What is How to Tell Wild Animals — Carolyn Wells about in NCERT Class 10 English Chapter 3?

How to Tell Wild Animals — Carolyn Wells is part 2 of Chapter 3 (Two Stories about Flying) in NCERT Class 10 English. The lesson provides an interactive treatment with paraphrased content, vocabulary highlights, literary device analysis, and CBSE-aligned exercises.

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How to Tell Wild Animals — Carolyn Wells

🎓 Class 10 English CBSE Theory Ch 3 — Two Stories about Flying ⏱ ~33 min

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Before You Read — Two Poems from First Flight

These two poems are very different in tone and purpose — one is delightfully comic, the other quietly profound. Read the context below and think about these questions before reading each poem.

Poem 1 — How to Tell Wild Animals: What if a humorous poem gave you deliberately useless advice about identifying dangerous animals — advice you could only follow if you were already being eaten? What effect would that create?

Poem 2 — The Ball Poem: A child loses a cheap rubber ball. Why might a poet write seriously about something so trivial? What larger truth about life might a lost ball stand for?

Connect: Have you ever lost something that couldn't be replaced — not because it was expensive, but because of what it meant to you? What did losing it teach you?

Vocabulary Warm-Up

Tawny A warm orange-brown colour, like a lion's coat

Discern To identify or recognise something clearly

Novice A beginner; someone new to a skill or field

Epistemology The study of the nature of knowledge and understanding

Intrude To enter a situation where one is not welcome

Rigid Stiff; unable to move or bend

Both poems explore different forms of loss and encounter:
Poem 1 uses dark, absurdist humour — the encounters with wild animals all end badly for the observer. The comedy arises from the gap between the poem's calm, instructional tone and the violent reality it describes.
Poem 2 uses a child's loss as a gateway into one of life's most important lessons: learning to accept that some things, once lost, are gone forever — and finding the strength to stand up and go on.

Poem I

How to Tell Wild Animals — Carolyn Wells

Carolyn Wells

American Author 1862–1942 Humorous Poetry Mystery Fiction

Carolyn Wells was an American author celebrated for her humorous verse and prolific mystery fiction output. She wrote over 170 books in her lifetime. Her comic poems are characterised by absurdist logic, clever rhyme, and a cheerful tone that makes even alarming subjects seem funny. How to Tell Wild Animals is a perfect example of her wit: it presents genuinely dangerous encounters with exotic animals as if they were a simple nature identification guide — with the punchline always being that you can identify the animal because it is in the process of killing you.

How to Tell Wild Animals

Stanza 1 — The Asian Lion

1If ever you should go by chance 2To jungles in the east; 3And if there should to you advance 4A large and tawny beast, 5If he roars at you as you're dyin' Dark Humour 6You'll know it is the Asian Lion...

Stanza 1 — Paraphrase & Analysis: The poem opens with a mock-serious travel advisory: if you visit eastern jungles and a large, tawny beast charges at you — and roars as you are dying — congratulations, you've identified an Asian Lion! The humour lies in the absurdity: you can only confirm the identification at the fatal moment. Irony The spelling "dyin'" (instead of "dying") is a deliberate phonetic choice to force the rhyme with "lion" — the poet takes a creative liberty with spelling for comic effect.

Stanza 2 — The Bengal Tiger

7Or if some time when roaming round, 8A noble wild beast greets you, 9With black stripes on a yellow ground, Imagery 10Just notice if he eats you. Dark Humour 11This simple rule may help you learn 12The Bengal Tiger to discern.

Stanza 2 — Paraphrase & Analysis: The second stanza introduces the Bengal Tiger with the same deadpan logic: a creature with black stripes on yellow — "just notice if he eats you." Irony The word "noble" is used mockingly — ironic, since the tiger's 'greeting' is an attack. "Ground" here means background or base colour. The advice — notice if he eats you — is the poem's most perfect comic line because it is both literally true as identification advice and completely useless as practical guidance.

