The Tiger King - Vistas

CBSE Previous Year Questions 2025

Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)

Q.1. What image of the Tiger King is revealed in the diamond ring episode? (40-50 words) (2 Marks)

Answer: The diamond ring episode reveals the Maharaja as a desperate yet shrewd ruler who prioritizes his throne above financial loss. By sending fifty expensive rings to the British officer's wife and paying a bill of three lakh rupees, he demonstrates a manipulative approach to diplomacy, willing to bribe his way out of trouble to ensure his survival and power.

Q.2. Why did the Tiger King decide to get married? (40-50 words) (2 Marks)

Answer: After killing seventy tigers, the tiger population in Pratibandapuram became extinct. To fulfill his vow of killing a hundred tigers, the Maharaja needed thirty more. He decided to marry a girl from a royal family of a state with a large tiger population so he could continue his hunt in his father-in-law's kingdom.

Q.3. What did the dewan do to procure the hundredth tiger for the king? (2 Marks)

Answer: Fearing for his job due to the King's mounting rage, the dewan brought an old tiger from the People's Park in Madras and hid it in his house. At midnight, he and his wife dragged the beast to his car, drove it to the forest where the King was hunting, and exhaustively pushed the tiger out of the vehicle to be found by the Maharaja.

Extract Based Questions (4 Marks)

Q.4. Read the following extracts and answer the questions (4 Marks)
Extract: ​At another time he was in danger of losing his throne. A high-ranking British officer visited Pratibandapuram. He was very fond of hunting tigers. And fonder of being photographed with the tigers he had shot. As usual, he wished to hunt tigers in Pratibandapuram. But the Maharaja was firm in his resolve. He refused permission. "I can organise any other hunt. You may go on a boar hunt. You may conduct a mouse hunt. We are ready for a mosquito hunt. But tiger hunt! That's impossible!"

(i) Complete the following suitably. The passage suggests that the Maharaja was in danger of losing his throne because _____ .

Answer: he refused to allow a high-ranking British officer to fulfill his desire of hunting a tiger in his kingdom.

(ii) What phrase in the above passage indicates that the Maharaja was a determined man who stuck to his decision?

Answer: The phrase "firm in his resolve" indicates his determination.

(iii) By saying 'that's impossible', the Maharaja in the above passage means __________ .
(A) he will not give up his throne 
(B) that the British officer cannot go on a tiger hunt in his kingdom 
(C) he would pass a law which forbade hunting of boars 
(D) that the Maharaja would accompany the officer on a tiger hunt

Answer: (B)
Solution: The Maharaja explicitly states that while other hunts (boar, mouse, mosquito) can be organized, a tiger hunt is strictly prohibited to preserve the tigers for his own quota.

(iv) List any one characteristic of the Maharaja as demonstrated in the above passage.

Answer: The Maharaja is shown to be resolute/obstinate, as he stands his ground against a powerful British official.

Q.5. Read the following extracts and answer the questions (4 Marks)

Extract: It was celebration time for all the tigers inhabiting Pratibandapuram.
The State banned tiger hunting by anyone except the Maharaja. A proclamation was issued to the effect that if anyone dared to fling so much as a stone at a tiger, all his wealth and property would be confiscated.
The Maharaja vowed he would attend to all other matters only after killing the hundred tigers. Initially the king seemed well set to realise his ambition.

(i) Complete the following suitably: It was celebration time for all the tigers because _____.

Answer: the state had banned tiger hunting by anyone except the Maharaja, protecting them from all other hunters.

(ii) What strategy does the king use to ensure that he hunts all the tigers?

Answer: He issues a proclamation banning hunting by others and vows to prioritize his tiger hunt over all state administrative duties.

(iii) The king's Vow' indicates that he is a _________ man.
(A) resilient 
(B) determined 
(C) generous 
(D) cautious

Answer: (B)
Solution: The king's single-minded focus on killing a hundred tigers to the exclusion of all other royal duties demonstrates his determination to challenge his fate.

(iv) What were the consequences of going against the king's proclamation?

Answer: If anyone even dared to throw a stone at a tiger, all their wealth and property would be confiscated by the State.

