The Tiger King

Important Questions
The Tiger King Important Questions Short Answer Type Questions (3-4 Marks)

Question 1.
How did the tiger king acquire his name?
Answer:
The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was known as the Tiger King. He got the name of
Tiger King as tigers dominated his life and his mission to live. He killed seventy tigers
in ten years and also married a girl from a State which had a large number of tigers
in order to kill the next 30 tigers.

Question 2.
What happened to the tiger provided by the Dewan Saheb?
Answer:
The tiger provided by the Dewan Saheb was old and agile. It was passive and
exhausted. The Tiger King did not take careful aim at the hundredth tiger. The tiger
fainted due to the sound of the bullet and fell in a crumpled heap. No one wanted the
Maharaja to know this. It was a hunter who actually shot the tiger later.

Question 3.
What did the British officer’s secretary tell the j Maharaja? Why did the Maharaja
refuse • permission? (All India 2010)
Answer:
When the British officer was denied permission for hunting a tiger his secretary sent
a message to the Maharaja that the Maharaja himself could kill the tiger and then
allow his officer to get photographed holding the gun over the dead tiger. But the
Maharaja did not agree to his request because he felt doing so would mean other
officers would come with similar demands.

Question 4.
Why, do you think, was the Maharaja in danger of losing his throne? (All India 2010)
Answer:
A high ranking British officer wished to go tiger hunting but he was declined
permission by the Maharaja. The officer then requested to be photographed with a
tiger killed by the Maharaja. The Maharaja rejected that request also. Having turned
down a senior British officer’s request twice could have put the Maharaja in danger
of losing his throne.

Question 5.
What led the Maharaja to start out on a tiger hunt? (All India 2010)
Answer:
The chief astrologer had predicted that a tiger would be the cause of the Maharaja’s
death and he should be particularly wary of the hundredth tiger. So the Maharaja
banned the hunting of tigers in his State and those who violated this law had to hand
over their wealth and property to the kingdom, while the Maharaja himself started out
on a tiger hunt.

Question 6.
How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge on the king? (Comptt. All India 2010)
Answer:
The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, who was also known as the Tiger King tried to go
against
what was destined in his fate. The result was tragic and ironical. The chief astrologer
had predicted that a tiger would be the cause of the king’s death and he should
specially be wary of the hundredth tiger. The vain king banned hunting of the tigers
in the State by everyone except himself and was able to kill ninety-nine tigers. He
thought he had killed the hundredth tiger also but somehow the bullet missed its
mark and the hundredth tiger survived. Then on his son’s birthday the king bought
him a wooden tiger which he felt was a perfect gift for his son. A splinter in it pierced
the king’s hand and the infection spread all over his arm causing his death. It was
indeed ironical that despite killing all the tigers in his kingdom the king did finally
become the victim of the hundredth tiger and the astrologer’s prediction did come
true.

Question 7.
How did the Tiger King acquire his name? (Comptt. All India 2011)
Answer:
The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was known as the Tiger King. He got the name of
Tiger King as tigers dominated his life and his mission to live. He killed seventy tigers
in ten years and also married a girl from a State which had a large number of tigers
in order to kill the next 30 tigers.

Question 8.
Why was the Maharaja so anxious to kill the hundredth tiger? (All India 2012)
Answer:
The chief astrologer had predicted that a tiger would be the cause of the Maharaja’s
death and that he should be particularly wary of the hun-dredth tiger. So the
Maharaja set out on a tiger hunt and was rather anxious to kill the hundredth tiger
who could be the cause of his death.

Question 9.
When and why did the Maharaja decide to get married? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
The Maharaja had killed seventy tigers and thus the tiger population became extinct
in the forests of his kingdom. It was then that he decided to get married to a girl in a
royal family of a state which had a large tiger population.
Question 10.
What sort of hunts did the Maharaja offer to organize for the high-ranking British
officer? What trait of the officer does it reveal? (Delhi 2013)
Answer:
The Maharaja offered to organize a boar hunt, a mouse hunt or a mosquito hunt for
the high- ranking British officer. He offered to organize any hunt other than a tiger
hunt. This reveals that the officer was a meek man who, the Maharaja felt, would be
satisfied with any sort of hunt.

