Ch 14 · Flamingo Poetry · Adrienne Rich

Aunt Jennifer's
Tigers

20 MCQs NCERT Class 12 Updated May 2026
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Chapter Overview

A short feminist poem. Aunt Jennifer embroiders prancing tigers on a screen — they 'do not fear the men beneath the tree'. But her own hands flutter with terror; the 'massive weight of Uncle's wedding band' sits heavily on her finger. Even after death, when she lies still, ringed with ordeals, the tigers will go on prancing. Art outlasts oppression.

Key Themes
Key Concepts
Tigers
Prance on the screen — sleek, chivalric, unafraid
Aunt Jennifer
Hands flutter; terrified; ageing
Wedding band
'Massive weight' — Uncle's domination
Ringed with ordeals
She dies still trapped
Final tigers
Will go on prancing — art transcends the artist's life
Sample MCQs
Q1. How are Aunt Jennifer's tigers described?
A. Cowering beneath the tree
B. Prancing across the screen, unafraid of the men beneath the tree
C. Sleeping in pale shade
D. Hunting in the deep forest
The tigers prance freely on the embroidered screen — unafraid of men. They are the opposite of Aunt Jennifer's terrified self.
Q2. What does the 'massive weight of Uncle's wedding band' symbolise?
A. Aunt Jennifer's love for her husband
B. The bondage of a patriarchal marriage
C. An expensive heirloom in the family
D. A symbol of religious devotion
The wedding band is heavy — a symbol of Uncle's domination and the weight of the patriarchal marriage on her life.