SUMMARY:
The poet describes the various wild animals. In the first stanza, the poet says to the readers, that if they go to the jungle, then how will they recognize the various animals of the jungle. The poet then starts describing the Asian Lion. She says that if an animal with yellowish-brown skin colour roars at you and you get so afraid that you die out of fear, it then means you have met with an Asian Lion.
In the second stanza, the poet describes a royal animal having black stripes on its yellowish skin and is roaming freely in the jungle. She says you will be certain that it is a Bengal Tiger if he starts eating you. But, there is no point in knowing the animal if you have to die to identify him!
In the third stanza, the poet describes an animal who walks in a slow, relaxed way, and his body is fully covered with small spots giving it a salt and pepper appearance. If that animal jumps on you, then you will get to know it is a Leopard. At that time, even if you cry, the leopard will not leave you. So, be careful and don’t allow him to jump on you.
In the next stanza, the poet says that if you are walking in a field and you see an animal who hugs you very tightly, then be sure that it is a Bear. If you still have some doubts, then you can confirm if it hugs you again. The poet conveys that when someone loves you and cares for you then they show their feelings and emotions by giving you a tight hug. However, when a bear hugs you in reality, then it will kill you with his tight hug.
In the fifth stanza, the poet asks the readers if they know how to recognize animals when they hunt their prey. She further elaborates that when hyenas kill their prey, they smile. Similarly, crocodiles have tears in their eyes when they eat their prey.
In the last stanza, the poet describes a small reptile that can change its skin colour. It looks like a lizard, but it does not have any ears or wings. When there is no one on the tree, then you will spot this Chameleon or garden lizard. The ability of the Chameleon to change its skin colour saves him from hunters and other animals.
EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS:
1. If ever you should go by chance To jungles in the east;
And if there should to you advance A large and tawny beast,
If he roars at you as you’re dyin’ You’ll know it is the Asian Lion ….
(a) State features of an Asian Lion.
(b) What happens when the lion roars?
(c) What do you mean by ‘tawny’ ?
(d) What is the physical appearance of the lion is the stanza?
Answer
(a) An Asian Lion is large and brownish-yellow in colour.
(b) When the lion roars, it is very scary and it feels like we are going to die.
(c) ‘Tawny’ means brownish-yellow in colour.
(d) The lion in the stanza is large and tawny.
2. Or if some time when roaming round, A noble wild beast greets you,
With black stripes on a yellow ground, Just notice if he eats you.
This simple rule may help you learn The Bengal Tiger to discern.
(a) How can you recognize a Tiger?
(b) Why does the poet call him a noble animal?
(c) How is the Bengal Tiger different from the other animals?
(d) What does the word ‘ground’ mean here?
Answer
(a) A tiger can be recognized with the black stripes on his yellow hide.
(b) The poet calls him a noble animal as he is very impressive in size and does not roar loudly.
(c) Bengal Tiger is different from the other animals as he is quiet and roams silently.
(d) It means the hide or the background that is the skin of the Tiger.
3. If strolling forth, a beast you view, Whose hide with spots in peppered, As soon as he has lept on you,You’ll know it is the Leopard. They will do no good to roar with pain, He’ll only lep and lep again.
(a) While walking, how does a leopard’s hide appear to be?
(b) When does one come to know that it is a leopard?
(c) Give a synonym of ‘strolling’.
(d) Why it won’t do any good to roar with pain?
Answer
(a) A leopard’s hide appears to be peppered while walking.
(b) According to the poet, one comes to know that it is a leopard when it leaps or jumps on him.
(c) Walking
(d) A leopard’s grip is the toughest one, so one can’t do anything under the grip of that beast.
4. If when you’re walking round your yard You meet a creature there,
Who hugs you very, very hard, Be sure it is a Bear,
If you have any doubts, I guess
He’ll give you just one more caress.
(a) Who is going to hug and why?
(b) This hug is also called
(c) The word ‘you’ in the first line here is
(d) Where can a bear be found?
Answer
(a) The bear is going to hug you hard.