Question 11.
Why did the Maharaja ban tiger hunting in the state? (Delhi 2014)
Answer:
The Maharaja banned tiger hunting in the state by anyone else except himself
because he had to kill a hundred tigers so that he could prove the astrologer’s
prediction wrong. He had a limited population of tigers in his kingdom so he did not
want anyone else to hunt or kill tigers.

Question 12.
Why did the Maharaja order the Dewan to double the land tax? (All India 2014)
Answer:
Despite being in the forest for many days the i Maharaja was unable to find the
hundredth tiger so his fury and obstinacy mounted alarmingly. Due to his frustration
and rage many officers lost their jobs and when his anger | reached its height he
ordered the Dewan to double the land tax.

Question 13.
How did the Maharaja please a high-ranking British official? (Comptt. Delhi 2014)
Answer:
The Maharaja had annoyed a high-ranking British official by refusing him permission
to hunt. Later, to make amends, he sent about fifty samples of expensive diamond
rings to the officer’s wife hoping she would keep one or two rings as a bribe. But she
kept all the rings which cost the Maharaja three lakhs rupees but the official was
pleased with him.

Question 14.
Why did the Maharaja decide to get married?
Answer:
The Maharaja had killed seventy tigers and thus the tiger population became extinct
in the forests of his kingdom. It was then that he decided to get married to a girl in a
royal family of a state which had a large tiger population.

Question 15.
What is the reason for the Tiger King’s sudden decision to marry? (Comptt. Delhi
2014)
Answer:
The Maharaja had killed seventy tigers and thus the tiger population became extinct
in the forests of his kingdom. It was then that he decided to get married to a girl in a
royal family of a state which had a large tiger population.
Question 16.
What gave the astrologers the greatest sur¬prise of their life while they were
studying the horoscope of the ten-day-old prince?
Answer:
While the astrologers were studying the horoscope of the ten-day-old prince, a great
miracle took place that gave the astrologers the greatest surprise of their life. An
astonishing phrase emerged from the lips of the ten-day-old prince and everyone
stood transfixed in stupefaction.

Question 17.
How did the Tiger King become the victim of the hundredth tiger? (Comptt. All India
2014)
Answer:
The Tiger King brings a wooden tiger as a gift for his son. The poorly carved toy tiger
has a
rough surface, filled with slivers of wood. The Maharaja hurts himself when a tiny
sliver pierces his right hand. He neglects his injury, which becomes grievous when
pus develops on it and soon spreads all over his arm finally leading to his death. In
this way the Tiger King ultimately becomes a victim of the hundredth tiger.

Question 18.
The manner of his (The Tiger King’s) death is a matter of extraordinary interest.
Comment. (All India 2015)
Answer:
The manner of the tiger king’s death is indeed a matter of extraordinary interest. The
Tiger King vowed to kill a hundred tigers to ensure his longevity as when he was
born, the chief astrologer had predicted that a tiger would be the cause of his death.
He later brings a wooden tiger as a gift for his son and its tiny sliver of wood pierces
his right hand. He neglects his injury which becomes grievous and led to his death.
Thus, he gets killed by the hundredth tiger.

Question 19.
When was the Tiger King in danger of losing his throne? (All India 2015)
Answer:
The Tiger King was in danger of losing his kingdom when he annoyed a senior
British Officer by refusing him permission to not only hunt a tiger in Pratibandapuram
but also rejected the officer’s request of being photographed with a tiger killed by him
(the Maharaja).

