast the tiger's two lives? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Zoo: 'concrete cell', bars, a few steps, visitors, patrolling cars.
- Jungle: shadow, long grass, water hole, plump deer, villages at its edge.
- Inference: the zoo is cramped and man-made; the jungle is natural and free.
Answer: The zoo is a 'concrete cell' with bars, a few steps wide, watched by visitors and patrolling cars. The jungle is full of shadow, long grass and a water hole where deer pass, with villages at its edge. One is cramped and artificial; the other is open, natural and free.
Example 3: 'His strength behind bars' · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What does the phrase 'His strength behind bars' reveal about the tiger's condition? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The tiger's power is trapped and wasted.
- In the wild, strength serves a purpose: lurking for deer, frightening the village.
- Bars cage his natural instincts as well as his body, so he is left helpless.
Answer: The phrase means the tiger's great power is trapped and wasted. In the wild that strength would help him hunt deer and frighten villages. In the cage it has no use. The bars hold not just his body but his natural instincts, leaving him helpless.
Example 4: Structure and the theme of captivity · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
The poem moves from the zoo to the jungle and back to the zoo. How does this structure bring out the theme of captivity versus freedom? Answer in about 100-120 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Stanza 1: the tiger in the cage, few steps, 'quiet rage'.
- Stanzas 2-3: 'He should be': the wild life of shadow, long grass, the water hole, terrorising the village.
- Stanza 4: 'But' marks the return to reality: concrete cell, strength behind bars, ignoring visitors.
- Stanza 5: night, patrolling cars, staring at the stars.
- The circular movement suggests the tiger's fate: the mind may imagine the wild, but reality returns to the cage.
- Conclusion: the contrast makes the loss of freedom clear.
Answer: Leslie Norris builds the poem like a journey from the zoo to the jungle and back. The first stanza shows the tiger stalking the few steps of his cage in 'quiet rage'. Stanzas two and three, both opening with 'He should be', move us to the wild, where he lurks in shadow, slides through long grass and terrorises villages. The fourth stanza snaps back with 'But', locking him in a concrete cell with his strength behind bars. The last stanza leaves him staring at the stars at night. This circular movement suggests the tiger's own fate: his mind may wander to the jungle, but reality always returns him to the cage. The contrast makes his loss of freedom painfully clear.
Example 5: The poet's view of zoos · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Does the poet approve of keeping wild animals in zoos? Justify your answer with evidence from the poem in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Stand: the poem suggests he does not.
- Evidence: harsh words such as 'locked', 'concrete cell', 'behind bars'.
- The jungle is described with longing ('He should be').
- Quiet rage and the lonely stare at the stars build sympathy, so captivity seems cruel.
Answer: The poem suggests he does not. Words like 'locked', 'concrete cell' and 'behind bars' sound harsh and sad, while the jungle is described with longing. By showing the tiger's quiet rage and lonely gaze at the stars, the poet makes us feel that captivity is cruel.
Example 6: What humans owe captive animals · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Suppose your city plans a new attraction where wild animals will be kept in small cages. Drawing on the tiger's experience in the poem, write what you think humans owe to captive animals. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Evidence from the poem: the tiger has only 'the few steps of his cage', strength wasted, anger kept quiet.
- He ignores visitors; he belongs near the water hole and long grass.
- Apply to the situation: small cages would repeat this cruelty.
- Value: power over animals brings duty.
- Suggestions: large natural spaces, protect forests, visit with respect.
- Close with the image of the tiger staring at the stars: the longing for freedom.
