Do you think the words 'lept' and 'lep' in the third stanza are spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?
No, the words 'lept' and 'lep' are not spelt correctly. The standard English spellings for these words are 'leapt' and 'leap'.
The poet spells them like this intentionally to create a humorous effect and to maintain the rhythm and rhyme of the poem. By using 'lep', the poet creates a clever visual and phonetic connection between the animal's action and its name, 'Leopard'. As the context highlights, poets often take liberties with language, and much of the humour in the poem arises from this unconventional use of words, making the poem more engaging and funny.
Explanation
The question tests the student's understanding of poetic license and humour in the poem 'How to Tell Wild Animals'. Part (i) checks their knowledge of standard English spelling versus the poet's intentional deviations. Part (ii) asks them to infer the reason behind this deviation, which is linked to the poem's humour, rhythm, rhyme, and wordplay connecting 'lep' to 'Leopard'. The context explicitly mentions that poets take liberties with language and that humour arises from the way language is used.