How to Tell Wild Animals

Introduction
The poem revolves around the dangerous ways to identify wild animals. The poet tries to distinguish one animal from the other in a
humorous way. The poem is, thus, very educative and informative which tells us about various features of wild animals.

Summary
It is a humorous poem. The poet suggests some dangerous ways of identifying wild animals. The suggested ways create humour. He
says if you ever visit the jungles in the east and you happen to encounter a lion, a tiger or a leopard, you’ll be able to identify them
by the way they attack upon you. The idea of ‘Identifying while dying’ makes you laugh. He also tells you to identify a bear from its
friendly, hard bear-hug, a hyena from its laugh and a crocodile from its weeping while swallowing its victim. If you see nothing on
the tree, then there is a chameleon as it has the quality to change its colour according to its surroundings.

Explanation

If ever you should go by chance

To jungles in the east;
And if there should to you advance
A large and tawny beast,
If he roars at you as you’re dyin’
You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…

Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (chance-advance, east-beast, dyin-lion)
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (and if there…..tawny beast)
Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (if there should to you advance)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ’o’ (you should go, should to you, roars,)
Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Asian Lion)

Explanation : The poet here says if by chance you happen to go to any forest in the east, you are
likely to encounter a huge and terrible animal moving towards you. You will notice that a large beast
roars loudly at you and you feel that you are going to die due to fear, then you will come to know that
it is the Asian Lion.

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.
This simple rule may help you learn
The Bengal Tiger to discern.

Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (round-ground, you-you learn-discern)
Alliteration: repetition of consonant sound ‘r’ at start of two or more closely connected words (roaming round)
Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (The Bengal Tiger to discern)
Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Bengal Tiger)
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ’o’ (or if some time when roaming round)

Explanation : The poet says that it is very likely that while roaming in the forest, you are greeted by
a wild beast. His majestic body is covered with black stripes on a yellow hide. The poet cautions if you
notice this beast and if he eats you, then this simple rule will teach you that it is a ‘Bengal Tiger’.

If strolling forth, a beast you view,

Whose hide with spots is peppered,
As soon as he has lept on you,
 You’ll know it is the Leopard.
’Twill do no good to roar with pain,
He’ll only lep and lep again.

Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (view- you, peppered- Leopard, pain-again)
Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘h’ in the beginning of two words (he has)
Poetic license: A liberty to the poet to change the spellings in order to create rhyme or rhythm in a poem (use of lept instead of leapt)
Repetition: use of ‘lep’ word in the last line.
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (strolling-forth-you, whose-spot, do no good to roar)
Consonance: use of ‘l’ sound (he’ll only lep lep)

Explanation : The poet here helps the readers to identify a Leopard. He says if you happen to walk in
the forest, you might encounter a beast with spots on his skin. When this wild beast will jump at you,
you will understand that it is a Leopard as he will keep jumping on you and will tear you apart.
Moreover, it will be of no use then to shout or cry with pain because he will continue pouncing on you.
So you should be careful.

If when you’re walking round your yard

You meet a creature there,
Who hugs you very, very hard,
Be sure it is a Bear.
If you have any doubts, I guess
He’ll give you just one more caress.

Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (yard-hard, there- bear, guess-caress)
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (if you were walking….creature there)
Alliteration: use of ‘w’ sound (when-walking), use of ‘h’ sound (who- hugs), use of ‘b’ sound (be-bear)
Assonance: use of vowel ‘e’ (meet a creature there)

Explanation : The poet says that while you are walking in your yard, you may encounter a creature
there. When this creature hugs you very very tightly, then believe that it is a Bear. The poet further
says that in case of any doubt, you will find that the Bear will embrace you once again till death.

Though to distinguish beasts of prey

A novice might nonplus,
The Crocodile you always may
Tell from the Hyena thus:
Hyenas come with merry smiles;
But if they weep they’re Crocodiles.

Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (prey-may, nonplus-thus, smiles-crocodiles)
Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘n’ (novice-nonplus), use of ‘th’ sound (the-thus)
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (though to distinguish….might nonplus, The crocodile…..hyena thus)

Explanation : The poet, here, helps to differentiate the Crocodile from the Hyena. He says that a
Hyena always laughs as it swallows its victim. A laughing Hyena’s voice resembles human’s laughing
sound. A crocodile on the other hand, is said to shed tears while eating its prey.

The true Chameleon is small,

A lizard sort of thing;
He hasn’t any ears at all,
And not a single wing.
If there is nothing on the tree,
’Tis the chameleon you see.
Literary Devices
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (small-all, thing-wing, tree-see)
Alliteration: use of ‘h’ sound (he hasn’t)
Consonance: use of ‘g’ sound (single wing)

Explanation : The poet describes a chameleon in this stanza. He says a chameleon is a small garden
lizard. It doesn’t have ears or wings. The poet, further, says if you are unable to see a thing on the
tree, then chances are that a chameleon is sitting there.

