Question Bank — Aunt Jennifer's Tigers

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

1. What does the word “denizens” suggest about the tigers?
   a) They are intruders
   b) They are permanent inhabitants of their world
   c) They are afraid of men
   d) They are artificial

2. The phrase “sleek chivalric certainty” implies the tigers are:
   a) Aggressive and violent
   b) Elegant and confident
   c) Timid and hesitant
   d) Playful and childish

3. Aunt Jennifer’s hands are described as “fluttering” because she is:
   a) Excited
   b) Nervous and physically weak
   c) Angry
   d) Practising a dance

4. The “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band” symbolises:
   a) The value of the ring
   b) The burden of patriarchal oppression
   c) Aunt Jennifer’s love for her husband
   d) The beauty of marriage

Assertion-Reason

5. Assertion (A): The tigers will continue to prance even after Aunt Jennifer’s death.
   Reason (R): The tigers represent Aunt Jennifer’s unfulfilled desire for freedom and fearlessness.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

Assertion-Reason

6. Assertion (A): Aunt Jennifer finds the ivory needle hard to pull.
   Reason (R): She is physically exhausted from the “ordeals” of her married life.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

7. The word “ringed” in the third stanza suggests:
   a) A circle of friends
   b) Trapped or encircled by difficulties
   c) Wearing many rings
   d) A round panel

8. The tigers are “proud and unafraid” in contrast to Aunt Jennifer because they:
   a) Live in a real forest
   b) Symbolise the freedom she lacks
   c) Are male animals
   d) Are made of wool

9. The dominant colour associated with the tigers is:
   a) White
   b) Bright topaz / golden yellow
   c) Black
   d) Red

10. The poem suggests that Aunt Jennifer’s art:
    a) Will also die with her
    b) Will outlive her and preserve her inner strength
    c) Is meaningless
    d) Is appreciated by her husband

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen,
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.”

i. Who is the speaker and what is the context of these lines?
ii. What does the phrase “bright topaz denizens” mean?
iii. Identify the literary device used in “sleek chivalric certainty”.
iv. What inference can be drawn about Aunt Jennifer from the contrast presented in these lines?

Extract 2

“Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool
Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.”

i. Name the speaker and the situation described.
ii. Why does Aunt Jennifer find the needle hard to pull?
iii. Identify the literary device in “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band”.
iv. What does the image suggest about Aunt Jennifer’s married life?

Extract 3

“When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.”

i. Who is speaking and what is the occasion imagined here?
ii. Explain the phrase “still ringed with ordeals”.
iii. Name the literary device used in “ringed with ordeals”.
iv. What does the survival of the tigers suggest?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

1. How do the words “denizens” and “chivalric” add to our understanding of the tigers’ attitudes?
2. Why are Aunt Jennifer’s hands described as “fluttering through her wool”?
3. What is suggested by the image of the “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band”?
4. Of what or of whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified in the third stanza?
5. Why does the poet use the word “ringed” and what are its two meanings in the poem?

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

1. Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are described as “proud and unafraid” while she herself is timid and oppressed. How does the poet use this contrast to comment on the position of women in a patriarchal society?
2. “The tigers in the panel that she made / Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.” Discuss the significance of this ending with reference to the central theme of the poem.

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

1. Vocabulary/Grammar task
   From the poem, pick out two adjectives that describe the tigers and two words/phrases that convey the burden on Aunt Jennifer. Use each of the four words in meaningful sentences of your own.

2. Short writing task
   Imagine you are Aunt Jennifer. Write a short diary entry (80–100 words) expressing your feelings while embroidering the tigers, mentioning the contrast between the freedom of the tigers and the constraints of your own life.