• Mrs. Packletides Tiger

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NCERT CBSE for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 2 Mrs. Packletide Tiger Text Book Questions:

TexBook Questions

Question 1.
Why do people hunt? Complete the web chart giving various reasons for the same?

Answer:

Question 2.
Read these lines and guess the answers to the questions given below :
It was Mrs. Packletide pleasure and intention that she should shoot a tiger . The compelling motive . was the fact that Loona Bimberton had recently . personally procured tiger-skin and a heavy harvest of Press photographs could successfully counter that sort of thing?
I. Why did Mrs. Packletide want to kill a tiger

Answer:
Mrs. Packletide wanted to kill a tiger for pleasure and to compete with her friend Loona Bimberton who had procured a tiger-skin and gained great popularity

II. What does it tell you about her

Answer:
She wanted to shoot a tiger as she was jealous of her friend and wanted to gain popularity.

III. What is the tone of the storywriter

Answer:
The tone of the story writer is humorous

IV. Do you think she was successful in her mission

Answer:
Yes she was successful in her mission.

V. What do you think the story is all about

Answer:
The story is about hunting a tiger for pleasure and popularity

Question 3.
Answer the following questions in your own words ?
I. Why did Mrs. Packletide wish to kill a tiger

Answer:
Mrs. Packletide wished to kill a tiger because her friend had procured a tiger-skin so she was jealous and wanted popularity for herself

II. What made her decide to give a party in Loona Bimberton honour? What did she intend to give Loona on her birthday

Answer:
She decided to give a party in Loona Bimberton honour for she wanted to show her a tiger skin rug and feel proud. She intended to give a tiger-claw brooch to Loona on her birthday

III.How was the tiger shooting arranged ? What kind of a tiger was chosen for the purpose

Answer:
Mrs. Packletide offered a thousand rupees to the villagers to help to shoot a tiger. A platform was constructed in a comfortable and convenient place in a tree where Mrs. Packletide sat with her rifle and her paid companion Miss Mebbin. An old and feeble tiger was chosen for the purpose

IV. In what way did the villagers help Mrs. Packletide shoot the tiger

Answer:
The villagers arranged for an old tiger, children were told to head the tiger back in the local jungle, cheaper kind of goats were-left to keep him satisfied. Mothers were made to keep their babies quiet so as not to disturb the animal

V. Who was Miss Mebbin ? Was she really devoted to Mrs. Packletide ? How did she behave during the tiger shooting

Answer:
Miss Mebbin was Mrs. Packletide paid companion. No she was not really devoted to Mrs. Packletide. She made fun of the shooting and said that it would be useless to pay for the tiger if he didnt touch the goat

VI. Mrs. Packletide was a good shot. Discuss

Answer:
Mrs. Packletide shot at the tiger. The tawny beast sprang to one side and rolled over dead. Miss Mebbin drew attention that the goat had been killed by the bullet, while there was no trace of a bullet wound on the tiger body. The wrong animal had been killed and the tiger died due to heart failure caused by the sudden sound of the rifle

VII. What comment did Miss Mebbin make after Mrs. Packletide had fired the shot ? Why did Miss Mebbin make this comment ? How did Mrs. Packletide react to this comment

Answer:
Miss Mebbin said "How amused everyone would be if they knew what really happened". She made this comment to make fun of Mrs. Packletides shooting. Mrs. Packletide said that no one will believe it. As soon as the tiger died, the villagers came shouting excitedly for they were happy to get their money

VIII.How did the villagers react to the tiger death

Answer:
The villagers shouted happily. How the tiger was killed did not matter to them. They were only excited to get ? 1000

IX. Do you think Mrs. Packletide was able to achieve her heart desire ? Give reasons for your answer

Answer:
Yes, Mrs. Packletide was able to achieve her hearts desire. She got popularity. Her pictured fame reached from the pages of Texas Weekly Snapshot to the illustrated Monday supplement of the Novoe Vremya

X. How did Miss Mebbin manage to get her week-end cottage 1 Why did she plant so many tiger lilies in her garden

Answer:
Miss Mebbin tried to blackmail Mrs. Packletide by not letting out the secret if she would get a week-end cottage instead. She planted many tiger-lilies in her garden to remind Mrs. Packletide about the big game shooting

XI. "The incidental expenses are so heavy", she confides to inquiring friends. Who is the speaker ? What is she referring to here

Answer:
The speaker is Mrs. Packletide. She is referring to the game of hunting.

