Class 10 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - First Flight

Short Answers Questions

Q1: How does a tiger create terror for the villagers?
Ans: The tiger terrorizes the villagers by barring his big white fangs and revealing his sharp claws. He makes terrifying low snarls moving around the houses of the villagers that are situated at the edge of the forest. His mighty presence and roars scare the villagers.

Q2: How does the tiger make his presence felt in the village? (CBSE 2015)
Ans: The tiger makes his presence felt in the village by snarling around the houses which are at the edge of the forest. He tries to terrorise people by showing his white fangs and claws.

Q3: Why should the tiger snarl around the houses at the edge of the forest? [CBSE 2012]
Ans:  The tiger should snarl around the houses at the edge of the forest in order to scare the villagers so that they won’t disturb the peace of the mighty animal. Also, snarling is a natural characteristic of a tiger.

Q4: Where should the tiger have been according to the poet? [CBSE 2014]
Ans: According to the poet, the tiger should have been in his natural habitat, i.e., a forest. He is a mighty predator who survives by hunting his prey. He belongs to a place where he can freely move about, frightening people by deadly growls.

Q5: It is said that an animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language. Explain with reference to the tiger. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans: We have heard that eyes speak and they speak the truth. It is visible in this poem also. The tiger in the zoo conveyed both his anger and helplessness through his eyes. He shows his anger, hatred and even defiance by walking about in rage in his cage. The tiger in the cage ignores all those who come to the zoo to see him as entertainment. At night, he showed his helplessness by staring at the stars in the sky.

Q6: The poet celebrates the strength of the tiger in this poem. Counter the statement. [CBSE QB, 2020- 21]
Ans: The tiger mentions about the strength of the tiger but also counters by showing that it is caged and not free. His strength is frustrated and becomes a funny stock as the mighty animal feels helpless in the confinement. The tiger, unlike his forest life, has no freedom to move around and hunt in the small zoo. On the other hand, the real natural life of the majestic tigers involves walking in the tall grass and hunting the deer that pass near the water hole.

Q7: Do you think the tiger in the poem had lost its natural instinct due to captivity? Support your response with evidence from the poem. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans:

• As a Yes: I think the tiger in the poem had lost its natural instinct due to captivity. Although the tiger was in terrific rage as he had been taken away from his natural habitat, he didn’t roar as he would have done in the forest. Instead, he walked silently about the length of the cage. The zoo had controlled the tiger’s natural display of emotions.
• As a No: I don’t think so. The caged tiger walks in a proud manner. He walks quietly. But his eyes show that he is very angry at having been imprisoned in a cage. All his activities prove that the tiger in the poem had not lost its natural instinct due to captivity. He is still chivalric, confident and graceful.

Q8: Why should the tiger snarl around houses at the edge of the forest?’ [CBSE 2012]
Ans: The tiger should snarl around houses at the edge of the forest because of the following reasons. Firstly the villagers will not disturb the peace of the forest. Secondly, they will not kill the animals for money or just for fun.

Long Answer Questions

Q8. What do you think the tiger would say to you, as a visitor?
You may begin like this: Please stop staring. You have no idea……………………… (continue)…………………. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans: Are you here also just to entertain yourself at my helplessness due to captivity? If so, please stop staring as if I am any object on display. You have no idea how suppressed and dejected I am feeling at the moment and day and night. I’m trying to ignore each one of you as I consider you humans to be devoid of feelings.
You humans have cruelly snatched away my freedom and thrown me up here in the cage just for your entertainment and joy of watching which is at the cost of natural freedom. None had ever tried to help me out to make me free from this cage which is too small for me to even stretch somewhat longer for comfort.
I’m just fed up with this situation and the visitors like you. If you are not one of them then please do some favour by making me free of this captivity and leave me in the jungle which is my real home.

Q9. Imagine the tiger writes a diary entry conveying how he feels helpless, angry and frustrated in the concrete cell. He writes about his desire to be free. Write that diary entry.  [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
You may begin like this:
15 October 2020, Thursday 9:00 pm
I feel so vulnerable and annoyed at my state. I don’t know if I can ever be a free denizen of the forest.
Ans: 10th February, 2023, Thursday 9:00 P.M.
I feel so vulnerable and annoyed at my state. I don’t know if I can ever be a free denizen (resident as a native) of the forest. We are known for being the most fearless and bravest animal of the jungle but here I really feel horrible and frustrated to be inside the concrete cell with bars. I miss a lot my jungle life where I can run, chase and prey on other animals and collect food for my family. I would feel like going back to my heaven when released from forest life. It is my real green world where I can perform my regular’s activities without any fear of being trapped. Living inside this cage seems to be like hell, where I am void of freedom and happiness.
I hate the staring eyes of the visitors as they don’t empathise with my agony. I so eagerly hope for the day when humans would realise my situation and would make me free for my natural life.
Bye dear diary

