THE TIGER KING

Q1. Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?
Ans. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was called the Tiger King. At the time of his
birth the astrologers declared that the prince would have to die one day. The ten-day-
old prince asked the astrologers to reveal the manner of his death. The wise men
were baffled at this miracle. The chief astrologer said that his death would come
from a tiger. The young prince growled and uttered terrifying words: ‘Let tigers
beware!’ He decided to kill one hundred tigers. He, thus, got the name ‘Tiger King’.

Q2. What did the royal infant grow up to be?

Ans. Crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grew taller and stronger day-by-day. He was
brought up by an English nanny and tutored in English by an Englishman. He got the
control of his state when he came of age at twenty. He decided to kill tigers. For him
it was an act of self-defence, as the astrologers had predicted his death by a tiger

Q3. What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?
Ans. Within ten years the Maharaja was able to kill seventy tigers. Then the tiger
population became extinct in the forests of Pratibandapuram. One day the Maharaja
sent for the dewan and asked him if he was aware of the fact that thirty tigers still
remained to be shot down by his gun. The dewan shuddered with fear. The Maharaja
told him that he had decided to get married. He asked the dewan to draw up
statistics of tiger populations in different native states. Then he was to investigate if
there was a girl he could marry in the royal family of a state with a large tiger
population. This plan was put into practice. The dewan found the right girl from a
state which possessed a large number of tigers. The Maharaja killed five or six tigers
each time he visited his father-in-law. Thus, he was able to find the required number
of tigers to kill. He shot ninety-nine tigers.

Q4. How will the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tiger which was
supposed to decide his fate?
Ans. Maharaja’s anxiety reached the highest level of excitement when only one tiger
remained to be killed. He thought of the hundredth tiger during the day and dreamt of
it at night. But tiger farms ran dry even in his father-in-law’s kingdom. It became
impossible to locate tigers anywhere. If he could kill just that one single beast, the
Maharaja would have no fear left. As the late chief astrologer had said that Maharaja
should beware of the hundredth tiger. The Maharaja was sunk in gloom. Then came
a happy news. In his own state sheep began to disappear frequently from a hillside
village. Surely, a tiger was at work. The villagers ran to inform the Maharaja. The
Maharaja announced a three-year exemption from all taxes for that village. He set
out on the hunt at once. But the tiger was not easily found. The Maharaja continued
camping in the forest and waiting for the tiger.
Q5. What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was
indisputably disproved?
Ans. In order to save his skin, the dewan got an old tiger brought from the People’s
Park in Madras. It was kept hidden in his house. One midnight with the help of his
aged wife, he dragged the tiger to the car and shoved it into the seat. He himself
drove the car straight to the forest where the Maharaja was hunting. The dewan
hauled the beast out of the car and pushed it down to the ground. Next day, the same
old tiger wandered into the Maharaja’s presence. The Maharaja was overjoyed. He
took careful aim at the beast. The tiger fell down in a crumpled heap. The Maharaja
was extremely happy that he had killed the hundredth tiger.
The hunters found that the old tiger was not dead. It had only fainted on hearing the
sound of the bullet. They did not want the Maharaja to know this fact and lose their
jobs. iSo one of them shot at it and killed it. The dead tiger was taken in procession
through the town and buried there. A tomb was erected over it.
The prophecy was not disproved as the king met his death with the infection caused
by the sliver of a wooden tiger. The astrologer was already dead. He could not be
punished or rewarded.

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?
Ans. On surface level, ‘The Tiger King’ seems to be a simple story about a royal
prince, his growth and exploits as a king. The prophecies at his birth about the
manner of his death make the story interesting by introducing the element of
surprise and suspense.
On a deeper level, the story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. It is usually
seen that those in power have too much pride in themselves and what they do. Two
such specimens in the story are the Tiger King and the British officer. The author
employs dramatic irony and humour to show their faults and weaknesses. The words
of these characters carry an extra meaning. They do not know what is going to
happen. The Tiger King resolves to hunt a hundred tigers to disprove the prediction
of the astrologer. In his stubbornness, he falls prey to a wooden tiger. The high-
ranking British officer is equally vain. He is more interested in photograph with
carcass than hunting itself. The Tiger King offers to organise any other hunt except
tiger-hunt. It may be a boar-hunt, mouse- hunt or a mosquito-hunt. He has to lose
three lakh of rupees for his refusal. The ego of the British officer is satisfied when his
wife is pleased to get diamond rings sent by the Maharaja.

