CBSE Class 12 English Aunt Jennifers Tiger Worksheet

Question. For Aunt Jennifer, what do the tigers symbolise?
(A) Creative energy of women.
(B) Male-dominated society.
(C) Both (A) and (B)
(D) Liberal society.

Answer : C

Question. Read the statements given below. Choose the option that accurately describes the given statements.
Statement I: The poem is a manifesto against the institution of marriage.
Statement II: Aunt Jennifer represents all women artists.
Statement III: The poem embodies an alternative for women to express their repressed desires through art. 
(A) Statement I is True, Statement II is False, Statement III cannot be inferred.
(B) Statement I and III are False, Statement II cannot be inferred.
(C) Statement I and II are True, Statement III cannot be inferred.
(D) Statement I is False, Statement II cannot be inferred, Statement III is True.

Answer : B

Question. What is the attitude of the speaker towards Aunt Jennifer?
(A) He is indifferent to her.
(B) He loves her.
(C) He sympathises with her.
(D) He is cruel towards her.

Answer : C

Question. Choose the option that does NOT reflect what the tigers represent in the poem: 
(A) Aunt Jennifer’s undying hopes
(B) Aunt Jennifer’s failing marriage
(C) Aunt Jennifer’s artistic merit
(D) Aunt Jennifer’s frustrations

Answer : B

Question. Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel?
(A) To express her suppressed feelings.
(B) To express her inner strengths.
(C) To express her latent fighting spirit of a warrior.
(D) All of these.

Answer : D

Question. What was Aunt mastered by?
(A) her embroidery skills.
(B) her culinary skills.
(C) her taming of the tigers.
(D) her ordeals.

Answer : D

Question. Which of the following character traits suit Aunt Jennifer?
(A) bold and chivalric
(B) old and submissive
(C) cruel and tyrannical
(D) powerful and authoritarian

Answer : B

Question. Aunt Jennifer’s terrified hands would tell ___________ after her death.
(A) story of her life
(B) her strength to find her ways and beat the fears
(C) her constrained married life
(D) All of these

Answer : D

Question. Which of the following does NOT represent the contrast between Aunt Jennifer and the tigers?
(A) Uncertainty and confidence
(B) Terror and fearlessness
(C) Fiefdom and freedom
(D) Authority and autonomy

Answer : D

Question. The tone of the poem towards the end reflects _____________.
(A) happy moments
(B) resolving situation
(C) remorse and tension
(D) bright future

Answer : C

Extract Based MCQs :

Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow: 

Aunt Jennifer’s finger 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. 

Question. How would you describe Aunt Jennifer based on the above extract?
(A) Oppressed
(B) Malnourished
(C) Aging
(D) Diseased

Answer : A

Question. Which of the following is an example of an alliteration?
(A) Finger fluttering through the wool
(B) Upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand
(C) Ivory needle hard to pull
(D) Massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band

Answer : A

Question. Uncle’s wedding band sits heavily on Aunt Jennifer’s hand because :
(A) it is an expensive and heavy ring.
(B) she was married against her will.
(C) she feels burdened in her marriage.
(D) their relationship is lacking in love.

Answer : C

Question. Pick the option that displays the image which correctly corresponds to the type of task Aunt is engaged in:

(A) Option (i)
(B) Option (ii)
(C) Option (iii)
(D) Option (iv)

Answer : B

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. 

Question. Read the statement given below:
Aunt Jennifer’s plight is best explained by her hands, they hold both her freedom and the instrument of her imprisonment.
Choose the option that best explains the above statement, as per the extract.
(A) Aunt Jennifer’s hands are terrified, but when she is dead, her tigers will roam free.
(B) Aunt Jennifer knits her desires, but is overpowered by the wedding ring she wears.
(C) Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are proud and unafraid, but she is mastered by ringed ordeals.
(D) Aunt Jennifer makes panels of tigers when she has time from her responsibilities.

