English (Core) 12th Board Exams

19th January

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The Tiger King

THE
THE TIGER
TIGER KING
KING

GIST OF THE LESSON

The Maharaja Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bhadur was called Tiger King.
When he was just 10 days old he asked intelligent questions to the astrologers and was told that he would be
killed by a tiger. He uttered Let tigers beware!
No other miracle took place, the child grew like any other Royal child drinking white cows milk, taught by an
English tutor, looked after by an English nanny and watched English films.
When he was 20, he was crowned as king. It was then the prediction of his death by the tiger reached the
Maharajas ear and he in turn to safe guard himself killed a tiger and being thrilled he told the astrologer who
replied that he can kill 99 tigers but should be careful with the 100th.
From then on he started killing tiger and none was allowed to hunt tigers. A high-ranking British officer visited the
state that was fond of hunting tiger and his wish was declined.
The officer requested for getting a photograph with a tiger killed by Maharaja and this request was rejected.
So to please the officers wife he sent 50 diamond rings expecting that she would take 1 or 2 instead she kept all
the rings costing 3 lakh rupees and sent thanks to the Maharaja. But his state was secured.
In 10 years he killed 70 tiger and didnt find any in Pratibandapuram so he decided to marry a girl from royal state
which had more tigers to complete his target.
Whenever he visited his in-laws he killed 5-6 tigers. So he killed 99 tigers and was feverishly anxious to kill the
100th but couldnt find.
News about the presence of a tiger near a village proved disappointing.
Now the Dewan was warned of his danger so he visited Peoples Park in Madras and brought an old tiger and
placed it in the forest and informed the Maharaja.
The Maharaja took great care and shot the tiger and left the place with great triumph.
The bullet did not hit the tiger but out of fear the tiger had collapsed. Now the staff killed the tiger and brought it in
grand procession.
It was the 3rd birthday of the Maharajas son and he wanted to buy a present from the toyshop. He bought a
wooden tiger which was poorly carved.
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While the Maharaja was playing with the prince
a tiny
sliver
of the
wooden
tiger pierced his right hand which later
on caused his death. Thus the hundredth tiger takes his final revenge upon the Tiger King.
NCERT
NCERT QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS
Q1
Q1. The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. How does the author employ the literary device of
dramatic irony in the story?
The story a satire on the conceits, whims & fancies of people in power. The kings arrogance, obstinacy & anger are
of very high dimension All his minions tremble when he calls them
(Dramatic irony involves a situation in which the readers shares with the author knowledge of which a character is
ignorant.)
Examples:
1. King didnt know the 100th tiger was brought by dewan , but readers knew
2. King did not know that the actual cost of the toy tiger was 2 annas
3. When the king had shot the tiger ,he thought he killed the 100th tiger. But the readers as well as kings officers and
minions knew that it was not killed , but only fainted.
4. King was not aware that the prediction of the astrologer proved correct and he was killed by 100th tiger (i.e. toy
tiger)
Q2
Q2 What is the authors indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the wilfulness of human beings?
Ans.
Ans. Through this satirical story the author has rightly portrayed how human beings have subjected innocent
animals to untold torture and death, merely to fulfill their own whims and fancies. The maharajas indiscriminate
killing of tigers led to their extinction in some states, but the maharaja was oblivious to the grave consequences his
action was leading to. In order to prove an astrologer wrong the maharaja went on a killing spree proving his
dominance over the hapless animals.
Q3
Q3. How would you describe the behaviour of the Maharajas minions towards him? Do you find them truly sincere
towards him or are they driven by fear when they obey him? Do we find a similarity in todays political order?
Ans
Ans. Maharajas minions were subservient and sycophantic. Most of them were scared of Maharaja and tried to

