Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger

Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger

Q1 Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow.

(a) Mrs Packletide had already arranged in her mind the lunch she would give at her
house in Curzon Street, ostensibly in Loona Bimberton’s honour, with the tiger-skin
rug occupying most of the foreground and all of the conversation.’

i. Why was Loona Bimberton being ‘honoured’ by Mrs. Packletide?
Loona Bimberton had travelled eleven miles in an airplane flown by an Algerian
aviator.
ii. What was Mrs. Packletide’s real intention in hosting the lunch?
Mrs. Packletide wanted to show off her exploits at the tiger hunt and make
Loona Bimberton jealous of her achievements when she came over for lunch.
iii. What governed Mrs. Packletide’s movements and motives?
Mrs. Packletide’s movements and motives were largely governed by her dislike
of Loona Bimberton.
iv. Find the synonym of the word ‘supposedly’
ostensibly

(b) Mothers carrying their babies home through the jungle after the day’s work in the
fields hushed their singing lest they might curtail the restful sleep of the venerable
herd robber.’

i. What does the phrase ‘venerable herd robber’ refer to? What literary device is used
her?
The term refers to the tiger that Mrs. Packletide planned to hunt down.
ii. Why do the mothers hush their babies’ singing?
The mothers hush their babies’ singing so that the sound may not wake up the
tiger that might be sleeping around.
iii What does the writer want to highlight in these lines?
The writer wants to highlight the ridiculous lengths to which the villagers were
ready to go to ensure that the tiger stayed in and around the village till the hunt.
iv. Give the synonym of the word ‘curtail’
lengthen/ increase

(c) ‘...the villagers anxious for their thousand rupees gladly connived at the fiction that
she had shot the beast.’

i. Who had offered the villagers thousand rupees and ‘why’?
Mrs. Packletide had offered a thousand rupees for the opportunity of shooting a
tiger without over- much risk or exertion.
ii What is the ‘fiction’ being referred to in these lines?
The fiction refers to Mrs. Packletide shooting the tiger.
iii What was the truth?
The truth was that the tiger had died of a heart attack and had not been shot by
Mrs Packeltide.
iv Find the antonym of the word ‘unconcerned’
anxious

(d) With an accurately sighted rifle and a thumbnail pack of patience cards, the
sportswoman awaited the coming of the quarry.'

i Who is the sportswoman and what is her quarry?
The Sportswoman is Mrs. Packletide, and her quarry is the tiger whom she
wanted to shoot.
ii. Who was the companion of the sportswoman?
Louisa Mebbin was Mrs. Packletide’s paid companion.
iii What does the mention of the cards tell us about the nature of the activity being
undertaken by the woman?
Mrs. Packletide is taking the hunt in a very light hearted manner after ensuring
that it was free from any risk.
iv Give the antonym of the word ‘accurately’
precisely/ correctly

Q2 Answer the following in 30 to 40 words.

(a) What arrangements were made for Mrs. Packletide’s tiger hunt?
An old tiger was found who had taken to hunting small domestic animals. A
safe platform was made on a tree, a goat with a particularly persistent bleating
was tethered to a tree, an accurately sighted rifle was placed on the platform for
her and also small size pack of cards to pass the time.

(b) Who was Miss Mebbin? Do you think she was devoted to Mrs. Packletide? Give
reasons for your answer.
Miss Mebbin was Mrs. Packletide’s paid companion.
No, she was not sincere towards Mrs. Packletide because she did not want to
perform an atom more service than she was paid for.
She threatened to disclose the facts of the hunt if she was not paid the money
that would enable her to buy a cottage for herself.

(c) How did Miss Mebbin manage to get her cottage?
It was Miss Mebbin who drew attention to the fact that Mrs. Packletide had shot
the goat and not the tiger, who actually died of heart failure.
She threatened to reveal the facts about the hunt to Loona Bimberton unless
Mrs. Packletide paid her the required amount to buy herself a cottage. Mrs
Packletide had no choice but to give in to her demand. She did not want to lose
face in front of her rival.