Stanza 3 — The Leopard

13If strolling forth, a beast you view, 14Whose hide with spots is peppered, Imagery 15As soon as he has lept on you, Dark Humour 16You'll know it is the Leopard. 17'Twill do no good to roar with pain, 18He'll only lep and lep again.

Stanza 3 — Paraphrase & Analysis: The Leopard is identified by its spotted skin — and by the fact that it has already leapt on you. The spellings "lept" and "lep" are deliberately non-standard — the poet uses them to maintain the rhyme scheme (lept/peppered, lep/again), and the informal spelling gives the poem a playful, childlike quality. This is a classic example of a poet taking a "poetic licence" — bending spelling rules for sound and rhythm. Poetic Licence

Stanza 4 — The Bear

19If when you're walking round your yard 20You meet a creature there, 21Who hugs you very, very hard, Dark Humour 22Be sure it is a Bear. 23If you have any doubts, I guess 24He'll give you just one more caress.

Stanza 4 — Paraphrase & Analysis: The famous "bearhug" is transformed into lethal identification advice. Irony The word "caress" — meaning a gentle, loving touch — is applied to a bear's crushing embrace, creating a brutal irony. This stanza exploits the popular image of bears as "cuddly" creatures to comic effect. The casual, almost conversational tone ("I guess") makes the horror even funnier.

Stanza 5 — Crocodile vs. Hyena

25Though to distinguish beasts of prey 26A novice might nonplus, 27The Crocodile you always may 28Tell from the Hyena thus: 29Hyenas come with merry smiles; Personification 30But if they weep they're Crocodiles. Irony

Stanza 5 — Paraphrase & Analysis: The line "A novice might nonplus" is grammatically non-standard — "nonplus" is used as a verb in its active rather than passive form (the standard is "be nonplussed"). This grammatical liberty allows the rhyme to work (nonplus / thus). The stanza plays on popular beliefs: hyenas "laugh" (their call sounds like laughter), and crocodiles are said to shed "crocodile tears" while eating their victims — false tears, insincere grief. Alliteration in "merry/might" adds rhythm.

Stanza 6 — The Chameleon

31The true Chameleon is small, 32A lizard sort of thing; 33He hasn't any ears at all, Imagery 34And not a single wing. 35If there is nothing on the tree, Dark Humour 36'Tis the chameleon you see.

Stanza 6 — Paraphrase & Analysis: The final stanza is the most brilliantly absurd: how do you see a chameleon? You see it precisely when it is invisible — when there is "nothing" on the tree! The chameleon's defining quality (camouflage) makes it unidentifiable, so you know it's there by its absence. Irony This is the poem's cleverest joke and a perfect conclusion. Unlike the other animals, the chameleon presents no danger — it's the poem's one harmless creature, yet it's the hardest to identify.

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Extract-Based Questions — How to Tell Wild Animals

"Or if some time when roaming round, / A noble wild beast greets you, / With black stripes on a yellow ground, / Just notice if he eats you."

Q1. Name the animal being described in this stanza and identify the two physical features mentioned.

L1 Remember

The animal described is the Bengal Tiger. The two physical features are: (1) black stripes, and (2) a yellow background/base colour on its coat. The word "ground" here means background colour, not the floor.

Q2. What is ironic about calling the tiger "noble" and its attack "greeting"?

L4 Analyse

The irony is two-layered. First, "noble" traditionally implies something admirable and dignified — but the tiger's action (eating you) is brutal and fatal. Second, the word "greets" suggests a friendly encounter, whereas what is actually described is a predatory attack. By using these polite, elevated words for an act of violence, the poet creates a comic gap between language and reality — the defining technique of the entire poem.

Q3. How does the humour in this poem arise? Analyse the technique used.

L4 Analyse

The humour arises primarily from incongruity — the mismatch between the poem's calm, instructional, almost textbook-like tone and the violent reality it casually describes. The advice to "just notice if he eats you" sounds like a naturalist's field note, not a matter of life and death. This technique of discussing horrifying situations in a completely matter-of-fact manner — known as deadpan humour — is the poem's central comic device. The regular ABAB rhyme scheme adds to the breezy, lighthearted effect, making the violence seem even more absurd.

