A Tiger in the Zoo By Leslie Norris

He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.

He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass,
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.

He should be snarling around house
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorizing the village.

But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.

He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And states with his brilliant eyes,
At the brilliant stars.

1.
According to the poet, what should the tiger be doing?
2.
Where do you think the tiger is?
1. In a jungle
2. In a circus
3. In a zoo
4. In a reserve forest
3.
Do you think the tiger is happy where he is? Which lines in the poem say so?
4.
Why does the tiger keep 'Stralking the length of his cage, ignoring visitors' ?
5.
Do the lines 'And stares with his brilliant eyes, / At the brilliant stars' tell you something about the tiger's feelings? Comment.
6.
Pick out lines from the poem that have the same meaning as the following phrases.
1. Soft underfeet ( stanza 1) :
2. Frustrated/ concealed anger ( stanza 1) :
3. Lying in wait (stanza 1) :
4. Terrorizing with his teeth and unsheathing his claws ( stanza 3) :

3 more answer(s) available.

A Tiger in the Zoo