Question 20.
Why did the Tiger King decide to get married? (All India 2015)
Answer:
The Maharaja had killed seventy tigers and thus the tiger population became extinct
in the forests of his kingdom. It was then that he decided to get married to a girl in a
royal family of a state which had a large tiger population.

Question 21.
How did the Maharaja overcome the difficulty created by a high-ranking British
Officer? (Comptt. All India 2015)
Answer:
The Maharaja had annoyed a senior British Officer and was in danger of losing his
throne. To make amends he sent about fifty samples of expensive diamond rings to
the officer’s wife in the hope that she would keep one or two rings as a bribe. But the
greedy lady kept all the rings. The Maharaja lost three lakh rupees but he managed
to retain his kingdom.

Question 22.
Who killed the 100th tiger? Why? (Comptt. All India 2015)
Answer:
Ironically, the hundredth tiger is not killed by the Tiger King. He does drop down after
he is shot by the Maharaja, but he only faints from the bullet shot. The hunters then
wonder what they should do. They realize if the Maharaja came to know this they
could lose their jobs. So one of the hunters takes aim and shoots the tiger.

Question 23.
When he was only ten days old, a prediction was made about the future of the Tiger
King. What was ironic about it? (Delhi 2016)
Answer:
When the king was a ten day old infant, the chief astrologer had predicted that a tiger
would be responsible for the King’s death. So the king went on a tiger-killing spree
but it was a wooden toy tiger that caused the Tiger King’s death. So despite getting
rid of all the tigers in and around his kingdom, it was most ironic that the hundredth
tiger, a wooden one, took its final revenge upon the King. A tiny sliver of wood from
the wooden tiger pierces the King’s right hand which ultimately leads to his death.

Question 24.
How did the ten-day-old baby (the future Tiger King) react to the prediction about his
future made by the astrologers? (Delhi 2016)
Answer:
No sooner had the astrologers made the prediction about the death of the ten-day-
old baby, a great miracle took place. An astonishing phrase emerged from the lips of
the baby and everyone stood transfixed in stupefaction. He said the astrologers
should tell: him how he would die and asked the reason for his predicted death.

Question 25.
What kind of life was enjoyed by crown prince Jung Bahadur till he reached the age
of j twenty? (Delhi 2016)
Answer:
Till he reached the age of twenty the crown prince Jung Bahadur did exactly what
the other crown princes of all the other Indian states did. He drank the milk of an
English cow, was brought up by an English nanny, tutored in English by an
Englishman and saw only English films. He had an uneventful childhood just like any
Indian prince during the British rule.

Question 26.
What was the prediction made by astrologers when the king was born? (Comptt.
Delhi 2016)
Answer:
When the king was a ten day old infant, the chief astrologer had predicted that a tiger
would be responsible for the King’s death. So the king went on a tiger-killing spree
but it was a wooden toy tiger that caused the Tiger King’s death. So despite getting
rid of all the tigers in and around his kingdom, it was most ironic that the hundredth
tiger, a wooden one, took its final revenge upon the King. A tiny sliver of wood from
the wooden tiger pierces the King’s right hand which ultimately leads to his death.

Question 27.
How did the Tiger King save his kingdom from the British? (Comptt. All India 2016)
Answer:
The Maharaja (Tiger king) had annoyed a high- ranking British official by refusing
him permission to hunt and stood in danger of losing his kingdom. Later, to make
amends, he sent about fifty samples of expensive diamond rings to the officer’s wife
hoping she would keep one or two rings as a bribe. But she kept all the rings which
cost the Maharaja three lakh rupees and the official was pleased with him. In this
way, the tiger king was able to save his kingdom from the British.

Question 28.
How did the dewan and his wife help in getting the hundredth tiger for the king?
(Comptt. All India 2016)
Answer:
An old tiger had been bought by the Dewan from the People’s Park in Madras. He
had hidden it in his backyard. At midnight, the Dewan and his wife dragged the tiger
into the car and then hauled him out of the car, near the Maharaja’s camp. It
wandered into the Maharaja’s presence and was shot at.

