Chapter 4: How to Tell Wild AnimalsClass 10 English — summary, notes, extra questions & MCQ quiz

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The story in short

Carolyn Wells’s poem is a humorous and witty piece that pretends to teach readers how to identify various wild animals — but in a comically dangerous way. With light, playful rhyme, the speaker describes how you can recognise an Asian Lion if it roars at you while it eats you, a Bengal Tiger by the black stripes on its yellow body as it pounces, a leopard by its spots as it keeps leaping on you, and a bear by the way it hugs you very tightly. The poem also jokes about telling a crocodile from a hyena by whether it weeps while eating, and a chameleon by its ability to change colour and seem to vanish. The humour lies in the absurd idea that one would be identifying these creatures while being attacked. The poem entertains while showing the poet’s clever use of wit, rhyme and exaggeration.

The story in 5 beats

1. 1The poet jokes that an Asian Lion is known when it roars while killing and eating you.
2. 2She says a Bengal Tiger is easy to know by its yellow body with black stripes as it attacks.
3. 3A leopard is recognised by its spotted body and repeated leaps after you if you cry for help.
4. 4A bear is known when it gives a crushing hug, and a hyena and a crocodile are compared humorously.
5. 5At the end, the poet describes the chameleon as a small creature that changes colour and seems to disappear.

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