Q1. [5]
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.
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
- (i) Whose is the last voice heard by the tiger? [1]
- (a) police jeep
- (b) patrolling cars
- (c) watchmen
- (d) roar of lion
- (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) [1]
- (iii) The main contrasting ideas in this extract are [1]
- (a) tiger and deer.
- (b) cruelty and sympathy.
- (c) confinement and freedom.
- (d) master and slave.
- (iv) The image of the tiger stalking in his vivid stripes creates an image of [1]
- (a) cowardice.
- (b) frustration.
- (c) lethargy.
- (d) purposefulness.
- (v) State whether the following statement is True or False:
The poem uses staring at the sky to symbolize the freedom the tiger yearns for. [1]
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2023 2/2/1 Q7(B)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:15 · grounding stimulus+chapter
Model Answer
(i) (b) patrolling cars
(ii) The word "brilliant" is repeated in both phrases — "his brilliant eyes" and "the brilliant stars" — using the same word in close succession to create emphasis and draw a parallel between the tiger and the stars.
(iii) (c) confinement and freedom.
(iv) (b) frustration.
(v) True. The tiger stares at the brilliant stars, symbolizing his longing for the open wild and the freedom he is denied in the cage.
Source: A Tiger in the Zoo, stanza 4
---
Explanation
- (i): The extract clearly states "He hears the last voice at night, / The patrolling cars" — so patrolling cars is correct.
- (ii): Repetition means using the same word/phrase more than once. Here "brilliant" appears twice, so identify the repeated word and explain the effect.
- (iii): The tiger's cage (confinement) is contrasted with the open sky/stars (freedom) — the central tension of the poem.
- (iv): Stalking a "few steps" in a cage shows a powerful animal trapped and frustrated, not purposeful movement.
- (v): Staring at stars = yearning for freedom is a key symbolic reading examiners expect you to know.
If a question refers to an image, map, graph or diagram that is not shown here, open the Study Guide single page app, go to
Library and find the actual CBSE question paper. The original papers are also available on the CBSE website:
cbse.gov.in.