CBSE Class 10 · English · board exam 2027
Chapter 3: A Tiger in the Zoo — notes
The chapter’s 5 parts in the book’s order — the first idea of each and the points Medha Ma’am writes on the board — and the summary at the end. The full lesson and a check question for each part are in the app.
1. What the poem does: moving between zoo and jungle
Okay, so this poem is by Leslie Norris.
- • Poet: Leslie Norris
- • Poem moves: zoo -> jungle -> zoo
- • Zoo stanzas: tiger caged, cage, concrete cell
- • Jungle stanzas: tiger 'should be' in grass, water hole, village
2. The tiger in the cage: stalking in quiet rage
Okay, so let's look at the first stanza now.
- • Tiger: vivid stripes, few steps of his cage
- • Movement: pads of velvet quiet
- • Feeling: quiet rage (silent but angry)
3. The tiger that should be: in the jungle
Okay, so now the poem imagines the tiger as he should be — not in the zoo, but in the jungle.
- • Should be: lurking in shadow, sliding through long grass
- • Near water hole, where plump deer pass
- • Should be: snarling around houses at jungle's edge
- • Baring white fangs, claws — terrorising the village
4. Back to the cage: locked behind bars
Okay, so after all that imagining of the wild tiger, the poem pulls you back suddenly.
- • 'But' marks the turn back to the zoo
- • Locked in a concrete cell
- • His strength behind bars
- • Stalking the length of his cage, ignoring visitors
5. The final image: brilliant eyes and brilliant stars
Okay, so let's come to the last stanza.
- • Night sounds: last voice, patrolling cars
- • Stares with his brilliant eyes
- • At the brilliant stars
- • Repetition: 'quiet...quiet', 'brilliant...brilliant'
Summary
Okay, so let's close this lesson with the poem, "A Tiger in the Zoo", by Leslie Norris. See, it moves from the zoo to the jungle, and then back again to the zoo. It keeps contrasting the tiger as he is, with the tiger as he should be. First, it shows him stalking quietly in his small cage — full of quiet rage, despite his vivid stripes. Then it imagines him as he should be, in the wild. There, he's lurking near the water hole among deer, and even snarling around houses at the jungle's edge. Now, watch the word 'but' — it turns the poem back to the real tiger, locked in a concrete cell. His strength stays behind bars, as he stalks his cage, ignoring visitors. Finally, at night, he stares with his brilliant eyes at the brilliant stars. That repeated word links his caged body to the free sky above — just as 'quiet' was repeated earlier in the poem. Tell me — why do you think the poet repeats 'brilliant' for both the eyes and the stars?
AskMedha · Medha Ma’am — CBSE Class 10 English, Chapter 3. Written from the textbook, checked twice.
Questions parents and students ask
- How do I get the "A Tiger in the Zoo" notes as a PDF?
- Press "Save as PDF" — the phone’s print sheet opens; choose "Save as PDF" there. The PDF holds the notes only.
- Where are these notes written from?
- From the chapter’s own textbook text, part by part, in the book’s own terms; a second, independent model then checked every part against the book. The full lesson, a check question for each part and the practice are in the AskMedha app.
The same preparation, with Medha Ma’am — on your phone
Every question of every chapter with its model answer, practice questions in the board’s own shapes, 60 minutes of class a day, written answers marked, a test every Sunday and a WhatsApp report to parents.
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