Answer: The tiger in Leslie Norris's poem shows what a small cage does to a wild creature. He stalks only 'the few steps of his cage', his strength wasted behind bars, his anger kept quiet. He ignores visitors, perhaps refusing to be a show; he belongs near the water hole and the long grass. If our city builds tiny cages, we would repeat this cruelty. Humans have power over animals, but power brings duty. We should give animals large, natural spaces, protect forests so they can live wild, and visit them with respect, not as entertainment. The tiger staring at the stars reminds us that every animal longs to be free. Our care must match that longing.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
How does the poet contrast the tiger's life in the zoo with its life in the jungle? (40-50 words) (3 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: life in the zoo, e.g. the few steps of his cage, concrete cell, strength behind bars, quiet rage | 1 |
| Content: life in the jungle, e.g. lurking in shadow, long grass, water hole, snarling, terrorising the village | 1 |
| Expression: a clear, connected answer within 40-50 words (up to 1 mark can be deducted for spelling or grammar errors) | 1 |
'A Tiger in the Zoo' is a plea for the freedom of wild animals. Discuss. (100-120 words) (6 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: the contrast and structure, zoo to jungle to zoo, with 'He should be' and 'But' | 1 |
| Content: evidence of captivity and suppressed anger, e.g. concrete cell, strength behind bars, quiet rage, ignoring visitors | 1 |
| Content: the longing and the message, e.g. staring at the brilliant stars, and the poet's sympathy for the tiger | 1 |
| Expression: organised paragraphs with a clear opening and conclusion that link the evidence to the theme | 2 |
| Accuracy: correct spelling, grammar and punctuation | 1 |
Where students lose marks in A Tiger in the Zoo
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Saying the caged tiger roars or attacks visitors
Students confuse what the tiger 'should be' doing in the wild with what he does in the zoo.
Wrong working
The tiger roars angrily and frightens the visitors at the zoo.
Right working
In the zoo the tiger is 'Ignoring visitors'; his anger is a 'quiet rage' he cannot express.
Do this: Before writing, check which stanza you are quoting: zoo (1, 4, 5) or jungle (2, 3).
Usually costs: 1 mark of content in a 3-mark answer, or the full mark in a 1-mark part.
Mistake: Treating the jungle stanzas as real events
The modal verb 'should be' is missed, so imagined actions are reported as facts.
Wrong working
The tiger terrorises the village and hunts deer near the water hole.
Right working
The poet says the tiger should be terrorising the village; this is the wild life he has lost.
Do this: Underline 'should' in stanzas 2 and 3 and always say 'he should be' or 'he would be'.
Usually costs: Up to 1 mark of content.
Mistake: Naming the wrong poetic device
Students call every comparison a simile.
Wrong working
'Pads of velvet quiet' is a simile comparing his paws to velvet.
Right working
'Pads of velvet quiet' is a metaphor: his paws are called velvet directly, without 'like' or 'as', to show soft, silent steps.
Do this: Simile needs 'like' or 'as'; without them it is a metaphor. Always name the device and then explain its effect.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks in an extract question.
Mistake: Retelling the poem instead of answering
In a 6-mark theme question, students summarise stanza by stanza and never state the theme.
Wrong working
In stanza one the tiger walks in his cage. In stanza two he should be in the shadow. In stanza three...
Right working
The poem argues that captivity crushes a wild creature: his strength is 'behind bars', his rage is quiet, and he can only stare at the stars.
Do this: Open with a one-line answer to the question, then use each stanza as evidence for it.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks of content and 1 of expression.
Mistake: Going over the word limit in the 2-mark extract part
Students write a whole paragraph for a 30-40 word answer.
Wrong working
A 70-word answer that repeats the extract line by line before making its point.
Right working
A 35-word answer: one point from the lines, one inference, one link to the theme.
Do this: Plan two ideas only for 2 marks and count your words roughly as you write.
Usually costs: The scheme can cut the expression mark, and you lose time needed elsewhere.
A Tiger in the Zoo: previous year questions
- Asked in 13 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 3.9 marks per paper; 14 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 1 of 4 sample papers.
Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.
Solved board questions from A Tiger in the Zoo
Real questions from recent papers. Try each one first, then open our step-by-step solution with marks per step.
2026, set 2/1/1, Q10 · 6 marks · Long answer
Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 100-120 words:
- I.0 marks
Examine the similarities and differences between the tiger in "A Tiger in the Zoo" and the dragon in "The Tale of Custard the Dragon".
- II.0 marks
"The Sermon at Benaras" and "For Anne Gregory", deal with the themes of 'love' and 'life'. Discuss.
