Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about A Tiger in the House from Class 7 English First Language.
Before we begin the story, let us look at the pre-reading activity in your textbook. It asks you to listen to your teacher and answer questions based on a picture. Imagine a forest guard holding two abandoned cheetah cubs. Think about why the mother left them, and what the guard will do next. He will take them to a veterinarian for a health check. In the past, people even trained cheetahs to hunt deer! Discuss these questions with your teacher. This activity prepares you for our main theme: how humans and wild animals interact. Your textbook also gives a very important reading instruction. It says you should read the story at home first, follow your teacher’s model reading in class, and then practice reading it repeatedly at home. This repetition will build your fluency and help you catch the story’s subtle details. Let us now explore the text together, paragraph by paragraph.
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Let us read paragraph one. Grandfather discovers a tiger cub during a hunting expedition in the Terai Jungle near Dehra. Grandmother names him Timothy. Notice how the author carefully describes Timothy’s diet. At first, the cook Mahmoud feeds him milk from a bottle, but milk is too rich for a growing tiger. So, he is switched to raw mutton and cod liver oil, and later to pigeons and rabbits. This shows that wild animals have specific nutritional needs. In paragraph two, Timothy gets two companions: Toto the monkey and a small mongrel puppy. Toto is incredibly brave and even pulls Timothy’s tail! At first, Timothy is actually afraid of the puppy and jumps back, but soon they bond, with the puppy resting on his back. This teaches us that young animals are naturally playful and can form unlikely friendships.
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Moving to paragraph three, we see how Timothy’s wild instincts begin to show through play. One of his favourite amusements is to stalk people. When the narrator comes to live with Grandfather, Timothy loves playing with him. He creeps closer with a crafty look, dashes at his feet, rolls over, and pretends to bite his ankles. By now, Timothy is as large as a full-grown retriever. In paragraph four, when taken for walks, people give them a wide berth. Why? Because even a young tiger looks intimidating, and people naturally keep a safe distance. Timothy also loves the drawing room sofa, where he reclines with great dignity and snarls at anyone who tries to move him. This shows his growing confidence and territorial nature.
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Paragraph five highlights Timothy’s clean habits. He scrubs his face with his paws like a cat, sleeps in the cook’s quarters, and is always happy to be let out in the morning. In paragraph six, Grandmother makes a humorous but serious prediction. She says one day they will find Timothy on the cook’s bed, with only his clothes and shoes left! Of course, this never happens, but paragraph seven shows a turning point. At six months old, Timothy grows steadily less friendly. He tries to stalk cats and pet dogs. At night, the poultry house is attacked, leaving feathers everywhere. He must be chained more often. Finally, when he stalks the cook with villainous intent, Grandfather realizes Timothy is becoming dangerous and decides to send him to a zoo.
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Paragraph eight tells us the nearest zoo is in Lucknow, two hundred miles away. Grandfather reserves an entire first-class compartment because no other passengers would share a train with a tiger! The zoo authorities gladly accept him. Six months later, in paragraph nine, Grandfather visits Lucknow and goes straight to Timothy’s cage. He finds a full-grown tiger with a magnificent striped coat. The tiger approaches the bars and allows Grandfather to stroke his head and tickle his ear. Grandfather even smacks his mouth when he growls, just like old times. The tiger licks his hands. But a leopard in the next cage snarls, and the tiger jumps back. Grandfather shoos the leopard away, but the tiger keeps retreating to his corner whenever the leopard rushes the bars.
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In paragraph ten, a crowd gathers. A new keeper asks Grandfather what he is doing. Grandfather says he is talking to Timothy. The keeper is surprised, saying he has never been able to touch this tiger because he is very bad-tempered. Grandfather suggests moving him away from the leopard and goes to find the Superintendent. The Superintendent is gone, so Grandfather returns to say goodbye. In paragraph eleven, another keeper, the original one, watches him in alarm. Grandfather asks why Timothy is not moved. The keeper stammers, "It is not your tiger." Grandfather gets impatient, but the keeper reveals the truth: Timothy died two months ago from pneumonia. This tiger was trapped in the hills just last month and is very dangerous!
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Paragraph twelve delivers the story’s climax. Grandfather is speechless. The wild tiger is still licking his arm with increasing relish. Grandfather slowly withdraws his hand, whispers "Goodnight, Timothy," gives the keeper a scornful look, and walks briskly out of the zoo. The author ends the story with gentle irony. Grandfather’s embarrassment is mixed with affection, and the wild tiger’s innocent licking contrasts sharply with the keeper’s warning. Now, let us learn the new words from the glossary. Abandoned means left completely and forever. A veterinarian is an animal doctor. An expedition is a special journey. Tempting means very attractive. A mongrel is a mixed-breed dog. A spring means a quick jump. Ridiculously means in a silly way. Absurd dashes are sudden, funny-looking runs. Amusement is enjoyment. A crafty look is a clever, tricky expression. A retriever is a hunting dog. Giving a wide berth means keeping a safe distance. Prophetic means predicting the future. Frenzied means wildly disturbed. To stalk means to follow quietly. Interned means confined. Snarled means showing teeth angrily. Alarm means fear. Testily means impatiently. Realized means understood. Increasing relish means growing enjoyment. A scornful look shows disrespect.