Answer : B

Question. What makes the tigers “proud and unafraid”?
(A) They embody the grandeur and supremacy of animals in the wild.
(B) They symbolise authority and are ‘topaz denizens of green’.
(C) They represent Aunt’s repressed desires for freedom and power.
(D) They are a product of Aunt’s imagination and colonial experience.

Answer : C

Question. Choose the option that DOES NOT reflect the movement implied by ‘prancing’.
(A) Bounding
(B) Frolicking
(C) Strutting
(D) Shuffling

Answer : D

Question. Which of the following CANNOT be inferred from the given extract?
(A) Aunt Jennifer’s tigers will keep her alive in everyone’s memory.
(B) Aunt Jennifer feels oppressed and constricted in her marriage.
(C) Even in death, Aunt Jennifer cannot escape patriarchal subjugation.
(D) Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance as a lasting symbol of her desires.

Answer : A

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. 

Question. What does the phrase, ‘a world of green’ mean?
(A) Grass
(B) Grasslands
(C) Forest
(D) Trees

Answer : C

Question. How are the tigers different from their creator?
(A) Tigers are bold.
(B) Tigers are trained.
(C) Tigers are beautiful.
(D) All of these

Answer : A

Question. Why are the tigers called ‘Aunt Jennifer’s tigers’?
(A) She has tamed them.
(B) She has trained them.
(C) She has sheltered him.
(D) She has embroidered them.

Answer : D

Question. What does the word, ‘chivalric‘ mean?
(A) Bold as compared to women
(B) Sympathetic towards women
(C) Respectful towards women
(D) Quarrelling with women

Answer : C

Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty. 

Question. Why are ‘They’ not afraid of men?
(A) They are strong and powerful..
(B) They are trained by men.
(C) They are unaware about the presence of men.
(D) They are elegant.

Answer : A

Question. Why are they described as denizens of a world of green?
(A) They are supporters of green colour.
(B) They are natives of tribes.
(C) They are natives of forests.
(D) They are natives of grasslands.

Answer : C

Question. How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers described?
(A) Bright
(B) Confident
(C) Chivalric
(D) All of these

Answer : D

Question. Who are ‘They’ in the lines?
(A) Tigers in the forest
(B) Tigers made of wool
(C) Tigers roaming in the zoo
(D) Tigers purchased by the poet

Answer : B

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.

Question. Why are Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering?
(A) She is embroidering tigers.
(B) She is nervous.
(C) She is suffering from disease.
(D) She has become old.

Answer : B

Question. What is Aunt Jennifer’s state of mind?
(A) Happy
(B) Peaceful
(C) Sad
(D) Perturbed

Answer : D

Question. How do fluttering fingers affect Aunt Jennifer?
(A) Embroiders elegant tigers.
(B) Can’t pull the ivory needle.
(C) Keeps her work aside.
(D) All of these

Answer : B

Question. What does ‘The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’ mean?
(A) Bound to live with her husband.
(B) Living away from the husband.
(C) Married to her husband as a child.
(D) Forced to lift uncle’s band daily.

Answer : A

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.

Question. Why does the ring weigh heavy?
(A) Restrictions of son
(B) Domination of husband
(C) Gaining weight
(D) All of these

Answer : B

Question. Why does she find it difficult to pull her ivory needle?
(A) She is terrorised.
(B) She has become old.
(C) She is unwell.
(D) She has forgotten the use of ivory needle.

Answer : A

Question. What does ‘wedding band‘ stand for?
(A) Wedding ring
(B) Music played at the wedding
(C) Responsibilities towards parents
(D) Responsibilities of married life

Answer : D

Question. What is Aunt Jennifer doing with her wool?
(A) Embroidering tigers.
(B) Making a rug for living room.
(C) Knitting a cardigan for her husband.
(D) Making a doll for her granddaughter.

