Practice Questions: Mrs. Packletide's Tiger | Practice Questions with Solutions for Class 10 PDF Download

Q1: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“How amused every one would be if they knew what really happened. ”

• Who is the speaker?
• What had ‘really happened’?
• What does the word, ‘amused’ mean?

Ans:

• Miss Mebbin is the speaker.
• Mrs Packletide had missed the aim and the tiger had died of heart attack.
• The word ‘amused’ means ‘entertained’.

Q2: The story Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger revolves around big time shooting. Though hunting is banned nowadays, animals are still being hunted. Write an article for ‘Earth Today’ magazine voicing your concern over the killing of animals and its impact on the environment.
Ans:
Hunting: A Threat to Environment
by XYZ

Despite much hue and cry and implementation of strict laws by the government, the grim business of hunting animals is still in practice in several parts of our country. This evil practice commenced several centuries ago, when wealthy people had adopted it to show their bravery and satisfy their whims. In course of time, millions of animals were killed and such killings affected the environment badly.
Animals are also the beautiful creation of God. They help us in many different ways. They are integral part of our ecological system. Any further reduction in their number will cause severe ecological imbalance. We, Indians, are known for our love and affection towards animals. Our scriptures reveal that our ancestors used to worship animals.
Time has now come when we have to use our best endeavours to stop all sorts of hunting. Government must formulate more effective laws to stop this grim business. People have realised their mistakes and the significance of animals in our ecological system. Good sense will prevail and animals will never be shot.

Q3:  Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“How amused every one would be if they knew what really happened. ”

• Who is the speaker?
• What had ‘really happened’?
• Why would everyone be amused?

Ans:

• Miss Louisa Mebbin is the speaker.
• Mrs Packletide had shot the goat instead of the tiger and the tiger died of heart attack.
• Mrs Packletide would become a laughing stock for paying a huge amount for killing a goat.

Q4: “Louisa Mebbin had a protective elder-sister attitude towards money in general.” How?
Ans: Louisa Mebbin scolded Mrs. Packletide for giving a huge amount to the villagers. She asked Mrs. Packletide not to pay the price of the goat if it was not touched by the tiger. But all her pretentions were for the sake of her personal motive to get a huge amount from Mrs. Packletide.

Q5: Who was Miss Mebbin? What was her relationship with Mrs Packletide?
Ans: Miss Mebbin was the paid companion of Mrs Packletide. Actually, she had not any blood relationship with Mrs Packletide. She adopted an elder-sister attitude (protecting) towards money irrespective of which currency that money belonged to or who was its owner.

Q6: Describe how the shooting was arranged and the role the villagers played in the same.
Ans: The villagers played a very significant role in arranging the shooting. The offer of a thousand rupees stimulated them. They posted children night and day on the outskirts of the forest. They wanted to keep the tiger in the same forest. To keep the old tiger alive, many cheap goats were left in the forest. Mothers were asked not to disturb the restful sleep of the tiger by singing. A persistent bleating goat was tied near the platform constructed by the villagers for shooting purposes. After the shooting, the villagers started a chorus of triumph by thumping tom-toms. They also connived at the fiction that the bullet of Mrs Packletide had killed the tiger. The triumph and rejoicing of the villagers found a ready echo in the heart of Mrs. Packletide. Without the assistance of the villagers the killing of even this old tiger could not have been possible. Thus, the role of the villagers in killing the tiger can’t be underestimated.

Q7: How did Miss Mebbin exploit Mrs. Packletide?
Ans: Miss Mebbin won the faith of Mrs Packletide by adopting a protective elder-sister attitude towards money. After becoming the eyewitness of the fact of the shooting she blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying a cottage for her if she wanted her not to disclose the fact. Mrs. Packletide had to buy the cottage to keep Miss Mebbin mum.

Q8: How did the villagers react to the tiger’s death?
Ans: A crowd of excited natives gathered on the scene. They started shouting that Mrs Packletide had killed the tiger. A thumping of tom-toms took up the chorus of triumph. They pretended that they did not know that the tiger had died of heart attack.

