Short & Long Questions: Mrs. Packletide's Tiger | Short & Long Answer Questions for Class 10 PDF Download

Short Answer Type
Q1: “It was Mrs. Packletide’s pleasure and intention that she should shoot a tiger.” Why was Mrs. Packletide intent on shooting a tiger?
Ans: Mrs. Packletide did not nurse any lust or craze to shoot a tiger. She intended to indulge in the game only because of her dislike for Loona Bimberton, who had captured the limelight by flying eleven miles in an aeroplane piloted by an Algerian aviator. Her motive was to dissipate the fame of her rival Loona. Therefore, she planned to do something as adventurous as shooting a tiger. This would definitely cause a sensation and the limelight would naturally shift on to her.

Q2: Who was Loona Bimberton? What daring feat had she achieved that led to Mrs. Packletide disliking her?
Ans: Loona Bimberton was Mrs. Packletide’s arch rival. Both the women nursed a mutual feeling of dislike towards each other. Loona had performed a daring feat by flying eleven miles in an aeroplane piloted by an Algerian aviator. The fame and glory that followed her, intensified Mrs. Packletide hatred and jealousy towards Loona.

Q3: What plan did Mrs. Packletide orchestrate to honour Loona?
Ans: Mrs. Packletide had planned that she would arrange a party in Loona Bimberton’s honour at her house in Curzon Street. The tiger skin rug was to decorate her foreground, and her feat would necessarily be the hot topic for conversation. She had also designed a tiger-claw brooch that she proposed to gift to Loona on her next birthday.

Q4: Why did the mothers carrying their little babies hush their singing?
Ans: The mothers hushed their singing while returning home from the jungle to avoid disturbing the tiger from his restful slumber. They were also exercising caution to ensure that the tiger did not go away from their vicinity.

Q5: Why were the cheap goats let loose by the villagers?
Ans: The cheap goats were let loose in good numbers by the villagers so that the wild beast remained satisfied. This would also ensure that the tiger would not go in search of fresh hunting grounds.

Q6: What preparations were made for the shooting?
Ans: Elaborate arrangements were made by the natives of the village. A safe platform was constructed on a comfortable and conveniently placed tree where Mrs. Packletide and her paid companion, was to be seated. A goat that bleated continuously day and night was tethered at an optimum distance. Mrs. Packletide had with her, an accurately sighted rifle and a thumb-nail pack of patience cards to use as they waited for their prey.

Q7: Who accompanied Mrs. Packletide for the shooting? Was she helpful?
Ans: Louisa Mebbin, a ‘paid companion’ of Mrs. Packletide, accompanied her. She was of no use to Mrs. Packletide. Contrarily, she distracted her mistress persistently with her weird and unwarranted remarks. She was a thrifty woman. She did not approve of wasting money for shooting an old tiger. She pretended to be afraid of the tiger, to avoid putting in any extra work. She believed in doing only as much as she was being paid for.

Q8: What happened after Mrs. Packletide had fired the shot? How did the villagers react?
Ans: As soon as the rifle flashed out with a loud report, the tiger that was seen ambling towards the goat could be seen springing to one side, and then rolling over into the stillness of death. Instantly the excited natives of the village crowded around the scene and shouted in jubilation, the sound echoed throughout the village, spreading happiness as they were now free from the fear of the tiger.

Q9: “Mrs. Packletide was pardonably annoyed at the discovery.” What led her to be annoyed?
Ans: Miss. Louisa Mebbin’s observation led to the discovery that it was the goat that died of the bullet of Mrs. Packletide’s rifle, and that the tiger was killed of heart failure caused due to the banging noise of the rifle. This annoyed Mrs. Packletide as the mortal wound was visible on the goat’s body but no wound was visible on the tiger’s body.

Q10: Though Mrs. Packletide knew that she did not shoot the tiger, still she was sure that no one would reveal the secret. Why?
Ans: Mrs. Packletide was sure of the fact that the error pertaining to the shooting of the tiger would remain a guarded secret. The villagers would be silent as they did not want to loose the thousand rupees that was promised to them. Miss. Mebbin who was the other person who knew about the mishap, sold her silence to Mrs. Packletide in exchange for a weekend cottage.

