The Tiger King — Question Answers

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Who was the Tiger King? Why did he get that name?

   Ans. The Tiger King was the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram. When he was an infant, an astrologer made a prophecy that when he grew up, he would be killed by a tiger. On hearing this, the infant let out a horrible growl. When he grew up, he became obsessed with tigers and started killing tigers. That is why he became famous as the Tiger King.

2. What miracle took place when the king was only ten days old?

   Ans. When the Tiger King was born, his father called the famous astrologers of the kingdom in order to know the child’s future. At that moment, a great miracle took place. The child, who was only ten days old, began to speak. He asked the astrologers to predict the manner of his death.

3. What does the chief astrologer tell be the cause of the Maharaja’s death?

   Ans. The royal infant says that all those who are born will one day have to die. There is nothing new in it. He wants to know the real cause of his death. The astrologer tells the royal infant that he is born in the hour of the Bull. The Bull and the Tiger are enemies. Therefore, his death will come from the Tiger.

4. Describe the upbringing of the royal infant. When did he take the reins of the state in his hands?

   Ans. Crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grew taller and stronger day by day. The boy drank the milk of an English cow. He was brought up by an English governess and tutored in English by an Englishman. He saw nothing but English films. When he became twenty years old, the command of the state came into his hands.

5. What did the Maharaja decide to do when he came to know about the astrologer’s prediction?

   Ans. The astrologer had predicted that the Maharaja’s death would come from a tiger. With the passage of time, the crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grew up to be a strong young man. When he was twenty years old, he became the king. But everyone in the kingdom remembered the astrologer’s prediction about his death. Gradually it reached the Maharaja’s ears also. There were so many forests in the Pratibandapuram State having numerous tigers in them. In those days, killing tigers was no crime. It was rather considered a royal sport. The Maharaja started out on a tiger hunt and very soon he killed the first tiger.

6. How did the Maharaja feel when he killed his first tiger? What did the State Astrologer say at that occasion?

   Ans. The Maharaja was greatly thrilled when he killed his first tiger. He sent for the State astrologer, showed him the dead beast and demanded his reaction. The astrologer replied that he might kill ninety-nine tigers in exactly the same manner but he must be very careful with the hundredth tiger.

7. Why was it celebration time for tigers in Pratibandapuram? Explain the irony.

   Ans. The state banned tiger hunting by anyone except the Maharaja. If anyone even dared to throw a stone at a tiger, all his wealth and property would be confiscated. The Maharaja didn’t want any other person to reduce the population of tigers. It was celebration time for tigers in the state. The irony is that the tiger hunting was banned for all except the Maharaja.

8. What dangers did the Tiger King face during his tiger-hunting?

   Ans. The Maharaja seemed well set to realise his ambition initially. But he had to face some dangers during his tiger-hunt. There were times when his bullet missed its mark. Once, a tiger leapt upon him. He fought the violent beast with his bare hands. Each time it was the Maharaja who won. Once, the Maharaja was in the danger of losing his throne when he refused British official to hunt tiger or get photographed with dead tiger. But every time he won over everything.

9. How was at one time the Maharaja in danger of losing his throne?

   Ans. Once, the Maharaja was in the danger of losing his throne. A high ranking British officer had visited Pratibandapuram. He was very fond of hunting tigers and being photographed with them. But the king refused him permission to hunt tigers in Pratibandapuram. When the British officer said that he only wanted to be photographed with the dead tiger, the king did not agree even to that proposal. He had prevented a British officer from fulfilling his desire; the Maharaja was in the danger of losing his throne.

10. How did the Maharaja manage to retain/save his kingdom?

    Ans. The Maharaja had to please a high rank British officer. Samples of expensive diamond rings of different designs were brought from a famous jeweller in Calcutta. The Maharaja sent all the 50 rings to the British officer’s good lady. He had expected that she would select one or two rings and return the remaining ones. But surprisingly, she kept all of them. This cost the Maharaja three lakh rupees but he somehow managed to retain his kingdom.

11. What was the unforeseen hurdle that brought the Maharaja’s tiger hunt to a halt?

    Ans. The King’s tiger-hunts continued to be highly successful. Within ten years he was able to kill seventy tigers. But then an unforeseen hurdle brought his mission to a halt. The tiger population in the forests of Pratibandapuram was entirely wiped out. This nonavailability of the wild beast brought the tiger hunt to a halt.

12. How did the Maharaja solve the problem of killing the remaining thirty tigers?

    Ans. The Maharaja asked his Dewan to draw up figures of tiger populations in the different native states. He could marry in a royal family with a large tiger population. The Dewan found out the right princess and the king married her. Each time he visited his father-in-law, the Maharaja would kill five or six tigers. Ultimately, he was able to kill 99 tigers in all.

13. When and why did the Maharaja’s anxiety reach a fever pitch?

    Ans. The Maharaja was able to kill 99 tigers. Just one tiger remained to complete his tally of a hundred. By this time the tiger farms had run dry even in his father-in-law’s kingdom. It became impossible to locate tigers anywhere. Thus, the king’s anxiety reached a fever pitch.