Try it first, then show our solutionSolution
- 6 marks
I. Similarities: both the tiger and Custard are powerful, fearsome creatures. Both are confined to places that are not their habitat and are emotionally isolated, which evokes sympathy. Differences: the tiger is forcibly caged, while Custard chooses a safe cage for himself. The tiger never gets to prove his strength, while Custard shows his bravery against the pirate. The tiger's plight is tragic (human control over wildlife), while Custard's is comic (appearances are deceptive).
- 6 marks
II. In 'The Sermon at Benaras', Kisa Gotami's love for her son is selfish. Buddha shows that excessive attachment brings suffering, and that accepting life and death gives peace. 'For Anne Gregory' shows that physical love is short-lived, while spiritual love transcends the material. Both texts show that clinging to beauty, youth or life causes suffering, and that acceptance and spiritual realisation bring true peace.
Answer: Attempt either I or II (6 marks).
Where the marks are
- Three points, with at least one from each aspect (3 marks)
- Balanced comparison and synthesis (2 marks)
- Accuracy (1 mark)
2026, set 2/3/1, Q7(a) · 5 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-based
But he's locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
(A Tiger in the Zoo)
- (i)1 mark
Complete the sentence suitably: The tiger ignores the visitors because __________.
- (ii)2 marks
The above lines juxtapose the tiger's natural instincts with its caged existence. Justify.
- (iii)1 mark
What mood is created by the poet in the above lines?
- (A)sympathetic and thoughtful
- (B)angry and violent
- (C)cheerful and happy
- (D)exciting and fun
- (iv)1 mark
Fill in the blank with the correct option from the brackets. The length of his cage highlights the __________ (vast space/limited space/free space) in which the tiger is confined.
Try it first, then show our solutionSolution
- 1 mark
(i) The tiger ignores the visitors because he is angry and frustrated at being locked in a concrete cell, and this is his silent protest against captivity; he longs to be free.
- 1 mark
(ii) In the wild the tiger is a free, feared hunter who roams the open jungle. Here he is a caged exhibit, confined in a concrete cell.
- 1 mark
His strength, once shown in roaring and hunting, is now 'behind bars'. He only paces quietly up and down the length of his cage, so natural freedom and caged helplessness are set against each other.
- 1 mark
(iii) (A) sympathetic and thoughtful.
- 1 mark
(iv) limited space.
Answer: (i) angry and frustrated in captivity, silently protesting; (ii) free hunter v/s caged exhibit; (iii) A; (iv) limited space
Where the marks are
- Gives a valid reason for ignoring visitors (1 mark)
- Gives two contrasts between natural and caged life (2 marks)
- Option A for mood (1 mark)
- 'limited space' (1 mark)
2023, set 2/2/1, Q8 · 12 marks · Short answer
Answer any four of the following questions in about 40 – 50 words each:
- (a)3 marks
What is the Indian legend about the discovery of tea?
- (b)3 marks
What did Lencho hope for and why?
- (c)3 marks
'I'll take the risk.' What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it? (The Black Aeroplane)
- (d)3 marks
What impression do you form about Amanda in the poem?
- (e)3 marks
What did Siddhartha Gautama come across by chance when he was about twenty-five years old?
Try it first, then show our solutionSolution
- 3 marks
(a) Bodhidharma, an ancient Buddhist monk, vowed to meditate without sleeping. When he felt sleepy, he cut off his eyelids and threw them down. Ten tea plants grew from them. Leaves from these plants, steeped in hot water, drove away sleep.
- 3 marks
(b) Lencho hoped for rain, as black clouds were approaching. Good rainfall promised a good harvest, and his crops were the only source of income for his family.
- 3 marks
(c) The risk is flying through dark, stormy clouds, with the danger of an accident or damage to the plane. The narrator takes it because he wants to reach home and enjoy an English breakfast with his family.
- 3 marks
(d) Amanda is a sensitive, dreamy girl who feels suffocated. Her mother constantly instructs and controls her, so she daydreams about freedom and longs to be left alone.