Q4. "A novice might nonplus" — what creative liberty does the poet take here? Is the 'incorrect' version better? Justify. [HOT]

L5 Evaluate

Conventionally, "nonplus" is used in the passive voice: "a novice might be nonplussed." The poet uses it actively — "A novice might nonplus" — which is grammatically non-standard. However, the 'incorrect' version is absolutely better for the poem because it maintains the rhyme (nonplus / thus) and preserves the poem's brisk, confident rhythm. If the poet had written "a novice might be nonplussed," the line would have lost its snap and broken the pattern. This is a classic example of poetic licence — intentionally breaking a language rule for artistic effect. The result works beautifully.

Poem II

The Ball Poem — John Berryman

John Berryman

American Poet 1914–1972 Confessional Poetry Pulitzer Prize

John Berryman was a major American poet associated with the confessional movement, alongside Robert Lowell and Sylvia Plath. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the National Book Award. His work often explores loss, identity, and the experience of growing up. The Ball Poem appears deceptively simple — a child loses a ball — but it is, in fact, a deeply philosophical meditation on loss, responsibility, and the universal human experience of learning to let go of what cannot be recovered.

The Ball Poem

Lines 1–4

1What is the boy now, who has lost his ball, 2What, what is he to do? I saw it go 3Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then 4Merrily over — there it is in the water! Imagery

Lines 1–4 — Paraphrase & Analysis: The poem opens mid-scene with an urgent, almost breathless question: "What is the boy now?" — not "what will he do?" but "what is he?" This immediately signals that the poem is about the boy's inner transformation, not just the ball. The word "Merrily" — repeated twice — creates a painful contrast: the ball bounces away cheerfully, indifferent to the boy's devastation. Irony The poet is an observer — he "saw it go" — and the witnessing establishes the poem's dual perspective: the child's raw grief and the adult poet's understanding.

Lines 5–9

5No use to say 'O there are other balls': 6An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy Imagery 7As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down 8All his young days into the harbour where 9His ball went. Symbolism

Lines 5–9 — Paraphrase & Analysis: "No use to say 'O there are other balls'" — the poet dismisses the well-meaning adult consolation immediately. The ball is irreplaceable not because of its material value but because of what it represents. Symbolism The boy "stands rigid" — the physical description (rigid, trembling, staring) externalises his internal grief. "All his young days" — staring into the harbour, he is really staring back through his whole childhood, all the memories attached to this ball. The ball has become a repository of his past.

Lines 9–14

9I would not intrude on him; 10A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now 11He senses first responsibility 12In a world of possessions. People will take 13Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy. 14And no one buys a ball back. Money is external. Metaphor

Lines 9–14 — Paraphrase & Analysis: "I would not intrude on him" — the poet's restraint is deliberate and wise. He understands that this is a private moment of education — the boy must experience this loss fully, without an adult rushing in to make it better. A dime (a coin) and another ball cannot replace what is lost — money is "external," meaning it cannot touch the interior world of memory and meaning. "He senses first responsibility" is the poem's pivot: this is the first moment the boy grasps that possession comes with the possibility of loss. Imagery "People will take / Balls" — the poet uses "balls" as a symbol for anything precious that life will inevitably take from us.

Lines 15–18

15He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes, 16The epistemology of loss, how to stand up Metaphor 17Knowing what every man must one day know 18And most know many days, how to stand up. Symbolism

Lines 15–18 — Paraphrase & Analysis: The final lines are the poem's philosophical heart. "Well behind his desperate eyes" suggests that the learning is happening at the deepest level — not intellectually, but emotionally and existentially. The phrase "epistemology of loss" (epistemology = the study of the nature of knowledge) is Berryman's most powerful coinage: the boy is not just learning that he lost a ball — he is learning the fundamental human knowledge of loss itself. "How to stand up" — repeated twice — is the poem's central imperative. Symbolism Life will knock us down; the essential skill is learning to stand up again. The poem ends not with consolation, but with quiet, hard-won wisdom.