14. Why did the Dewan warn the Maharaja not to double the land tax forthwith? What was the reaction of the Maharaja?

    Ans. The Tiger King could not find hundredth tiger. His anger was at its height. He called the Dewan and ordered him to double the land-tax forthwith. The Dewan warned that the people would rise in revolt. Then their state too would fall a prey to the Indian National Congress. The king became furious and told the Dewan to resign from his post if he didn’t obey the orders.

15. Would it be proper to call the Maharaja “penny-wise, pound foolish”? Give reasons.

    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.

16. “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. Milking a tiger is next to impossible for the beast would kill anyone who dares to do so. The author has used hyperbole to suggest in a comical way that finding a tiger was impossible and difficult task.

17. How did the Dewan arrange the hundredth tiger for the king to shoot down?

    Ans. The Dewan knew that if the king did not find the tiger, he would lose his job. He felt life returning to him only when he saw the tiger which had been brought from the People’s Park in Madras and kept hidden in his house. At midnight, he and his wife put that tiger in a car and took him into the jungle where the king was camping. There they pushed him out of the car and came back.

18. How did the tiger king celebrate his victory over the killing of the 100th tiger?

    Ans. The Maharaja thought that he had killed the hundredth tiger. He was overcome with elation. He ordered the tiger to be brought to the capital in grand procession. The dead tiger was taken in a procession through the town. It was buried and a tomb was erected over it.

19. Why didn’t the hunters tell the King that the tiger was not dead?

    Ans. The Maharaja thought that he had killed the hundredth tiger. He didn’t know that his bullet had missed the mark. It had only fainted due to the bullet whizzing past his ears. However, the hunters kept it a secret. They feared losing their jobs if the Maharaja knew the truth.

20. Who actually killed the hundredth tiger?

    Ans. After the Maharaja had gone, the hunters went near the tiger. They found that the tiger was not dead. The bullet had missed him. The tiger had fainted from the shock. But they dared not tell this secret to the king. One of the hunters shot at the tiger and killed him.

21. 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.

22. What is irony in the king’s death?

    Ans. Three famous doctors were brought from Madras to operate on the king’s hand. After they had performed the operation, they came out and announced that the operation was successful but the Maharaja was dead. It is ironical that the king dies in a successful operation by three famous surgeons. Also ironical is the situation that a brave/valiant king who killed ninety nine tigers to save himself, dies of a sliver only.

23. There is a Paradox in “the operation was successful. The Maharaja is dead”. What does the author intend to suggest it and how?

    Ans: Paradox is clear- Maharaja shouldn’t have been said to be dead as the operation was successful. But the author intends to suggest humour in to make astrology triumph in this case—to satirise the obstinacy & pride of 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, in addition to this, the way the Maharaja ruled the kingdom and didn’t care for his subjects, in the similar way the surgeons cared for technicalities of surgery, not his life. When the Maharaja got hurt by a wooden splinter, specialists 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 consequence to them.)

24. Justify the title “The Tiger King”.

    Ans. The story “The Tiger King” is an apt title as the whole story revolves around the whimsical pursuits of one man popularly known as the Tiger King simply due to his vow of killing 100 tigers. The title also has a reference to the irony that the king who, though had killed ninety nine tigers bravely, was “killed” just by a toy tiger. Hence the title is appropriate.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. “Destiny plays a vital role in one’s life.” Justify this statement in the light of the story “The Tiger King”. OR Write a note on the theme of the story “The Tiger King”.

   Ans. The story revolves around the theme that destiny plays a vital role in a person’s life. Though in the modern world, people do not believe in God, astrological predictions or stars and they try to disapprove of it by conquering the nature. With the advancement of Science and Technology, scientists are considering themselves next to God. Nature takes its revenge through natural disasters i.e. earthquakes, famine, drought and global warming etc. Same way by killing so many tigers the king thought to disapprove of the astrological prediction. The 100th tiger (though a wooden) took its revenge. In this way the destiny took its final revenge and astrological prediction came true.

5. Bring out the element of humour in the story. (Value Points)

   Ans. Many instances evoke humour:

   • Introduction of the tiger King as Jamedaar…
   • Mention of stuka bomber
   • A ten day’s infant asking questions from the astrologer about his death,
   • Astrologer accepting challenge and saying he would cut his tuft and become an insurance agent
   • The Dewaan’s reply when the king expressed desire to get married evokes humour. He says, “Your Majesty, I have two wives already. If I marry you ...”
   • His marrying only for sake of getting more tigers to kill as his state was devoid of tigers
   • Despite being a king, his sole aim is to kill hundred tigers
   • Suggesting the British officer to hunt a boar, a deer or even a mosquito
   • His gift of diamond rings and British officer’s wife’s greed present humour in the story
   • It seemed tigers committed harakiri
   • When Dewaan and his wife take the old tiger in their car to the forest and the tiger refusing to get out of the car