Question 29.
Why was the Maharaja once in danger of losing his kingdom? (Delhi 2017)
Answer:
A high ranking British officer wished to go tiger hunting but he was declined
permission by the Maharaja. The officer then requested to be photographed with a
tiger killed by the Maharaja. The Maharaja rejected that request also. Having turned
down a senior British officer’s request twice could have put the Maharaja in danger
of losing his throne.

Question 30.
How did the Maharaja deal with high ranking British officer who wanted to shoot a
tiger? (Delhi 2017)
Answer:
The Maharaja had annoyed a high-ranking British official by refusing him permission
to hunt. Later, to make amends, he sent about fifty samples of expensive diamond
rings to the officer’s wife hoping she would keep one or two rings as a bribe. But she
kept all the rings which cost the Maharaja three lakhs rupees but the official was
pleased with him.
Question 31.
Why did the Maharaja have to pay a bill of three lakh rupees to the British jewellers?
(Delhi 2017)
Answer:
The Maharaja had annoyed a high-ranking British official by refusing him permission
to hunt. Later, to make amends, he sent about fifty samples of expensive diamond
rings to the officer’s wife hoping she would keep one or two rings as a bribe. But she
kept all the rings which cost the Maharaja three lakhs rupees but the official was
pleased with him.

Question 32.
Why did the Maharaja decide to get married? (All India 2017)
Answer:
The Maharaja had killed seventy tigers and thus the tiger population became extinct
in the forests of his kingdom. It was then that he decided to get married to a girl in a
royal family of a state which had a large tiger population.

Question 33.
Which problem did the Maharaja face when he had killed seventy tigers? How did he
solve it? (All India 2017)
Answer:
The Maharaja had killed seventy tigers and thus the tiger population became extinct
in the forests of his kingdom. It was then that he decided to get married to a girl in a
royal family of a state which had a large tiger population.

Question 34.
When did the Maharaja decide to double the land tax for a village? (All India 2017)
Answer:
In a hillside village of the Maharaja’s own state there was news about a tigers
presence which could be the hundredth tiger the Maharaja would kill and overcome
the curse. But this tiger was not to be found and as the days passed the Maharaja’s
fury and obstinacy mounted alarmingly and he decided to double the land tax for that
village.

Question 35.
How did the Tiger King die? Did the astrologer’s prediction come true? (Comptt.
Delhi 2017)
Answer:
It was a tiger that was responsible for the Tiger king’s death, albeit a poorly carved
wooden tiger. A sliver of wood pierced the tiger king’s hand and he neglected his
injury which became grievous and finally led to his death. So, in a way the
astrologer’s prediction did come true as the hundredth tiger was responsible for the
king’s death.

The Tiger King Important Questions Long Answer Type Questions (5-6 Marks)

Question 36.
How did the Tiger King meet his end? What is ironical about his fate? (All India 2009)
Answer:
The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, who was also known as the Tiger King tried to go
against what was destined in his fate. The result was tragic and ironical. The chief
astrologer had predicted that a tiger would be the cause of the king’s death and he
should specially be wary of the hundredth tiger. The vain king banned hunting of the
tigers in the State by everyone except himself and was able to kill ninety-nine tigers.
He thought he had killed the hundredth tiger also but somehow the bullet missed its
mark and the hundredth tiger survived. Then on his son’s birthday the king bought
him a wooden tiger which he felt was a perfect gift for his son. One of the sharp
splinter in it pierced the king’s hand and the infection spread all over his arm causing
his death. It was indeed ironical that despite killing all the tigers in his kingdom the
king did finally become the victim of the hundredth tiger and the astrologer’s
prediction did come true.