Q2. What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the
willfulness of human beings?
Ans. For centuries innocent animals have been subjected to the wilfulness of human
beings. Man has been killing animals for sport, meat or organs of body. The author
does not make any direct comment about it in the story. Man advances strange logic
to defend even his unlawful and cruel acts. The Maharaja quotes an old saying, “You
may kill even a cow in self-defence”. Hence, he finds no objection to kill tigers in self-
defence. It reveals not only the callousness of human beings towards wildlife but
their disregard for maintaining ecological balance. The extinction of tiger species in
Pratibandapuram state and the state ruled by the Maharaja’s father-in-law amply
illustrates the result of man’s cruelty towards wild animals. An old tiger has to be
brought from the People’s Park in Madras to satisfy the king’s whim to kill one
hundred tigers.

Q3. How would you describe the behaviour of the Maharaja’s 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 today’s political order?
Ans. A minion is an unimportant person in an organisation who has to obey orders.
The Maharaja has many minions or servants. Most of them fear the Maharaja and
obey his orders faithfully. They dare not disobey him or contradict him. The
Maharaja’s displeasure means loss of job or even loss of life. Only a few of them are
truly sincere towards him. One such person is the chief astrologer. He is willing to
bum his books of astrology, cut off his tuft and crop his hair short if his prediction
proves untrue. The others try to keep the Maharaja in good humour. Even the dewan
is no exception. Many officers lose their jobs when the Maharaja’s fury and obstinacy
mount higher. The king’s bullet misses the hundredth tiger. It faints from the shock
and falls as a crumpled heap. The hunters realise the truth, but they decide not to
reveal it to the king. They fear that they might lose their jobs.
In today’s political order, subordinates serve their superior bosses as deaf and dumb
creatures who see only what their masters want them to see. Their self-interests and
fear of elimination make them faithful servants.

Q4. Gan you relate instances of game-hunting among the rich and the powerful in
the present times that illustrate the callousness of human beings towards wildlife?
Ans. In our times, big game-hunting has been banned by law as so many species of
wildlife have been declared endangered species. Sanctuaries, national parks and
games reserves have been established to preserve wildlife from extinction and
maintain ecological balance in nature. Even then sporadic cases of game-hunting are
reported in newspapers now and then. It is generally noticed that the erstwhile rulers
—kings or nawabs or the rich and powerful persons or famous film stars indulge in
game-hunting. The cases against late M.A.K. Pataudi and Salman Khan are still
pending in courts. Poachers and smugglers too destroy wildlife for skin, meat or for
various organs of body and escape scot-free.

Q5. We need a new system for the age of ecology—a system which is embedded in
the care of all people and also in the care of the Earth and all life upon it. Discuss.
Ans. Modem age is the age of ecology. A new consciousness has arisen among
human beings. Animals and birds are as much part of nature as human beings. The
destruction or haphazard killing of one species may not only lead to its extinction,
but it will adversely affect the ecological balance. Those animals which serve as
food for the wild animals will increase in large number, if the beasts of prey are
wiped out. Each species, howsoever fierce, deadly, ferocious or poisonous has its
own role in the scheme of things. We must devise a new system. It must focus on
the care of all living beings on the Earth as well as the Earth itself and all life—
vegetative or animal living on it. Steps have to be taken to preserve ecological
balance in nature and prevent environmental pollution. Unpolluted air, water and food
can make all living beings healthy and enable them to enjoy longer fives.

Q1.Who is the hero of the story ‘The Tiger King’ ? How may he be identified?
Ans. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram is the hero of this story. He may be identified
as His Highness Jamedar-General, Khiledar-Major, Sata Vyaghra Samhari,
Maharajadhiraja Visva Bhuvana Samrat, Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, M.A.D.,
A.C.T.C., or C.R.C.K. This name is often shortened to the Tiger King.

Q2.What does the author consider imperative right at the start?

Ans. Author considers it imperative to disclose a matter of vital importance about
the Tiger King. He was a man of indomitable courage. Eveiyone who reads of him
will have a natural desire to meet him face-to-face. But there is no chance of its
fulfilment as the Tiger King is dead.

Q3. Which matter about the Tiger King is of extraordinary interest?