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Let us now practice the comprehension questions. I will guide you on how to find each answer in the text. Question one asks when Timothy was found, who named him, who fed him, and his diet. Scan paragraph one. You will find Grandfather discovered him during a hunting expedition near Dehra. Grandmother named him, the cook Mahmoud fed him, and his diet changed from milk to raw mutton, cod liver oil, pigeons, and rabbits. Question two asks about his companions and how they showed no fear. Look at paragraph two. Toto the monkey pulled his tail, and the puppy crawled on his back and rested there. Question three says Timothy was more friendly with Toto. This is Not True, as the text shows equal playfulness with both animals. Question four asks why people gave them a wide berth. Paragraph five explains Timothy was the size of a retriever, so people stayed at a safe distance out of caution. Question five says Timothy had an air of superiority. True, because he reclined on the sofa with great dignity and snarled at anyone who disturbed him.
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Question six says his wild nature came out gradually. True, paragraph seven describes how he changed at six months old. Question seven asks if everyone took Grandmother’s warning seriously. Not True, because the narrator says "Of course, it never came to that." Question eight asks what changes made Grandfather send him to the zoo. He became less friendly, attacked poultry, and stalked the cook with villainous intent. Question nine asks why Grandfather said "Good night, Timothy." He said it because he realized the tiger was a wild stranger, not his pet, and he wanted to politely end the encounter. Question ten asks why the tiger licked his hand with relish. The wild tiger was simply responding to the gentle stroking and showing a natural liking for the attention. Question eleven asks about the scornful look. Grandfather gave it because the keeper revealed he was petting a dangerous wild tiger, making Grandfather feel foolish and embarrassed.
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Next is the role-play activity. Your book gives you three imaginary conversations. Your task is to find their context in the story and practice them with a partner. The first exchange, "Come up here and catch me if you can!" and "Come down and see what I will do to you," matches the playful teasing between Toto and Timothy. The second, "Hey, look at that strange dog!" and "Wait, Oh No! Come, let us cross over to the other side!" reflects how people on the road reacted when they saw the young tiger and realized he was not a dog. The third, "Hello! Sir, what are you doing?" and "Oh! Hello! You know me, don't you?" captures the moment the new zoo keeper questions Grandfather at the cage. Practice these with clear expression to bring the characters to life.
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Let us check your vocabulary by filling in the missing letters. Read each sentence carefully. First: Grandfather knew no one would have a tiger as a companion. The missing letters are m, p, a, n, i, o, n. Second: The onlookers thought Grandfather and the tiger were close friends. The missing letters are l, o, s, e. Third: The tiger was relaxed, but the leopard was tense. The missing letters are a, x, e, d. Now, let us move to grammar. The first topic is the Adverb Clause of Time. These clauses tell us when an action happens. They are introduced by words like when, as, while, till, after, since, as long as, whenever, and once. For example, "I will call you when I reach home." Let us apply this to your exercise. Number one: Whenever I go to the zoo, I do not forget to say hello to my tiger. Number two: He was shocked when I went near the tiger. Number three: As long as I was relaxed, the tiger was also relaxed, but whenever I showed signs of nervousness, the tiger became nervous too.
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Continuing the grammar exercise. Number four: Once I gave my hand to it, the tiger began to lick it. Number five: I have not seen my tiger since it ran away from our house. Number six: While I was saying goodbye to my tiger, the superintendent came. Number seven: As I was petting the tiger, the leopard snarled at him. Number eight: Wait till I ring you up. Number nine: We waited for the tiger until it was dark. Number ten: They had left before we reached there. Number eleven: I came just after he had hit six sixes. Now, let us learn about questions ending with prepositions. In formal writing, we avoid ending sentences with prepositions, but in spoken English, it is very natural. A preposition shows the relationship between words. Let us fill in the missing prepositions. First dialogue: Grandmother asks, Gone out? Who with? Bond answers, With Mahmoud. Second: Mahmoud says, Grandfather was shouting at me. Mother asks, What for? Mahmoud answers, For not tying up Timothy. Third: Grandmother asks, Where from? Bond answers, From the jungle. Fourth: Superintendent asks, Why are you standing near that cage? Grandfather answers, I have been conversing with Timothy. Superintendent asks, For how long?
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Notice how natural these sound in conversation. The joke at the end playfully points out this rule: a father tells his son never to end a sentence with a preposition, and the son immediately catches the father doing exactly that! Finally, let us tackle the writing task. Your textbook mentions a news report about a leopard entering a school in Mysore. It asks you to discuss why wild animals stray into human areas and write a paragraph. Think about habitat loss, deforestation, and lack of food in forests. When animals lose their homes, they are forced to search for food in villages. Here is a model paragraph you can use as a guide. Wild animals like leopards and tigers often enter human settlements because their natural habitats are shrinking rapidly due to deforestation and urban expansion. This forces them to search for food and water in villages and cities, creating danger for both humans and animals. Instead of panicking, we must understand they are simply trying to survive. The best solution is to protect forests, maintain wildlife corridors, and immediately inform trained forest officials when an animal strays. We must learn to coexist with nature by respecting wildlife boundaries.
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To conclude, let us learn about the author. Ruskin Bond is a celebrated Indian author of British descent, born on the nineteenth of May, nineteen thirty four. He has received the Sahitya Akademi Award in nineteen ninety two and the Padma Shri in nineteen ninety nine for his wonderful contribution to children’s literature. He currently lives with his adopted family in Landour, near Mussoorie. His stories are loved for their simplicity, warmth, and deep connection with nature. I encourage you to read more of his books to improve your reading skills and enjoy beautiful storytelling.
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]