CBSE Class 10 English How to Tell Wild Animals Notes 2026-27 | Nextoper Notes
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What is the poem How to Tell Wild Animals about?
How to Tell Wild Animals is a humorous poem by Carolyn Wells in the NCERT Class 10 English textbook, First Flight. It pretends to be a guide for identifying wild animals. Each clue, however, is a dangerous encounter. You learn the animal’s name only after it roars, eats, leaps on or hugs you.
Carolyn Wells was an American writer (1862–1942). She is known for mystery novels, children’s books and funny verse. This poem is nonsense verse, which means it is silly on purpose.
NCERT is the National Council of Educational Research and Training. It publishes the textbooks that CBSE, the Central Board of Secondary Education, uses. The poem is listed in the 2026-27 Class 10 English syllabus from the Directorate of Education, Delhi, as Poem 4.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Poem | How to Tell Wild Animals |
| Poet | Carolyn Wells |
| Textbook | NCERT First Flight, Class 10 English (Language and Literature) |
| Position | Poem 4, pages 44–45 in the textbook |
| Form | Six stanzas of six lines each |
| Rhyme scheme | ababcc in every stanza |
| Tone | Playful, deadpan, exaggerated |
| Session | CBSE 2026-27 |
What is the summary of How to Tell Wild Animals?
The poem gives six funny rules for recognising wild animals. You know the lion by its roar, the tiger because it eats you, and the leopard because it leaps on you. A bear hugs, a hyena smiles, a crocodile weeps, and the chameleon is the animal you cannot see on the tree.
Each stanza describes one animal, or two, and offers a “test”. The test is always the same joke. You find out the animal’s name only when it is already attacking you.
In stanza 1, a large, yellow-brown beast walks up and roars. In stanza 2, a striped animal greets you politely, and you must notice whether he eats you. In stanza 3, a spotted animal jumps on you, then jumps again.
Stanza 4 moves to your own yard, where a creature hugs you very hard. Stanza 5 compares two hunters, the hyena and the crocodile. Stanza 6 ends with a small lizard-like animal that you cannot even see.
| Stanza | Animal | The “clue” | Why it is funny |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asian lion | Large, tawny beast that roars at you | The roar is a clue only if you are “dyin'” |
| 2 | Bengal tiger | Black stripes on a yellow ground; he eats you | Advice is calm, but it means being eaten |
| 3 | Leopard | Spotted hide; he leaps on you again and again | “Lep” copies the sound of “Leopard” |
| 4 | Bear | Hugs you very hard, then once more | A friendly word, “caress”, hides a deadly hug |
| 5 | Hyena and crocodile | Hyenas smile; crocodiles weep | It turns two popular beliefs into a test |
| 6 | Chameleon | Small, no ears, no wings; nothing on the tree | The “clue” is something you cannot see |
Which animals appear in the poem and how are they described?
Seven animals appear: the Asian lion, Bengal tiger, leopard, bear, crocodile, hyena and chameleon. Each gets one clue drawn from popular belief, such as the bear’s hug or the crocodile’s tears. The poet exaggerates every clue until it becomes a danger, and that exaggeration creates the humour.
| Animal | Clue in the poem | Popular idea behind it |
|---|---|---|
| Asian lion | Large and tawny; roars | The lion as the loud, fierce king of beasts |
| Bengal tiger | Black stripes on yellow; “noble” | The tiger as a silent, powerful hunter |
| Leopard | Hide “peppered” with spots; leaps | The leopard as a quick, springing attacker |
| Bear | Hugs “very, very hard” | The expression “bearhug” |
| Hyena | Comes with “merry smiles” | Hyenas are thought to laugh |
| Crocodile | Weeps | The expression “crocodile tears” |
| Chameleon | Small; no ears; no wings | A harmless lizard, easy to miss on a tree |
The poem calls these creatures “beasts of prey” in stanza 5. It also says that a novice, a beginner, might be puzzled by them. That is why the poet offers a “simple rule”.
What are the themes and poetic devices in How to Tell Wild Animals?
