But he's locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
Read the following extract and answer the questions.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:14 · grounding stimulus+chapter
Model Answer
(i) The tiger is stalking the length of his cage because he is restless and frustrated being locked in a confined space. He is unable to roam freely as he would in his natural habitat.
(ii) The word 'concrete' emphasises the hard, cold, and artificial nature of the tiger's enclosure. It contrasts sharply with the tiger's natural habitat — the lush, open jungle with tall grass and water holes — highlighting the cruelty of captivity.
(iii) (D) wanting to be free from the cage.
(iv) The literary device used is Synecdoche, where "strength" (a part/quality) represents the whole tiger. It can also be identified as Metonymy.
Source: A Tiger in the Zoo, Stanza 2
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Explanation
- (i) Direct inference from the poem — the tiger paces because he is caged and restless. One line is enough for 1 mark.
- (ii) For 2 marks, examiners expect two points: the meaning/effect of 'concrete' AND the contrast with natural habitat. Stick to ~40 words.
- (iii) Option (D) is correct. The tiger ignores visitors and paces — both signs of longing for freedom, not contentment.
- (iv) "His strength behind bars" uses synecdoche (strength = the tiger). Some CBSE answer keys also accept metonymy. Either term with a brief justification earns full marks. Avoid writing just "personification" — that does not fit here.