Ans. The manner of the death of the Tiger King is of extraordinary interest. The most
fantastic aspect of his demise was that as soon as he was bom, astrologers had
foretold that one day the Tiger King would actually have to die.

Q4. What was the great miracle that took place? What was its result?
Ans. The astrologers said the child bom under that particular star would one day
have to meet its death. At that very moment a great miracle took place. An
astonishing phrase emerged from the lips of the ten-day-old Jilani Jung Jung
Bahadur, “O wise prophets!” Everyone stood motionless with astonishment and
stupidity.

Q5. What did the infant born just ten days ago tell the wise astrologers?
Ans. The infant said that all those who are bom will one day have to die. So he did
not need their predictions to know that. He further said that there would be some
sense in it if they could tell him the manner of his death.
Q6. Why did the Maharaja order the dewan to double the land tax? [All India 2014]
Ans. Maharaja went out on an expedition to find the hundredth tiger. The tiger could
not be found. That is why in anger he ordered the dewan to double the land tax.

Q7. How did the chief astrologer react to the infant prince’s observation ?
Ans. The chief astrologer was surprised. He placed his finger on his nose in wonder.
It was incredible that the ten-day-old infant raised intelligent questions. He said that
the prince was bom in the hour of the Bull. The Bull and the Tiger are enemies.
Therefore, death comes from the Tiger.

Q8. How did the crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grow up?
Ans. The infant had an uneventful childhood. He grew up just like other royal princes
of Indian states during the British rule. The prince grew taller and stronger day by
day. The boy drank the milk of an English cow. He was brought up by an English
nanny and tutored in English by an Englishman. He saw nothing but English films.

Q9. How does the author satirise the upbringing and education of crown princes of
Indian states?
Ans. The author makes us laugh by pointing out the excessive love of the Indian
kings and queens for English education and English way of fife. They seemed so
enamoured of everything English that the crown princes drank the milk of English
cows, were brought up by English nannies and tutored in English by Englishmen.
They saw only English films. Thus, they were Indians only in flesh and blood, but
aped Englishmen in culture and manners.

Q10. Why did the Maharaja ban tiger hunting in the state? [Delhi 2014]
Ans. Maharaja banned the tiger hunting in the state. Because he wanted to prove the
predictions of state astrologer wrong that he would be killed by the hundredth tiger.
That is why he put a ban on the hunting of tigers on all the tiger-rich forest of
Pratibandapuram.

Q11. Why, do you think, did the Maharaja send for the State astrologer?
Ans. The Maharaja was excited beyond measure when he killed his first tiger. He felt
proud of his feat. He wanted to show the dead beast to the State astrologer. So, he
sent for him and wanted to know what he said then.

Q12. Sum up in your own words the interview between the Maharaja and the State
astrologer.
Ans. On the orders of the Maharaja, the State astrologer said that his majesty might
kill ninety- nine tigers in exactly the same manner. But he must be careful with the
hundredth tiger. The Maharaja observed that the hundredth tiger might also be killed.
What will happen then? The astrologer said that then he would tear up all his books
on astrology and set fire to them. Moreover, he would cut off his tuft, crop his hair
short and become an insurance agent.

Q13.Point out the irony in the statement: “From that day onwards it was celebration
time for all the tigers inhabiting Pratibandapuram.”
Ans. The state banned tiger hunting by anyone except the Maharaja. An official
statement was issued. If anyone dared to harm a tiger even by flinging a stone at
him, all his wealth and property would be confiscated. The tigers could rejoice that
they would not be killed by the riff-raff. The irony is that they were set to die at the
hands of the Maharaja. The bullets of his gun awaited them.

Q14.Hew did the Maharaja devote himself to realise his ambition? How far did he
succeed?
Ans. The Maharaja pursued his ambition with single minded devotion. He vowed that
he would attend to all other matters only after killing the hundred tigers. He bravely
faced many dangers to his life from tigers in achieving his mission. Sometimes he
had to fight a tiger with his bare hands. But each time the Maharaja proved victorious
by killing the beast.

Q15.Why, do you think, was the Maharaja in danger of losing his throne ?
Ans. The Maharaja had annoyed a high-ranking British officer by refusing him
permission to hunt tigers in Pratibandapuram. The Maharaja did not relent even
when the request was toned down that the durai himself did not have to kill the tiger.
The Maharaja could do the actual killing. The durai wanted only a photograph of
himself holding the gun and standing over the tiger’s carcass. The Maharaja stood in
danger of losing his throne because he prevented a British officer from fulfilling his
desire.