Question 4.
Discuss the following questions in detail and write the answers in your notebooks?
Do you think the tiger shooting organized by the villagers was a serious affair ? Give f reasons for your answer

Answer:
The tiger shooting organised by the villagers was a serious affair because Mrs. Packletide had offered a thousand rupees for the opportunity of shooting a tiger without taking much risk. A neighbouring village was chosen for the game killing. The idea of earning a thousand rupees had egged on the villagers. They had posted their children at the borders of the local jungle to head the tiger back to the village so that it may not go to some fresh hunting grounds

Mrs. Packletide was compelled to do this as the idea of her friend Loona Bimberton boasting of her personally procuring a tiger-skin and popularity of the press photographs could not be digested. Mrs. Packletides movements and motives were largely governed by the dislike of Loona Bimberton

Cheaper kind of goats were left about in a great number to keep the tiger satisfied. All precautions were taken so as not to drive the tiger away. A platform was constructed in a conveniently placed tree. Mis. Packletide even paid her companion Miss Mebbin to accompany her to the shoot. For the villagers it seemed to be a serious affair for as soon as the rifle flashed and the beast rolled over dead, a crowd of excited natives came to the place shouting happily and carried the news to the village. They were anxious for their thousand rupees. Mrs. Packletide faced the cameras with a light and a happy heart

I. Do you think the writer is trying to make fun of the main characters in the story i.e. Mrs. Packletide, Miss Mebbin and Loona Bimberton ? Pick out instances from the story that point to this fact

Answer:
This story is full of humour. The writer has tried to make fun of the society through the characters of the three women in the story. The competitive and jealous nature of Mrs. Packletide motivated her to game killing because her friend Loona Bimberton had procured a tiger-skin and procured press photographs. Mrs. Packletide had even offered a thousand rupees for this game without taking any risk and faced the cameras happily showing that she had killed that beast but the fact was the tiger had died of heart failure due to the loud sound of the rifle

Miss Mebbin was hired by Mrs. Packletide to accompany her to the game, she had a protective attitude towards money and was greedy. She even made fun of Mrs. Packletide by saying "If it is an old tiger you ought to get it cheaper". Louisa Mebbin had blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying her a pretty cottage for not letting out the secret that the wrong animal had been killed. The writer makes fun of Mebbin that she had named her cottage as "Les Fauves"

Loona Bimberton has been presented as a shrewd person with a spiteful nature. She had boasted about the tiger-skin but had refused to look at the illustrated paper for weeks for it contained the pictures of Mrs. Packletide with her hunted tiger. Her emotions seemed to be repressed as she wrote the letter of thanks for the gift of a tiger claw-brooch. The writer has tried to make fun of three women who tried in their own way to get popularity.

II. A person who is vain is full of self importance and can only think of himself / herself and can go to great lengths to prove his / her superiority. Do you think Mrs. Packletide is vain ? Give reasons in support of your answer

Answer:
Mrs. Packletide is a vain. It was not because of her pleasure that she should shoot a tiger nor the lust came upon her. But her friend Loona Bimberton boasted about getting a tiger skin and facing the cameras had made Mrs. Packletide envious of her friend. The urge to face the camera herself forced her to offer a thousand rupees for the chance of shooting a tiger without much effort. She was competitive in nature which made her arrange for the shoot. She had already arranged a lunch in honour of Loona Bimberton and even planned to give her a tiger claw-brooch. She wanted to show her superiority by herself shooting a tiger so that she should also face the camera. She tried to go to any lengths to prove this. She arranged for a paid companion to accompany her for the shooting. All possible efforts were made to make it a success. Even though the wrong animal was killed she faced the camera boldly with the dead tiger to prove her courage

III. Sometimes writers highlight certain negative aspects in society or human beings by making fun of it. This is called satire. In your groups discuss whether you would classify this story as a satire. Give reasons to support your answer

Answer:
The writer has used satire in the story. He has made fun of the characters in the story to bring out the satire. Mrs. Packletide is a shrewd and competitive person, she becomes jealous of her friend when she comes to know that Loona Bimberton has got a tiger-skin and faced the press and procured photographs. She too out of her pride arranges to shoot a tiger. She goes to the length of offering money to the villagers. An old tiger is lured by cheaper goats

The writer uses satire to make fun of the society that would do anything in order to become famous as portrayed by Mrs. Packletide. The other side of the greedy society is reflected by Miss Mebbin. She is a greedy lady who blackmails Mrs. Packletide to buy her a cottage so that she would not give away the secret of the wrong animal being

The villagers represent another group of the society who are also greedy for money. For them money mattered more than the animal that was shot, whether it was the goat or a tiger