Theme Web — The Ball Poem

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Extract-Based Questions — The Ball Poem

"He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes, / The epistemology of loss, how to stand up / Knowing what every man must one day know / And most know many days, how to stand up."

Q1. What does the phrase "well behind his desperate eyes" suggest about the boy's experience?

L2 Understand

"Well behind his desperate eyes" suggests that the learning happening in this moment is not conscious or intellectual — it is deep, internal, and emotional. The boy's eyes show desperation (the visible, external emotion), but the real change is happening beneath the surface, in the depths of his consciousness. He is learning something that cannot be taught in words — it can only be felt and understood through the direct experience of loss.

Q2. What is "the epistemology of loss"? Why does the poet use such a complex philosophical term in a poem about a child?

L4 Analyse

Epistemology is the study of the nature of knowledge — how we come to know what we know. "The epistemology of loss" means the process of coming to understand, at the deepest level, what loss really is and what it means. The poet deliberately uses this weighty, academic term for a child's simple experience to make a profound point: a child losing a ball is not a trivial event. It is the first lesson in one of life's most fundamental truths — that things and people we love will be lost, and no amount of money or logic can undo that. The big word applied to a small event is itself a form of ironic elevation.

Q3. Why does the poet say "I would not intrude on him"? What does this tell us about the poet's view of the boy's experience?

L4 Analyse

The poet refuses to intervene — he won't offer a coin or a new ball — because he understands that this moment of grief is essential. To comfort the boy immediately would be to rob him of a crucial life lesson. The poet's restraint shows wisdom: he recognises that some experiences must be felt completely to be truly understood. This is a deeply compassionate but non-sentimental view of childhood — the poet respects the boy's pain enough not to shortcut it.

Q4. "How to stand up" — repeated twice at the poem's end. Evaluate the effect of this repetition. [HOT]

L5 Evaluate

The repetition of "how to stand up" creates several effects simultaneously. First, it has a rhythmic, incantatory quality — like a repeated lesson being drummed in. Second, it emphasises that "standing up" (both literally and figuratively) after loss is not a one-time achievement but an ongoing, repeated act — "most know many days." Third, it gives the poem a quiet, determined tone that replaces sentimentality with strength. The phrase is both simple and profound: it acknowledges the pain of loss while insisting on the necessity of recovery. It becomes the poem's central moral, applicable not just to a lost ball but to every loss a human being will ever face.

Word Power — Key Vocabulary from Both Poems

tawny

adjective

Warm orange-brown in colour; the typical colour of a lion's coat

"A large and tawny beast advanced through the jungle."

discern

verb

To make out, identify, or distinguish something with difficulty

"The Bengal Tiger to discern — notice if he eats you!"

peppered

adjective (past participle)

Covered with spots; scattered all over as if sprinkled

"The leopard's hide was peppered with dark spots."

novice

noun

A beginner; someone inexperienced in a particular activity

"A novice naturalist might be confused by so many beasts."

rigid

adjective

Stiff; unable to move or be changed; inflexible

"He stands rigid, trembling, staring into the water."

epistemology

noun

The branch of philosophy concerned with the study of knowledge — how we know what we know

"He is learning the epistemology of loss — how to understand and accept what is gone."

intrude

verb

To enter a situation uninvited; to interfere where one is not welcome

"I would not intrude on him in his moment of grief."

caress

noun / verb

A gentle, loving touch — used ironically in the poem for a bear's crushing hug

"If you have doubts, he'll give you just one more caress!"

Thinking About the Poems — Comprehension Exercises

Poem I — Q1 2 marks

Does 'dyin'' really rhyme with 'lion'? What does the poet's choice reveal about how the poem should be read aloud?

If read in a slightly exaggerated way — "dye-in" — the word "dyin'" does approximately rhyme with "lion." The poet's deliberate misspelling signals that the poem should be read aloud with a strong, somewhat comic rhythm, almost like a nursery rhyme. This playful approach to pronunciation is part of the poem's humour — it invites the reader to perform rather than merely read, and the imperfect rhyme adds to the poem's cheeky, self-aware quality.