Question 37.
Describe the efforts made by the Tiger King to achieve his target of killing a hundred
tigers. (All India 2009)
Answer:
The chief astrologer had told the King that his death would come from a tiger and he
should be specially wary of the hundredth tiger. So to prove the astrologer wrong the
King decided to kill a hundred tigers. He vowed that he would . attend to all other
matters only after killing one hundred tigers. Initially, the king seemed well set to
realise his ambition. Then some dangers and difficulties cropped up. There were
times when the bullet missed its mark and at other times the tiger would leap on him
and he would have to fight the wild beast with his bare hands. The Tiger King was
able to kill ninety-nine tigers this way and if he could kill just one more tiger all his
fears would be over for good and he could give up tiger hunting. But the hundredth
tiger could not be found. The Dewan realized the disastrous results, if the hundredth
tiger was not found. So a tiger was brought in from the People’s Park in Madras and
taken directly to the forest where the Maharaja was hunting. The King took aim and
the tiger fell in a heap. The Maharaja was extremely happy to have finally killed the
hundredth tiger. After he left the hunters took a closer look at the tiger and realized
the tiger was not dead as the king had missed the aim. They decided not to tell the
Maharaja and one of the hunters killed the tiger. The king was left under the
impression that he had achieved his target of killing a hundred tigers.

Question 38.
When did the Tiger King stand in danger of losing his kingdom? How was he able to
avert the danger? (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
A high-ranking British officer, who was actually a coward, wanted to kill a tiger to
flaunt himself before his compatriots. When he was not allowed to hunt a tiger he
sent a word to the King that he would be happy if he was just allowed to be
photographed with a dead tiger killed by the King. But the King was adamant and did
not agree to his request because it would encourage the other officers to come with
similar demands. The King thus seriously angered the visiting senior British officer
and now ‘stood in danger of losing his kingdom itself’. So to pacify the annoyed
official, the King and his Dewan sent bribes of fifty expensive diamond rings to the
official’s wife hoping she would select one or two and return the rest. But the greedy
lady kept all the rings. The King, no doubt, lost a few lakhs but managed to save his
throne and was thus able to avert the danger of losing his kingdom.

Question 39.
Why was the king worried after having killed ninety-nine tigers? How did his worries
come to an end? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer:
At the birth of the King, an astrologer had predicted that a tiger would be responsible
for his death. At the age of twenty, the state astrologer had told him to be wary of the
hundredth tiger. The Tiger King had killed ninety nine tigers and now he just needed
to kill one tiger to reach his tally of killing a hundred tigers. Then he would have no
fears left. So he is feverishly anxious to kill the hundredth tiger at the earliest. But the
tiger farms ran dry in his father-in law’s kingdom also. Out of frustration, the King
terminates the services of many officers and thinks of punishing the villagers by
doubling the land tax. He also orders his Dewan either to resign or find a tiger. The
Dewan gets worried and upset and recalls the old tiger that has been brought from
Madras and kept hidden in his house. He drags the old and weak tiger and drives
him to the forest where the King is hunting. The initially hesitant tiger then wanders
into the Maharaja’s presence and is finally shot by the King.

Question 40.
The astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger King came to be true. Do you
agree with this statement? Explain why or why not. (Comptt. Delhi 2011)
Answer:
The chief-astrologer had forewarned the king that a tiger would be responsible for his
death and he should be particularly beware of the hundredth tiger. After killing the
hundredth tiger the king was relaxed and became careless. He did not know that the
hundredth tiger had actually survived because the bullet had missed its mark. Finally
it was a tiger who was responsible for the king’s death though it was a toy-tiger
which he had bought as a birthday gift for his son. The carved toy tiger had a rough
surface with sharp wooden splinters. One of these sharp splinters pierced the king’s
right hand and caused a deadly infection that spread all over his arm. Three
surgeons tried their level best but they could not save the king and so the
astrologer’s prediction did indeed come true. Despite the fact that the king took every
measure to avoid the circumstance of his death the hundredth tiger took its final
revenge upon the king as predicted by the astrologer.