Difficult Word Meanings

Word Meaning

discern recognize

strolling walking casually

forth forward

hide skin of animal

peppered Here it means the spots

nonplus be confused

lept (leapt) jump towards someone

yard backyard or the lawn area of a house

caress A gentle touch

distinguish Differentiate
 beast of prey Any animals that hunts other animals for food

novice Someone new to a job

FAQs on Summary of How To Tell Wild Animals

Question 1.
What is the theme of the poem how to tell wild animals
Answer:
The poem ‘How to Tell Wild Animals’ by Carolyn Wells revolves around the dangerous ways to identify the wild animals.

Question 2.
What is the summary of how do you tell wild animals?
Answer:
The poet suggests some dangerous ways of identifying wild animals. The suggested ways create humour. He says if you ever visit the
jungles in the east and you happen to encounter a lion, a tiger or a leopard, you’ll be able to identify them by the way they attack you.

How to Tell Wild Animals Question and Answers

Q1-Does ‘dyin’ really rhyme with ‘lion’? Can you say it in such a way that it does?
A1-The actual word is dying which does not rhyme with lion. In order to create rhyme, it is written as ‘dyin’ in the
poem.

Q2- How does the poet suggest that you identify the lion and the tiger? When can you do so, according to
him?
A2-The poet differentiates between the two in the following manner-
He says that if the beast is of yellow- brown colour that is tawny colour and it roars out so fiercely that you may die out
of fear, then this is an Asian lion.
Whereas, if the animal has black stripes on yellow background of hthe skin and he attacks to kill you, then it is a
Bengal tiger.

Q3- Do you think the words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ in the third stanza are spelt correctly? Why does the poet
spell them like this?
A3-The words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ have not been spelled correctly. It is a poetic device known as poetic license which is
used by the poet to lay emphasis on the actions of the leopard.

Q4- Look at the line “A novice might nonplus”. How would you write this ‘correctly’? Why is the poet’s
‘incorrect’ line better in the poem?
A4-The correct order of the sentence is ‘a novice might be nonplussed’. The poet wrote it in order to bring rhyme to
her poem. nonplus rhymes with thus.

Q5- Much of the humour in the poem arises from the way language is used, although the ideas are funny
as well. If there are particular lines in the poem that you especially like, share these with the class,
speaking briefly about what it is about the ideas or the language that you like or find funny?
A5- Yes, it is true that the poet has used the language in a way that it arises humour. The poet has used many lines
that are funny. One such is ‘If he roars at you as you’re dyin’.You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…’ or the other one is ‘A
noble wild beast greets you’. So his idea of explaining the characteristics of the wild animals is quite funny.
How to Tell Wild Animals Extra Extract based Questions
1. If ever you should go by chance
To jungles in the east;
And if there should to you advance
A large and tawny beast,
If he roars at you as you’re dyin’
You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…
i) what are the 2 qualities of Asian lion?
A. Large and tawny.
ii) what is the rhyme scheme?
A. ababcc

2. 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.
This simple rule may help you learn
The Bengal Tiger to discern.
i) which figure of speech has been used in Line 1?
A. Alliteration (roaming round)
ii) What does ‘ground’ mean?
a. land
b. body
c. table
d. floor
A. b
iii) which figure of speech has been used in Line 2?
A. Oxymoron (noble wild)

3. If strolling forth, a beast you view,

Whose hide with spots is peppered,
As soon as he has lept on you,
You’ll know it is the Leopard.
’Twill do no good to roar with pain,
He’ll only lep and lep again.
i) what is the meaning of ‘hide’ as used here?
a. skin
b. to conceal
c. both a and b
d. none of these
a

ii) Why roaring with pain will not do any good?

It will not do any good because the leopard will attack you again and again

4. If when you’re walking round your yard

You meet a creature there,
Who hugs you very, very hard,
Be sure it is a Bear.
If you have any doubts, I guess
He’ll give you just one more caress.
i) Which figure of speech has been used in Line 3, why?
A. Repetition (to emphasize)
ii) Find a synonym of “hug”
A. Caress

5. A.The true Chameleon is small,

A lizard sort of thing;
He hasn’t any ears at all,
And not a single wing.
If there is nothing on the tree,
’Tis the chameleon you see.
i) A chameleon does not have ____ and _____
A. Ears and wings
ii) Why does the poet say that if there is nothing on the tree then it is the chameleon you see?
A. The chameleon changes its body colour according to the background where it sits. So, it is not visible. That’s why the poet says this.
iii) Mention true or false
A chameleon is similar to a lizard
A. True
iv) What is the unique characteristic of a chameleon?
A. The true characteristic of a chameleon is that it changes colour of its skin.