CHAPTER - 2 The Tiger King

 

Difficult Words and Meanings – The Tiger King

Word	Simple Meaning
Maharaja	A king or ruler
Crown Prince	The prince who will become the next king
Astrologer	A person who predicts the future by studying stars and planets
Prediction	A statement about the future
Prophecy	A prediction of future events
Destiny	Fate; what is going to happen
Foretell	To predict the future
Infant	A very young baby
Throne	The king's seat or position
Kingdom	The land ruled by a king
Decree	An official order
Hunting	Chasing and killing wild animals
Hunter	A person who hunts animals
Tiger Reserve	A protected area where tigers live
Jungle	A thick forest
Fierce	Very dangerous or violent
Brave	Courageous
Courage	Bravery
Bold	Fearless
Terrified	Very frightened
Tremble	To shake because of fear
Stubborn	Not willing to change one's mind
Determined	Firmly decided
Arrogant	Too proud
Cruel	Unkind
Obey	To follow orders
Refuse	To say "no"
Minister	A government official
Officer	A government employee
Reward	A prize for good work
Punish	To give a penalty
Ban	To stop something officially
Permission	Approval to do something
Estate	A large area of land
Neighbouring	Nearby
Marriage	Wedding
Princess	Daughter of a king
Bride	A woman on her wedding day
Rifle	A hunting gun
Bullet	A small metal object fired from a gun
Aim	To point a weapon at a target
Missed	Failed to hit the target
Wounded	Injured
Carcass	The dead body of an animal
Procession	A line of people moving together
Honour	Great respect
Celebration	A happy event
Toy Tiger	A tiger made of wood
Splinter	A small sharp piece of wood
Infection	Disease caused by germs
Operation	Surgery performed by doctors
Surgeon	A doctor who performs operations
Satire	Writing that uses humour to criticize people or society
Pride	A feeling of being too important
Foolishness	Lack of good sense
Superstition	Belief in magic or luck without scientific proof
Reputation	The opinion people have about someone
Triumph	A great victory
Defeat	Loss or failure

The Tiger King

1. Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?

Answer:
The Tiger King is the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram. When he was born, astrologers predicted that he would die because of a tiger. After growing up, he became determined to prove the prediction wrong. He started hunting tigers and killed many of them. Since hunting tigers became the main aim of his life and he killed almost one hundred tigers, people began to call him the Tiger King.

2. What did the royal infant grow up to be?

Answer:
The royal infant grew up to be a powerful and fearless king. He was brave and skilled in hunting. The prediction made by the astrologers had a great effect on his life. He became obsessed with killing tigers and spent much of his time and energy trying to defeat fate. His desire to kill one hundred tigers became the most important goal of his life.

3. What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?

Answer:
After some years, there were no tigers left in the forests of Pratibandapuram. The Maharaja had killed ninety-nine tigers and needed only one more tiger to complete his target. To solve this problem, he married a princess from a neighbouring state that had many tigers. Whenever he visited his in-laws, he went on tiger hunts. In this way, he continued hunting tigers until he thought he had killed the hundredth tiger.

4. How will the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tiger which was supposed to decide his fate?

Answer:
The Maharaja became very worried when he could not find the hundredth tiger. He believed that this tiger was closely connected to his fate and future. He ordered his officers to find a tiger at any cost. An old tiger was finally brought secretly and released in the forest. The Maharaja carefully went on the hunt and shot at the tiger. He believed that he had killed it and felt happy and relieved that he had defeated the prediction.

5. What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was indisputably disproved?

Answer:
The astrologer had predicted that the Maharaja would die because of a tiger. After the Maharaja believed that he had killed the hundredth tiger, it seemed that the astrologer had been proved wrong. However, the prophecy was not disproved. Later, the Maharaja bought a wooden tiger as a birthday gift for his son. A small wooden splinter from the toy entered his hand and caused a serious infection. He eventually died because of it. Thus, the tiger was responsible for his death, and the astrologer's prediction came true.

6. The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. How does the author bring this out?

Answer:
The author shows that people in power often become arrogant and misuse their authority. The Maharaja thinks that he can control everything, even fate. He bans all others from hunting tigers and punishes those who do not obey him. Government officers are afraid of him and try to keep him happy. The king believes that he can escape death by killing tigers, but in the end he fails. Through these incidents, the author humorously criticizes the pride, foolishness, and misuse of power by rulers.

7. Why did the Maharaja decide to get married?

Answer:
The Maharaja decided to get married because there were no more tigers left in his own kingdom. He still needed some tigers to reach his target of one hundred. Therefore, he searched for a princess from a state that had many tigers. He married her so that he could visit her kingdom regularly and continue hunting tigers there. His marriage was not based on love but on his desire to find more tigers.

8. How did the Tiger King meet his end?

Answer:
The Tiger King met his end in a very unexpected way. On his son's third birthday, he bought a wooden tiger as a gift. While playing with the toy, a tiny wooden splinter pierced his hand. The wound became infected and developed into a serious problem. Doctors performed an operation, but they could not save him. He died because of the infection caused by the wooden tiger. In this way, the astrologer's prediction finally came true.