Question 41.
Why did the Tiger King wish to hunt hundred tigers? How far was he able to fulfill his
wish? (Comptt. All India 2012)
Answer:
At the Tiger King’s birth the astrologer had predicted that the death of the new born
future king would come through a tiger and he must specially beware of the
hundredth tiger. Amaz¬ingly the new-born prince growled “Let tigers beware!”. He
meant that he would not be afraid of tigers, instead tigers would be afraid of him and
he would wipe them out to disprove the astrologers prediction. So when he came of
age he wreaked havoc on the tiger population in an attempt to hunt a hundred tigers
as soon as it was possible. The tiger king was able to kill ninety nine tigers
successfully and he was under the impression that he had also killed the hundredth
tiger. But the hundredth tiger had survived his bullet shot. Ironically the death of the
Tiger King was brought about by a toy, a wooden tiger. Which he had bought as a
special birthday gift for his son.

Question 42.
What sort of hunts did the Maharaja offer to organize for the high-ranking British
officer? What trait of the officer does it reveal? (Delhi 2013)
Answer:
The Maharaja offered to organize a boar hunt, a mouse hunt or a mosquito hunt for
the high- ranking British officer. He offered to organise any hunt other than a tiger
hunt. This reveals that the officer was a man who was a meek man who, the
Maharaja felt, would be satisfied with any sort of hunt. It also reveals that he was
very fond of hunting tigers and being photographed.

Question 43.
Giving a 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 his? (Delhi 2015)
Answer:
The Maharaja had annoyed a British officer by refusing him permission to hunt a
tiger in Pratibandapuram, and as a result he was in danger of losing his throne. Later
to make amends he bribed the officer by sending about fifty samples of expensive
diamond rings to the officer’s wife in the hope that she would keep one or two rings
as a bribe. But the greedy lady kept all the rings. So the Maharaja lost three lakh
rupees but was still happy because he had managed to retain his kingdom. The
Maharaja was absolutely certain of one thing, that he would not let anyone else
shoot a tiger in his kingdom. He annoyed the British officer and later paid a heavy
bribe to appease the official. Even after losing a large amount of money the
Maharaja was happy because he had not only managed to retain his throne but also
dissuaded the British officer from shooting a tiger.

Question 44.
Even today so many among us believe in superstitions. An astrologer predicted
about The Tiger King’ that he would be killed by a tiger. He ‘killed’ one hundred tigers
yet was him¬self ‘killed’ by a tiger. How did the supersti¬tious belief ‘prevail’? (All
India 2015)
Answer:
The chief-astrologer had forewarned the king that a tiger would be responsible for his
death and he should be particularly beware of the hundredth tiger. After killing the
hundredth ti-ger the king was relaxed and became careless. He did not know that the
hundredth tiger had actually survived because the bullet had missed its mark. Finally
it was a tiger who was responsible for the king’s death even though it was a toy-tiger
which he had bought as a birthday gift for his son. The carved toy tiger had a rough
surface with sharp wooden splinters. One of these sharp splinters pierced the king’s
right hand and caused a deadly infection that spread all over his arm. Three
surgeons tried their level best but they could not save the king and so the
astrologer’s prediction did indeed come true. Despite the fact that the king took every
measure to avoid the circumstance of his death the hundredth tiger took its final
revenge upon the king as predicted by the astrologer.
Extra Questions Answers

Question.1.How did the Tiger King stand in danger of losing his kingdom? How was he able to
avoid the danger? (Delhi 2012)
Answer. Once a high ranking British officer visited Pratibandapuram. As he was fond of hunting
tigers, he expressed his wish of tiger hunting to the king but the king refused permission. Then the
British officer (^quested that he only wanted to be photographed holding gun and standing over the
dead body of the tiger; the Maharaja could kill the tiger. However, the Maharaja denied him this
permission also, fearing that it would lead to further similar requests from other officers.
As the Maharaja did not want to upset the British officer and risk losing his kingdom, he sent a fifty
diamond rings to the wife of the officer. The lady kept all the rings and sent him a note of thanks. In
this way, the king managed to save his kingdom.

