Important Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 12 Poem

Important Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 12 Poem – Ajamil And The Tigers

English literature and poetry are subjects used to spread awareness about common people’s plight in society. Poets often use satires to express their discontentment with the powerful classes’ unjust and inhumane treatment of common people.

The poem “Ajamil And The Tigers”, written by Arun Kolatkar, is a political satire highlighting the oppression and persecution of the working class by the powerful and ruling sections of society. The poem is a complex blend of truthful facts about how common citizens are persecuted, and how the poet observes the same.

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Extramarks’ set of important questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 12 Poem will assist students in comprehending the message of the poem. Many poetry experts have collected all the important questions and provided easy-to-understand solutions to English Woven Words Class 11 Chapter 12 Poem important questions. After going through the solutions to all the essential questions, students are guaranteed to score wonderful marks in exams.

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Important Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 12 Poem – With Solutions

Students face difficulties framing descriptive and detailed answers, especially for the poetry section. However, by using the set of Extramarks’ Chapter 12 Poem Class 11 English Woven Words important questions, students can learn to describe the concept of the poem with all the necessary details.

Here are the important questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 12 Poem with solutions.

Question 1. The poem has a literal and a figurative level. Why has the poet chosen “tigers” and “sheep” to convey his message?

Answer 1. In the poem “Ajamil and the Tigers,” the poet presents a distinction between common working-class people and the owners of the land. In the poem, the shepherd decides to sign a peace treaty with the tiger king. According to the peace treaty, no conflicts would occur between the tiger and sheep communities. The shepherd represents the politician, while the sheep represents the common man.The sheepdog stands for the army people protecting the average citizens. The poem’s theme is the class struggle between the persecutor and those who are often persecuted. The shepherd is symbolic of a politician who wouldn’t mind killing off some of his citizens to maintain sovereignty within his country.

 Therefore, the poem states that rulers could easily give up on some people to maintain power in the regime.

Question 2. What do Ajamil, the tiger, and the sheep signify in the poem?

Answer    2. In the poem “Ajamil and the Tiger,” the poet describes the existing differences between the powerful and underprivileged classes. The ruling class, which has enormous political power, often oppresses the powerless class. Ajamil is a shepherd and signifies the ruling class. The tiger community and Ajamil represent dishonest and corrupt politicians who would sacrifice the country’s average citizens to meet their selfish needs unscrupulously.

Question 3. What facet of political life does the behaviour of Ajamil illustrate?

Answer    3. The poem is a cleverly written political satire that describes how politicians carry out indiscriminate oppression and unjust activities towards people and the warriors or  army who protect them. In the poem, Ajamil is a shepherd, responsible for caring for the sheep. However, when the sheepdog notifies Ajamil about the attack of tigers on the sheep, Ajamil, instead of protecting the sheep, invites the tiger community for dinner, where they are given gifts such as sheep wool. Ajamil is a representation of the ruling and powerful political class. Ajamil did not heed the sheepdog’s warning and sacrificed some of his sheep to maintain peaceful relations with the ferocious tigers that symbolised the downtrodden and corrupt people. T

Therefore, the poem unfolds some truths about political life in a world where politicians are ready to give up their people to please a community of dishonest officials.

Question 4. Why did Ajamil ignore the sheepdog’s warning?

Answer    4. The sheepdog protected all the sheep single-handedly and took the tiger king before the shepherd. The tiger king said that he wanted to be friends. It was a lie because a few moments ago, the entire tiger community attacked the herd of sheep. Fortunately, the sheepdog was successful in protecting the sheep. However, Ajamil listened to the tiger’s lies and ignored the sheepdog by not even meeting the gaze of his eyes. Therefore, Ajamil ignored the sheepdog’s warning because he wanted to enter into peaceful relations with the dangerous and corrupt tiger community.

Question 5. Why have the words, ‘pretended’ and ‘seemed’ been used in the lines: 

…pretended to believe every single word 

of what the tiger king said

And seemed to be taken in by all the lies. 

How does the sense of these lines connect with the line ‘Ajamil wasn’t a fool’?

Answer   5. The sheepdog caught the tiger king. However, the tiger king offered a cordial relationship with the shepherd, Ajamil. The sheepdog had just caught the tigers attacking the sheep. Even after knowing everything, Ajamil established friendly relations with the tiger community. A huge feast was arranged, and members of the tiger community were given sheep wool and meat. Ajamil was not a fool, knowing how to hold on to his political power. Ajamil knew that the tigers would return to hunt the sheep, but he did not try to catch the tiger king. Instead, he proceeded to set up diplomatic ties with the same tigers who were dangerous to his sheep. Ajamil took this step because he knew that, unfortunately, the only way to maintain his political supremacy was to sacrifice some sheep and continue formal relations with dangerous tigers.

Question 6. Why did Ajamil refuse to meet the sheepdog’s eyes?

