The Tiger King
The Tiger King
The Tiger King
1
The Maharaja banned tiger hunting in the State by anyone else except himself because he had to kill a hundred
tigers to prove the astrologer’s prediction wrong. He had a limited population of tigers in his kingdom, so he did
not want anyone else to hunt or kill tigers.
11.Why did the Maharaja order the Dewan to double the land tax?
Despite being in the forest for many days, I, Maharaja, could not find the hundredth tiger, so his fury and
obstinacy mounted alarmingly. Due to his frustration and rage, many officers lost their jobs, and when his anger |
reached its height, he ordered the Dewan to double the land tax.
12.How did the Maharaja please a high-ranking British official?
The Maharaja had annoyed a high-ranking British official by refusing him permission to hunt. Later, to make
amends, he sent about fifty samples of expensive diamond rings to the officer’s wife, hoping she would keep one
or two rings as a bribe. But she kept all the rings which cost the Maharaja three lakhs rupees, but the official
pleased with him.
13.What gave the astrologers the greatest surprise of their life while they were studying the horoscope of
the ten-day-old prince?
While the astrologers were studying the horoscope of the ten-day-old prince, a great miracle took place that gave
the astrologers the greatest surprise of their life. An astonishing phrase emerged from the lips of the ten-day-old
prince, and everyone stood transfixed in stupefaction.
14.How did the Tiger King become the victim of the hundredth tiger?
The Tiger King brings a wooden tiger as a gift for his son. The poorly carved toy tiger has a
rough surface filled with slivers of wood. The Maharaja hurts himself when a tiny sliver pierces his right hand.
He neglects his injury, which becomes grievous when pus develops on it and soon spreads all over his arm,
finally leading to his death. In this way, the Tiger King ultimately becomes a victim of the hundredth tiger.
15.The manner of his (The Tiger King’s) death is a matter of extraordinary interest. Comment.
The manner of the tiger king’s death is indeed a matter of extraordinary interest. The Tiger King vowed to kill a
hundred tigers to ensure his longevity, as when he was born, the chief astrologer had predicted that a tiger would
cause his death. He later brings a wooden tiger as a gift for his son, and its tiny sliver of wood pierces his right
hand. He neglects his injury, which becomes grievous and leads to his death. Thus, he gets killed by the
hundredth tiger.
16.When was the Tiger King in danger of losing his throne? (All India 2015)
The Tiger King was in danger of losing his kingdom when he annoyed a senior British Officer by refusing him
permission to not only hunt a tiger in Pratibandapuram but also rejecting the officer’s request to be photographed
with a tiger killed by him (the Maharaja).
17.How did the Maharaja overcome the difficulty a high-ranking British officer created? (or)
How did the Tiger King save his kingdom from the British?
The Maharaja had annoyed a senior British Officer and was in danger of losing his throne. He sent about fifty
samples of expensive diamond rings to the officer’s wife to make amends, hoping she would keep one or two
rings as a bribe. But the greedy lady kept all the rings. The Maharaja lost three lakh rupees, but he retained his
kingdom.
18.Who killed the 100th tiger? Why?
Ironically, the King is not killed by the hundredth tiger. He does drop down after the Maharaja shoots him, but
he only faints from the bullet shot. The hunters then wonder what they should do. They realize if the Maharaja
came to know this, they could lose their jobs. So one of the hunters aims and shoots the tiger.
19.When he was only ten days old, a prediction was made about the future of the Tiger King. What was
ironic about it? (or) What was the prediction made by astrologers when the King was born?
When the King was a ten-day-old infant, the chief astrologer had predicted that a tiger would be responsible for
the King’s death. So the King went on a tiger-killing spree, but a wooden toy tiger caused the Tiger King’s
death. So despite getting rid of all the tigers in and around his kingdom, it was most ironic that the hundredth
tiger, a wooden one, took its final revenge upon the King. A tiny sliver of wood from the wooden tiger pierces
the King’s right hand, ultimately leading to his death.
20.How did the ten-day-old baby (the future Tiger King) react to the prediction about his future made by
the astrologers?
2
No sooner had the astrologers predicted the death of the ten-day-old baby than a great miracle. An astonishing
phrase emerged from the lips of the baby, and everyone stood transfixed in stupefaction. He said the astrologers
should tell: him how he would die and asked why for his predicted death.
21.What kind of life enjoyed by crown prince Jung Bahadur till he reached the age of twenty?
Till he reached the age of twenty, the crown prince Jung Bahadur did exactly what the other crown princes of all
the other Indian states did. He drank the milk of an English cow, brought up by an English nanny, tutored in
English by an Englishman, and saw only English films. He had an uneventful childhood, like any Indian prince
during British rule.
22.How did the Dewan and his wife help in getting the hundredth tiger for the King?
The Dewan had bought an old tiger from the People’s Park in Madras. He had hidden it in his backyard. At
midnight, the Dewan and his wife dragged the tiger into the car and hauled him out of the car near the
Maharaja’s camp. It wandered into the Maharaja’s presence and was shot at.
23.When did the Maharaja decide to double the land tax for a village?
