SEBA Class 10 English Poem 4 – How to Tell Wild Animals Solutions & Summary (Assamese Medium)
Looking for Class 10 English Poem 4 – “How to Tell Wild Animals” solutions? Ospin Academy provides detailed SEBA solutions in Assamese Medium, explaining the poet’s playful descriptions of different wild animals.
📖 Poem Overview:
The poem, written by Carolyn Wells, humorously describes various wild animals and their distinguishing characteristics in an engaging and rhyming manner.
📌 Key Themes & Summary:
- Humorous approach to identifying wild animals
- Playful use of exaggeration and irony
- Descriptions of lions, tigers, bears, hyenas, and crocodiles
- Fun and engaging tone of the poem
📌 Important Questions for Exams:
- What is the main idea of the poem “How to Tell Wild Animals”?
- How does the poet describe a Bengal Tiger?
- What literary devices are used in the poem?
- What message does the poet convey through humor?
📝 How Ospin Academy Helps:
- Detailed Assamese Medium Explanation
- Summary, Analysis & Poetic Devices
- Chapter-Wise MCQs for Practice
- Comprehensive SEBA Exam Preparation
Explore SEBA Class 10 English Poem 4 – “How to Tell Wild Animals” solutions on Ospin Academy and prepare confidently for your exams!
Class 10 English (First Flight & Footprints) PDF Solutions 2025-26 | SEBA Assam
Download Class 10 English (First Flight & Footprints) PDF with textbook solutions, MCQs, and extra exercises for SEBA Assam 2025-26.
Chapter 4
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.: The word ‘dyin’ does not really rhyme with ‘lion’. However, the two words can be said to be rhyming as there are only minor differences when it is spoken that way.
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 poet suggests that we can identify the Asian Lion by his enormous brownish-yellow colored body and loud sounds of roaring as he comes nearer. The Bengal Tiger can be identified by the black stripes on his yellow skin background who eats in one go as he comes near.
Q.3 Do you think the word ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ in the third stanza are spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?
Ans.: The words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ is not spelled correctly. The correct spellings are ‘leapt’ or ‘leap’. ‘Leapt’ is used sometimes in poetry as a past participle of ‘leap’. The poet spells them creatively to show the magnitude of the attack of the leopard in the poem.
Q.4 Do you know what a ‘bearhug’ is? It’s a friendly and strong hug such as bears thought to give, as they attack you! Again, hyenas are thought to laugh, and crocodiles to weep (‘crocodile’s tears’) as they swallow their victims. Are there similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals in your own language(s)?
Ans.: A bearhug is the bear’s tight embrace when it kills its victim. No, the hyenas do not laugh and crocodiles do not cry which reflects their false attitude. However, in every language, we have similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals.
Q.5 Look at the line “A novice might nonplus”. How would you write this correctly’? Why is the poets ‘incorrect’ line better in the poem?
“A novice might nonplus”
Ans.: The correct form is “A novice might get nonplussed.” In the poem, the incorrect line seems to be better because it maintains the rhythm with the word caress.
Q.6 Can you find other examples of poets taking liberties with language, either in English or in your own language(s)? Can you find examples of humorous poems in your own language(s)?
Ans.: Yes, we can find many examples of the poet taking liberties with the language which is only done to create humor and interest of the reader, or else, the piece of writing would sound boring.
For example, in the following lines the word ‘prest’ is used instead of ‘pressed’ so that it may rhyme with ‘breast’:
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth’s sweet flowing ‘breast’
Q.7 Much of the humor in the poem arises from the way language is used, although the ideas are funny as well. If there are particular lines in the poem that you especially like, share these with the class, speaking briefly about what it is about the ideas or the language that you like or find funny.
Ans.: Students must try to do it at their own level:
These are the lines that I like the most:
If he roars at you as you’re dyin’
A noble wild beast greets you
Just notice if he eats you.
will do no good to roar with pain
Who hugs you very, very hard,
A novice might nonplus,
Hyenas come with merry smiles
The true Chameleon is small
In all these lines the ideas are treated
Humorously. They are wild beasts.
They can neither laugh, smile nor
Be gentle. They will kill the human
Beings at once as they get the chance.
The Ball Poem – Thinking about the Poem
Q.1 Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?
Ans.: The poet says, “I would not intrude on him” because he wants the little boy to experience the meaning of loss in life. He knows that his loss cannot be compensated by another ball. The poet does not offer him money to buy another ball because he wants to make him realize that nothing is permanent in this world and one has to accept the loss as a part of life and give up on things one loves in order to survive.
Q.2 “……………starting down/All his young days into the harbor where/his ball went…’ Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?
Ans.: Yes, the boy has had the ball for a long time i.e. from the very beginning of his childhood days. Since it has been a part of his life, he admires playing with that ball. He has numerous memories of the days when he played with it.
Q.3 What does “in the world of possessions” mean?
Ans.: The phrase “in the world of possessions” means that people in this world are driven by materialistic goods where everyone wants more and more. Money is the tool that encourages people to buy these materialistic possessions but sadly it does not possess the power to buy things one dearly loves.
Q.4 Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest the answer?
Ans.: No, the boy has not lost anything earlier. The boy seems to rejoice merrily playing with the ball before it fell in the water. The line mentioned in the poem i.e. “He senses first responsibility” throws light on the fact that it was the first instance when the little boy was surrounded by feelings of grief on the loss of the ball.
Q.5 What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words.
Ans.: According to the poet, the boy is understanding the meaning of loss on account of losing his ball. Through this loss, he is understanding the worldly ways and trying to cope up with them. In this way, he is learning that one has to lose many things in life that may never come back. Therefore, in order to survive one needs to let go of things they love.
Q.6 Have you ever lost something you liked very much? Write a paragraph describing how you felt then, and saying whether-and how-you got over your loss.
Ans.: Yes, I have lost many things that were dear to me which I never wanted to lose. But among them, it was the loss of a watch that I could not bear since it was given to me by my dearest uncle who is no more now. He gave it on my 14th birthday which was really very special. When I went to visit the Lotus Temple in Delhi with my family, I lost it unknowingly being part of a large crowd. I found about the lost watch after returning home. At that time, I experienced feelings of dismay which I could not overcome for a long period of time.
SEBA Class 10 English Poem 4 – How to Tell Wild Animals FAQs (Assamese Medium)
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