Question.2.The astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger King came to be true. Do you
agree with this statement? (All India 2008)
Answer. I agree with the statement that the astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger King
came to be true.
The astrologer had predicted that Tiger King would be killed by a tiger and he should be wary of the
hundredth tiger.
This statement of the astrologer forced the king to go on a killing spree. The hundredth tiger was not
killed by the king himself but by the hunters, who found out that the old tiger had not died by the
bullet of the king but only fainted by the bullet whizzing past him. .
The hundredth tiger was a wooden toy tiger which the king had presented to his three-year old son.
It killed the king merely by a sliver of wood protruding form it that pierced his right hand. The wound
developed pus and it soon spread all over the arm. The best surgeons failed to save the king and
thus, the astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger King proved to be correct.

Question 3 : Giving a 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 his?

Answer : Once a high ranking British officer visited Pratibandapuram. As he was fond of hunting
tigers, he expressed his wish of tiger hunting to the king but the king refused permission. Then the
British officer requested that he only wanted to he photographed holding a gun and standing over
the dead body of the tiger killed by the Maharaja. However, the Maharaja denied him this
permission also, fearing that it would lead to similar requests from other officers later on.

As the Maharaja did not want to upset the British officer and risk losing his kingdom, he sent fifty
diamond rings to the wife of the officer so that she could choose the one she liked. However, the
lady kept all the rings and sent him a not of thanks. In this way, the king managed to save his
kingdom at the cost of three lakh rupees.

Question 4 : Why did Tiger King wish to hunt hundred tigers? How far was he able to fulfil his
wish?
Answer : At the Tiger King’s birth the astrologer had predicted that the death of the new born future
king would come through a tiger and he must specially be cautious of the hundredth tiger. Amazingly
the new-born prince growled “Let tigers beware!”. He meant that he would not be afraid of tigers,
instead tigers would be afraid of him and he would wipe them out to disprove the astrologers
prediction. So, when he came of age he wreaked havoc on the tiger population in an attempt to hunt
a hundred tigers as soon as it was possible. The Tiger King was able to kill ninety-nine tigers
successfully and he was under the impression that he had also killed the hundredth tiger. But the
hundredth tiger had survived his bullet shot. Ironically the death of the Tiger King was brought about
by a toy, a wooden tiger, which he had bought as a special birthday gift for his son.

Question 5 : How did the Tiger King meet his end? What is ironical about his fate?

Answer : The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, who was also known as the Tiger King tried to go
against what was destined in his fate. The result was tragic and ironical. The chief astrologer had
predicted that a tiger would be the cause of the king’s death and he should specially be cautious of
the hundredth tiger. The vain king banned hunting of the tigers in the state by everyone except
himself and was able to kill ninety-nine tigers. He thought he had killed the hundredth tiger also but
somehow the bullet missed its mark and the hundredth tiger survived. Then on his son’s birthday
the king bought him a wooden tiger which he felt was a perfect gift for his son. A silver splinter in it
pierced the king’s hand and the infection spread all over his arm causing his death. It was indeed
ironical that despite killing all the tigers in his kingdom, the king did finally become the victim of the
hundredth tiger and the astrologer’s prediction did come true.

Question 6 : Describe the efforts made by the Tiger King to achieve his target of killing a hundred
tigers. 