IV.How does the writer create humour in this story

Answer:
The story is full of humour. Mrs. Packletide arranges for the shooting. The funniest part is that a weak tiger is arranged and cheaper goats are left to lure him. Mrs. Packletide is not a good shooter but a platform is constructed in a tree and she sits there with a rifle a thumb- nail pack of patience cards. The funniest part is as soon as the tiger caught sight of the goat it lay flat on the earth, seemingly less from a desire to take advantage of and attack its prey

The rifle is shot with a loud bang and the great beast springs to one side and then rolls over dead. Miss Mebbin makes fun of Mrs. Packletide by bringing out the fact that the wrong animal had been killed. The bullet had hit the goat but the tiger had a heart failure because of the loud noise of the rifle. The villagers shouted happily for they were only anxious for their thousand rupees and gladly connived at the fiction that she had shot the tiger. Mrs. Packletide faced the cameras happily and her pictured feme reached the pages of Texas Weekly Snapshot.

Question 5.
Choose extracts from the story that illustrate the character of the people listed in the table given below. There are some words given to help you. You may add words of your own. One has been done as an example ?
vain jealous competitive shrewd manipulative stingy materialistic spiteful

Answer:

    I. Mrs. Packletide
  • Competitive
  • Shrewd
  • Proud
II.Louisa Mebbin
  • Materialistic
  • Greedy
  • Humorous
  • Satirical
III.Loona Bimberton
  • Spiteful
  • Jealous
Question 6.
There are many amusing lines in the story. Here are a few of them. Rewrite each one in ordinary prose so that the meaning is retained. One has been done for you as an example?
  • It was Mrs. Packletide pleasure and intention that she should shoot a tiger. Mrs. Packletide wanted to shoot a tiger
  • Mrs. Packletide had already arranged in her mind the lunch she would give at her house in Curzon Street, ostensibly in Loona Bimberton honour, with a tiger-skin rug occupying most of the foreground and all of the conversation
  • Mothers carrying their babies home through the jungle after the day work in the fields hushed their singing lest they might curtail the restful sleep of the venerable herd-robber
  • Louisa Mebbin adopted a protective elder-sister attitude towards money in general, irrespective of nationality or denomination
  • Evidently the wrong animal had been hit, and the beast of prey had succumbed to heart-failure, caused by the sudden report of the rifle, accelerated by senile decay
  • As for Loona Bimberton, she refused to look at an illustrated paper for weeks, and her letter of thanks for the gift of a tiger-claw brooch was a model of repressed emotions

Answer:


  • Mrs. Packletide had planned to give a lunch at her house in Curzon Street in honour of Loona Bimberton showing everyone the tigers skin rug hat she had
  • In order not to disturb the tiger, mothers tried to keep their babies quiet
  • Louisa Mebbin cared a lot for money irrespective of anything
  • Mrs. Packletide hit the wrong animal and the tiger died of heart failure because of the loud noise of the rifle
  • Loona Bimberton was jealous to see Mrs. Packletide with the dead tiger. She unwillingly wrote a letter of thanks to her for the gift of a tiger-claw brooch
Question 7.
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines normally-contradictory terms. The most common form of oxymoron involves an adjective-noun combination of two words like-failed success?

Writers often use an oxymoron to call attention to an apparent contradiction. For example, Wilfred Owen poem The Send-off refers to soldiers leaving for the front line, who "lined the train with faces grimly gay." The oxymoron grimly gay highlights the contradiction between how the soldiers feel and how they act: though they put on a brave face and act cheerful, they feel grim. Some examples of oxymorons are-dark sunshine, cold sun, living dead, dark light, almost exactly etc

The story Mrs. Packletide Tiger has a number of oxymorons. Can you identify them and write them down in your notebooks

Answer:Oxymorons : morbid dread, sympathetic hands, laud report, glad news, pardonably annoyed, disagreeably pleasant, gladly connived

Writing Task

Question 8.
Years later Mrs. Packletide writes her autobiography. As Mrs. Packletide, write about the tiger episode with the help of the clues given below

Answer:My friend Loona procured a tiger skin and so she got all the honour at the press. I was jealous of her and thought of getting a tiger skin myself. I asked the villagers to make all the arrangements for killing a tiger and agreed to pay them one thousand rupees. I forced my friend Mebbin to accompany me for the hunt. We both sat on a platform placed in a tree. I pointed my gun at the goat tied under the opposite tree. As soon as the tiger approached clumsily, I shot at him. It sprang on one side and fell down dead. The villagers shouted with joy. But Mebbin told me that instead of eating the goat, the tiger had died due to the loud sound of the bullet. I had missed the aim, Mebbin was cunning to blackmail me in buying her a summer cottage that she so much desired for not letting out the secret of the hunt. I was able to get the tiger skin but had to pay a huge price to outdo a rival