The main theme is humour that comes from danger and exaggeration. The poet pretends to give safe advice, but every clue ends in an attack. She also plays with spelling and sound to keep the rhythm. Rhyme, irony, hyperbole and poetic licence are the key devices to name in your answers.
| Theme | Where you see it |
|---|---|
| Humour in danger | Being eaten or hugged is treated as a “simple rule” |
| Play with language | Spellings such as “lep” and the odd line “A novice might nonplus” |
| Popular beliefs about animals | Laughing hyenas, crocodile tears, bearhugs |
| Learning through laughter | The reader remembers each animal because the clue is funny |
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Rhyme scheme (ababcc) | “chance” and “advance”; “east” and “beast” | Gives a bouncy, song-like rhythm |
| Irony and understatement | “Just notice if he eats you” | Calm words, terrifying event |
| Hyperbole (exaggeration) | You can only name the lion while “dyin'” | Pushes the joke to the extreme |
| Poetic licence | “lept”, “lep”, “nonplus” | Bends spelling or grammar for rhyme and rhythm |
| Repetition | “lep and lep again”; “very, very hard” | Shows non-stop attack and adds comic beat |
| Wordplay on sayings | Hyena smiles; crocodile weeps | Turns common phrases into clues |
Poetic licence is the freedom a poet takes to bend the rules of language. It is the single most useful term for this poem, because three NCERT questions touch it.
What do the difficult words in How to Tell Wild Animals mean?
The NCERT glossary explains seven words: ground, discern, hide, peppered, caress, novice and nonplus. Learn these first, because the poem’s jokes depend on them. Each meaning below is given in simple words, with the sense the poet uses. We have added one extra word, tawny, because it appears in the very first stanza.
| Word | Meaning | How the poem uses it |
|---|---|---|
| ground | background | The tiger’s “yellow ground” is its yellow coat behind the stripes |
| discern | make out; identify | The simple rule helps you identify the tiger |
| hide | animal skin | The leopard’s spotted skin |
| peppered | here, covered with spots | Spots scattered like pepper |
| caress | a gentle, loving touch | The bear’s “caress” is another crushing hug |
| novice | someone new to a job | A beginner who cannot tell animals apart |
| nonplus(sed) | puzzle, confuse, surprise (usually passive) | The poet uses it actively to fit rhyme with “thus” |
| tawny (extra word) | brownish-yellow | Describes the lion’s colour |
What are the NCERT questions and answers for How to Tell Wild Animals?
NCERT’s “Thinking about the Poem” has seven questions on page 45. They cover the rhyme of “dyin'” and “lion”, identifying the lion and tiger, the spellings “lept” and “lep”, popular animal sayings, poetic licence, other humorous poems and your favourite lines. The model answers below are short, exam-ready and in our own words.
Q1. Does “dyin'” really rhyme with “lion”? Can you say it so it does?
Answer: No, not in normal speech. “Lion” has a “lie-un” sound, while “dyin'” ends in “-in”. You can make them rhyme by saying “lion” quickly as “lyin'”. Then it matches “dyin'”. The poet wants this near-rhyme, because the slightly wrong sound adds to the joke.
Q2. How does the poet suggest you identify the lion and the tiger? When can you do so?
Answer: The lion is a large, tawny beast that roars at you. The tiger has black stripes on a yellow coat, and you know it is a tiger if it eats you. According to the poet, you can identify them only at the moment of attack. That is when it is too late to use the knowledge, and that is the humour.
Q3. Are “lept” and “lep” spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them so?
Answer: No. The correct spellings are “leapt” and “leap”. The poet spells them “lept” and “lep” to keep the rhythm and the rhyme. The short “lep” also echoes the first syllable of “Leopard”. So the spelling itself suggests the animal’s quick, repeated jumps.
Q4. What similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals exist in your own language(s)?
Answer: Every language has them. English has “bearhug” and “crocodile tears”. Hindi has “magarmach ke aansu” for false tears. It also has “haathi ke daant, khane ke aur dikhane ke aur” for a person who shows one face and hides another. “Girgit ki tarah rang badalna” describes a person who changes opinions quickly. Such sayings are popular beliefs, not scientific facts.
Q5. How would you write “A novice might nonplus” correctly? Why is the poet’s line better?