Q16.What traits of the Maharaja and the British officer are exposed and satirised
through the episode of refusal of permission for tiger hunt by the British officer?
Ans. It reveals that the Maharaja was wilful, obstinate and adamant. He had a false
sense of honour. If he had permitted one British officers, others would also turn up.
He is quite unreasonable and shows lack of understanding. Thus, he lacks practical
approach. He would sacrifice diamonds to preserve his throne.
The British officer seems publicity conscious. He is more interested in the
photographs with the dead-tiger than in the tiger-hunt. The costly gift of diamonds
mollifies his hurt ego.

Q17. Would it be proper to call the Maharaja ‘penny-wise, pound foolish’? Give
reasons for your answer.
Ans. The Maharaja insists on restricting tiger-killing in his state to himself. He is
unwilling to compromise in this regard. He would not let any other person be even
photographed with a dead tiger in his state. He has to send a gift of fifty diamond
rings to the British officer’s good lady to placate the injured feelings of the man and
to retain his kingdom. It illustrates that he was penny-wise, pound foolish.

Q18. What sort of hunts did the Maharaja offer to organise for the high-ranking
British officer ? What trait of the persons in high position does it reveal ?
Ans. The Maharaja offered to organise any other hunt in place of the tiger hunt for
the high- ranking British officer. He might go on a boar-hunt. A mouse-hunt might be
conducted. They were ready even for a’ mosquito-hunt. This shows the vanity and
love of idle pursuits and frivolous pastimes by the persons in high position.

Q19.Comment on the ‘rings episode’ in the story ‘The Tiger King’.

Ans. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram ordered a famous British company of
jewellers in Calcutta to send samples of expensive diamond rings of different
designs. Some fifty rings arrived. The Maharaja sent the whole lot to the British
officer’s good lady. He expected her to choose one or two rings and send the rest
back. But she simply sent a letter of thanks.
The episode reveals human weaknesses such as vanity, pride, greed, cunningness,
flattery and appeasement.

Q20……. an unforeseen hurdle brought his mission to a standstill”. What was the
mission and how did it stop? What do you find amusing in the reasons justifying the
‘hurdle’?
Ans.The Maharaja’s mission was to shoot one hundred tigers. He had killed seventy
tigers within ten years. Then the tiger population became extinct in the forests of
Pratibandapuram. The possible reasons for the absence of tigers are quite amusing
and even ludicrous. Either the tigers practised birth control or they committed
suicide. They might have run away from the state. Perhaps they desired to be shot by
the British hands alone.

Q21.How did the dewan behave when the Maharaja summoned him and brandished
his gun?
Ans. The dewan shuddered at the sight of the gun. He cried out, “Your Majesty! I am
not a tiger!” The Maharaja enquired which idiot would call him a tiger. The dewan
then declared that he was not a gun. The Maharaja became a bit polite. Addressing
him as ‘Dewan Saheb’ he assured him that he was neither tiger nor gun. He was
summoned there for a different purpose.

Q22. How did the dewan react to the Maharaja’s declaration. “I have decided to get
married”?
Ans. The reaction of the dewan is quite funny and amusing. He thinks that the
Maharaja wants to marry him. He says that he has already two wives. The Maharaja
clarifies that he does not want to marry him. He wants a tiger. The dewan interrupts
him saying that his ancestors were married to the sword. He might marry the gun if
he liked. He added that a Tiger King was more than enough for that state. It did not
need a Tiger Queen as well.

Q23. How did the Maharaja make his intentions clear to the dewan ? What, do you
think, is his first priority in marriage?
Ans. The Maharaja said that he was not thinking of marrying either a tiger or a gun.
He wanted to marry a girl from the ranks of human beings. He asked the dewan to
collect statistics of tiger population in the different native states. Then he should find
out if there was a girl he could marry in the royal family of the state with a large tiger
population. Evidently, his first priority is the tiger,

Q24.How did the Maharaja succeed in raising his tiger tally to ninety-nine?
Ans. The Maharaja married a girl from a state which possessed a large number of
tigers. Each time he visited his father-in-law, he killed five or six tigers. In this manner
he raised the tally of tigers killed by him from seventy to ninety-nine.

Q25.Why was the Maharaja so anxious to kill the hundredth tiger?

