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Read and Find Out

Q1. Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?
Answer: The Tiger King is the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, known by many grand titles. He gets the name because he starts a mission to kill a hundred tigers to prove a prophecy wrong.

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Read and Find Out

Q1.What did the royal infant grow up to be?
Answer: The royal infant grew up to be the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, who was tutored in English, drank the milk of an English cow, and watched English films, just like all the other crown princes of the Indian states.

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Read and Find Out

Q1. What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?
Answer: The Maharaja decides to marry a princess from a royal family in a state with a large tiger population. This allows him to kill five or six tigers each time he visits his father-in-law’s kingdom.

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Read and Find Out

Q1. How will the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tiger which was supposed to decide his fate?
Answer: The Maharaja becomes very careful and takes a three-year tax exemption for a village that reports a tiger. He then sets out on the hunt with great determination.

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Read and Find Out

Q1. What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was indisputably disproved?
Answer: The astrologer is no longer alive to witness the king’s fate. The prophecy was not disproved; in fact, it was ironically fulfilled when the king died from a splinter from a wooden toy tiger. The astrologer’s prediction that the hundredth tiger would be the cause of his death came true, just not in the way the king expected.

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Reading with Insight 

Q1. The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. How does the author employ the literary device of dramatic irony in the story?
Answer: The author uses dramatic irony to show the Maharaja’s arrogance. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters do not. In this story, the reader knows that the king’s life is in danger from a tiger, but the king is so blinded by his pride and ego that he doesn’t see the danger. For example, he thinks he has killed the hundredth tiger, but the readers know he missed his shot and that the hunters killed it for him. The ultimate dramatic irony is that he is killed by a toy tiger, not a real one, proving the prophecy right in an unexpected way.

Q2. What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human beings?
Answer: The author indirectly comments on how human arrogance and self-centeredness can lead to the destruction of innocent animals. The Maharaja kills a hundred tigers not for sport or food but to prove his power. This shows how selfish and foolish human beings can be, and how they disregard nature and its creatures just to satisfy their ego. The extinction of tigers in his kingdom and his father-in-law’s kingdom is a stark warning against this willful destruction.

Q3. How would you describe the behaviour of the Maharaja’s minions towards him? Do you find them truly sincere towards him or are they driven by fear when they obey him? Do we find a similarity in today’s political order?
Answer: The Maharaja’s minions behave in a very subservient and fearful manner. They are not sincere but are driven by fear. The dewan, for example, is terrified when the king threatens him with a gun and even helps find a tiger to save his job. The hunters lie to the king about killing the hundredth tiger. In today’s political world, we can still see this behavior, where people in positions of power surround themselves with yes-men who are afraid to tell the truth for fear of losing their position.

Q4. Can you relate instances of game-hunting among the rich and the powerful in the present times that illustrate the callousness of human beings towards wildlife?
Answer: This is a discussion-based question. A good answer would mention how rich and powerful people still engage in hunting rare or endangered animals, often in Africa or other parts of the world. These hunts are often illegal or unethical and are done for trophies or status symbols, showing a callous disregard for wildlife.

Q5. We need a new system for the age of ecology—a system which is embedded in the care of all people and also in the care of the Earth and all life upon it. Discuss.
Answer: This is a discussion-based question. A good answer would discuss how the story highlights the need for a more sustainable and ethical relationship with the environment. It shows that human actions can have a devastating impact on nature. To move forward, we need a system that promotes conservation, respects all forms of life, and ensures that human development does not come at the cost of the environment. The focus should be on coexisting with nature, not dominating it.