Q.6. Read the following extracts and answer the questions (4 Marks)
Extract: The British officer's secretary sent word to the Maharaja through the dewan that the durai himself did not have to kill the tiger. The Maharaja could do the actual killing. What was important to the durai was a photograph of himself holding the gun and standing over the tiger's carcass. But the Maharaja would not agree even to this proposal. If he relented now, what would he do if other British officers turned up for tiger hunts ?
Because he prevented a British officer from fulfilling his desire, the Maharaja stood in danger of losing his kingdom itself.

(i) Select the correct option from those given in brackets to fill in the blank. The last line of the extract reflects __________ attitude of the British officers. (an oppressive/a courageous)

Answer: an oppressive.

(ii) Why did the durai want to take a photograph with the tiger's carcass?

Answer: The durai was fonder of being photographed with the tigers he had shot than the actual hunt itself; it served as a symbol of status and vanity.

(iii) The Tiger King's refusal to the request of the durai reflects:
(A) his concern for the tiger population. 
(B) his courage to deny permission to the British officer. 
(C) his ego and selfishness. 
(D) his strained rapport with the British officer.

Answer: (C)
Solution: The Maharaja refused not out of concern for the animals, but because he did not want to share his limited tiger "quota" or deal with other officers making similar requests later.

(iv) Complete the following suitably: Maharaja's __________ action put his kingdom in danger.

Answer: uncompromising/resolute (refusal to allow even a photograph).

Q.7. Read the following extracts and answer the questions (4 Marks)
Extract: At midnight when the town slept in peace, the Dewan and his aged wife dragged the tiger to the car and shoved it into the seat. The Dewan himself drove the car straight to the forest where the Maharaja was hunting. When they reached the forest, the tiger launched its Satyagraha and refused to get out of the car. The Dewan was thoroughly exhausted in his efforts to haul the beast out of the car and push it down to the ground.
On the following day, the same old tiger wandered into the Maharaja's presence and stood as if in humble supplication, "Master, what do you command of me ?" It was with boundless joy that the Maharaja took careful aim at the beast. The tiger fell in a crumpled heap.

(i) How did the Dewan manage to take the tiger to the forest?
(A) The Dewan conceded to the tiger's satyagraha. 
(B) The Dewan pushed the tiger into the car and drove to the forest. 
(C) The Dewan hauled the tiger into the tent. 
(D) The Dewan persuaded the tiger into a humble supplication of the Maharaja.

Answer: (B)
Solution: The text describes the physical struggle of the Dewan and his wife dragging the tiger to the car and then the Dewan hauling it out at the forest.

(ii) Choose the correct option: 
The attitude of the Dewan in the above extract can be described as __________ (negligent and reluctant / meek and servile)

Answer: meek and servile.
Solution: The Dewan acts out of fear for his job and life, submissively carrying out an absurd task to please the king.

(iii) Select one statement or expression from the extract that reflects the humorous writing style of the author.

Answer: "the tiger launched its Satyagraha and refused to get out of the car".

(iv) State one reason for the 'boundless joy of the Maharaja'.

Answer: The Maharaja believed he had finally killed the hundredth tiger, thereby fulfilling his vow and overcoming the prophecy of his death.

Q.8. "If you want to test a man's character, give him power." Analyse the theme of The Tiger King in the light of the above quote. (120-150 words) (5 Marks)

Answer: The story of the Tiger King is a biting satire on the conceit and callousness of those in power. When Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur is given the power of the throne, his character reveals itself as self-centered and tyrannical. He uses his absolute authority not for the welfare of Pratibandapuram, but to satisfy a personal whim-disproving an astrological prophecy.

His abuse of power is evident when he bans all other hunting, threatens to confiscate the property of his subjects, and arbitrarily doubles the land tax in a fit of rage. He even terminates the services of several officers who fail to meet his demands. This reflects how power can lead to a total disregard for both human life and nature, as he ruthlessly exhausts the tiger population. Ultimately, his "power" over the tigers is shown to be an illusion; while he believes he has triumphed, his death is caused by a tiny sliver of wood from a toy tiger, symbolizing the inevitable irony that fate cannot be conquered by mere earthly authority.