NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 2-The Tiger King

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Text Book Questions :-

Think :

How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tigers’ attitude?Who is the tiger king? Why does he get that name ?
Ans.The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram is the tiger king. At the time of his birth, the astrologers had predicted about his death. The chief astrologer foretold that since the prince was born in the hour of the bull and the bull and tiger are enemies, the king’s death would come at the hands of a tiger. Not afraid to hear so, the king mumbled a warning to the tigers. Thus, he got the name ‘Tiger King’.
What did the royal infant grow up to be?
Ans. He grew up to be the king of Pratibandapuram. At the age of twenty, the state came into his hands and with good training and nourishment, he grew up to be a tall and strong man who was a good hunter and marksman.
What did the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?
Ans. The Maharaja had killed seventy tigers leading the population of the tigers to become extinct in his kingdom. He needed thirty more Tigers to prove the prophecy of the astrologers wrong and fulfil his vow. So, he decided to marry a girl from the royal family of a state that would have a large number of tigers.
How did the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tiger which was supposed to decide his fate?
Ans. When Maharaja had killed ninety nine tigers, he was now left with only one tiger to fulfill his vow. Since tigers were no longer found anywhere in his kingdom, he sank into gloom and later, heard about a tiger seen in a nearby village. He announced a three year exemption from all the taxes in the village. He set out for the hunt immediately and refused to leave the forest before killing the hundredth tiger.
. What happened to the astrologer? Do you think that the astrologer’s prophecy was indisputably disproved?
Ans. No, his prophecy was not indisputably disproved as the king was killed by a tiger though not a real one. The old, weak and almost lifeless tiger that was actually the hundredth one, had escaped the king’s bullet by fainting at the shock of bullet whizzing past. It was the tiny wooden tiger that caused the king’s death.

The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. How does the writer employ dramatic irony in the story?
Ans. The conceit of the men in power has been highlighted in the story using humour, irony and exaggeration. Conceit means having extremely favourable and one’s most high opinion of oneself while satire means the use of irony and humour or ridicule to expose and criticise the stupidity and vices of people in a particular context or situation. Challenging astrologer’s prophecy and killing seventy tigers in a span of just ten years, marrying a girl from a royal family for the convenience of his tiger-hunt and exercising his power to punish people in accordance with his whims and fancies, exhibits the tiger king’s conceit. Nothing is done by him for the sake of goodness of his people or kingdom. Challenging death on the basis of prediction of astrologers is a wasted effort. The escape of hundredth tiger (from the bullet of the king) and the kings unawareness about it and his death coming through a prick from a wooden toy tiger are examples of irony. Thus, the dramatic irony surfaces strongly at the end of the story when the readers realise what the king never does.
What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human beings?
Ans. The author disapproved of innocent animals being subjected to the willfulness of human beings. He was satirical about the Maharaja’s determination to kill hundred tigers and that showed his hidden sympathy for wild animals. They were only killed by the Tiger King for his mere satisfaction. The hundredth tiger took its final revenge upon the king. It was ironical that he was killed by a wooden tiger. The author seemed to highlight the extinction of the beautiful animal due to its indiscriminate killing. After killing seventy tigers, the tigers had become extinct in the Maharaja’s kingdom. He needed thirty more tigers. So he married a girl from the royal family of a state that had a large number of tigers. He killed seven to eight tigers whenever he visited his father-in law’s kingdom. In that way he was able to kill ninety-nine tigers but the hundredth one eluded him. Ironically, it appeared in the form of a wooden toy to take its revenge upon the king.
How would you describe the behaviour of the Maharaja’s minions towards him? Do you find them sincere towards him or are they driven by fear when they obey him? Do we find similarity in today’s political order?
Ans. The behaviour of king’s minions was driven by fear. They only aimed at keeping him in a good humour. They were afraid of the power and anger of their king. Complete obedience, docile submission and flattery were their key features. First, the chief astrologer who was scared to speak the truth waited for the appropriate time and the mood of the king to tell him the truth. Then came Dewan who was docile, humourless and servile towards his master. Confused at times, he shuddered at the very sight of the gun. He acted wisely at times and arranged a tiger for the king on his demand. Even the shopkeeper at the mall was a blend of flattery and cunningness. The wooden tiger which costed only two annas was charged three hundred rupees from the Maharaja. Yes, this could easily be found in the existing political order as nobody wants to work for the welfare of the country. The leaders just want to fulfill their own greed.
Can you relate instances of game hunting among the rich and powerful in present times that illustrates the callousness of human being towards wildlife?
Ans. . In our times, big game-hunting has been banned by law as so many species of wildlife have been declared endangered species. Sanctuaries, national parks and games reserves have been established to preserve wildlife from extinction and maintain ecological balance in nature.
We need a new system for the age of ecology embedded in the care of all people and also in the care of the Earth and all life upon it. Discuss
Ans. It is imperative to sustain and preserve nature’s balance both nationally and internationally. Formulating rules for preserving endangered species, imposing fine on hunting of animals or assigning funds for conservation of wildlife is not enough. Awareness needs to be created as the consequences of exploitation of nature is getting worse. People must be made to understand that even a small thing has an important role to play in the existing ecosystem and no one has a right to kill any life form. Restoration of nature’s balance has to be followed by any means. All the reasons for natural imbalance need to be addressed before other climatic hazard or natural calamity takes its toll.