Previous Year: Long Questions With Answers - The Tiger King | English Class 12 PDF Download

Q. 1. Why did the Tiger King wish to hunt hundred tigers? How far was he able to fulfill his wish? [Comptt., Outside Delhi Set-I, II & III, 2012]
Ans. When the Tiger King was born, an astrologer had proclaimed that since he was born in the hour of the ‘Bull’, a tiger would kill him. Thus, the king decided to kill all the tigers and prove the astrologer wrong. The astrologer also said that if the Maharaja killed 100 tigers, then, he would burn all his books. The king was able to kill 99 tigers but it was the 100th tiger which proved to be his end. The king was able to wound it but could not kill it. Then, on the third birthday of the Maharaja’s son, the Maharaja gifted him a wooden tiger. While playing with it, the Maharaja’s hand got pierced. The next day infection flared up resulting in a suppurated sore and in the process he died.

Q. 2. How did the Maharaja manage to save his kingdom at the cost of three lakh rupees? [Comptt., Outside Delhi Set-I, 2013]
Ans. The Maharaja had banned tiger hunting in his kingdom. He did not even allow a British officer to hunt. This made the British officer very angry and the King stood in danger of losing his kingdom. To please the British Officer, the king sent rings worth three lakh rupees to his wife thinking that she would choose one. The lady kept all the rings and sent a note of ‘thanks’ to the King. Although the King lost three lakh rupees, he managed to save his Kingdom.

Q. 3. Giving 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 him? [Delhi Set I, 2015]
Ans. The Tiger King had offended the British officer by refusing him permission to hunt. In order to appease him, he sent fifty rings worth three lakhs rupees to British officer’s good lady thinking that she would choose a few. But the lady grabbed all of them. Thus, the Tiger King’s kingdom was saved. Giving bribe is indeed an evil practice. It makes the whole system corrupt. The king of a state instead of indulging himself in such wrong practices, should actually be checking it. So, it was wrong on the part of Tiger King to bribe the officer. Another reason was that it was also not right of him because it was the people’s money and he had no right to waste the money of his subjects only for his whims and fancies.

Q. 4. How did the Tiger King stand in danger of losing his kingdom? How was he able to avert the danger? [Delhi Set-I, II & III, 2012]
Ans. Value Points : 
— The Tiger King annoyed a high ranking British officer by refusing to allow him to kill tigers in his province.
— Did not even allow him to get himself photographed with the tiger killed by the king.
— Prevented a British officer from fulfilling his desire - so stood in danger of losing his kingdom.
— Averted the danger by sending a gift of fifty diamond rings (to choose one or two from) to the British officer’s wife.
Detailed Answer : The Tiger King was in danger of losing his kingdom when a high ranking British officer visited Pratibandapuram and expressed his desire to kill a tiger. He was very fond of hunting tigers and fond of being photographed with the tigers he had shot. But the Maharaja was firm in his resolve and refused permission. The officer sent a word that he simply wanted a photograph of himself holding a gun beside the tiger’s dead body. The Maharaja didn’t agree even to that. Since the Maharaja had prevented a British officer from fulfilling his desire, he stood in danger of losing his kingdom. The Maharaja and the Diwan thought over the problem. They asked a famous British company of jewellers in Calcutta to send samples of diamond rings. They received fifty rings. The 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. The Maharaja was happy that though he had lost three lakh rupees, he had managed to retain his kingdom.

Q.5. How did Tiger King succeed in killing ‘hundred’ tigers ? (Delhi / Outside Delhi 2018)
Ans. Value Points 
– banned tiger hunting in his forests
– killed seventy tigers within ten years of his reign
– married a girl from a kingdom with large number of tigers
– killed five or six tigers each time he visited his father-in-law till he had killed ninety-nine
– the last tiger caused the greatest problem
– news of one in a village but tiger did not appear
– finally Diwan brought one from People’s Park in Madras
– king aimed, tiger fell down unconscious
– tiger finally killed by hunters
Detailed Answer : 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. 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 ninety-nine tigers. However, the last tiger caused the greatest problem. There was news of a tiger being in a village but the tiger did not appear. Finally, the clever diwan brought one from People’s Park in Madras. The king was informed and he went for the kill. He aimed at the tiger but the tiger fell down unconscious after being hit. The tiger was finally killed by the village hunters and in this way, the hundredth tiger was actually not killed by the King.