Ans. The Maharaja had killed ninety-nine tigers. If he could kill just one more tiger, he
would have no fear left. Then he could give up tiger hunting altogether. He thought of
the tiger during the day and dreamt of it at night. Moreover, he had to be extremely
careful with that last tiger. The late chifef astrologer had already warned him.

Q26.“It seemed easier to find tiger’s milk than a live tiger” Why? What does the
contradiction imply?
Ans. As the Maharaja reached near the coveted figure of hundred, his difficulties also
multiplied. He had already killed ninety-nine tigers, but then the tiger farms ran dry
even in his father-in-law’s kingdom. It became impossible to locate tigers anywhere.
The hundredth tiger seemed difficult to find. One can’t get tiger’s milk without finding
the tigress. Yet it is thought easier than finding a live tiger. The contradiction implies
the difficulty in locating a tiger.

Q27.Why was the Maharaja sunk in gloom? Was he able to overpower it? How /How
not?
Ans. Only one tiger remained to be killed by the Maharaja, but it seemed impossible
to locate a tiger. So, the Maharaja was sunk in gloom. Then he got the happy news.
In his own state sheep began to disappear frequently from a hillside village. It was
found out that this was not the work of Khader Mian Saheb or Virasami Naicker. Both
of them could swallow sheep whole. It was then deduced that it was the work of a
tiger. The villagers ran to inform the Maharaja about the availability of a tiger.
Q28.What aspects of the Maharaja’s nature and conduct does the wait for the
hundredth tiger reveal?
Ans. The wait for the hundredth tiger reveals the royal rage, obstinacy and firm
determination of the Maharaja. He refused to leave the forest until the tiger was
found. Many officers lost their jobs because of his anger. Even the dewan was asked
to resign his post. This shows that the Maharaja was insensitive towards his
employees.

Q29.How, do you think, did the dewan try to help the Maharaja achieve his mission?
Ans. The aged dewan was very wise. He brought an old tiger from the People’s Park
in Madras. He kept it hidden in his house. Judging the impatience of the Maharaja to
shoot the tiger, he decided to release it near the Maharaja’s camp. So, at midnight he
dragged the tiger to the car with the help of his aged wife and shoved it into the seat.
He drove the car himself straight to the forest and hauled the beast out of the car
and pushed it down to the ground near the Maharaja’s camp.

Q30.How does the tiger behave towards the dewan, the Maharaja and the hunters?
What does his behaviour show?
Ans. The tiger behaves like a pet animal with the dewan. The dewan and his aged
wife drag the tiger to the car and shove it into the seat. In the forest, the tiger
launches its satyagraha and refuses to get out of the car. The Dewan tries hard to
haul it out of the car and push it down to the ground.
It stands before the Maharaja as if in humble supplication. It falls down in a
crumpled heap as the Maharaja fires the gun. It faints from the shock of the bullet
whizzing past. It looks back at the hunters rolling its eyes in bafflement. This shows
that it is a very old and weak tiger.

Q31.“The bullet had missed it.” “This time he killed it without missing his mark.”
Whose bullet had missed the tiger? How was the beast killed ultimately? Bring out
the irony of the situation.
Ans. The Maharaja’s bullet missed the tiger though he had taken careful aim at the
beast. The shock of the sound of the bullet made it faint. One hunter took aim from a
distance of one foot and shot the tiger dead.
It is ridiculous that the Tiger King who had killed ninety-nine tigers should miss his
aim. It is funny that the hunter takes aim from a hand-shaking distance. The whole
situation is ironic.

Q32. How does the hundredth tiger take its final revenge upon the Tiger King?
Ans. The Tiger King could not kill the hundredth tiger. It had merely fainted from
shock of the sound of the bullet. It is the wooden tiger from the toyshop that
becomes the cause of Maharaja’s death. One of the slivers on its body pierces the
Maharaja’s right hand. Infection flares up and the prick develops into a suppurating
sore. The Maharaja dies during the operation.
Q1. What do you learn about princes and kings of native Indian states during the
British rule from the story ‘The Tiger King’?
Ans. The story ‘The Tiger King’ presents a fair glimpse of the young princes and the
Maharajas ©f native Indian states. Their long names with descriptive titles and
decorative honours was more a rule than an exception. They considered recognition
from the British government and its officers a favour. They aped the Britishers in
upbringing, education, manners and behaviour. The Maharajas were autocrats and
their words were the law. They could be benevolent as well as stubborn. Their
minions as well as ministers feared and respected them. Sometimes their whims
proved quite costly to the state coffer. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram spends
three lakh of rupees on gift of diamond rings to retain his kingdom. Marriages with
princesses of other states are based on considerations other than love or virtues of
the girl. In short, the Princes and Maharajas are portrayed as whimsical, stubborn
and excitable persons proud of their virtues and valour.

