Explanation

In the opening stanza, the poet describes the regal beast pacing within cramped confines: "The few steps of his cage." Trapped behind artificial barriers, the tiger is strictly limited to pacing the small perimeter of his artificial enclosure rather than roaming freely.

Explanation

The adjective vivid denotes deep, striking, and intensely luminous appearance. In the context of the poem, it refers to the bright, distinct, and glossy dark stripes that stand out sharply against the beast's tawny golden coat.

Explanation

Leslie Norris argues that a magnificent wild carnivore belongs in its natural habitat, living untamed. He emphasizes that the beast should be free, snarling around the houses at the jungle’s edge, terrorizing the village with his claws and fangs instead of languishing in captivity.

Explanation

• Statement 1 is False: Tigers maintain ecological balance in their natural biome; the poem presents the tiger as a victim of human cruelty, not a natural villain.
• Statement 2 is True: Confined within enclosures, wild beasts lose their ferocity and appear subdued or placid, pacing silently while ignoring human onlookers.

Explanation

The poet emphasizes the unnatural confinement of the beast by stating he is "locked in a concrete cell." The artificial stone chamber forms an impenetrable barrier that neutralizes his predatory instincts.

Explanation

• Assertion Analysis: The tiger stalks only "the few steps of his cage" rather than roaming across miles of territory (True).
• Reasoning Analysis: The cramped cage offers virtually no room to run, bounding his physical universe to a handful of paces (True, and directly explains A).

Explanation

The oxymoronic phrase quiet rage portrays the tiger’s inner turmoil. Though furious at being stripped of his liberty, he realizes roaring is futile against iron bars, leaving him with silent, suppressed anger.

Explanation

• a – 2 (Water hole): The hunting ground where plump deer pass to quench their thirst.
• b – 1 (Long grass): Dense vegetation through which the predator should be sliding silently.
• c – 3 (Patrolling cars): Man-made vehicles whose sirens and engines break the quiet of the zoo at night.

Explanation

The poet notes that near the water body, plump deer pass by to drink water. Under natural conditions, the lurking tiger would ambush these healthy animals as part of the wild food chain.

Explanation

The poem states: "He hears the last voice at night, the patrolling cars." Even after visitors disperse and night falls, the captive animal is denied peace due to surveillance vehicles.

Explanation

The concluding lines describe the tiger staring with his "brilliant eyes at the brilliant stars." Looking up at the cosmic sky represents his silent yearning for unconstrained liberty.

Explanation

The poet envisions the tiger where he belongs: "He should be lurking in shadow, sliding through long grass." Camouflaged by shadows and foliage, he waits undetected near water sources.

Explanation

The poem uses the specific epithet plump deer, signifying a healthy, well-nourished animal that would provide adequate sustenance for an apex predator in a balanced ecosystem.

Explanation

An oxymoron pairs two contradictory terms side-by-side. Here, quiet (calm, silent) contradicts rage (violent anger), emphasizing that his fury is bottled up without release.

Explanation

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds across closely placed words. The prominent sibilant /s/ and /z/ sounds in "Baring his white fangs, his claws" create an acoustic hissing effect reflecting the animal's menace.

Explanation

The poet repeatedly terms the eyes brilliant. They shine with predatory intelligence, reflecting the starlight while mirroring his intense desire for the wild.

Explanation

The expression his strength behind bars underscores tragic irony. An animal endowed with unmatched physical might is rendered utterly helpless because iron grates imprison his muscles and claws.

Explanation

The poem alternates stanzas between two contrasting worlds: the pathetic, restricted life of the tiger in a zoo, and the majestic, untamed freedom of the tiger in the wild forest.

Explanation

The tiger regards tourists as insensitive spectators to his misery. Knowing he cannot attack or scare them through iron bars, he dismisses them with disdain, ignoring their presence due to helplessness and wounded pride.

Explanation

Even in captivity, the tiger does not grovel. He stalks with dignified strides on velvet pads, maintaining an innate pride and majesty despite his restricted freedom.

Explanation

• Statement 1 is False: His movement is confined to a tiny concrete cell where he can pace only a few steps.
• Statement 2 is True: The poem explicitly states his strength is locked behind bars, rendering him harmless and helpless.

