Dear students, If you are looking for The Tiger King Class 12 Question Answers for NCERT exams, This post can fulfil your need, All the questions and answers are written in easy language.
Table of Contents
NCERT Solutions for the Chapter “The Tiger King” by Kalki
Q.1. Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?
Ans. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was known as the Tiger King. He got his name from the prediction made by the chief astrologer that he would meet his end from a tiger. He killed a hundred tigers and was killed in the end ironically by a toy tiger.
Q.2 What did the royal infant grow up to be?
Ans. The royal infant grew up to be very strong and tall. He was taught English by an English tutor and he learned the manners of the English like the crown prince used to be in British India.
He became the king at the age of twenty. He became a great warrior and fearless king who could even fight tigers.
Q.3. What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?
Ans. During the first ten years of his rule, the Maharaja killed seventy tigers. When tigers became extinct, he decided to get married so that he could kill tigers from the state of his bride.
Q.4. How did the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tiger which was supposed to decide his fate?
Ans. When the Maharaja came to know about a tiger from a hillside village, he immediately set out to hunt it. Although he still remembered the prophecy made by the late astrologer, so he was fully aware of the fact that he has to be careful of the tiger. He was determined to complete his tally of a hundred by killing this last tiger.
Q.5 What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was indisputably disproved?
Ans. Nothing will happen to the astrologer because he is dead now.
The prophecy made by the late astrologer ultimately proves true as the tiger king was killed by a tiger though it was a wooden toy tiger.
The Tiger King Class 12 Question Answers Reading with Insight
Q. 1 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?
Ans. The story is about a king who kills a hundred tigers during his kingship. He did so because of a prediction made by the state astrologer at the time of his birth. It said that a tiger would be the cause of his death. Being stubborn and prod by nature, the king killed a hundred tigers mercilessly. He just wanted to disapprove of the prediction and also wanted to defeat his proposed death.
One day the king was playing with his three years old son with a wooden toy tiger. The wooden toy tiger was carved by an unskilled carpenter. Its surface was rough. One of the wooden slivers injured Maharaja’s hand. The next day the infection spread to the whole hand. This wound became the cause of his death.
The irony of the situation is that the tiger king tried to change his destiny by killing a hundred innocent tigers but ultimately death came from a wooden toy tiger.
Q.2 What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human beings?
Ans. In the story ‘The Tiger King’, we observe that the king kills a hundred innocent tigers just to disapprove of the prediction. At the time of his birth, the state astrologer predicted his death due to a tiger. The story is told in the way of a fairy tale.
The king starts his hunt for the tigers at the age of twenty. He employs every possible tactic to accomplish his mission. It evokes laughter in some places. The tiger hunting also shows the willfulness of human beings as they hunt these wild animals just for the sake of their own entertainment. The British Officer who visits the state was also fond of tiger hunting like the Maharaja. It seems the tigers have no ground for themselves. Due to overhunting by selfish people like the Tiger King, the tiger population became at the level of extinction. This shows how greedy, selfish motives we humans have. The people like the Tiger King only know to fill their ambition.
At last, The author shows his sympathy for the innocent animals indirectly as the king is killed by a wooden toy tiger. This shows that Nature spares no one as it took its final revenge upon the merciless king in the form of a wooden toy tiger.
Q.3. How would you describe the behaviour of the Maharaja’s minions towards him? Do you find them truly sincere or are they driven by fear? Do you find its similarity in today’s political order?
Ans. The Maharaja’s ministers and staff are flatterers, submissive. They are fearful of annoying the king. They all are only interested in keeping their jobs. The astrologers tremble to make the prophecy. The Dewan is a party to the bribe given to the British officer, thus leading to a loss of three lakh rupees to the State. Even marriage is arranged for a whimsical reason. The hunters were afraid of telling the truth, the craftsman sells a crude toy for a massive amount. So the entire state machinery was misused to fulfil the obstinacy of a crazy king.
The political scenario today is no different. The people in authority rule the roost, the others are sycophants, flatterers, and cronies who do everything to please their leader. The state becomes a medium to fulfil their unreasonable demands. No wonder it is only the common man or the citizens who suffer.
Q.4. Can you relate instances of game-hunting among the rich and the powerful in present times to illustrate the callousness of human beings towards their wildlife?
Ans. The newspapers are replete with several instances of game-hunting among the rich and powerful. Although we have laws to protect these animals. but there are no proper implementations of these laws. A rare species like Black Buck has been killed by a Bollywood celebrity and another by an ex-cricket captain from a royal family. So rich people with clout do indulge in ruthless killing, even though it is a non-bailable offence.
Q.5 We need a new system for the age of ecology- a system that is embedded in the care of all people and also in the care of the Earth and all life upon it. Discuss.
Ans. The earth is no more a pleasant planet as it used to be a few centuries ago. There has been a constant degradation of the environment. The campaign of uglification and degradation goes on unabated. Human beings have become indifferent to nature, the environment and wildlife. If we want to survive, we will have to evolve a system. The care of all people includes also the care of the earth. We should care for all life upon it. Let us rise before it is too late.
The mountains are our lifeline. They are the origins of most of our great rivers. Deforestation has caused havoc. Most of our mountain ranges have grown bare. Glaciers are shrinking. Water-level is going down at an alarming rate. Many rare species of plants, herbs, animals and birds have become extinct. The depletion of the ozone layer has put the very survival of man in danger. The release of toxic gases into the environment has given birth to the Green House Effect or Global Warming. The writing on the wall is clear. Evolve a fool-proof system that protects the environment or is ready to perish.