Q2. What did the astrologers predict about the infant prince ? What was the miracle
that baffled them. ? What did the chief astrologer enlighten the prince about and
how ?
Ans. As soon as the prince was bom, astrologers predicted that one day the Tiger
King would certainly have to die. It was the influence of the star under which he was
bom. At that very moment a great miracle took place. An astonishing phrase
emerged from the lips of the ten-day-old Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, “O wise
prophets!” Everyone stood motionless with astonishment and stupidity. The infant
said that all those who are bom will have to die one day. So he did not need their
predictions to know that. However, there would be some sense in it if they could tell
him the manner of that death.
The astrologers were baffled that a baby barely ten-day-old has not only opened his
lips in speech but had also raised intelligent questions. It was quite incredible. The
chief astrolo¬ger fixed his eyes upon the little prince. He said that the prince was
bom in the hour of the
Bull. The Bull and the Tiger are enemies. Therefore, death comes from the Tiger.

Q3. How did the Maharaja try to disprove the prediction of the chief astrologer?
What did the state astrologer assert when the Maharaja summoned him to show his
first kill?
Ans. Since the astrologers had predicted death from Tiger, the Maharaja decided to
kill tigers to defend himself. Hence he started out on a tiger hunt campaign. There
were enough tigers in the forests of Pratibandapuram state. The Maharaja was
thrilled beyond mea¬sure when he killed his first tiger. He sent for the state
astrologer and showed him the dead beast.
The Maharaja asked the astrologer what he said then. The astrologer said that his
maj-esty might kill ninety-nine tigers in exactly the same manner, but he must be very
careful with the hundredth tiger. Maharaja wanted to know what would happen if the
hundredth ; tiger was also killed.
The state astrologer said that in that case he would tear up all his books on
astrology and ‘ set fire to them. Moreover, he would cut off his tuft, crop his hair
short and become an insurance agent.

Q4. What problems did the Maharaja face in pursuit of his mission ? How did he
resolve them ?
Ans. The Maharaja started his mission of killing one hundred tigers with single-
minded devo¬tion. He focused all his energy and attention to it. He vowed that he
would attend to all other matters only after killing one hundred tigers. Initially, the
king seemed well set to realise his ambition. Then dangers and difficulties cropped
up. There were times when the bullet missed its mark. The tiger would leap upon him
and he had to fight the wild beast with his bare hands. Luckily, each time the
Maharaja, who had indomitable cour¬age, won.
Once he was in danger of losing his throne because he did not permit a high-ranking
British officer to hunt a tiger in the Pratibandapuram forest. The king did not accede
to his request for being photographed with a gun on the carcass of a tiger killed by
the Maharaja. The Maharaja had to part with a costly gift to placate his injured
feelings and save his kingdom.

Q5. How does the author satirise the hunting instincts of the persons in authority ?
Ans. The story tells us that big game hunting was considered a royal sport. The
Maharaja of Pratibandapuram went to the extent of banning tiger-hunt in his own
kingdom by all others except himself.
Tiger-hunt became an obsession for him. He thought of tiger during the day and
dreamt of it at night. He postponed all affairs of the state and devoted himself only
to tiger-hunt. Thus, a pastime or sport became the only aim of his life. He married for
the sake of tiger. He chose a princess in whose kingdom there were plenty of tigers.
He could undertake any risks for tiger-hunt.
The British officers had also developed a fondness for this royal sport. Perhaps they
considered it a status symbol. They were publicity conscious and wanted to be
photographed with a gun in hand and the carcass of a tiger at feet. Various other
hunts were also prevalent. These included boar-hunt, mouse-hunt and mosquito-
hunt. The descending order of risk and resistance from the victims makes us laugh
at the whims and craziness of the hunters. Thus, the story exposes the fondness of
persons in authority for hunting wild animals.