  • In groups of four construct the dialogues and enact the following situations from the story
  • Mrs. Packletide and the headman of the village/other villagers discussing the details of the tiger shooting
  • Miss Mebbin blackmailing Mrs. Packletide into gifting her a cottage
  • Loona Bimberton and a lady-friend discussing Mrs. Packletide hunting success
ans
  • Mrs. Packletide : "I wish to shoot a tiger and I am sure this area is the most suitable place." The village headman: "We can help you in the hunting, but it is not an easy job." Mrs. Packletide "I will pay for the tiger". A villager: "we agree, but you will have to pay us one thousand rupees. We will surely arrange for a tiger and make all other arrangements." Mrs. Packletide: "I am ready to pay the amount."
  • Miss Mebbin: "If you want me not to let out the secret, that the wrong animal was killed, then you have to buy me a summer cottage, which I so much desire." Mrs. Packletide: "I am sure you would not let me down. I will pay for the cottage."
  • Loona Bimberton : "I cannot believe that Mrs. Packletide killed a tiger." I dont want to see the weekly. A lady friend: "But Im sure she did shoot."

Listening Task

Question 9.
Listen to the passage on lion hunting and answer the questions given below ?

I. The Maasai tribe in Africa hunt lions because?
  • they live near the forests of Africa
  • they view it as a sign of bravery and personal achievement
  • they are a hunting tribe
  • they adorn their bodies with body parts of the lion
Answer:
  • they view it as a sign of bravery and personal achievement
II. Solo hunting has been banned because?
  • it is dangerous
  • of the declining lion population
  • too many hunters have been killed
  • it creates pride in the minds of the successful hunters
Answer:
  • of the declining lion population
III. The hunting of lionesses is discouraged because?
  • they bear the cubs
  • they run much faster
  • they are more fierce
  • they cannot be spotted easily
Answer:
  • they bear the cubs
IV. The Maasai warriors chase a lion with rattle bells to?
  • awaken it
  • make it run faster
  • make it angry
  • frighten it
Answer:
  • frighten it
V. The Maasai use three parts of the lion. They are?
  • the mane, tail and claws
  • the mane, nails and claws
  • the mane, tail and nails
  • the whiskers, tail and claws
Answer:
  • the mane, tail and claws
VI. The tail is given to?
  • the strongest warrior
  • the fastest warrior
  • the youngest warrior
  • the bravest warrior
Answer:
  • the strongest warrior

Important Question

NCERT CBSE for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 2 Mrs. Packletide Tiger Important Questions

Question.1.
The luncheon party she declined, there are limits beyond which repressed emotions become dangerous.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2012, Set 52)

(a) Who is ‘she’ here ?
(b) Which luncheon party is mentioned here ?
(c) Why did she decline to attend the party ?

Answer
(a) ‘She’ here is Loona Bimberton. 1
(b) It is the party that Mrs. Packletide wanted to throw in the honour of Loona Bimberton. 1
(c) She was jealous of Mrs. Packletide as she had been successful in killing a tiger. 1

Question.2.
In a world, that is supposed to be chiefly swayed by hunger and by love, Mrs. Packletide was an exception, her movements and motive were largely governed by dislike of Loona Bimberton.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2012, Set 50)

(a) How is the world chiefly swayed by ?
(b) How was Mrs. Packletide an exception ?
(c) How was Mrs. Packletide governed ?

Answer
(a) This world is swayed by hunger and love.
(b) She was neither swayed by love nor by hunger.
(c) All movements and motives of Mrs. Packletide were mostly governed by her dislike of Loona Bimberton.

Question.3.
’Evidently, the wrong animal had been hit and the beast of prey had succumbed to heart-failure..’.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2012, Set 38)

(a) What did Mrs. Packletide wanted to kill and why ?
(b) How did the two animals die ?
(c) How did Miss Louisa Mebbin take advantage of this situation ?

Answer
(a) Mrs. Packletide wished to shoot a tiger and get her pictures published. This was to prove herself superior to Loona Bimberton who had recently obtained a tiger-skin and couldn’t stop boasting about it.
(b) The goat died of the gun shot. The tiger merely died of a heart failure caused by the sound of the gun shot.
(c) Louisa Mebbin blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying her the weekend cottage or else she would tell Loona Bimberton that it was not the tiger but a mere goat that Mrs. Packletide had shot.

Question. 4.
Miss Mebbin had a protective elder sister like attitude towards money.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2012, Set 36)

(a) Who was Miss Mebbin ?
(b) How did she adopt an elder sister like attitude ?
(c) How did she prove in the end that she was a money-minded lady ?

