Q. 1. How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge upon the Tiger King? [Foreign Set-III, 2017]
OR
How did the tiger king die ? Did the astrologer’s prediction come true? [Comptt., Delhi Set III, 2017]
OR
Did the prophecy of the astrologer come true at the end of the story? How? (SQP 2018-19)
Ans. Value Points : – yes, the king was killed by the hundredth tiger,as prophesied by the astrologer – real hundredth tiger escaped the bullet of the king – so the wooden tiger became the hundredth tiger and killed the king – a sliver from the wooden tiger pierced into his arm, caused infection and ultimately killed him
Detailed Answer : The real 100th tiger was not killed by the king but by his men. The wooden tiger was considered the 100th tiger which was made by an unskilled carpenter. It had slivers sticking out which pierced the King’s right hand. The king had to be operated upon to remove infected hand and died in operation. Thus, the 100th tiger took the revenge. Yes, the prediction came true.
Q. 2. Why did the Tiger King decide to get married? [Outside Delhi Set III, 2015]
OR
When and why did the Maharaja decide to get married? [Comptt., Delhi Set-I, 2013]
OR
Why did the Maharaja decide to get married? [Outside Delhi Set-I, 2017]
OR
What considerations influenced the Tiger King to get married? [Delhi / Outside Delhi 2018]
Ans. Value Points: –After killing 70 tigers, no more tigers in his kingdom, decided to marry a princess from kingdom with a large population of tigers to reach the target of 100/ influenced by his desire to disprove the prediction of the astrologer/ his conceit, vanity/ arrogance/ selfishness/ selfseeking desire.
Q. 3. What kind of life was enjoyed by crown prince Jung Bahadur till he reached the age of twenty?
Ans. Value Points: – drank milk of English cow / nursed by English nanny / had English tutor / watched English films – uneventful childhood just like any Indian prince during the British rule
Detailed Answer: Crown Prince Jung Bahadur enjoyed his life till he reached the age of twenty. He was brought up according to the English culture as he drank the milk of English cows, he was nursed by an English nanny and he watched English movies. He had an uneventful childhood just like any Indian prince during the British rule.
Q. 33. Why did the Maharaja ban tiger hunting in the state?
Ans. Value Points : Wanted to hunt and kill 100 tigers to fulfil his vow / wanted to prove the astrologer’s prediction wrong / he had only a limited population of tigers in his kingdom / did not want anyone to hunt or kill tiger.
Detailed Answer : When the Maharaja was born, the astrologers predicted that a tiger would become the cause of his death. After getting the throne from the British, the king shot a tiger but was warned by the astrologers that he should be beware of the hundredth tiger. So, the Maharaja banned the hunting of tigers by all except himself as he had only a limited population of tigers and he had to fulfil his vow of killing a hundred tigers.
Q. 5. ‘From that day onwards it was celebration time for all tigers inhabiting Pratibandapuram’. Bring out the irony in this statement.
Ans. Value Points – celebration because the State banned hunting by everyone – ironical because only the Maharaja could still hunt so as to ensure that he kills 100 tigers – so their death is inevitable yet they are celebrating
Detailed Answer : King Jung Bahadur decided to kill hundred tigers, so he banned the hunting of tigers by anyone else except him. Though it was the celebration time for all tigers inhabiting Pratibandapuram yet it was ironical because the Maharaja himself could still hunt them. He had not barred himself from it. Their death was inevitable as the Maharaja was on the lookout for them. In spite of this, they were celebrating.
Q. 6. What sort of hunts did the Maharaja offer to organize for the high-ranking British Officer? What trait of the officer does this reveal?
Ans. Maharaja sent all the rings to the British officer’s lady. She kept them all and sent a word of thanks. In two days, a bill for three lakh rupees came from the British jewellers. Through this incident, we can say that the officer was corrupt and greedy.
Q. 7. When was the Tiger King in danger of losing his throne? [Outside Delhi Set II, 2015]
OR
Why was the Maharaja once in danger of losing his kingdom? [Delhi Set-I, 2017]
Ans. Value Points : – refusing to grant permission to the British officer to hunt – even refusing to allow him to get photographed with a dead tiger.
Detailed Answer : At one time, the Maharaja was in danger of losing his throne. A high ranking British officer visited Pratibandapuram. He was very fond of hunting tigers and of being photographed with them. He was refused permission to hunt tigers in Pratibandapuram. He had prevented such a high ranking officer from fulfilling his desire. Hence, the Maharaja stood in danger of losing his kingdom itself.
Q. 8. How did the Maharaja please a high ranking British official?
Ans. Value Points : Ordered fifty diamond rings from a jeweller in Calcutta and sent them to the British official’s wife/by bribing the British officer’s wife.