- 3 marks
(e) At about twenty-five, Siddhartha saw a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk begging for alms. These sights showed him the suffering of the world: sickness, old age, death and poverty.
Answer: Any four of (a)-(e) answered as above.
Where the marks are
- Content: complete answer with the key points (2 marks each)
- Expression and organisation (1 mark each)
Every A Tiger in the Zoo question, by year
Practice questions on A Tiger in the Zoo
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
What would the tiger be doing 'At the jungle’s edge' if he were free? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Look at the third stanza: three actions are listed.
Answer
Value points: snarling around houses; baring white fangs and claws; terrorising the village; this shows his fierce, wild nature.
Model answer: If free, the tiger would be snarling around the houses at the jungle's edge. He would bare his white fangs and claws and terrorise the village. This shows his fierce, wild nature, which the cage has completely taken away from him.
Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
In the last stanza, the tiger's eyes are described as
(a) tired
(b) brilliant
(c) angry
(d) sadHint
The same adjective is used for the stars.
Answer
(b) brilliant. The poet uses 'brilliant' for both the eyes and the stars.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does the word 'quiet', used twice in the first stanza, show that the tiger's calm is only on the surface? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Ask what each 'quiet' describes: his feet, then his feelings.
Answer
Value points: first 'quiet' = soft, silent steps; second 'quiet' = silent rage; the calm is outward; inside there is anger he cannot use.
Model answer: The first 'quiet' describes his soft, silent steps on velvet pads. The second describes his rage, which is silent too. So the calm look is only outward. Inside, the tiger burns with anger at his captivity but cannot show or use it.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain the importance of the word 'But' at the start of the fourth stanza. Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
What were stanzas two and three about, and where does 'But' take us?
Answer
Value points: a turn from imagination to reality; stanzas 2-3 show what he should be doing; 'But' brings back the concrete cell; it deepens the contrast.
Model answer: 'But' marks a sharp turn from imagination to reality. Stanzas two and three show what the tiger should be doing in the wild. 'But' pulls us back to the truth: he is locked in a concrete cell. The word deepens the contrast between freedom and captivity.
Q5 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): The tiger in the zoo ignores the visitors.
Reason (R): He has grown used to them and is content with life in the zoo.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.Hint
Is a tiger in 'quiet rage' content?
Answer
(c) A is true but R is false. The poem says he is 'Ignoring visitors', but he is not content: he stalks his cage in 'quiet rage'.
Q6 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Write a character sketch of the tiger as presented in 'A Tiger in the Zoo'. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Show both sides: what he is in the cage and what he should be in the wild, with evidence for each trait.
Answer
Value points: beautiful and graceful (vivid stripes, velvet pads); angry but silent (quiet rage); a skilled hunter in the wild (lurking, sliding, water hole); fierce (fangs, claws, terrorising); strength wasted behind bars; seems to keep his dignity by ignoring visitors; lonely and longing (stares at the stars).
Model answer: The tiger in Leslie Norris's poem is a powerful creature reduced to helplessness. Even in the cage his 'vivid stripes' and velvet-soft pads show his beauty and grace. He is proud and angry, but his rage is 'quiet', held inside because he cannot act on it. In the wild he would be a skilled hunter, lurking in shadow and sliding through long grass near the water hole. He would be fierce too, snarling, baring white fangs and claws, and terrorising the village. In the zoo, his strength is 'behind bars'. He seems to show dignity by ignoring visitors. At night he stares at the stars, suggesting a lonely creature longing for freedom.
Q7 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose the zoo replaced the tiger's concrete cell with a large enclosure with trees and a pond. Would the tiger's feelings described in the poem change completely? Justify your view in 40-50 words.
Hint
Think about what would improve and what he would still not have.
Answer
Value points: a clear stand; more space than 'the few steps of his cage'; still watched and guarded, unable to hunt or roam; his longing (the stare at the stars) would likely remain.
Model answer: Only partly. A large, green enclosure would let him move more freely than 'the few steps of his cage'. But he would still be watched, guarded and fed by humans, unable to hunt or roam. His longing, seen in his stare at the stars, would likely remain.