Answer
(a) Miss Mebbin was a paid companion of Mrs. Packletide.
(b) She was money-minded and saved each and every penny given to her as tips in same Moscow hotel.
(c) She blackmailed Mrs. Packletide and forced her to buy a cottage for herself.

Question. 5.
How amused everyone would be if they knew what really happened ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2012, Set 37)

(a) Who is the speaker ?
(b) What had really happened ?
(c) Why would everyone be amused ?

Answer
(a) Miss Mebbin is the speaker.
(b) Mrs. Packletide had shot the goat and not the tiger which had died of a heart-attack.
(c) Everyone would be amused as they thought that Mrs. Packletide had killed the tiger which in reality she had not.

Question. 6.
"How you shot the goat and frightened the tiger to death", said Miss Mebbin, with her disagreeably pleasant laugh.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2012, Set 32)

(a) In the above statement, Miss Mebbin is making fun of Mrs. Packletide. Why ?
(b) What characteristic of Miss Mebbin is highlighted in the above extract ?
(c) How did the tiger die ?

Answer
(a) Because Mrs. Packletide had missed her aim and had not killed the tiger.
(b) She is insensitive and an opportunist.
(c) The tiger probably died of a heart failure.

Question. 7.
Mrs. Packletide indulges in no more big game shooting.
"The incidental expenses are so heavy", she confides to enquiring friends.
Year of Question:(2010)

(a) Why did Mrs. Packletide indulge in big-game hunting ?
(b) Why did she want to give up big-game hunting ?
(c) How did the incidental expenses become heavy ?

Answer
(a) She wanted to outdo her rival Loona Bimberton’s feat of obtaining a tiger skin.
(b) She did so as the incidental expenses involved were very high.
(c) She was blackmailed to buy a weekend cottage for Miss Mebbin.

Question.8."And for Loona Bimberton, she refused to look at an illustrated paper for weeks and her letter of thanks for the gift of a tiger-claw brooch was a model of repressed emotion.
(Board Term-I 2011, Set 13)

(a) Loona didn’t look at papers for weeks because
(b) Who gave her the gift ?
(c) Her emotions were repressed because

Answer
(a) they praised Mrs. Packletide.
(b) Mrs. Packletide gave her the gift.
(c) she was jealous of Mrs. Packletide.

Question. 9. . "Now, Now " urged Miss Mebbin with some excitement.

(a) What is she excited about ?
(b) What nature of Miss Mebbin is brought out through this line ?
(c) Where is Miss Mebbin when she speaks this lines ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 12)

Answer
(a) She is excited about the money that would be gained.
(b) These lines show that she tried to take advantage of every situation.
(c) Miss Mebbin is with Mrs. Packletide, ready to kill a tiger.

Question. 10.
"The luncheon party she declined; there are limits beyond which repressed emotions become dangerous/

(a) ‘She’ referred to here is
(b) The luncheon party mentioned here was the one
(c) The party was held
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 23)

Answer
(a) Loona Bimberton.
(b) given in the honour of Mrs. Loona Bimberton.
(c) to celebrate Mrs. Packletide’s achievement.

Short Answer Type Questions (2 marks each)

Question. 1.
Why did Mrs. Packletide give up big-game shooting ?
Year of Question:(Board 2014, Set 8L1922Q)

Answer
Mrs. Packletide gave up big-game shooting as she found it to be an affair where ‘incidental expenses’ were heavy. She had to pay a lot in the tiger-killing also as Miss Mebbin blackmailed her into paying for a weekend cottage. Apart from this, she had to pay the villagers also for helping her in the killing of animal.


Question. 2.
How does Louisa Mebbin exploit the incident of killing the tiger to her greatest advantage ?
Year of Question:(Board 2014, Set 8L1992Q)

Answer
Lousia Mebbin is the paid companion of Mrs. Packletide. She has an elder sisterly attitude towards money. When she notice that it is the goat and not the tiger which has been killed by Mrs. Packletide’s gun shot, she blackmails her into buying a weekend cottage at Darking otherwise she suggests of informing Loona Bimberton about it.

Question. 3.
How did Miss Louisa Mebbin blackmail Mrs. Packletide ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 37)

Answer
She blackmailed her into buying her a weekend cottage otherwise she would have told Loona Bimberton the truth that it was not the tiger but a mere goat that Mrs. Packletide had shot.

Question. 4.
What had Mrs. Packletide already arranged in her mind for Loona Bimberton ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 13)
Answer She had arranged a luncheon party in her mind.

Answer
Actually, her purpose was to show her and others the skin rug of the tiger, she had killed. She had also designed a tiger-claw brooch which she wanted to gift Loona Bimberton on her birthday.