(b) A Bearhug
(c) The word ‘you’ in the first line here is the reader
(d) A bear can be found in the yard where it may get nectar from the beehives.
5. Though to distinguish beasts of prey A novice might nonplus,
The crocodile you always may Tell from the Hyena thus:
Hyenas come with merry smiles; But if they weep they’re Crocodiles.
(a) Between which animals would it be difficult to differentiate?
(b) How does a Hyena differ from a Crocodile? (c)The popular phrase ‘crocodile tears’ means:
(d) Where does a novice may get confused?
Answer
(a) It would be difficult to differentiate between a Crocodile and a Hyena.
(b) A Hyena laughs as it swallows its victim, while a Crocodile weeps as it swallows its prey.
(c) “Crocodile tears” means pretend to be sorrowful and sorry
(d) A novice may get confused in differentiating between a hyena and a crocodile.
6. The true Chameleon is small, A lizard sort of things;
He hasn’t any ears at all, And not a single wing.
If there is nothing on the tree, ‘Tis the Chameleon you see.
(a) What does a Chameleon look like?
(b) Describe any two characteristics of a Chameleon.
(c) Give an antonym of ‘small’.
(d) Where can a chameleon be found?
Answer
(a) A Chameleon looks like a lizard.
(b) A Chameleon does not have ears and wings.
(c) Big
(d) A chameleon can be found on the tree.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. How can you identify the Asian lion and the Bengal Tiger?
The Asian Lion has a large body and a brownish-yellow coat. It roars loudly when it attacks its prey. On the other hand, the Bengal Tiger has black stripes on its yellow coat. It silently attacks its prey.
2. How can you distinguish between a tiger and a leopard?
A tiger has black stripes on its yellow coat. A leopard on the other hand, does not have any stripes. It has spots peppered on its body. Moreover, a tiger kills only when it is hungry, while a leopard can kill for the pleasure of killing by pouncing continuously on its prey.
3. What are the distinctive features of the Asian lion as given in the poem?
The Asian Lion is large in stature. It is brownish-yellow in colour. It roars very loudly. The sound of its roar is so terrible to hear that it can make one almost die due to fear. The Asian Lion is found in the forests of East Asian countries.
4. What does the Bengal Tiger look like? What is so distinct about him?
The Bengal Tiger roams freely in the forest. It is noble and majestic in stature. It wears black stripes on a yellow hide. When it notices someone, it tries to eat him. The Bengal tiger attacks its prey very silently and grasps it with his terrifying teeth.
5. How does a leopard behave when he sees someone?
A leopard has black spots all over its body. As soon as it sees someone, it leaps over him at once. It keeps on pouncing continuously on its victim, attacks him and starts eating him.
6. How does the poet describe the bear?
The poet describes the bear in a humorous way. He says that as soon as a bear sees a human being, it hugs him tightly. It clasps its prey tightly with both its hands and squeezes him to death. If he is still alive, he gives him another tight hug to kill him.
7. What is so weird about the Hyena and the crocodile?
Some animals such as the hyena and the crocodile are famous for their weird behaviour. For example, a laughing hyena’s voice resembles human’s laughing sound. Moreover, a hyena laughs while swallowing its prey, while a crocodile shed tears.
8. Describe a few characteristics of a chameleon.
A chameleon is a garden lizard and is an expert at camouflage. It changes its colour as per its surroundings. This ability of camouflage helps it in saving it from the hunters. A chameleon does not have – any ears or wings.
9. Why does the poet use the term ‘noble and wild for the tiger?
An ironical expression/hunts only when hungry/does not kill for pleasure/two contradicting words/suggests his majestic looks while the other suggests his dangerous habit of eating human beings/used to create humour.
ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS:
Q1. How does Carolyn wells use humour to tell or identify ‘wild animals?
Humorous description of wild animals/funny description of their traits/a novel humorous way of using language/Bengal tiger is never ‘noble’ in his heart/leopard kills his prey in a moment, crying won’t save him/bear’s hug is never loving/hyena never smiles happily/chameleon can never be true/funny ideas to make poem interesting.