Explanation

• Statement 1 is True: The natural hunting strategy of the tiger is sliding through long grass to surprise prey.
• Statement 2 is False: He takes no pleasure in human company, completely ignoring visitors who stare at him.

Explanation

• Statement 1 is True: At night, the only sounds reaching him are the sirens and engines of patrolling cars.
• Statement 2 is False: He cannot hunt in a cage; hunting deer belongs to the wild forest near the water hole.

Explanation

• Statement 1 is True: In his natural state, he roams near the forest perimeter, "baring his white fangs, his claws, terrorising the village."
• Statement 2 is False: He is confined inside a sturdy concrete cell with iron bars, not a wooden room.

Explanation

• Statement 1 is True: Leslie Norris deliberately repeats the word: "with his brilliant eyes at the brilliant stars."
• Statement 2 is False: The stars shine in the infinite, open heavens—symbolizing the very limitless freedom denied to the tiger.

Explanation

The poet employs a metaphor: "On pads of velvet quiet." The bottoms of his paws are soft and cushioned like velvet, allowing him to pad silently without generating noise.

Explanation

The metaphor pairs the texture of velvet with absolute silence, evoking an image of soft, stealthy, and completely soundless footfalls as the apex predator paces his floor.

Explanation

The poem states that in a natural ecosystem, he would be "snarling around houses at the jungle’s edge," serving as an untamed guardian of nature's border against human encroachment.

Explanation

The poem explicitly notes that he walks "ignoring visitors." He treats the onlookers with cold indifference because he considers them insensitive bystanders to his unlawful confinement.

Explanation

Stalking means moving in a stealthy, measured, and majestic fashion. Even when restricted by a cage, the animal refuses to hurry, retaining the regal, slow strides of a hunter.

Explanation

• Assertion Analysis: The animal is shut inside a drab, rigid concrete cell (True).
• Reasoning Analysis: The man-made stone cage acts as a poignant symbol of human cruelty and artificial restriction against the natural freedom of the wild (True, and explains A).

Explanation

Behind his calm exterior lies burning resentment. His mood is dominated by suppressed fury (quiet rage) at being denied his natural birthright of freedom.

Explanation

In his wilderness home, the tiger waits patiently by the stream where plump deer come to drink, exemplifying the natural cycle of the wild predator.

Explanation

The repetition links the brilliant eyes of the captive tiger with the brilliant stars above. Both shine with identical intensity, yet the stars are unbound while the tiger remains behind iron bars.

Explanation

The poem delivers an ethical commentary on animal rights, contrasting the sorrow of forced captivity with the inherent dignity of natural freedom in the wild.

Explanation

• Statement 1 is True: The cage is so small that the tiger can take only a few paces before hitting the bars.
• Statement 2 is False: He has zero freedom; every movement is constrained by concrete and iron.

Explanation

Both statements are true: stalk-and-ambush hunting through tall grass is an instinctive predatory behavior that can only be fulfilled in the wild jungle.

Explanation

• Statement 1 is True: In his habitat, he bares his claws and fangs to terrorize intruders.
• Statement 2 is False: In the zoo, he does not entertain anyone; he turns his back on onlookers and walks away.

Explanation

• Statement 1 is True: The sound of patrolling cars echoes through the zoo at night.
• Statement 2 is False: Far from resting in peace, his sleep is broken by sirens, keeping him alert and troubled.

Explanation

His repetitive pacing reflects severe psychological distress. Denied his vast natural range, pacing is the only outlet left for his restless frustration and helplessness.

Explanation

The concrete cell stands as a symbol of man-made bondage. It represents how human vanity traps and degrades wild animals for fleeting entertainment.

Explanation

The distant stars represent infinite, uninhibited freedom. While the tiger's body is held behind bars, his upward gaze connects with the open cosmos, mirroring his yearning to roam free.

Explanation

The tiger cannot change his condition, so his anger remains internalized. He is silently suffering—furious at his confinement, but conscious of his inability to break free.

Explanation

The jungle represents the tiger's natural habitat where he can hunt, slide through tall grass, snarl around forest perimeters, and live in unhindered liberty.

Explanation

The poet strikes a deeply sympathetic chord, lamenting the loss of the majestic animal's wild freedom while critiquing human cruelty in caging wild creatures for amusement.