Answer : A

Short Answer Type Questions :

Question. Describe the tigers created by Aunt Jennifer. 
Answer : Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are very brave and chivalric. They roam about confidently in the forest just like the knights.
They are the inhabitants of the forest and have no fear of the people sitting under the tree.

Question. What will happen when Aunt Jennifer is dead ? 
Answer : When Aunt Jennifer will be dead, she will still remain chained to the ordeals of her married life in the same way as she was mastered by when she was alive. It is considered that she will not be able to shake off the shackles of her married life. Since the society is male dominated, it will show no concern for Aunt’s suffering, even her death.

Question. Would you say that the poem ends on a note of hope? Justify your opinion.
Answer : One redeeming feature of her life is displayed in the last stanza, the prancing, free spirited tigers, will continue indefinitely. This gives a ray of hope for those who see no way out of a relationship. Art can bring a sense of inner peace and instil confidence, however fragile. This gives a ray of hope for those who see no way out of a relationship. Art can bring a sense of inner peace and instil confidence, however fragile.
This is a feminist twist on the classic signature tune of art’s ability to live longer than human life.

Question. How does Aunt Jennifer express her bitterness and anger against male domination ? 
Answer : Aunt Jennifer expresses her bitterness through her art by knitting tigers on the panel which symbolise freedom, strength and chivalry.

Question. How does the poet use the image of ‘fingers fluttering through the wool‘ to highlight Aunt Jennifer’s victimisation?
Answer : The poet highlights the victimization of oppressed Aunt Jennifer in his poem. According to him, she is so terrified of her husband that her fingers tremble when she pulls out the needle through wool which is very light. It symbolizes her physical as well as emotional weakness. The wedding ring which she is wearing seems heavy to her, as she finds it difficult to go ahead as her married life has taken away her freedom from her.

Question. Aunt Jennifer’s efforts to get rid of her fear proved to be futile. Comment. 
Answer : Aunt Jennifer lived in constant fear of her husband. She was very weak and frail. She could never stand up boldly against her tyrannical husband. She revolted silently in her own way, i.e., by creating tigers on a panel to symbolize her wish to be strong, fierce and free like the tigers. There was no escape even after death. Her terrified hands still will be ringed with ordeals that she was mastered with.

Question. Read the given quote. Every poem breaks a silence that had to be overcome.
In your opinion, what silence does the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ break?
Answer : The role of women in society and the language used by men for social and political gain go hand in hand. For poet Adrienne Rich the personal becomes the political and this short poem, whilst not overtly political, hints at more radical work to come.
Aunt Jennifer has suffered over the years and is looking for a positive way to express her artistic talents, before it’s too late. She intends that the tigers she creates will outlast her and become a symbol of freedom and independence.

Question. Why has Aunt Jennifer made prancing, proud and unafraid tigers? 
Answer : Aunt Jennifer has made those tigers to express her hidden suppressed feelings. Oppressed in a male dominated society, the qualities of a tiger like fearlessness and bravery are the ones which Aunt Jennifer longs to have.

Question. What picture of male chauvinism (tyranny) do we find in the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’?
Answer : Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers portrays the suppression of women in a male–dominated society. Aunt Jennifer is burdened by the ‘massive weight of the uncle’s wedding band’ and she is also scared of him. The poem shows lack of freedom as Aunt Jennifer was forced to live in accordance with the rules laid down by her husband, though she was not happy.

Question. ‘What knitting was to Aunt Jennifer; poetry was for Adrienne Rich’. Do you agree? Comment with reference to the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’. 
Answer : The women are silenced in the male- dominated society, this topic is silently addressed in Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger. In this poem, the poet has explored the mechanisms of the ‘male domination’ and ‘patriarchy’ that exists in the society. Adrienne Rich, a poet from marginalized communities reacts towards the dominating nature that forms the mainstream society. Rich saw poetry as a keen-edged beacon by which women’s lives and consciousness could be enlightened. The poem is an eye- opener to re-construct the identity of the women. The poet examines women’s positions in a conventional society, and strongly argues for restructuring identity and, rewriting the norms that result in envisioning a new world to come.
Hence, as Aunt Jennifer expresses her innate desires through her knitting, Adrienne Rich displays her ideals through poetry.