Q8 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
The poem ends with the tiger who 'stares with his brilliant eyes / At the brilliant stars.' Imagine what the tiger might think on such a night, and explain what this ending reveals about the poem's message. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Use the jungle images for his thoughts, then explain the stars and the repetition of 'brilliant'.
Answer
Value points: his imagined thoughts of the jungle (grass, water hole, deer); the night sounds as reminders of human control; the repetition of 'brilliant' links eyes and stars; the stars as a symbol of freedom; a quiet ending that stresses helplessness; the message of longing for freedom and human responsibility.
Model answer: On that night, the tiger might think of the jungle he has lost: the long grass, the water hole, the deer passing by. As the zoo grows quiet, he hears the last voice and the patrolling cars, reminders that humans guard him. His 'brilliant eyes' meet the 'brilliant stars', and the repetition links them. We can infer that the stars, free and far away, stand for the open world he belongs to. Yet he can only stare. The ending is quiet, not violent, which makes his helplessness more touching. The message is that no cage can kill a wild creature's longing for freedom, and that humans who confine animals should feel the weight of that loss.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Who wrote 'A Tiger in the Zoo'?Show answer
Leslie Norris.
2.Which stanzas show the tiger in the jungle?Show answer
Stanzas 2 and 3, both beginning 'He should be'.
3.Where in the cage does the tiger walk?Show answer
'The few steps of his cage', which shows how tiny his space is.
4.What kind of rage does the tiger have?Show answer
A 'quiet rage': anger he cannot express.
5.Where would the tiger wait for prey in the wild?Show answer
In shadow, near the water hole where plump deer pass.
6.Which word turns the poem back from the jungle to the zoo?Show answer
'But', in 'But he’s locked in a concrete cell'.
7.What does the tiger hear at night?Show answer
The last voice at night and the patrolling cars.
8.Which word is repeated in the last stanza, and for what?Show answer
'brilliant', used for the tiger's eyes and for the stars.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you list the five stanzas in order: zoo, jungle, jungle, zoo, zoo at night?
- Can you explain why 'He should be' shows imagination and not fact?
- Can you name and explain two devices: the metaphor in 'pads of velvet' and the repetition of 'quiet' or 'brilliant'?
- Can you state the rhyme scheme (abcb) and give one rhyming pair?
- Can you describe the zoo and the jungle in three words each, with a quoted phrase for each?
- Can you explain 'His strength behind bars' as the loss of natural instincts?
- Can you say what the stars stand for, and why the tiger ignores visitors?
- Can you plan a 6-mark answer on captivity versus freedom using the CALLS themes?
A Tiger in the Zoo: frequently asked questions
What is the central idea of A Tiger in the Zoo?
The poem contrasts a tiger's angry, helpless life in a zoo cage with the free and powerful life he should have in the jungle. It suggests that captivity robs a wild animal of its nature, strength and dignity.
Which stanzas describe the zoo and which describe the jungle?
Stanzas 1, 4 and 5 describe the tiger in the zoo. Stanzas 2 and 3 describe the jungle and its edge, where the tiger should be. The poem moves from zoo to jungle and back to the zoo.
Why is the tiger's rage called 'quiet'?
The tiger is angry at being caged, but he cannot do anything about it. So his rage stays inside him, silent and controlled. The phrase is an oxymoron that shows his helplessness.
Why does the tiger ignore the visitors?
We can infer that he is unhappy and frustrated in captivity and does not want to be a show for humans. Ignoring them is a silent protest and shows his pride.
What is the rhyme scheme of A Tiger in the Zoo?
Most stanzas follow abcb, where the second and fourth lines rhyme, for example cage and rage, grass and pass, cars and stars. In some stanzas the rhyme is loose rather than exact.
What is the significance of the last stanza?
At night, the tiger hears the last voices and patrolling cars, and stares at the stars. The stars suggest the free, open world he longs for. The repeated word 'brilliant' links him to that world, making the ending sad and thoughtful.
Based on: CBSE English Language and Literature syllabus 2026-27; NCERT First Flight (Reprint 2026-27), A Tiger in the Zoo