Long Answer Type
Q11: Imagine you are Mrs. Packletide. After being betrayed by Louisa Mebbin, you learnt a lesson for life. Now you are completely changed. You are purged of all ill-will and dislike that you nursed for Loona Birnberton. Write a letter of apology to Loona Birnberton telling her how you were blackmailed because of your craze for feme.
Ans:
#15, Curzon
Street London
June 24, 19XX*
Dear Loona
You will be shocked to receive my letter as we were never the best of friends. It’s been almost five years now since we last met. As I look back on the events that went by, I feel very pity and ashamed for having conducted myself in such a poor manner. I realise that I have been vain and insensitive.
All the pomp and glory that accompanied the tiger shooting incident has revealed unconditionally my ridiculously vainglorious nature. I hate myself for having been in continuous competition with you. How lovely it would have been if we were congenial with each other!
I have a confession to make to you. The entire incident surrounding the tiger shoot was only partially true. I had not killed the tiger. It had succumbed to a natural cause. I did not disclose the truth, neither did my associates, the villagers and my paid companion, as I had paid them handsomely to buy their silence. However I paid a heavy price for my falsehood. Louisa blackmailed me into buying her a weekend cottage to guard my secret. This shattered my self-confidence.
Realisation has dawned, and I have decided to turn over a new leaf. Time has been a great teacher. It taught me that fame and money are transient, whereas human relationship is not. Loona, I earnestly wish to seek your pardon for my deplorable behaviour towards you. I extend to you my hand of friendship.
Hope you would keep in touch.
Your friend
Ruby Packletide

Q12: Imagine you are Louisa Mebbin. Write a diary entry expressing how you could afford a cottage.
Ans:
Dorking
June 4, 19XX*,
Saturday 9:00 p.m.
Dear Diary,
I had never in my dreams thought of owning my own cottage until I met Mrs. Packletide. Living in scarcities had always made me realize the value of money which my mistress never understood. She wasted money so carelessly showing her vain glory. That led me to feel that she acted rather stupidly when she had paid a huge amount of thousand rupees to the villagers just for shooting a wild old beast that could hardly walk. I kept on reminding her through various ways that she had been wasting money so absurdly that pained me. But all my suggestions fell on deaf ears.
My seriousness with life and observation helped me when I concluded that it was not the tiger that was shot but the goat who received the mortal wound. Annoyed at the discovery, my mistress expected me to keep quiet because I had not received my payment for accompanying her. And I did not want to lose it because I did not want to perform an atom more than the money paid for. That was the time when I felt that I could extract money from this silly vainglorious woman.
I waited for the right time and then went to warn her that if she did not pay me the expected amount to buy a cottage I would reduce her glory to ashes. Crazy for fame, she had to part with the money that led me to purchase this cottage. I admit that I had been a blackmailer but I feel I must not repent because these upper class women don’t realize the worth of money. They throw money so extravagantly and lavishly that if I have benefitted from her extravagance to lead a respectable life, it doesn’t mean any sort of offence committed on my part.
Louisa

Q13: “Materialistic morals of high sophisticated society lead to hollowness and shallowness.” What Values do you learn from Mrs. Packletide’s materialistic morals and vaingloriousness?
Ans: The story ‘Mrs Packletide’s Tiger’ lays the shallowness and hollowness of the so-called sophisticated elite of the society who go about pursuing hazardous activities not to taste personal thrill and excitement but to impress people around. They pose to expose themselves to risk and danger but in reality they use money and power to ensure their safety and comfort while getting their false brave images built.
The people like Mrs. Packletide who consider themselves smart enough to outshine others often get outsmarted themselves. The actions of these manipulative people can backfire and recoil on them. Like Mrs. Packletide tried to outshine Loona Bimberton but she herself became a prey of Louisa Mebbin who blackmailed Mrs. Packletide to earn money. Her weakness for publicity and vainglofiousness made her a matter of laughter and humour. Mrs. Packletide wanted to hunt a tiger but in reality she hunted a lamb. Mrs. Packletide’s showy nature brought only hollowness and shallowness for her. A person can be great by great thinking and good actions not by money and vaingloriousness.

Q14: Before targeting anyone, one must not forget that even a biter can be bitter.” Explain with the reference to the story Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger. What values do you learn from the story?
Ans: It is Mrs. Packletide’s vanity that had made her enact the tiger hunting drama. Her urge to outshine Loona Bimberton was nothing but an attempt to satisfy this vanity. Her posing for the photographs and throwing on luncheon party with the tiger skin prominently spread in the drawing room reflects this vain lady’s efforts to prove her superiority and become a celebrity.
Mrs. Packletide targetted Mrs. Loona Bimberton but she herself was targetted by Miss Mebbin. The manipulative Miss Mebbin started blackmailing Mrs. Packletide. To keep her mouth shut and not to reveal that she (Mrs. Packletide) hunted a lamb not a tiger, she had to pay an exorbitant price to Miss Mebbin. Thus, the people who consider themselves smart enough to outshine others often get outsmarted themselves we should try to get name and fame by our good deed not by insulting and having rivalry to others. The manipulative actions can be backfired and  recoiled on ourselves.