Class 10 English Poems – How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem

NCERT CLASS 10 ENGLISH • FIRST FLIGHT • POEMS • HOW TO TELL WILD ANIMALS • THE BALL POEM • FULL SOLUTIONS

The Poems of Chapter 3

How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem

Poem: How to Tell Wild Animals

Question 1

Does ‘dyin’ really rhyme with ‘lion’? Can you say it in such a way that it does?

No, ‘dyin’ (dying) does not strictly rhyme with ‘lion’. The poet uses poetic license to alter the spelling and pronunciation to create a rhythm. If we pronounce ‘lion’ as one syllable (like ‘line’ with a twist) or emphasize the ‘lying’ sound in ‘dyin’, we can make them rhyme for humorous effect.

Question 2

How does the poet suggest that you identify the Lion and the Tiger? When can you do so, according to him?

Asian Lion: A large and tawny beast found in the jungles of the east. You can identify him when he roars at you while you are dying out of fear.
Bengal Tiger: A noble wild beast with black stripes on a yellow ground. You can identify him when he simply eats you. The poet humorously suggests this is a “simple rule” to learn.

Question 3

Do you think the words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ in the third stanza are spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?

No, they are not spelt correctly. The correct spellings are ‘leapt’ and ‘leap’. The poet spells them as ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ to maintain the rhyme scheme with the word ‘Leopard’ and to add a humorous, informal tone to the poem.

Question 4

Animal Expressions: Bearhug, Crocodile Tears, Hyena Laugh

Expression	Meaning
Bearhug	A tight, strong embrace. In the poem, the bear hugs you so tight that it kills you.
Crocodile Tears	Fake sorrow. Crocodiles are said to weep while eating their prey.
Hyena’s Laugh	Hyenas make a sound that resembles human laughter while hunting or eating.

Poem: The Ball Poem

Question 1

Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?

The poet does not want to intrude because he wants the boy to learn the lesson of loss and responsibility on his own. He doesn’t offer money because a new ball (material replacement) cannot replace the memories attached to the lost one. Money is “external” and cannot fix emotional loss.

Question 2

“…staring down / All his young days into the harbour 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?

Yes, the boy seems to have had the ball for a long time. The line “All his young days” suggests that the ball is not just a toy but a symbol of his childhood. When the ball bounces into the water, his childhood memories associated with it also seem to float away, leaving him grief-stricken.

Question 3

What does “in the world of possessions” mean?

It refers to the materialistic world where people value things and ownership. In such a world, losing things is inevitable, and people are often judged by what they possess. The poet suggests that in this world, one must learn to cope with the loss of cherished items.

Question 4

What is the boy learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words.

The boy is learning the epistemology of loss — the nature of what it means to lose something. He is learning:

To accept that loss is a part of life.
How to stand up and move on after losing something dear.
That money cannot buy back memories or lost time.