Question. What is the meaning of the phrase ‘massive weight of uncle’s wedding band’? 
Answer : ‘Massive weight of uncle’s wedding band’ refers to the responsibilities of marriage and oppression in a male dominated society which Aunt Jennifer experiences. 

Question. In the poem, Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, what is the contrast between the reality of Aunt’s life and her imagination? 
Answer : In the poem, Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, Aunt Jennifer is portrayed as a timid and nervous lady who is living a fearful existence but in contrast to this, she embroiders tigers which are the symbol of boldness, courage and fearlessness. They are the masters of their kingdom where no one lives a life devoid of freedom.

Question. How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers different from her? 
OR
Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own character?
Answer : Aunt Jennifer’s tigers were different from her because she herself was a timid lady whereas her tigers were symbolic of bravery, courage and fearlessness. They stand for power, strength and confidence which she lacks in herself.
Aunt Jennifer created animals, i.e., tigers which were very different from her own docile character because they represented the fearlessness and freedom which she was deprived of. They also represented her secret longing to live a brave and fearless life like them.

Question. Why is she ‘ringed with ordeals’?
OR
What kind of ordeals is Aunt Jennifer surrounded by? 
Answer : Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by the constraints of married life. She was probably dominated by her husband throughout her life. She was a timid woman and could never stand up to her husband boldly. She remained a caged bird and bore her sufferings meekly. She is the embodiment of the miseries inflicted by a patriarchal society.

Long Answer Type Questions :

Question. Read the given extract from an article published in The Independent:
“Turn your pain into art”: it’s a phrase most of us have heard before…
The theory that achieving something great requires suffering dates back to ancient times… Pain, however, is less an artistic necessity and more a result of “contagion” – a term used for the spreading of a harmful idea or practice…In the context of the struggling artist, it allows mental illness to fester; to be glamorized and admired; even encouraged in the name of art.
• Do you think Aunt Jennifer “turned her pain into art”? What kind of “contagion” might her pain be a result of?
• Evaluate Aunt Jennifer and her artistry in light of the above extract. 
Answer : In the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’, Aunt Jennifer was oppressed by her husband. She was confined within the four walls of her husband’s house and was not free to do what she wished. She was also overburdened by her marital responsibilities. Although Aunt Jennifer tried her best to conquer her fear, she continued to be traumatised and oppressed by her husband. Her act of embroidering fearless, prancing tigers could only give her a temporary release to her pent up feelings of liberation.
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. The tigers created by Aunt Jennifer are an expression of her desire to free herself from the restrictions of her married life. She wants to be bold and fearless like her tigers. 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. Imagine that Aunt Jennifer read the poem that Adrienne Rich wrote about her. After much contemplation, she decided to write a letter to her husband expressing her feelings and thoughts.
Write a letter as Aunt Jennifer.
Answer : 12, Davidson County
23 January ‘XX
Dear hubby,
I want to tell you that I love you very much. I know that you equally reciprocate this feeling. However, due to the society in which we have been brought up, I have been a target of male chauvinism. Though unknowingly to you, I have been afraid of you. Right after marriage, a girl has to adjust to the new house. In that situation, when she is burdened with the rules and regulations, she gets under-confident. Same happened with me. I had been afraid to tell you this earlier but Adrienne Rich’s poem gave me the courage to share the truth with you. As now I am nearing my death-bed, I want to let you know that I have loved and cherished every moment of life that I have spent with you, yet in some corner of my mind, I have been afraid lest any of my words or activities should anger you.
Hope you will take this in good spirits.
With love
Jennifer