Q1. [5]
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
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate option :
- (i) 'He' is in a rage because he is [1]
- (a) hungry
- (b) tied
- (c) thirsty
- (d) in a cage
- (ii) He is lurking in the shadow because _______. [1]
- (iii) The above lines express the tiger's _______. [1]
- (a) resignation
- (b) fear
- (c) anger
- (d) acceptance
- (iv) Complete the sentence appropriately :
It is clear that metaphor is the poetic device used for 'pads of velvet' – because _______. (Clue : explain how metaphor is applied here.) [1]
- (v) The contrast in the above extract is between life in the forest and life in the [1]
- (a) circus
- (b) national park
- (c) cave
- (d) zoo
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2023 2/6/1 Q7(b)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:15 · grounding stimulus+chapter
Model Answer
(i) (d) in a cage
(ii) He is lurking in the shadow because he is waiting to hunt plump deer that pass near the water hole. It is his natural instinct to stalk prey by hiding in the shadows of long grass.
(iii) (c) anger
(iv) 'Pads of velvet' is a metaphor because the tiger's soft, cushioned paws are directly compared to velvet (a soft fabric) without using 'like' or 'as'. The paws are called velvet, not compared to it.
(v) (d) zoo
Source: A Tiger in the Zoo, poem
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Explanation
- (i) The tiger's rage is directly caused by being confined in a cage — not hunger or thirst.
- (ii) Sub-question (ii) is a fill-in-the-blank requiring a reason drawn from the extract — the tiger's natural hunting behaviour near the water hole.
- (iii) "Quiet rage" clearly signals suppressed anger, not resignation or acceptance.
- (iv) For metaphor questions, always state: (a) what is being compared, (b) what it is compared to, and (c) that there is no 'like/as' (distinguishing it from simile).
- (v) The poem contrasts the tiger's free forest life with captivity in a zoo (cage is the direct reference).
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