Answer    6. The sheepdog was clever enough to understand the intentions of the tigers and the shepherd. Ajamil knew that the tigers posed great threats to his sheep, and the sheepdog truthfully told Ajamil that the tigers were indeed dangerous. However, Ajamil refused to acknowledge the warnings of the sheepdog and proceeded with friendly relations with the tiger king. Ajamil did not make eye contact with the sheepdog while signing the diplomatic pact with the tiger king. Ajamil was a shrewd politician who knew the trick to carrying on his superiority was to be friendly to creatures, even when they posed a danger to his creatures. Unfortunately, Ajamil did not trust the strength of his sheepdog to protect the sheep. Ultimately, he decided to entertain the tigers over his sheep and sheepdog.

Question 7. Describe the treaty signed by the shepherd.

Answer    7. The shepherd decided that he would establish cordial relations with the tiger community. The treaty signed between the shepherds and the tigers stated that both  communities would have friendly and peaceful relations. The shepherd invited the tiger community to a huge feast and gave them lavish gifts such as sheep meat and wool. The shepherd signed the treaty because he was willing to maintain his powerful rule,even if it meant sacrificing sheep from his herd.

Question 8. Why did the tiger people not have anything to eat?

• The shepherd moved all his sheep from the farm
• The shepherd got a new sheepdog
• The tiger people already killed all the sheep
• None of the above

Answer  8. Option (2) The shepherd got a new sheepdog

Explanation:-

• Option (2) is correct. The tiger people complained to their king that they had not had anything to eat anything to eat for at least fifteen days. The tiger people couldn’t attack the sheep because the new sheepdog was strong and quick in protecting the herd of sheep.

Question 9. ‘He is free to play the flute all day as well-fed tigers and fat sheep drink from the same pond with a full stomach for a common bond.’ 

What do the phrases ‘play a flute all day’ and ‘a common bond’ refer to?

Answer   9. Ajamil’s behaviour highlights the intelligent and astute nature of politicians. Ajamil knew the only way to please the tigers was to share some of his sheep from the herd. Ajamil’s diplomacy enabled him to sacrifice some of his sheep to guarantee the survival of other sheep. Ajamil was not oblivious that the tigers would attack again, even after committing to an official peace treaty. However, all this information did not prevent Ajamil from establishing diplomatic relations with the tiger community. Therefore, Ajamil relaxed and played the flute all day after pleasing the tigers and protecting his herd of sheep.

Question 10. What do you understand about the common bond?

Answer    10. Ajamil used his diplomatic skills to keep all the animals safe. The tigers are well-fed by the sheep. Most sheep, on the other hand, are safe because of the sacrifice of some sheep from their herd. Hence, the animals drink from the same pond at the end of the day because they share a common bond.

Question 11. The poem is a satire against the current political class. How effectively does it convey the anger and anguish of the common man trapped in the system?

Answer    11. The commoner is always a scapegoat for the ruling and powerful political class. The poet has used his knowledge and wits to represent the selfish nature of politicians and the rich class.  These dishonest and corrupt politicians would do anything to maintain their hegemony, even sacrificing the people of their own country. The shepherd was aware of the dangerous intentions of the tiger towards his sheep but chose to become friends with them. The shepherd wanted to continue the supremacy of his reign and therefore did not mind sacrificing a few sheep from his herd. The ruling class always oppresses the commoners because they are devoid of any power and strength to hold the rulers accountable and stand against the wicked deeds of the ruling class.

Question 12. Why did the tiger want to visit Ajamil’s place?

• The tiger wanted to teach the sheepdog a lesson.
• The tiger wanted to end the conflict between the two communities
• The tiger wanted peace with Ajamil
• None of the above

Answer   12. Option (1) is correct. The tiger wanted to teach the sheepdog a lesson.

Explanation:-

• Option (1) is correct. The tiger people informed the tiger king that they could not eat any meat for more than 15 days. The new sheepdog prevented the tiger people from getting close to the sheep. Therefore, the tiger king became furious and decided to visit Ajamil’s place to teach the sheepdog a lesson.

Question 13. How was Ajamil successful in maintaining his power?

Answer    13. Ajamil signed a peace treaty with the ferocious tiger community. Jamal sacrificed some of his sheep to appease the wants of the tiger Therefore, Ajamil could please the tiger king while ensuring the survival of his sheep. Ultimately, Ajamil successfully maintained his rule and played the flute all day.

Few Benefits of Solving Important Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 12 Poem

Students can score good marks in exams after writing down well-structured and detailed answers. Students can effortlessly give accurate answers in exams after understanding the key points of the poem. Students can refer to Extramarks’ set of important questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 12 Poem to understand the core idea of the poem.

Students can go through the benefits of solving Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 12 Poem important questions:-

• Students will have sufficient experience in writing answers for exams.
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• Students will be able to conclude the meaning of the poem after learning  the solutions to important questions.
• The set of important questions consists of multiple-choiceand short essay-type questions.

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