Q2. ‘Many animals can be identified according to the poets’ suggestion. Name the animals. Which ones would you like to identify? Are there any lessons for us from this poem?
The poet has listed down the ways of identifying seven animals in the poem, viz., and the lion, the Bengal Tiger, the leopard, the bear, the hyena, crocodiles and chameleons. As for me, I would like to identify the bear, the Bengal Tiger and the leopard. However, putting my life on the line just to identify the tiger and the leopard doesn’t seem worth the risk! So if I see a noble beast with black stripes on yellow, I’II know the tiger, and the peppered spots will reveal the leopard. The bear hug, I wouldn’t mind! The poetess, using humour, seems to warn readers against venturing too close to these animals.
Q3. Every animal is unique and has some special characteristics. What tricks does the poet adopt in distinguishing various wild animals?
No doubt, every animal is unique. Every wild animal has his own special trait, colour, size and characteristics. The Asian Lion is found in the jungles of the eastern regions. It is a huge and mighty creature with brownish hide. His roar is enough to terrorize a person to death. The Bengal Tiger is a ‘noble’ and impressive wild animal. He has yellowish hide and black stripes all over it. The Leopard has dark spots all over his body. He is very agile. The moment he sees its prey; he pounces upon it without showing any mercy. The bear is known by his strong and tight hug. It becomes rather difficult for a novice to distinguish among wild animals. However, hyenas and crocodiles can be easily recognized. Hyenas come smiling merrily while crocodiles appear to be weeping. The chameleon is a small creature like a lizard. He has no ears and doesn’t have even a single wing. You can find him sitting on a tree.
Q3. ‘Appearances are deceptive’. Cite examples from the poem, ‘How to Tell Wild Animals’, to corroborate this statement.
Encountering the Asian Lion will be by hearing its roar while dying. Meeting an animal with black stripes on a yellow ground he should ensure that he is not eaten, as he has encountered a Bengal Tiger. When a beast with skin peppered with spots leaps on the person, that would be an encounter with a leopard. Roaring in pain is futile because the animal will ‘lep and lep’. Similarly, a hug in the dark, would be a bear. When confused between a crocodile and a hyena, the former would emit a merry smile, while the latter would weep tears. Chameleons appear not like lizard-like creatures with no ears, but as nothing on a tree.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS:
Q1- Which animal would you find in the jungles of the east?
A) Asian Lion
B) Bengal Tiger
C) Leopard
D) Bear
Ans: Asian Lion
Q2- Which animal's roar is enough to kill you?
A) Asian Lion
B) Bengal Tiger
C) Leopard
D) Bear
Ans: Asian Lion
Q3- Which animal is she referring to when she says, "A noble wild beast greets you"?
A) Asian Lion
B) Bengal Tiger
C) Leopard
D) Bear
Ans: Bengal Tiger
Q4. Which animal do you find while walking in a yard?
A) Asian Lion
B) Bengal Tiger
C) Leopard
D) Bear
Ans: Bear
05- How does a bear kill you?
A) By hugging you hard
B) with its roar
C) by taking a leap on you
D) None of the Above
Ans: By hugging you hard
Q6 Which animals are the beasts of prey?
A) Hyena
B) Crocodile
C) Both of them.
D) None of them
Ans: Both of them
Q7-Who cries while catching their prey?
A) Hyena
B) Crocodile
C) Both of them
D) None of them
Ans: Crocodile
08- Who smiles while catching their prey?
A) Hyena
B) Crocodile
C) Both of them
D) None of them
Ans: Hyena
09- What is the difference between a chameleon and a lizard?
A) Chameleon doesn't have ears and wings
B) Lizards don't have ears and wings
C) Lizards don't have wings
D) Chameleons doesn't have wings
Ans: Chameleon doesn't have ears and wings
010- Name the literary device used in the line "He hasri't any ears at all".
A) Assonance
B) Inversion
C) Enjambment
D) Alliteration
Ans: Alliteration