Question. 5.
Mrs. Packletide was a good shot. Discuss.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 52)

Answer
Mrs. Packletide was not a professional hunter. When she took her shot, it wounded and killed the goat. The tiger suffered a heart-failure and died. She missed her shot but was able to annoy Loona Bimberton.

Question. 6.
Why did Mrs. Packletide decide to give a party in honour of Loona Bimberton ? What did she plan to present Loona on her birthday ?
(Board Term-I 2011, Set 59)

Answer
Mrs. Packletide’s only aim in life was to surpass Loona Bimberton, who was very popular for her adventurous and exciting deeds. By giving a party in her honour, Mrs. Packletide wanted to show her that she had done a more adventurous and exciting thing by shooting a tiger. She even wanted to gift a tiger-claw brooch to Loona on her birthday just to outshine her.


Question. 7.
What was Mrs. Packletide’s pleasure and intention ? Why did she decide to kill a tiger ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 54)

Answer
She loved showing off and to be mentioned in the magazines. She drew pleasure in making others feel inferior and low. So, she decided to kill a tiger in order to be in the limelight and also to make Loona feel small.

Question. 8.
How did Louisa Mebbin manage to buy the pretty weekend cottage ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 63)

Answer
Mrs. Packletide had killed the wrong animal and the tiger had died of heart attack. Only Louisa Mebbin knew this. Every newspaper and magazine reported the killing of the tiger and Mrs. Packletide did not deny it. Louisa found that enough reason to blackmail her and that is how she bought the cottage.

Question. 9.
Why were the villagers happy ?
Year of Question: (Board Term-I 2011, Set 13)

Answer
The villagers were very happy at the prospect of winning a thousand rupees. They posted boys at the outskirts, kept a goat as bait for the tiger and mothers hushed their singing.

Question. 10.
Do you think that Louisa Mebbin was devoted to Mrs. Packletide ? Give reasons for your answer.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 32)

Answer
No, she was not sincere and devoted because she threatened to disclose the true facts of the hunt, if she had not paid the money that would enable her to buy a cottage for herself.

Question. 11.
"Mrs. Packletide indulges in no more big game shooting." What put her off from going on further hunts ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 34)

Answer
She had realized that shooting was an expensive affair after she was blackmailed by her friend and made to pay for her cottage apart from having to pay the villagers for helping her.

Question. 12.
What did Mrs. Packletide carry with her when she went to hunt a tiger and why ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 45)

Answer
When Mrs. Packletide went to hunt a tiger, she carried a fully loaded rifle and a pack of patience cards for her safety and the others to pass the time.

Question. 13.
What were the villagers worried about in the lesson ‘Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger’?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 60)

Answer
They were worried that the weak, old tiger might die before the arrival of the fixed date for the shooting and they would not be able to earn a handsome amount of money.

Question. 14.
Depict the instances of humour in ‘Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger’.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 15)

Answer
‘Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger’ is full of witty remarks and Mrs. Packletide was a good shot is one of them. She decided to kill a tiger but paid one thousand rupees to the villagers to find a tiger who is old and she would not have to work hard on it. Secondly, when she fired a shot, the bullet, instead of hitting the tiger, hit the goat. It was her good luck that both the animals died but her shot was a missed shot.

Question. 15.
"The incidental expenses are heavy", she confides to inquiring friends. Who is the speaker ? What is she referring to here ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 16)

Answer
Mrs. Packletide is the speaker. Her paid companion Louisa Mebbin knew that Packletide was unworthy of the honour received for having killed a tiger. She feared that Mebbin would reveal the truth of the tiger’s death. She had to please Mebbin who exploited the situation. The money spent on Mebbin is referred to as incidental expenses.

Question. 16.
How did the villagers react to the tiger’s death ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 18)

Answer
In a moment, a crowd of excited natives had swarmed on to the scene, and they carried the glad news to the village, where a thumping of tomtoms took up the chorus of triumph. And their triumph and rejoicing found a ready echo in the heart of Mrs. Packletide.

Question. 17.
Would you agree that Mrs. Packletide was jealous ? Give reasons.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 28)

Answer
The following reasons show that she was jealous :
(i) Her compelling motive was the fact that Loona talked of nothing but the personally procured tiger skin, she also wanted to get one.
(ii) She wanted to throw a party in Loona’s honour just to spite her and get popularity for herself.
(iii) She competed with Loona by getting the attention of the press.

Question. 18.
What preparation were made for the tiger shoot ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 31)

Answer
An old tiger was found for the tiger shoot. A platform was constructed on a tree and a goat was kept as a bait. Mrs. Packletide Waited on the platform with a rifle and a pack of cards.