Q6. How did the Maharaja devise a new avenue to fulfil his ambition to kill one
hundred tigers? How far did he succeed?
Ans. The Tiger King had resolved to kill one hundred tigers. During ten years he killed
seventy tigers in his kingdom. Then the tigers became extinct in the forests of
Pratibandapuram. The Maharaja devised a plan. He decided to get married. He
asked the dewan to collect statistics of tiger population in different native states.
Then he was assigned the job to find out if there was any girl in the royal household
that he could marry. The main criterion for the selection of the princess was that her
father’s kingdom should have a large number of tiger population. The dewan
complied with the orders of the Maharaja. Then the Maharaja married a girl from a
state which possessed a large tiger population. Each time he visited his father-in-law,
he killed five or six tigers. In this way he was successful in killing niqety-nine tigers.

Q7. Give an account of the Maharaja’s impatience for the hundredth tiger and the
actual encounter. What, do you think, caused the death of the Tiger King?
Ans. The Maharaja was keen to kill the hundredth tiger. If he did so, he would have
no fears left. It became impossible to locate tigers anywhere. When the villagers
informed him of the activities of a tiger near hillside, he went to the forest and waited
there. The tiger seemed to have deliberately hid himself to defy the Maharaja’s will.
The wise, aged dewan got an old tiger brought from the People’s Park in Madras. He
released it at night in the forest near the Maharaja’s camp. In the morning, the same
tiger wandered into the Maharaja’s presence and stood their meekly. The Maharaja
took careful aim at the beast. The tiger fell down. Actually the bullet had missed it,
The old tiger had fainted with the shock of the bullet passing near him.
The Tiger King died due to an infection from a tiny sliver of a wooden tiger. The prick
developed into a sore with pus. A surgical operation was performed on his arm, but
he died. The writer comments that the hundredth tiger took its final revenge upon the
Tiger King.

Q8. Comment on the ending of the story ‘The Tiger King’. Do you find it convincing?
Give reasons. 
Ans. The ending of the story ‘The Tiger King’ seems tame, unconvincing and rather
contrived. It seems unnatural and unrealistic. It is beyond comprehension how a king
who has over powered ferocious tigers in single combat with bare hands succumbs
to a prick from the sliver of a wooden tiger.
It is amazing to find how the infection flares in the Maharaja’s right hand. In four
days, the prick develops into a suppurating sore and spreads all over the arm. The
three sur¬geons perform a successful operation but fail to save the Maharaja. How
is the operation successful then? It seems that the author wants us to believe that
the astrologer was right and the hundredth tiger took its final revenge upon the Tiger
King.This ending may satisfy superstitious readers with orthodox beliefs, but for the
enlight¬ened minds of the age of computers and rockets it is a bitter pill to swallow.

Q9. Comment on the appropriateness of the title ‘The Tiger King’.

Ans. ‘The Tiger King’ is a quite appropriate and suggestive title. It focuses attention
on the hero of the story—The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, who is also nick named
the Tiger King. The story spans from his birth to death and covers all the landmarks
connected with his passion—tiger-hunt. For him human relations and the affairs of
the state are second¬ary. He marries a princess for the sake of a tiger. When he
celebrates the third birthday of the crown prince, he brings a wooden tiger for him as
a gift. It is ironic that the sliver of the wooden tiger causes his death. The
overconfidence and false sense of security of the Tiger King on having killed the
hundredth tiger leads to his doom. The story which begins with the prediction of
death of the Tiger King right at his birth, ends with his death from a tiger. Thus, the
title is quite apt.

Q10.What devices does the author use to make the story ‘The Tiger King’ humorous
and interesting?
Ans. The author uses many literary devices to make this story humorous as well as
interest-ing. He introduces the elements of shock and surprise by making the ten-
day-old baby open his lips to talk and ask intelligent questions. The predictions of
the astrologers convey inevitability of death, but the man of indomitable courage i.e.,
the Tiger King faces the agent of death i.e., the tiger many times and comes out
victorious every time.
The description of the education and upbringing of crown princes of Indian states
and their craze for ‘English’ provides lots of fun. The mention of various hunts: tiger-
hunt, boar-hunt, mouse-hunt, mosquito-hunt makes us laugh at the pastimes of the
people in authority at the cost of innocent animals. The last two hunts seem funny
and ridiculous.
The Maharaja’s thought of marrying a girl for the sake of tiger is also amusing. The
behaviour of the high-ranking British officer and that of the Maharaja and his dewan
at different points in the story provoke laughter and maintain the reader’s interest in
the narrative.