(d) Who is Nimrod and why is his reference made in the story?
Nimrod is a biblical character, great-grandson of Noah who was a mighty
hunter. The reference to his character is made here because Mrs. Packletide too
wanted to follow him. She had plans of hunting a tiger.

(e) What made Mrs. Packletide decide to give a party in Loona Bimberton's honour?
What did she intend to give Loona on her birthday?
Mrs. Packletide wanted to give an impression that the party would be in Loona
Bimberton’s honour. In reality, she wanted to make a statement of style and her achievements at tiger hunting. She intended to gift a tiger-claw brooch to Loona
on her birthday.

(f) “It was Mrs. Packletide’s pleasure and intention that she should shoot a tiger.”
Why was Mrs. Packletide intent on shooting a tiger?
Mrs. Packletide did not nurse any lust or craze to shoot a tiger. She only
intention was to hunt a tiger because she disliked Loona Bimberton who had
captured the limelight by flying eleven miles in an aeroplane by an Algerian
elevator. Her motive was to somehow shift the limelight from Loona to herself.
Therefore, she planned to do something as daring, and shooting a tiger
appeared to be something very sensational.

Q3 Answer the following in 100-120 words.

(a) State instances of humour in ‘Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger’.
Mrs. Packletide decides to kill a tiger but pays one thousand rupees to the
villagers to find a tiger that was old so that she would not have to work hard on
the hunt. Secondly, when she fires a shot, the bullet, instead of hitting the tiger,
hits the goat. It was her good luck that the tiger died of a heart attack.

(b) How did the villagers help Mrs Packletide with the tiger hunt?
The villagers were motivated by the prospect of earning a thousand rupees and
hence many of them quickly engaged into various support activities. An old
tiger who had taken to hunting domestic animals was identified. Children were
given the duty on the outskirts of the local jungle who herd it back in case it
attempted to roam away. After a day’s work, Women hushed their singing when
returning so as not to disturb the tiger. A goat with persistent was arranged to
be used as bait for the tiger. A platform was made at a suitable place. An
accurately sighted rifle and a pack of cards was also arranged.

(c) Mrs. Packletide’s desire to outshine Loona Bimberton became a constant trouble to
her. Explain.
In her pursuit to outshine Loona Bimberton, Mrs. Packletide decided to hunt a
tiger. She wanted to prove that she was more adventurous. However, having a
poor aim, she shot the goat kept as bait and the lion died of a heart attack.
Although Mrs. Packletide achieved what she desired for, it came with a price.
She had to buy an expensive cottage for Miss Mebbin who threatened to expose
her secret to Loona Bimberton. Thus her desire to get fame became a constant
trouble for her as it was obvious that Miss Mebbin could blackmail her
whenever she wanted to.

(d) “Mrs. Packletide was reasonably annoyed at the discovery.” What led her to be
annoyed?
Miss. Louisa Mebbin’s observation led to the discovery that it was the goat that
died of the bullet of Mrs. Packletide’s rifle, and that the tiger was killed of heart
failure caused due to the banging noise of the rifle. This annoyed Mrs.
Packletide as the mortal wound was visible on the goat’s body but no wound
was visible on the tiger’s body.

(e) What was Loona Bimberton’s reaction at Mrs. Packletide’s instant fame?
Loona Bimberton instantly became so spiteful that she refused to see any
illustrated paper for many weeks as she did not want to read anything related to Mrs. Packletide. Repressing her emotions to some extent she sends a letter of
thanks to Mrs. Packletide for sending her a tiger-claw brooch on her birthday.
She declined to attend the party hosted in her favour.

(f) How does Saki expose human greed and vanity in the story ‘Mrs. Packletides Tiger’?
Saki exposes the human exploitation of big-game animals as a brutal act of
violence. Loona Bimberton and Mrs. Packletide, the trophy-hunters, are
examples of human folly and greed in an age when destroying wild animals was
justified as an emblem of progress. Miss Bimberton has recently travelled in an
aero plane, piloted by an Algerian aviator. As a result, she has become the toast
of British occupied India. Mrs. Packletide's motive in killing the tiger is to rival
Loona Bimberton .Her fame reached the pages of the newspapers but it came
with a heavy price and fear of constant threat from Miss Mebbin.