Question. 19.
What discovery annoyed Mrs. Packletide ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 33)

Answer
The discovery that she shot the wrong animal and the fact that the old tiger died of heart-failure due to the sound of the gun upset Packletide.

Question. 20.
How much money did Mrs. Packletide pay to the villagers ? Why ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2010, Set 18)

Answer
Jealous of Loona Bimberton, Mrs. Packletide decided to hunt a tiger and send a tiger-claw brooch Loona Bimberton’s birthday. Since she was’ not a good hunter, she wanted the hunting to go without any risk. So, she paid one thousand rupees to the villagers to make arrangements for tiger hunt like finding an old tiger and not let it run away from that place.

Question. 21.
Who was Miss Mebbin ? What was her relationship with Mrs. Packletide ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2012, Set 18)

Answer
Miss Mebbin was a paid companion of Mrs. Packletide. She was not at all devoted to her. She pretended to have a protective elder sister like attitude towards Mrs. Packletide.

Long Answer Type Questions (4 marks each)

Question. 1.
Mrs. Packletide’s desire became a constant trouble for her. Explain.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2012, Set EC2,018)

Answer
Jealous of Loona Bimberton, Mrs. Packletide wished to embarrass her. She wanted to outshine her by proving that she was more adventurous than her rival Loona Bimberton who had been carried eleven miles in an aeroplane by an Algerian pilot. In her wish to procure a tiger skin, she chose to shoot an old tiger. However, having a poor
aim she shot a goat rather than the tiger. Mrs. Packletide achieved what she desired to prove her superiority over Loona Bimberton and to be popular for her amazing feat. But this’fulfilment came with a price. She had to buy an expensive cottage for Miss Mebbin who threatened to expose her secret. Thus, her heart’s desire became a constant trouble for her as Miss Mebbin could blackmail her further whenever she wanted anything from her.

Question. 2.
Mrs. Packletide develops extreme jealousy for Loona Bimberton. She gives vent to her feelings by writing a diary entry. As Mrs. Packletide, write the diary entry.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 14)

Answer
Friday, 23 February 2014 11 p.m.
Dear Diary
I feel utmost displeasure to see people praising Loona Bimberton. I deeply yearn to show her that I am superior and so I have planned to kill a tiger. This feat will get me a lot of publicity and I will be famous. My popularity will cause a lot of pain to Loona. After the killing, I will organize a lunch to celebrate my achievement and will invite Loona to this celebration. I will flaunt the tiger skin ring and present a tiger-claw brooch to Loona. I am really envious of her and will take any step to make her feel inferior.
Packletide

Question. 3.
Mrs. Packletide recalls her glorious period of fame and happiness over being successful at making Loona Bimberton jealous. She plans again to make it big by some other means but this time she will keep Miss Mebbin who had proved costly, miles away from her new venture. She pens down her feelings in a diary. Write this diary entry.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 20)

Answer
Monday, 28 February 2014 10:30 p.m.
Dear Diary
I still remember the day when fame and happiness smiled at me. I succeeded at making Loona Bimberton jealous. It was the day when I shot the tiger. My feat was covered in leading newspapers. How glorious it was! I had thrown a lunch party and invited Loona also but she declined the invitation. But I can’t forget the way Miss. Mebbin blackmailed me into buying her a weekend cottage. Thus, the tiger feat proved costly to me. Now I am making fresh plans to make Loona jealous but I’ve to keep Miss. Mebbin miles away from this new venture so as not to repeat my mistake committed earlier.
Packletide

Question. 4.
Write the character sketch of Mrs. Packletide.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2009)

Answer
Mrs. Packletide, as portrayed in the story, is a typical woman. She is competitive, jealous, materialistic and vain. When Loona Bimberton tells her about the personally procured tiger skin, she immediately decides to honour her and present her a tiger-claw brooch. This incident points towards her competitive and jealous nature. In order to hunt the tiger by all means, she goes to the extent of offering one thousand rupees to the villagers for shooting a tiger without any risk or exertion. In the end when she killed the goat instead of the tiger, the paid companion, Louisa tries to blackmail her by asking for a cottage which she does buy so that none comes to know the truth. So, she is a worldly lady who cares more for her reputation than her money.