Poem I — Q2 2 marks

Why does the poet spell "lept" and "lep" instead of "leapt" and "leap"? Is this a mistake or a choice?

The spellings "lept" and "lep" are deliberate poetic choices, not errors. "Lept" maintains the rhyme with "peppered" (both end in the same consonant cluster sound), and "lep" rhymes with "again" when read in a short, punchy rhythm. This is an example of poetic licence — a poet intentionally bending spelling or grammar rules to serve the poem's sound, rhythm, or rhyme. The informal spellings also give the poem a slightly rough, childlike energy that adds to its humour.

Poem II — Q1 2 marks

Why does the poet say "I would not intrude on him"? Why doesn't he offer the boy money to buy another ball?

The poet stays back because he understands that the boy is undergoing a crucial life experience — his first real encounter with loss that cannot be undone. Offering money would interrupt this necessary learning moment and give the boy the false impression that every loss can be compensated. The poet states clearly: "Money is external" — it cannot replace the internal, emotional significance of the lost ball. By holding back, the poet shows deep respect for the boy's grief and allows the lesson to unfold naturally.

Poem II — Q2 3 marks

What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Explain in your own words.

According to the poet, the boy is learning something far more profound than merely that he has lost a toy. He is learning the "epistemology of loss" — meaning he is gaining a deep, felt understanding of what it means to lose something permanently. He is discovering, for the first time, that he lives in a "world of possessions" where things will be taken, lost, or destroyed — and that no amount of money or wishful thinking can restore them. Most importantly, he is learning "how to stand up" — to recover one's balance and continue living in the face of irreversible loss. This is, the poet suggests, a universal human knowledge that every person must learn, often many times over.

Poem II — Q3 2 marks

Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Pick out the words that suggest the answer.

Yes, the poem strongly implies that the boy has had the ball for a very long time — it is linked with his entire childhood. The key phrase is "staring down / All his young days into the harbour" — by staring after the ball, he is looking back through all the years of his childhood in which the ball played a part. The phrase "All his young days" suggests a long accumulation of memories. The ball is not just an object; it is a vessel containing his personal history.

Writing Craft — Creative and Analytical Tasks

Task 1 (Poem I): Much of the humour in 'How to Tell Wild Animals' arises from the way language is used. Choose two stanzas and write a short paragraph (80–100 words) explaining what you find funny or clever about them — referring to specific words, phrases, and literary techniques.

Word limit: 80–100 words

Task 2 (Poem II — NCERT): Have you ever lost something you liked very much? Write a paragraph (80–100 words) describing how you felt then and whether — and how — you got over your loss. Try to use at least one metaphor or simile in your response.

Word limit: 80–100 words

Sample Response:
When I was nine, I lost my grandfather's old fountain pen — the one he had used to write letters during his working life. I had borrowed it to practise my handwriting. I must have left it on the school bus. The grief I felt was out of all proportion to the object's worth — it was simply a pen. But it was also the only thing I owned that he had touched every day for forty years. Like the boy in the poem, I eventually stood up. But I understood, for the first time, that some things you simply cannot get back.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem about in NCERT English?

How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem is a lesson from the NCERT English textbook that covers important literary and language concepts. The lesson includes vocabulary, literary devices, comprehension exercises, and writing tasks aligned to the CBSE curriculum.

What vocabulary is important in How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem?

Key vocabulary words from How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem are highlighted throughout with contextual meanings, usage examples, and interesting facts. Click any highlighted word to see its full definition and example sentence.

What literary devices are used in How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem?

How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem uses various literary devices including imagery, symbolism, and figurative language. These are identified with coloured tags throughout the text for easy recognition and understanding by students.

What exercises are included for How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem?

Exercises include extract-based comprehension questions in CBSE board exam format, grammar workshops connected to the passage, vocabulary activities, and creative writing tasks with model answers provided.

How does How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem help in board exam preparation?

How to Tell Wild Animals & The Ball Poem includes CBSE-format extract-based questions, long answer practice with model responses, and grammar exercises that mirror board exam patterns. All questions follow Bloom's Taxonomy levels L1-L6.

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