Q9: Who arranged for the tiger shooting and why?
Ans: Mrs. Packletide arranged for the tiger shooting because she wanted to show off her exploits and make Loona Bimberton jealous of her achievements. It was the only way in which she could counter all the publicity achieved by Loona Bimberton.

Q10: How was Mrs Packletide able to achieve her heart’s desire?
Ans: Mrs Pacletide offered an amount of? 1,000 to the villagers to help her in shooting a tiger safely. They managed a very old and weak tiger whose hunting was absolutely safe. She also got a paid companion named Louisa Mebbin, who helped her in shooting the tiger.

Q11: Ms. Mebbin’s devotion to Mrs. Packletide is fake and pretentious. She reminds you of a similar situation when you had been disloyal to one of your good friends. Write a letter to your friend mentioning the situation: how you had taken advantage of the situation and apologizing to him/her for your behaviour.
Ans:

A,56 Ashoka Enclave
New Delhi 1100XX
11 July 20XX

Dear Rohan,
Hope this letter finds you in the best of your health and spirit. I am going to reveal a fact pertaining to an event which took place last year.

You bought a laptop from Dell company and you damaged it deliberately as it was not functioning properly. As your laptop was insured, you wanted to Save a new laptop from the company. As I was the eyewitness of what you had done with the laptop I started blackmailing you. I asked you to give me  5,000 if you wanted to keep me mum. You had no option and you gave me the amount reluctantly.

This very incident has been haunting my mind since then. I confess my guilt. Actually, I had to pay a debt and I was in dire need of money. Now, I feel that what a big crime

I had committed. After reading the story ‘Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger’, I form a very bad impression of Miss Mebbin. Owing to her blackmailing attitude, she became a disgusting figure. I assure you that I will refund your amount.

Moral values must be given due importance. Hope to see you soon.

Yours sincerely
Rakesh

Q12: Why did Mrs Packletide give up big-game shooting?
Ans: Mrs Packletide had a very sad and bitter experience of shooting. She had to pay a huge amount to the villagers as well as Miss Mebbin. She realised that her vanity was responsible for her loss and suffering.

Q13: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
‘The incidental expenses are so heavy’, she confides to inquiring friends.

• Who is the speaker in the above lines?
• Why had the ‘incidental expenses’ become so heavy?
• Why had the speaker incurred the incidental expenses?

Ans:

• Mrs Packletide is the speaker in the above lines.
• Mrs Packletide had to keep Miss Mebbin mum by paying money as the latter had started blackmailing her.
• The speaker had to satisfy her vanity by outshining her rival Loona Bimberton.

Q 14:  How did Miss Louisa Mebbin blackmail Mrs Packletide?
Ans: Miss Louisa Mebbin was the eyewitness of the shooting. She knew that Mrs Packletide had killed the goat and the tiger had died of heart attack. So, she asked Mrs Packletide to buy a cottage for her if she wanted her not to disclose the fact.

Q15: A few years later Mrs Packletide writes a daily entry about her experience of killing the tiger. As Mrs Packletide, write this diary entry.
Ans:

Sunday
20 July 20XX                                                                                                                         8 p.m.

Tonight I feel extremely repentant to recall a past event. What a sad day it was when I decided to outshine my rival Loona Bimberton. It happened a few years ago. Loona tried to prove her superiority by possessing some items made of the organs of tigers. I decided to outshine her. I paid a huge amount to some villagers who arranged a tiger shooting for me. I was excited in the beginning. But I missed my aim while shooting and killed the goat instead of the tiger. It was so shocking for me. But the villagers connived at the fiction that I had killed the tiger. They did so as they had to get money from me. On the other hand, my paid companion Miss Mebbin started blackmailing me. She warned me that she would make me a laughing stock by disclosing the fact if I didn’t buy a cottage for her. I underwent a great financial loss. Now I feel that the conflict of vanity was responsible for this loss. I must have been a tolerant and submissive lady. I have got a lesson and in future I will take every decision sagaciously and judiciously.