Skip to content

Read the following extract… (Class 10 English 2024, Q7A)

questionbuddy.in/q/cbse-10-english-2024-2-1-1-q7a-stalks-his-vivid-stripes-few

EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2024, set 2/1/1 · 5 marks · Case-based

CBSE Class 10 English 2024: question 7(A)

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2024, paper 2/1/1, section C, question 7(A), for 5 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q7(A) · 5 marks · Case-basedCompetency-basedA Tiger in the Zoo

Read the following extract and answer the questions:

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 pole
Where plump deer pass.

He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle's edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!

  1. (i)

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

    1 mark
  2. (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?

    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    The poet's skillful use of imagery effectively depicts the confinement and frustration of the tiger. Elaborate in about 40 words.

    2 marks
  4. (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.'

    1 mark

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2024 board paper, set 2/1/1.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Compare what the tiger does inside the cage with what the poem says he 'should' be doing.

Hint 2

For the imagery question, pick two phrases such as 'vivid stripes' or 'pads of velvet quiet' and say what feeling each creates.

Hint 3

For (iv), think of a phrase meaning anger that is held back rather than shown.

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

  1. (i) In the zoo the tiger only stalks a few steps inside his cage and is forced to stay quiet. In the forest he would move freely and majestically, lurking in shadow and terrorising the village.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) The speaker suggests that the tiger is naturally powerful, free and ferocious. His true habitat is the wild jungle, where he hunts and roams without restraint.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) The poet uses visual images such as 'vivid stripes', which show the tiger's splendour wasted in a cage. The tactile image 'pads of velvet quiet' shows his power muffled and tamed. 'Quiet rage' shows anger he must suppress. Together these images convey his confinement and frustration.

    2 marks

  4. (iv) 'Quiet rage' can be replaced by 'suppressed anger', meaning anger held in and not expressed.

    1 mark

Answer: (i) Cage: stalks a few steps, quiet; forest: roams freely and terrorises the village. (ii) The tiger is naturally powerful, free and ferocious. (iii) Imagery of stripes, velvet pads and quiet rage shows confinement and frustration. (iv) Suppressed anger

Where the marks are

  • Gives one valid contrast between zoo and forest (1 mark)
  • Says the tiger is naturally powerful, free and ferocious (1 mark)
  • Explains at least two images with elaboration (2 marks)
  • Gives 'suppressed anger' as the substitute phrase (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: A Tiger in the Zoo (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from A Tiger in the Zoo, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2024 board paper, set 2/1/1: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error? Write tosupport@questionbuddy.in.