Q10: Imagine that Man has been accused by the tiger of cruelty in an animal court. What would be the tiger’s two major accusations and how would Man defend them? Present your answer in two paragraphs. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans: The tiger’s two major accusations would be as follows:
The tiger is a denizen of the forest. He loves to roam around freely in his natural habitat-the jungle. There, he is totally free with no restriction on his movements and activities but the humans make them captives and put them behind the cages. Not only this, the humans also destroy their natural habitat to satisfy their greed. Apart from this, the humans are also indulged in illegal killing of the tigers.
Man’s Defence: We have not kept the tiger to deprive him of his natural habitat. We have done it to keep him under utmost care. Keeping the tigers in the confined wall saves them from illegal poaching. At least this way, they all will not be killed and become extinct. Tigers are fierce beings and hunt humans for food and we humans kill them to make money. It is, too, part of the life cycle operative on both sides.

Q11: The tiger in the poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’ presents a contrasting image with the tiger in the poem ‘How to Tell Wild Animals’. Compare and contrast the two tigers with reference to the manner in which they have been presented in both poems. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans: The tiger in ‘A Tiger in the zoo’ is a pathetic animal when he is locked in a concrete cell in the zoo. The mighty and ferocious animal is put behind the bars. There he stalks in ‘quiet rage’ the length of his cage. He becomes just a piece of entertainment for visitors. But he ignores them. At night from behind the bars, he keeps staring at the brilliant stars which only intensifies his loss of freedom. On the contrary, the tiger in the poem, ‘How to tell wild animals’ is a very grand and impressive animal. His hide is yellowish. There are black strips all over his body. He is very agile. The moment he notices someone; he will simply eat away that creature at once. He is free, confident, graceful and ferocious. He is ready to pounce upon its prey. He shows no mercy and jumps at its prey at once. Thus, the former tiger is the example of confinement whereas the latter suggests the main contrasting idea of freedom.

Q12: How does the poem point to the cruelty of animals in captivity? [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans: No doubt that the poet wants to convey that it is cruel to keep the wild animals in small enclosures of the zoo, away from their natural habitat. They feel anger, helpless and unhappy and remember their life and environment in the forest. Here, the tiger changed his natural self by controlling his natural instinctive fierce behaviour inside the zoo. His freedom to growl, hunt and terrorize were snatched away from him. It touches hearts and makes us empathise with the tiger when he is shown helpless watching stars at night and not even being able to sleep due to the blaring sirens of patrolling cars. This shows the cruelty of man on the animals by keeping them in captivity like animals in the zoo.

Q13: Freedom is such an essential virtue that is valued not only by human beings but also by animals alike. Justify the statement with reference to the poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’.
Ans: Freedom is an essential virtue valued by all. Not only humans but even the denizens of the forest value it. No one knows it better than a caged tiger in a zoo. Animals, particularly the animals of the wild, feel free only in their natural habitats. Looking at them in cages will be against natural justice. The tiger roams around in the jungle hunting its prey at will. He rarely kills them for sport. He knows how to ambush his prey. He also knows where he can find his favourite plump deer. The same tiger feels depressed and low in spirits when he is put behind the bars. He stalks constantly the length of his cage in his ‘quiet rage ‘. He sadly keeps staring at the stars in the open sky. This reminds him of his loss of freedom and intensifies his grief.

Q14: Mijbil and the Tiger, both were looked after by humAns: Assume they both meet each other in the zoo and have a conversation about their lifestyle and feelings. Write this conversation as per your understanding of Mijbil the Otter and A Tiger in the Zoo. [You may begin like this Tiger: Thanks for visiting me, though I don’t usually like visitors. Mijbil: Oh? I would love visitors, I think.] (SQP 2022-23)
Ans: Tiger: How can you feel secure when you are not near the jungles? Aren’t jungles where you belong?

• Mijbil: I don’t think I’d be able to survive on my own in the jungle because I’m not as huge and intimidating as you. I could be easily harmed by any predator in the wild.
• Tiger: Animals and humans can learn to coexist. Animals attack humans due to their absurd behaviour, like throwing stones at us and other things. We will avoid them if they learn appropriate behaviour.
• Mijbil: I acknowledge your justification and express my regret for your situation. I hope one day all creatures on Earth can learn to live together, but I also want you to be happy with your situation.