In a hillside village of the Maharaja’s state, there was news about a tiger’s presence which could be the
hundredth tiger the Maharaja would kill and overcome the curse. But this tiger was not to found, and as the days
passed, the Maharaja’s fury and obstinacy mounted alarmingly, and he decided to double the land tax for that
village.
24.How did the Tiger King die? Did the astrologer’s prediction come true?
It was a tiger that was responsible for the Tiger king’s death, albeit a poorly carved wooden tiger. A sliver of
wood pierced the tiger king’s hand, and he neglected his injury, which became grievous and finally led to his
death. So, in a way, the astrologer’s prediction did come true, as the hundredth tiger was responsible for the
King’s death.
3
A high-ranking British officer, a coward, wanted to kill a tiger to flaunt himself before his compatriots. When he
was not allowed to hunt a tiger, he said to the King that he would happy if he were just allowed photographed
with a dead tiger killed by the King. But the King was adamant and did not agree to his request because it would
encourage the other officers to come up with similar demands. The King thus seriously angered the visiting
senior British officer and now ‘stood in danger of losing his kingdom. So to pacify the annoyed official, the King
and his Dewan sent bribes of fifty expensive diamond rings to the official’s wife, hoping she would select one or
two and return the rest. But the greedy lady kept all the rings. The King, no doubt, lost a few lakhs but managed
to save his throne and was thus able to avert the danger of losing his kingdom.
28.Why was the King worried after having killed ninety-nine tigers? How did his worries come to an end?
At the birth of the King, an astrologer had predicted that a tiger would be responsible for his death. At the age of
twenty, the state astrologer had told him to be wary of the hundredth tiger. The Tiger King had killed ninety-nine
tigers, and now he just needed to kill one tiger to reach his tally of killing a hundred tigers. Then he would have
no fears left. So he is feverishly anxious to kill the hundredth tiger at the earliest. But the tiger farms ran dry in
his father-in-law’s kingdom also. Out of frustration, the King terminates the services of many officers and thinks
of punishing the villagers by doubling the land tax. He also orders his Dewan either to resign or find a tiger. The
Dewan get worried and upset and recalls the old tiger brought from Madras and kept hidden in his house. He
drags the old, weak tiger and drives him to the forest where the King is hunting. The initially hesitant tiger
wanders into the Maharaja’s presence and finally shot by the King.
29.The astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger King came to be true. Do you agree with this
statement? Explain why or why not. (or) Even today, so many among us believe in superstitions. An
astrologer predicted The Tiger King’ that a tiger would kill him. He ‘killed’ one hundred tigers yet was
himself ‘killed’ by a tiger. How did the superstitious belief ‘prevail’?
The chief astrologer had forewarned the King that a tiger would be responsible for his death and he should be
particularly beware of the hundredth tiger. After killing the hundredth tiger, the King relaxed and became
careless. He did not know that the hundredth tiger had survived because the bullet had missed its mark. Finally, it
was a tiger responsible for the King’s death though a toy tiger he had bought as a birthday gift for his son. The
carved toy tiger had a rough surface with sharp wooden splinters. One of these sharp splinters pierced the King’s
right hand and caused a deadly infection that spread over his arm. Three surgeons tried their level best, but they
could not save the King, and so the astrologer’s prediction did indeed come true. Even though the King took
every measure to avoid his death, the hundredth tiger took its final revenge upon the King as predicted by the
astrologer.
30.Why did the Tiger King wish to hunt a hundred tigers? How far was he able to fulfill his wish?
At the Tiger King’s birth, the astrologer had predicted that the death of the future newborn King would come
through a tiger, and he must especially beware of the hundredth tiger. Amaz¬ingly the newborn prince growled,
“Let tigers beware!”. He meant that he would not be afraid of tigers. Instead, tigers would be afraid of him, and
he would wipe them out to disprove the astrologer’s prediction. So when he came of age, he wreaked havoc on
the tiger population in an attempt to hunt a hundred tigers as soon as possible. The tiger king successfully killed
ninety-nine tigers and was under the impression that he had also killed the hundredth tiger. But the hundredth
tiger had survived his bullet shot. Ironically the death of the Tiger King brought about by a toy, a wooden tiger,
which he had bought as a special birthday gift for his son.
31.Giving a bribe is an evil practice. How did the Tiger King bribe the British officer to save his kingdom?
How do you view this act of his?
The Maharaja had annoyed a British officer by refusing him permission to hunt a tiger in Pratibandapuram; as a
result, he was in danger of losing his throne. Later, to make amends, he bribed the officer by sending about fifty
samples of expensive diamond rings to the officer’s wife, hoping she would keep one or two rings as a bribe. But
the greedy lady kept all the rings. So the Maharaja lost three lakh rupees but was still happy because he had
managed to retain his kingdom. The Maharaja was certain of one thing he would not let anyone else shoot a tiger
in his kingdom. He annoyed the British officer and later paid a heavy bribe to appease the official. Even after
losing a large amount of money, the Maharaja was happy because he had not only managed to retain his throne
but also dissuaded the British officer from shooting a tiger.