keep him in good humour by obeying his orders. They did not dare to disobey him as his displeasure could mean
loss of their job or even loss of their lives.
The astrologer was afraid of predicting his death , till Maharaja told him to speak without fear. Dewan who
should have advised the king not to kill the tigers did not dare to go against his wishes and aided his marriage to a
princess whose fathers kingdom possessed a large number of tigers. Being afraid of losing his job, he presented
an old tiger to satisfy the whims of his Maharaja. Likewise , the hunters chose not to inform him of the survival of
the 100th tiger and instead killed it themselves fearing that they might lose their jobs. Even the shopkeeper, who
sold the king a cheap wooden toy tiger, quoted a higher price lest he should be punished under the rules of
emergency.
So ,it is evident that the kings minions were driven by fear rather than any feelings of sincerity towards their ruler.
Todays political order is no different--- we know too well that many of the people in power are not there because of
their ability but because of their influence and power. Moreover, others pander to them for their own vested interests
rather than for the good of the country.
ADDITIONAL
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS SHORT
SHORT ANSWER
ANSWER QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS
Q1
Q1 Why do you think, the author goes into detailed identification of the Tiger King through a variety of titles ? Does he
really mean to humour him ?
Answer
Answer : Kalki, the author of the story , has no intention of praising the king. In fact, immediately after addressing him
with a variety of titles, he brings an anticlimax by telling his readers that his name is shortened to Tiger King .
Q2
Q2 How did the tiger king acquire his name? (2009)
Ans
Ans. The Tiger King was Maharaja of Pratibandapuram. He came to be known as tiger king as at his birth it was
predicted by the royal astrologer that he would be killed by a tiger .And to disprove this prediction he started killing the
tigers indiscriminately and killed 99 tigers.. Moreover , he was ferocious like a tiger.
Q3
Q3.What do you understand by threat of a Stuka bomber?
Ans.
Ans. Stuka Bomber was a German ground attack aircraft which was known for its high accuracy in hitting its target
and terrorizing sound it emitted.
Through the reference of Stuka Bomber , the author wants to convey that he intends to tell why Maharaja of
Pratibandapuram came to be known as Tiger King and nothing ,not even horrifying Stuka Bomber could compel him
to digress from the topic.
Q4
Q4 What was the miracle that took place in the royal palace?
Ans.
Ans. When the Maharaja was a 10 day old infant, he spoke and asked intelligent questions about his death. After
knowing that he would be killed by a tiger he uttered saying Let tigers beware.
Q5
Q5 What predictions did the astrologers make at the birth of the tiger king?
Ans: The astrologers predicted that the newly born prince will grow up to become the hero of heroes, brave of the
bravest and a great warrior. He also predicted that the baby was born in the hour of the bull. The bull and tiger
were enemies. Therefore, he would die because of the tiger
Q6
Q6 What led Maharaja to set on tiger hunt?
Q7
Q7 What justification did the tiger king give before he started out on tiger hunt?
( Believes in the saying You may kill a cow in self defence
Had no objection in killing tigers in self defence)
Q8
Q8 What did the State astrologer say he would do if the hundredth tiger were also killed?
Ans.
Ans. The State astrologer was so sure of his prediction that he announced that he would cut off his ceremonial tuft,
crop his hair short and become an insurance agent in case the king was able to kill the 100th tiger, too. He was sure
that the Maharajas death would be caused by the 100th tiger.
Q9
Q9. What did the high-ranking British officer wish to do? Was his wish fulfilled?
Ans.
Ans. The high-ranking British officer wanted to kill a tiger. When he was denied the permission for hunting, he sent a
word to the king that he would be happy if he was allowed to get photographed with the dead body of a tiger killed by
the king. However, his wish remained unfulfilled.
Q10
Q10 What did the British officers secretary tell the Maharaja? Why did the Maharaja refuse permission?
Q11
Q11 How did the Maharaja manage to save his throne?
Ans.
Ans. The Maharaja had annoyed the visiting senior British officer over the issue of tiger-hunting and stood in danger of
losing his kingdom itself. So, the Maharaja and the Dewan decided to placate and pacify the officer through bribe by
sending gifts of expensive diamond rings to the duraisani, the wife of the British officer. Thus he managed to save his
throne.
Q12
Q12 How did the duraisani behave on receiving the gifts?
Ans
Ans. Some fifty samples of expensive diamond rings were sent to the duraisani and it was expected that she would
select one or two and return the rest. But the lady proved to be greedy as she retained all of them and merely sent a
letter of thanks.
Q13
Q13. What unforeseen hurdle brought the tiger hunt to a standstill?
Ans.
Ans. Within ten years Maharajas tiger hunting had resulted in the killing of seventy tigers. However his tiger killing
mission came to a sudden standstill because the tiger population became extinct in the forest of Pratibandapuram.

