This post provides NCERT solutions for Class 10th English First Flight poem How to Tell Wild Animals by Carolyn Wells. I recommend first read the summary of How to Tell Wild Animals to understand the Thinking about the Poem Fire and Ice questions better.
How to Tell Wild Animals Thinking about the Poem
Q.1. Does ‘dyin’ really rhyme with ‘lion’? Can you say it in such a way that it does?
Ans. No, the two words do not really rhyme. But if we pronounce ‘lion’ carelessly as ‘lyin”, it rhymes with ‘dyin”. The poet spells the words this way to force the rhyme and to make the lines funny.
Q.2. How does the poet suggest that you identify the lion and the tiger? When can you do so, according to him?
Ans. The Asian Lion is a large, tawny beast that roars at you. The Bengal Tiger is a noble beast with black stripes on a yellow ground. But according to the poet you can be sure of the lion only when it is roaring at you as you are dying, and of the tiger only if you notice that he is eating you. In other words, you can identify them only when it is far too late and that is the humour of the poem.
Q.3. Are ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?
Ans. No. The correct spellings are ‘leapt’ and ‘leap’. The poet spells them this way so that they rhyme with ‘leopard’, and this deliberate mistake adds to the fun of the poem.
Q.4. Are there similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals in your own language?
Ans. Yes, there are many in Hindi. We say मगरमच्छ के आँसू (crocodile tears) for false weeping, गीदड़-भभकी for an empty threat, लोमड़ी जैसा चालाक for a cunning person, गधा for a foolish one and शेर का दिल for a brave one. Like ‘bearhug’ in English, these expressions are based on popular beliefs about animals rather than on facts.
Q.5. How would you write “A novice might nonplus” correctly? Why is the poet’s line better here?
Ans. Correctly it would be: “A novice might be nonplussed”, because ‘nonplus’ is normally used in the passive. The poet’s ‘incorrect’ line is better in the poem because it keeps the rhyme with ‘thus’ and the regular rhythm of the stanza, and the odd grammar itself becomes part of the humour.
Q.6. Can you find other examples of poets taking liberties with language, or humorous poems in your own language?
Ans. Yes. In English, Lewis Carroll invents whole words in Jabberwocky, and Edward Lear twists spellings and grammar in his limericks. In Hindi, the humorous verses of Kaka Hathrasi and Surendra Sharma play with words and pronunciation in the same way to make readers laugh.
Q.7. Which lines in the poem do you especially like?
Sample ans. I like the lines about the bear best, where the poet says that if you have any doubt about the animal, it will kindly give you one more caress. Calling a bear’s crushing attack a ‘caress’ is a gentle, polite way of describing something deadly, and that contrast is what makes it so funny. I also enjoy the hyena and crocodile stanza, where the only difference between the two animals is that one smiles while the other weeps.
Glossary in Textbook:
ground — background; discern — identify; hide — animal skin; peppered — covered with spots; caress — a gentle, loving touch; novice — someone new to a job; nonplussed — puzzled, confused.
