Chapter 21 of 28

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Rajasthan (RBSE)Class 10 English★ 3–5 marks · RBSE Class 10 English board (First Flight — Poetry)

A Tiger in the Zoo

RBSE Class 10 English (First Flight — Poem) — Leslie Norris's 'A Tiger in the Zoo' contrasts a majestic tiger caged in a concrete cell with the same animal free and powerful in the wild, protesting the cruelty of confining wild creatures. Summary, central idea, poetic devices and RBSE board-pattern questions with answers.

⏱ 12 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Describe the two contrasting images of the tiger (caged vs free)
2State the central idea (freedom vs captivity)
3Explain how contrast conveys the poem's message
4Identify the poetic devices used
5Answer extract-based and appreciation questions

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Why this chapter matters

A vivid, popular poem the RBSE board uses for contrast, central-idea and extract questions on freedom vs captivity. Its clear imagery makes it easy to score on.

A Tiger in the Zoo — RBSE Class 10 English (First Flight · Poem)

A tiger paces a few metres of concrete, silent and helpless, while cars and visitors stare. Leslie Norris sets this pitiful sight against a vision of the same beast — free, fierce and terrifying — in the wild, and lets the contrast make his angry point: wild animals do not belong in cages.

1. The poem in brief

The poem moves back and forth between two images of the tiger:

In the zoo: he "stalks" the few steps of his cage in "quiet rage," on "pads of velvet." He ignores the visitors and, at night, hears the patrolling cars and stares with "brilliant eyes" at the "brilliant stars" — trapped and longing.
In the wild (imagined): he should be lurking in shadow, sliding through long grass near the water-hole to hunt a plump deer, or snarling around houses at the jungle's edge, terrorising the village with his fangs and claws.

The contrast between the powerful, free tiger and the caged, helpless one is the heart of the poem.

2. Central idea

The poem is a protest against the captivity of wild animals. A tiger is meant to be free, majestic and fierce in its natural home; caging it in a small concrete cell reduces it to a helpless, frustrated prisoner. Norris urges us to feel the cruelty and injustice of confining wild creatures and to value their freedom.

3. Poetic devices

Contrast: the caged tiger vs the free tiger — the poem's central technique.
Imagery: vivid pictures — "pads of velvet," "long grass," "water hole," "brilliant eyes."
Personification / mood: "quiet rage," ignoring visitors — the tiger given human-like feeling.
Metaphor: "pads of velvet quiet" for his soft, silent paws.
Alliteration: e.g. "stalks... stripes," "brilliant... brilliant."
Repetition: "brilliant eyes / brilliant stars" links his longing to the free night sky.
Rhyme: the poem has a broadly regular rhyme scheme across its five stanzas.

4. Closing thought

"A Tiger in the Zoo" works entirely through contrast: every image of the caged animal is shadowed by what he should be doing in the wild. The tiger's "quiet rage" and his night-time stare at the stars make his captivity unbearable to imagine. Norris never lectures — he simply shows us the free tiger and the caged tiger side by side, and lets our own conscience conclude that such magnificent, wild creatures should not be locked away.

For the RBSE board, remember the two contrasting pictures (caged vs free tiger), the tiger's "quiet rage" and stare at the stars, the central idea (freedom vs captivity; cruelty of caging), and the poetic devices (contrast, imagery, personification, metaphor). Contrast and central-idea questions are common.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Poet

Leslie Norris

Welsh poet.

Caged tiger

Stalks a few steps in 'quiet rage'; ignores visitors; stares at stars

Helpless, frustrated.

Free tiger

Lurks in shadow, hunts deer at the water hole, terrorises the village

Powerful, fierce, free.

Central idea

Protest against caging wild animals; value their freedom

Cruelty of captivity.

Key device

Contrast between the caged and the free tiger

Plus vivid imagery.

Notable images

'pads of velvet', 'brilliant eyes / brilliant stars'

Longing for freedom.

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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Describing only the caged tiger

✓ The poem's power is the CONTRAST — always pair the caged images with the free-tiger images (hunting, terrorising the village).

WATCH OUT

✗ Saying the tiger is happy or calm

✓ The tiger is in 'quiet rage' — silently furious and helpless, not calm. He ignores visitors out of frustration.

WATCH OUT

✗ Missing the central idea

✓ The poem is a protest against the captivity of wild animals and a plea for their freedom — not just a description of a tiger.

WATCH OUT

✗ Overlooking the star image

✓ At night the caged tiger stares with 'brilliant eyes' at the 'brilliant stars' — symbolising his longing for the free, open world.

WATCH OUT

✗ Ignoring the poetic devices

✓ Note the contrast, imagery, personification ('quiet rage') and metaphor ('pads of velvet') for device questions.

NCERT exercises (with solutions)

Every NCERT exercise from this chapter — what it covers and how many questions to expect.

Thinking about the Poem

The two images; the tiger's feelings; the message

Questions

Poetic devices

Contrast, imagery, personification

Questions

Practice problems

Try each one yourself before tapping "Show solution". Active recall > rereading.

Q1EASY· Fact-recall

What is the caged tiger doing at the start of the poem?

▶ Show solution

✦ Answer: stalking the few steps of his cage in 'quiet rage', on pads of velvet.

Q2EASY· Contrast

What should the tiger be doing if he were free?