Q14
Q14 Why did the Maharaja suddenly decide to marry? Whom did he wish to marry?
Ans.
Ans. The Maharaja suddenly decided to marry because firstly, he was of marriageable age and secondly, he wanted to
kill thirty more tigers in his father-in-laws state in order to complete the tally of hundred tigers .For this reason he
wished to marry a girl in the royal family of a state with a large tiger population.
Q15
Q15 Why did Maharaja order the dewan to double the tax?
Ans.
Ans. The Maharaja called the dewan and ordered him to immediately double the tax of the villagers who had informed
him of a tiger in the forest because despite his best efforts he was unable to locate the beast. This infuriated the
Maharaja.
Q16
Q16.Why did the Dewan decide to give up his own tiger to be killed by the Maharaja?
Answer : The dewan had hidden in his house an old tiger which had been brought from the Peoples Park in Madras .
He feared that if the Maharaja did not get a tiger to hunt, the result would be catastrophic and he would lose his job.
Q17
Q17 What was Dewans tiger like? How did he take it into the forest?
weak, senile
Dewan arranged the tiger from The Peoples Park
at midnight dragged the tiger and shoved him into the car, went to the forest, hauled the beast out of the car, and
pushed him to the ground near Maharajas camp
Q18
Q18 How the 100th tiger was finally found & killed?
Ans
Ans. The Dewan took the 100th tiger which he had brought from peoples park in Madras. The tiger wondered into
Maharajas presence. The king shot it but it was not killed; the hunters killed to escape from kings anger.
Q19
Q19 Why was the Maharaja overcome with elation when he thought he had killed the hundredth tiger?
Answer : The Maharaja was overcome with elation on having killed the hundredth tiger because his vow had been
fulfilled. By killing the hundredth tiger, he thought the prophecy about his death had been disproved. On his command ,
the dead body of the hundredth tiger was taken in grand a procession through the town and buried . A tomb was
erected over it.
Q20
Q20 What did the Maharaja buy as a birthday gift for his son?
Ans.
Ans. The Maharaja wished to give his son a very special gift on his birthday and he bought a wooden toy tiger as a
perfect birthday gift for his son.
Q21
Q21.Why does the author say the hundredth tiger took its final revenge?
LONG
LONG ANSWER
ANSWER QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS
11. How did the Tiger King meet his end? What is ironical about his death?
The wooden toy tiger the king had got as a birthday present for his son had been carved by an unskilled carpenter. It
had a rough surface with tiny slivers of wood standing up like quills all over it. One of those slivers pierced the
Maharajas right hand and although the king pulled it, his arm got infected. In four days, it developed into a suppurating
sore and spread all over the arm. The king died while being operated upon.
The kings death is ironical but not surprising for the reader who is, in fact, looking forward to it. Having killed the
100th tiger, the king is jubilant for he has fulfilled his vow and disproved the prediction of the royal astrologer. He is now
at ease for he thinks he cannot die of a tigers attack. No wonder, he orders the dead tiger to be taken in a procession
through the town and gets a tomb erected over it. All this while he does not know that the 100th victim was not killed
by him but by other hunters. That is indeed quite ironical. Death is lurking around him and the king is unaware of it.
Again, it is ironical that a king who has killed 99 tigers and is bold and fearless dies of a mere sliver on the body of a
wooden tiger. Thus, ironically death does come to him from a tiger.
Q2
Q2 The operation is successful. The maharaja is dead. comment on the irony of the situation.
The three famous surgeons were called from Madras to treat the Maharaja.
The whole incident is a satire on the life of rich and people in power.
Everything in their life should be grand be it a disease, purchases or treatment.
So when the Maharaja got hurt by a wooden splinter, specialist from Madras were called
The surgeons discussed and debated for some time and decided to operate
At the end of the operation they said the operation was successful but the Maharaja was dead.
As if the procedure was important to them but life had no meaning for them.
The job of doctors is to save people and not highlight the technicalities of the treatment.
But here it was just that, poor Maharaja was relegated to a nonentity whose life was not of much consequences to
them.
Q3
Q3 . Discuss the title of the story The Tiger King.
Ans. The Tiger King is an appropriate title for the story for several reasons. First of all, the king
is very involved with tiger hunting so much so that he marries a princess whose fathers
kingdom has a sizable population. He kills hundred tigers just to fulfill his vows. Secondly,
the king with all his frenzy, anger and ruthlessness is as ferocious as a tiger. Thirdly, he
dies of a silver prick received from a wooden tiger toy. Finally the prediction that a tiger
would cause the kings death also comes true. Since the story revolves round the king
and the hundred tigers he kills, the title could not be more apt

Q4
Q4. The Tiger King can be seen as Kalkis comment on the British influence on the
feudal lords and the reason for their alienation from their own culture and people.
Discuss.
Ans. The Tiger King comes across as a person who was given to understand that everything
belonging to the English was worth emulating and everything Indian was useless. So
much so that the milk given to the young prince was from an English cow. He was
brought up by an English nanny, tutored in English by an Englishman and if he ever saw
movies they were English films. This lifestyle was not peculiar to the kings family alone
but it was the case of most of the feudal lords all over India. This resulted in the lopsided
development of these rulers and was the main cause of their alienation from their culture,
environmental needs of their kingdom. In their attempts to please the Britishers they had
different set of norms for their own subjects. Hence, where compassion was required
they showed ruthlessness and brutality.
Q5
Q5 Bring out satire in the chapter.
1. Satire on young princes and maharajas of native Indian states having long names and descriptive titles
2. satirizes the upbringing and education of crown princes of Indian States. Ridicules the attitude of Indian princes
who emulate Britishers
3. Criticizes Indian who considered Britishers as Gods and Goddesses (durai ,duraisani)
4. Satirises the conceit and whims of those in power
Q6
Q6*. The king was capricious, arbitrary and whimsical Do you agree? Give a reasoned answer
Q7
Q7.The story` Tiger King` reflects `the whims and fancies of people in power Elucidate
Q8
Q8.Describe the efforts made by the Tiger King to achieve his target of killing a hundred tigers? (2
Q.9. What prediction was made by the astrologers about the Tiger King? How did it come true?

Posted 19th January by Rashika Sood

1

TamanPreet
TamanPreet Kaur
Kaur April 13, 2014 at 8:56 AM
some questions are not answered....:(
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