Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Questions and Answers CBSE Class 12 Board Exams

4 Marks Questions

Question 1 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

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.

a) Why is Aunt Jennifer doing with her wool?

Answer : Aunt Jennifer is embroidering beautiful images of tigers by using wool.

b) Why does she find it difficult to pull her ivory needle?

Answer : She finds it difficult to pull her ivory needle as she is terrorised and traumatised by the constraints of her married life.

c) What does ‘wedding band’ stand for?

Answer : The wedding band stands for her martial responsibilities but she feels burdened by them as she is not able to express herself.

d) Describe the irony in the third line.

Answer : The irony in the third line is that her marriage instead of proving blissful has overburdened her with responsibilities and her wedding band symbolises her bondage to her husband and his overpowering nature.

Question 2 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

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

a) Why are the tigers called Aunt Jennifer’s tigers?

Answer : The tigers are called Aunt Jennifer’s tigers as they were being embroidered on the tapestry of Aunt Jennifer.

b) How are they described here?

Answer : The tigers have been described here as bold and fearless and they move across the screen with confidence.

c) How are they different from Aunt Jennifer?

Answer : The tigers are different from Aunt Jennifer as they are shown as symbols of strength, fearlessness and confidence. Aunt Jennifer has been described as a timid female who is burdened with marital responsibilities and she is lacking in confidence.

d) What does the word, ‘chivalric’ mean?

Answer :  The world ‘chivalric’ means ‘gallant’ or ‘brave’.

Question 3 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

When Aunt is dead, her terrible 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

a) Who is the aunt mentioned here?

Answer : The aunt mentioned here is Aunt Jennifer, the protagonist of Adrienne Rich’s poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’.

b) Why is she “ringed with ordeals”?

Answer : The ‘ring’ here refers to her wedding band or ring, which has brought with it a host of family responsibilities. She feels so surrounded (i.e., ringed) by her marital constraints that it seems like an ordeal to her.

c) What is the difference between her and the tigers?

Answer : Aunt Jennifer is quiet weak and submissive, whereas the tigers are strong, bold and powerful. She is bound by the constraints of her married life, while the tigers are free to move about in the green woods.

d) Why has Aunt Jennifer created the tigers so different from her own character?

Answer : The tigers created by Aunt Jennifer are an expression of her desire to free herself from the constraints of her married life. She wants to be bold and fearless like her tigers.

Question 4 : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.

They do not fear the men beneath the tree;

They pace in sleek chivalric certainty

a) Who are ‘They’? Where are ‘They’?

Answer : ‘They’ refers to the tigers that Aunt Jennifer has knit on the panel. They are prancing in the forest (across a screen).

b) Why are ‘They’ not afraid of men?

Answer : The tigers are not afraid of men because they are gallant and fearless creatures who are not afraid of anyone.

c) What is the meaning of ‘sleek’?

Answer : The meaning of ‘sleek’ is ‘elegant’.

d) Who is the poet of this poem?

Answer : The name of the poet is Adrienne Rich.

3 Marks Questions (30 – 40 Words)

Question 1 : What picture of male chauvinism (tyranny) do we find in the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’?

Answer : In the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’, Aunt Jennifer was oppressed by her husband. She was confined within the four walls of of her husband’s house and was not free to do what she wished. She was also overburdened by her marital responsibilites.

Question 2 : Aunt Jennifer’s efforts to get rid of her fear proved to be futile. Comment.

Answer : Although Aunt Jennifer tried her best to conquer her fear, she continued to be traumatised and oppressed by her husband. Her act of embroiding fearless, prancing tigers could only give her a temporary release to her pent up feelings of liberation.

Question 3 : What is suggested by the phrase, ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?

Answer : The weight that lies heavily on Aunt Jennifer’s hand is the wedding band, which symbolises the harsh and difficult experiences of her married life. It is associated with her husband as he has traumatised her.

Question 4 : Why does Aunt Jennifer create animals that are so different from her own character?

Answer : In creating animals that are different from her own character, Aunt Jennifer found a means of living an alternate life that is denied to her, a life that is proud, free and fearless.

Through this difference, the poet suggests Aunt Jennifer’s suppressed desire to become bold and fearless, and free from oppression.

Question 5 : What are the difficulties that Aunt Jennifer faced in her life?

Answer : Aunt Jennifer was probably a victim of oppression at the hands of the patriarchal society. She was subjugated by her husband and was not free to do what she wished.

Question 6 : How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers different from her?

Answer : Aunt Jennifer’s tigers present a sharp contrast to her. While the Aunt is weak, meek, submissive and bound by restrictions, the tigers are strong, fearless, confident and free to move wherever they wish.

Question 7 : How does Aunt Jennifer express her bitterness and anger against male dominance?

Answer : Aunt Jennifer expresses her bitterness and anger against male dominance silently through her art. She creates tigers on her tapestry; animals that are unafraid of men and are symbolic of bravery, fearlessness and strength.

Question 8 : Why has Aunt Jennifer made ‘prancing proud and unafraid’ tigers?

Answer : Aunt Jennifer lived a fearful and restricted life. She expressed her desire of being free, unafraid and proud by knitting tigers that were ‘prancing, proud and unafraid’.

Question 9 : What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when she is dead?

Answer : The tigers created by Aunt Jennifer would live forever. They will keep on prancing proud and unafraid even after her death.

Question 10 : What kind of married life did Aunt Jennifer lead?

Answer : Aunt Jennifer was confined to live inside her husband’s house and was not free to do what she wished. She was burdened with her marital responsibilities and led a traumatic married life.

Question 11 : Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel?

Answer : Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel because for her, the tigers were the symbols of bravery, fearlessness and strength. Unlike her, they were not afraid of men around them.

Question 12 : How do the words, ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of Aunt Jennifer’s tigers?

Answer :  ‘Denizens’ means that the tigers inhabit a green world where they are free from any boundations. ‘Chivalric’ means that they are brave and courageous.

Question 13 : What do the symbols , ‘tigers’, ‘fingers’ and ‘ring’ stand for in the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’?

Answer : The ‘tigers’ are symbols of bravery and courage and also of Aunt Jennifer’s desire for freedom. The ‘fingers’ are symbol of fear experienced by Aunt Jennifer and ‘ring’ symbolises an oppressive and binding marriage.

Question 14 : How has Aunt Jennifer created her tigers? What traits of tigers do they reveal?

Answer : According to the poet, Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are golden-yellow in colour and are prancing across the screen. They live in a forest and are sleek, chivalric, majestic, elegant and unafraid of men.