▶ Show solution

✦ Answer: lurking in the shadows to hunt deer at the water hole, or snarling around houses and terrorising the village at the jungle's edge.

Q3EASY· Image

What does the caged tiger stare at during the night?

▶ Show solution

✦ Answer: with his brilliant eyes, he stares at the brilliant stars — longing for freedom.

Q4MEDIUM· Central idea

What is the poet protesting against in 'A Tiger in the Zoo'?

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — He contrasts the majestic, free tiger of the wild with the helpless tiger caged in a small concrete cell.

Step 2 — Through this contrast he protests against the cruelty of confining wild animals and pleads for their freedom.

✦ Answer: the captivity of wild animals — he pleads for their freedom.

Q5MEDIUM· Feeling

How does the tiger feel in the cage, and how do you know?

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — He feels frustrated, helpless and full of suppressed anger.

Step 2 — We know this from phrases like 'quiet rage', his ignoring of the visitors, and his longing stare at the stars at night.

✦ Answer: frustrated and silently angry ('quiet rage'), ignoring visitors and longing for freedom.

Q6HARD· Technique

How does the poet use contrast to convey his message?

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — He alternates images of the caged tiger (a few steps, quiet rage, concrete cell) with images of the free tiger (hunting deer, terrorising the village).

Step 2 — The gap between the tiger's magnificent natural power and his caged helplessness makes his captivity feel cruel and unnatural.

Step 3 — The contrast itself argues, without preaching, that wild animals belong in the wild.

✦ Answer: by juxtaposing the free, powerful tiger with the caged, helpless one, the contrast makes the cruelty of captivity vivid.

Q7HARD· Extract

'He stalks in his vivid stripes / The few steps of his cage.' Explain and bring out its significance.

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — The tiger, still beautiful with his vivid stripes, is reduced to pacing just the few steps his cage allows.

Step 2 — 'Stalks' suggests his natural hunter's movement, now pointless in a tiny space.

Step 3 — The line captures the tragedy of a magnificent wild creature confined — power trapped in helplessness.

✦ Answer: a majestic hunter reduced to pacing a tiny cage — highlighting the cruelty and waste of captivity.

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•Poet: Leslie Norris; built on contrast.
•Caged tiger: stalks a few steps in 'quiet rage', pads of velvet, ignores visitors.
•Free tiger (imagined): lurks in shadow, hunts deer at the water hole, terrorises the village.
•At night the caged tiger stares with brilliant eyes at the brilliant stars — longing for freedom.
•Central idea: protest against caging wild animals; a plea for their freedom.
•The tiger feels frustrated, helpless and silently enraged.
•Devices: contrast, vivid imagery, personification ('quiet rage'), metaphor ('pads of velvet').
•Message: magnificent wild creatures should not be confined.

Rajasthan (RBSE) marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 3–5 marks

Question type	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
MCQ / extract-based	1	1–2	Caged vs free images, the star stare
Short answer	2	1	The message; the tiger's feelings
Short/appreciation	3–4	0–1	Use of contrast; extract explanation

Prep strategy

Pair every caged image with its free-tiger counterpart
Learn the central idea (freedom vs captivity)
Note the key images (pads of velvet, brilliant eyes/stars)
Be ready to name devices (contrast, imagery, personification)

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

Animal welfare

The poem supports discussions on zoos, wildlife captivity and animal rights.

Conservation

It fosters respect for wild animals and their natural habitats.

Poetry appreciation

A model of using contrast and imagery to make an argument.

Empathy

It builds empathy for creatures that cannot speak for themselves.

Environmental awareness

It links to protecting tigers and their shrinking wild habitats.

Descriptive writing

Its vivid images are a model for descriptive composition.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

Always use the caged-vs-free contrast in your answers.
State the central idea (freedom vs captivity) clearly.
Quote key images (quiet rage, brilliant eyes/stars) where relevant.
Name devices (contrast, imagery, personification) for device questions.
For extract questions, explain the image and its significance.
Convey the tiger's frustration, not calm.

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

How juxtaposition/contrast structures a poem's argument.
Nature and captivity as themes across animal poetry.
Imagery and the appeal to the senses.
The ethics of zoos and wildlife conservation.

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

RBSE Class 10 Board (BSER Ajmer)High — contrast and central-idea questions common

NTSE / state scholarshipLow — reading comprehension

CBSE/other board EnglishHigh — same prescribed poem

Olympiads (English/IEO)Low–Medium — poetry appreciation

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Questions students ask

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Yes. RBSE prescribes the NCERT reader 'First Flight' for Class 10 English, and 'A Tiger in the Zoo' by Leslie Norris is one of its poems. RBSE (BSER Ajmer) sets the exam pattern and marking.

It protests against the captivity of wild animals. By contrasting the caged tiger's helpless pacing with the free tiger's power in the wild, the poet shows how cruel and unnatural it is to confine such a majestic creature, and pleads for its freedom.

He alternates between images of the tiger caged in a concrete cell (pacing a few steps in quiet rage) and images of the tiger free in the jungle (hunting deer, terrorising a village). The stark difference makes the cruelty of captivity vivid.

At night, the caged tiger stares with his brilliant eyes at the brilliant stars. This symbolises his deep longing for the free, open, natural world beyond the bars of his cage.

It shows that the tiger is not calm but silently furious and frustrated at his confinement. He cannot express his anger, so it simmers quietly — a powerful sign of his suffering in captivity.

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