Answer: The correct form is “A novice might be nonplussed”. The poet’s version is better for the poem for three reasons. It keeps the line’s beat, it rhymes with “thus” in the next line but one, and the odd grammar adds to the playful tone. This is poetic licence.
Q6. Can you find other poets taking liberties with language? Any humorous poems in your language?
Answer: Yes. Ogden Nash invents sounds such as “realio, trulio” in his poem The Tale of Custard the Dragon. Lewis Carroll invents whole words in Jabberwocky. These poets bend language to get rhythm, rhyme and laughter. You can add one humorous poem or rhyme from your own language, such as a nursery or folk rhyme you know.
Q7. Which lines do you like, and what makes them funny?
Answer (sample): I like “He’ll only lep and lep again”. The funny idea is that roaring in pain will not stop the leopard. The funny language is the spelling “lep”, which sounds like a bouncing animal. Another favourite is “A noble wild beast greets you”, because a polite greeting before an attack is absurd. Choose lines you really like and explain both the idea and the language.
Can you answer these 10 MCQs on How to Tell Wild Animals?
Yes. Try the ten questions below, cover the answers, and keep a score. Each answer has a one-line reason, so you can see why an option is right. If you miss more than three, read the stanza table above once more before you move on.
- Who wrote How to Tell Wild Animals?
(a) Rudyard Kipling (b) Carolyn Wells (c) Leslie Norris (d) Ogden Nash
Answer: (b). Carolyn Wells is the poet; Leslie Norris wrote a different Class 10 poem. - How many stanzas does the poem have?
(a) Four (b) Five (c) Six (d) Seven
Answer: (c). There are six stanzas of six lines each. - Which animal is identified by “just notice if he eats you”?
(a) Asian lion (b) Bengal tiger (c) Leopard (d) Bear
Answer: (b). Stanza 2 uses this test for the Bengal tiger. - The spelling “lep” is an example of:
(a) Poetic licence (b) A printing error (c) Personification (d) Simile
Answer: (a). The poet bends spelling for rhythm and rhyme. - Which animal is known by a very hard hug?
(a) Leopard (b) Hyena (c) Bear (d) Crocodile
Answer: (c). Stanza 4 describes the bear’s hug. - In the poem, “ground” means:
(a) Earth (b) Background (c) Forest (d) Field
Answer: (b). The NCERT glossary gives “background” for “yellow ground”. - How can you tell a crocodile from a hyena?
(a) Crocodiles smile (b) Hyenas weep (c) Hyenas smile, crocodiles weep (d) Both roar
Answer: (c). Stanza 5 gives this exact test. - What does “discern” mean?
(a) Run away (b) Make out; identify (c) Roar (d) Hide
Answer: (b). The glossary meaning is “make out; identify”. - Which clue tells you it is a chameleon?
(a) It roars (b) It hugs (c) It has wings (d) You see nothing on the tree
Answer: (d). The poem says the chameleon has no ears and no wings, so the tree looks empty. - What is the tone of the poem?
(a) Sad (b) Humorous (c) Angry (d) Serious
Answer: (b). Danger is treated as a joke throughout.
What should you revise the night before the exam?
Revise the poet’s name, the six stanzas, the ababcc rhyme scheme and the animal clues. Then learn three devices: irony, hyperbole and poetic licence. Finish with the glossary words and the seven NCERT answers. This takes about twenty minutes, and the memory chain below makes the order easy to recall.
Memory chain: Roar, Eat, Leap, Hug, Smile or Weep, Vanish.
The six verbs follow the poem’s order: lion roars, tiger eats, leopard leaps, bear hugs, hyena smiles and crocodile weeps, chameleon vanishes. Say them aloud twice.
| Self-check question | You should be able to say |
|---|---|
| Who is the poet? | Carolyn Wells |
| What is the rhyme scheme? | ababcc |
| Which animal is “tested” by being eaten? | Bengal tiger |
| Why “lep”? | Rhythm, rhyme and an echo of “Leopard” |
| What is the tone? | Humorous, deadpan |
| Name one device with an example. | Irony: “Just notice if he eats you” |
Which practice questions should you try for How to Tell Wild Animals?
Try these six questions after reading the notes. They cover short answers, a long answer and a language question. They are our own practice questions, not previous-year board questions. We do not claim that any of them appeared in an exam. Use the hints only after you have tried each one.