Detailed Answer : The Maharaja ordered fifty diamond rings from a jeweller in Calcutta and sent them to the British official’s wife as a bribe to please the high ranking British official.
Q. 9. Even though the Maharaja lost three lakhs rupees, he was still happy. Why?
Ans. The Maharaja had bought fifty diamond rings worth three lakhs rupees and sent them to the wife of the British officer as the Maharaja had refused him tiger hunting in his kingdom. She kept them all. In this way, the Maharaja lost three lakhs rupees but was able to retain his kingdom. This made him happy.
Q. 10. When he was only ten days old, a prediction was made about the future of the Tiger King. What was ironic about it?
Ans. Value Points – he would die – irony – 10-day-old infant speaking / everyone who is born has to die – killed by the tiger (100th) – irony death by a toy / wooden tiger’s sliver
Detailed Answer: When the Tiger King was only ten days old, an astrologer had proclaimed that a tiger would become the cause of his death. He must be particularly careful with the hundredth tiger. Ninety-nine tigers were killed. The irony, here was that the sliver of a wooden toy tiger became the cause of his death.
Q. 11. Why did the Maharaja order the Diwan to double the land tax?
Ans. Value Points :
— Could not find the hundredth tiger and was furious
— In frustration, doubled the tax.
Detailed Answer : The Maharaja had killed ninetynine tigers but could not find the hundredth tiger to kill. He refused to leave the forest until he found the hundredth tiger but was unsuccessful in his attempt. In his fury, he called the Diwan and ordered him to double the land tax.
Q. 12. How did the Tiger King’s Diwan prove to be resourceful? [CBSE, SQP 2015-16]
OR
How did the hundredth tiger reach the forest? [Foreign Set-I, 2017]
Ans. Value Points : was brought by Diwan from People’s Park in Chennai / released near the king’s camp near the forest.
Detailed Answer : After the Tiger King could not find the 100th tiger to kill, he was angry and threatened to remove the Diwan from his job. The Diwan brought an old tiger from a people’s park in Madras and hid it in his house. The next day, he took the tiger to the forest to be killed by the king.
Q. 13. The manner of his (the king’s) death is a matter of extraordinary interest. Comment.
Ans. Value Points : vows to kill hundred tigers to ensure his longevity / as soon as he was born, astrologers had foretold that one day the Tiger King would be killed by a tiger
Detailed Answer : The manner of his death was, indeed, a matter of interest as when he was born an astrologer had predicted that the hundredth tiger would be the cause of his death. The Tiger King accepted the challenge and went on a spree to hunt tigers. But the king who very bravely killed ninety-nine tigers, ultimately, died at the hands of the hundredth cheap, wooden toy tiger.
Q. 14. How did the Maharaja deal with a high ranking British officer who wanted to shoot a tiger? [Delhi Set - II, 2017]
Ans. Value Points : - offered any other kind of hunt apart from the tiger hunt / sent to the officer’s wife fifty rings expecting she would choose one or two / she kept all / cost him three lakhs rupees
Detailed Answer : When the high ranking British officer expressed his desire to hunt tiger in Pratibandapuram, the Maharaja denied him permission. He said to the British officer that the latter could hunt anything, even mosquitoes, but not tigers. Later, when the Maharaja realised that refusing the high ranking British officer could jeopardise his kingdom, he sent fifty samples of diamond rings to the British officer’s wife to choose from. She kept them all; it cost the maharaja three lakhs rupees.
Q. 15. Who killed the 100th tiger? Why? [Comptt., Outside Delhi Set II, 2015]
OR
What happened to the hundredth tiger? [Foreign Set-II, 2017]
Ans. Value Points : if the real tiger is the hundredth tiger – king misses the mark / this fact hidden from King. / tiger killed by the hunters / if wooden tiger considered as hundredth tiger - it caused the death of the king.
Detailed Answer : The 100th Tiger was killed by the king’s men. The bullet that was fired by the king did not kill the tiger. It had simply fainted. When the king went away thinking that he had killed the tiger, his men shot the tiger as they thought that the king would get annoyed if he got to know the truth and they would have to look for another tiger.
Q. 16. How did the ten-day-old baby (the future Tiger King) react to the prediction about his future made by the astrologers? [Delhi Set II, 2016]
Ans. Value Points: – said all those who are born will one day have to die – they did not require the predictions of the astrologers for that – it would be some sense if the astrologers could tell the manner of that death – said let tigers beware
Detailed Answer: Upon hearing the prediction of the chief astrologer, the ten-day old Jilani Jung Bahadur spoke very clearly and said that there was nothing new in that, all those who were born, would have to die one day. They did not require the predictions of the astrologers for that. He did not quake with fear. Rather, he asked the astrologer to tell the manner of his death. When the astrologer told that he he would be killed by the hundredth tiger, the baby growled and said “Let the tigers beware!”.