Answer : The chief astrologer had told the king that his death would come from a tiger. So to prove
the astrologer wrong the king decided to kill a hundred tigers. He vowed that he would attend to all
other matters only after killing one hundred tigers. Initially, the king seemed well set to realise him
ambition. Then some dangers and difficulties cropped up. There were times when the bullet missed
its mark and at other times the tiger would leap on him and he would have to fight the wild beast
with his bare hands. The Tiger King was able to kill ninety-nine tigers this way and if he could kill just
one more tiger all his fears would be over for good and he could give up tiger hunting. But the
hundredth tiger could not be found. The Dewan realised the disastrous results if the hundredth tiger
was not found. So a tiger was brought in from the People’s Park in Madras and taken directly to the
forest where the Maharaja was hunting. The King took aim and the tiger fell in a heap. The Maharaja
was extremely happy to have finally killed the hundredth tiger. Afer he left the hunters took a closer
look at the tiger and realised the tiger was not dead as the king had missed the aim. They decided
not to tell the Maharaja and one of the hunters killed the tiger. The king was left under the
impression that he had achieved his target of killing a hundred tigers.

Question 7 : The astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger King came to be true. Do you
agree with this statement?

Answer : I agree with the statement that the astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger
King came to be true. The astrologer had predicted that Tiger King would be killed by a tiger and that
he should be cautious of the hundredth tiger. This statement of the astrologer forced the king to go
on a killing spree. The hundredth tiger was not killed by the king himself but by the hunters, who
found out that the old tiger had not died by the bullet of the king but only fainted when the bullet
whizzed past him.

The hundredth tiger was a wooden toy tiger which the king had presented to his three-year old son.
It killed the king when merely a sliver of wood protruding from it pierced his right hand. The wound
developed pus and it soon spread all over his arm. The best surgeons failed to save the king and thus
the astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger King proved to be correct.

Value Based Question

Question 8 : Even today so many among us believe in superstitions. An astrologer predicted about
‘The Tiger King’ that he would be killed by a tiger. He ‘killed’ one hundred tigers yet was himself
‘killed’ by a tiger. How did the superstitious belief ‘prevail’?

Answer : The prediction of the astrologer prevailed because actually the Tiger King has not ‘killed’
the hundredth tiger – the old tiger had only fainted due to the bullet passing close to him. The tiger
was subsequently killed by a hunter accompanying the king, so that the king would not find out
about his bullet missing the tiger. This made the king believe that the prediction was negated. Thus
he did not try to find another tiger to kill. Subsequently, a sliver of wood from the wooden toy tiger,
bought as a toy for his son, pierced his finger, which became septic and caused his death despite the
king being operated upon. Thus the superstitious belief prevailed, as the wooden tiger was the
hundredth tiger which caused his death.

Q. How did the Tiger King stand in danger of losing his Kingdom? How was he able to avert the
danger? or Why, do you think, was the Maharaja in danger of losing his throne? OR When was the
Tiger King in danger of losing his throne? OR How did the Tiger King manage to retain his
kingdom?

Ans. A high-ranking British officer, who was fond of hunting tigers, visited Pratibandapuram. The
Tiger King refused to allow the British officer to hunt tigers saying it was banned in his kingdom. He
did not even permit the officer to get himself photographed with the tiger killed by the king. This
annoyed the high-ranking British officer because directly or indirectly, the king was preventing an
important man from fulfilling his desire. Anticipating unfavourable consequences of denying a British
officer and to avert the danger of losing his kingdom, the Tiger King sent a gift of fifty expensive
diamond rings to the British officer’s wife. Although he thought that the duraisani would only select
a couple of rings, he did not mind that she kept them all. In fact, he was happy to know that he was
able to retain his kingdom even though he had to pay three lakh rupees to the British jewellers for
the diamond rings.

Q. Why was the Maharaja so anxious to kill the hundredth tiger? OR What led the Maharaja to
start out on a tiger hunt?

Ans. When the Maharaja was only ten days old, an astrologer predicted that a tiger would be the
cause of his death. In order to prove the astrologer wrong and also to save himself from getting
killed, the Maharaja vowed to hunt and kill hundred tigers. This is why he was so anxious to kill the
hundredth tiger.