- How does the poet describe the Asian lion in stanza 1? Hint: size, colour, roar.
- Why is the poet’s advice about the Bengal tiger called a “simple rule” ironically? Hint: what must happen first?
- Explain how the poet uses popular beliefs about the hyena and crocodile. Hint: smile, tears, sayings.
- Why does the poet describe the chameleon by what it lacks? Hint: ears, wings, empty tree.
- Write a paragraph on how poetic licence adds humour to the poem. Hint: “lep”, “nonplus”, rhyme.
- Write a short, humorous four-line verse of your own that identifies an animal. Hint: use the ababcc beat or a simple rhyme.
For the official question pattern, check the CBSE Class 10 English syllabus 2026-27 from CBSE Academic.
What mistakes do students make in How to Tell Wild Animals?
The most common mistakes are wrong facts, not weak writing. Students name the wrong poet, give the wrong rhyme scheme, add animals that are not in the poem, or mix it with another poem. Some study websites repeat these errors. Check each fix below against the poem’s actual text.
| Mistake | What the poem actually says | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Rhyme scheme is aabbcc | Stanza 1 rhymes chance/advance, east/beast, dyin’/Lion | Write ababcc |
| The poem says the chameleon changes colour | It never mentions colour. The joke is that you see nothing on the tree | Say the chameleon is hard to spot |
| Mixing it with A Tiger in the Zoo | That poem is by Leslie Norris and is about a caged tiger. This one is a comic poem | Link this poem to humour and Carolyn Wells |
| Wrong poet (for example, Kipling) | The poet is Carolyn Wells | Write the full name |
| Adding elephants or snakes | Only seven animals appear | List the seven animals |
| “Correcting” lep and lept inside a quote | The poet’s spelling is deliberate | Quote it as written, then explain poetic licence |
| Treating it as real safety advice | The poem is a joke | Mention humour and exaggeration |
How do you explain the poem How to Tell Wild Animals in a short answer?
How to Tell Wild Animals by Carolyn Wells is a humorous poem that pretends to teach you how to identify wild animals. Each clue is a danger. You know the lion when it roars, the tiger when it eats you, and the bear when it hugs you. The poet exaggerates, uses poetic licence and makes fear funny.
What do students ask about How to Tell Wild Animals?
Who wrote How to Tell Wild Animals?
Carolyn Wells, an American writer known for mystery novels, children’s books and humorous verse, wrote this poem. It appears in NCERT’s First Flight for Class 10 English. Some websites wrongly name other poets, so always write “Carolyn Wells” in exams.
What is the rhyme scheme of How to Tell Wild Animals?
The rhyme scheme is ababcc in each six-line stanza. In stanza 1, “chance” rhymes with “advance”, “east” with “beast”, and “dyin'” with “Lion”. The last two lines of each stanza rhyme as a pair, which gives the punchline.
What is the theme of How to Tell Wild Animals?
The theme is humour in the face of danger. The poet pretends to give helpful identification tips, but each one means being attacked. Alongside this, the poem shows play with language and popular beliefs, such as laughing hyenas and crocodile tears.
Why does the poet spell “lep” and “lept” this way?
The poet uses poetic licence. The spellings keep the rhythm and rhyme, and “lep” echoes the first part of “Leopard”. The correct spellings are “leapt” and “leap”. The odd spelling also makes the leopard’s repeated jumping sound funny.
How do you tell a hyena from a crocodile in the poem?
The poem says hyenas come with merry smiles, while crocodiles weep. This uses two popular ideas: hyenas are thought to laugh, and crocodiles are said to shed “crocodile tears”. The poet treats these beliefs as a simple test for a beginner.
These Class 10 English How to Tell Wild Animals notes come down to one idea. Carolyn Wells turns fear into fun with exaggeration, rhyme and bent spelling. If you can explain why each clue is funny, you can answer almost any question on the poem. Keep the memory chain, the stanza table and the seven glossary words handy, and revise them once more before the exam.
Related notes
- Previous poem: Class 10 Dust of Snow notes
- Previous poem: Class 10 Fire and Ice Notes
- Subject hub: Class 10 English First Flight notes