Question. 5.
What comment did Miss Mebbin make after Mrs. Packletide had fired the shot ? Why did she make this comment ? How did Mrs. Packletide react to this comment ?
Year of Question:(2012)

Answer
Mrs. Packletide fired the shot, it hit the goat ahd nbt the tiger. But both the goat and the tiger died the goat from the bullet wound and the tiger due to the sound of bullet. He perhaps died of heart-failure. Miss Mebbin was the first one to note this and she told the same to Mrs. Packletide. Miss Mebbin was a very shrewd and calculative lady. She had made up her mind to blackmail Mrs. Packletide as she knew the lady would not like anyone else to know that the tiger had died a natural death and not because of her bullet. Mrs. Packletide bought a cottage for Miss Mebbin so that she kept quiet about all this.

Value Based Question (3 marks each)

Question. 1.
As one of the villagers participating in the hunting expedition, you are surprised to see an extravagant display of wealth and money for fame which ends in failure. You decide to write a diary mocking at the situation and expressing your feelings against the show of false ego.
Year of Question:(2009)

Answer
Saturday
9 February 2014
10 p.m.
Dear Diary

I had an enjoyable day today as I participated in Mrs. Packletide’s hunting expedition. I was very happy to get a large sum of money which would make many of my dreams come true. Mrs. Packletide paid a lot of money to all of us just for her false ego. She just wanted to show off that she was better than her friend Miss Loona Bimberton but all this was wrong. Just to satisfy her ego she had killed a tiger and distributed money among villagers for making her efforts a success. I wish she had spent this money on feeding some poor children or she had gone to some orphanage to help those poor children. It is strange that there are some people who don’t have food to eat and there are others who throw money just to flaunt. This extravagant display of wealth and money for some is rather disgusting. The money should have been spent for a noble cause.
Louis

Important Questions and Answers from "Mrs. Packletides Tiger" by Saki

Question1.
Why did Mrs. Packletide want to kill a tiger?

Answer:

  • Main Reason: She wanted to outdo her rival, Loona Bimberton, who had been boasting about her achievements
  • Not for thrill: Mrs. Packletide did not desire to kill for excitement or to make the country safer
  • Envy: Her main motive was to show off and surpass Loonas achievements
Question2.
How was the tiger shooting arranged? What kind of tiger was chosen?

Answer:

  • Village Arrangement: Mrs. Packletide offered 1000 rupees to the villagers to find a tiger
  • Old Tiger: The tiger was old and had stopped hunting large animals, now attacking domestic animals
  • Villagers Role: They guarded the tiger to ensure it did not escape before Mrs. Packletides hunt
Question3.
Who was Miss Mebbin? How did she behave during the tiger shooting?

Answer:

  • Companion: Miss Mebbin was Mrs. Packletides paid companion
  • Money-Conscious: She was extremely stingy and questioned the cost of shooting an old tiger
  • Behavior During Hunt: Miss Mebbin showed no interest in the hunt but only cared about the money being spent
Question4.
What happened after Mrs. Packletide shot the tiger?

Answer:

  • Mistake: Mrs. Packletide mistakenly shot the goat instead of the tiger
  • Tigers Death: The tiger died from heart failure due to the loud sound of the gun, not from the bullet.
  • Villagers Reaction: They happily played along with the lie in exchange for the 1000 rupees
Question5.
How did Miss Mebbin manage to get her weekend cottage?

Answer:

  • Blackmail: Miss Mebbin blackmailed Mrs. Packletide by threatening to reveal the truth about the tigers death
  • Cottage Purchase: Mrs. Packletide gave in and bought Miss Mebbin a weekend cottage near Darking
  • Tiger Lilies: Miss Mebbin humorously planted tiger lilies in her cottage garden to remind herself of the incident
Question6.
Was Mrs. Packletide successful in achieving her desire?

Answer:

  • Temporary Success: Though she received publicity and the tiger-skin rug, her plan was not a complete success
  • Blackmail: Miss Mebbins blackmail overshadowed her triumph, and she had to pay a large sum for her silence
  • Regret: Mrs. Packletide stopped hunting due to the heavy "incidental expenses."
Question7.
How does the writer create humor in the story?

Answer:

  • Satire: The story satirizes the vanity and superficial motives of the upper class, particularly through Mrs. Packletides obsession with outshining her rival
  • Irony: The irony is clear when Mrs. Packletide doesnt actually kill the tiger, but takes credit for it
  • Character Contrast: Miss Mebbins stingy and manipulative nature adds to the humor, especially when she blackmails Mrs. Packletide
Question8.
Why is this story considered a satire?

Answer:

  • Mocking Vanity: The writer mocks Mrs. Packletides shallow desire to shoot a tiger just to outshine Loona Bimberton
  • Materialism: The villagers and Miss Mebbin are also portrayed as motivated by money, highlighting the greed and materialism in society
  • Exaggeration: The writer exaggerates the characters flaws to make the story funny while criticizing human nature

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