Summary of “Mrs Packletide’s Tiger”Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger is a humorous story. The author makes fun of almost all the characters. Mrs. Packletide is an important character who wanted to outshine Loona, a boastful lady. Loona had a joy- ride in an Algerian aviator. Mrs. Packletide was jealous of Loona’s adventurous trip. She planned to kill a tiger to do something more exciting and adventurous than Loona. |
Mrs Packletide’s Tiger Class 10
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Reader Chapter 2
Summary of “Mrs Packletide’s Tiger”
Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger is a humorous story. The author makes fun of almost all the characters. Mrs. Packletide is an important character who wanted to outshine Loona, a boastful lady. Loona had a joy- ride in an Algerian aviator. Mrs. Packletide was jealous of Loona’s adventurous trip. She planned to kill a tiger to do something more exciting and adventurous than Loona.
Mrs. Packletide offered a thousand rupees to villagers for arranging an Opportunity to shot a tiger without much risk or exertion. An old tiger that had given up hunting and confined himself to eating domestic animal was chosen for this purpose. They posted children at the outskirt of the jungle to keep a watch on the tiger in case he wanders off to new hunting grounds. Goats were scattered to keep him satisfied and to prevent him from straying. Mothers with babies walked quietly through the jungle so as to not o disturb its sleep.
Miss Mebin was a paid companion was acquired in order to witness the shooting of the tiger. Mrs. Packletide did manage to shot an animal although it was only the goat. The tiger merely died of a heart-failure caused by the sound of the gun shot. Miss Mebin intended to blackmail Mrs. Packletide with this piece of information.
Louisa Mebin blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying her the weekend cottage or else she would tell Loona Bimberton that it was not he tiger but a mere goat that Mrs. Packletide had shot. Finally, she buys a weekend cottage for Louisa Mebin to prevent her from telling anybody that it was not he tiger but a goat she had shot because the tiger merely died of a heart attack. The story ends with a note by Mrs. Packletide, “The incidental expenses are so heavy,”
Unit-2 : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 12
Q1 : Why did Mrs. Packletide want to kill a tiger?
Answer :
Mrs. Packletide was jealous of her rival, Loona Bimberton, who had recently travelled 11 kilometres in an airplane operated by an Algerian aviator. In order to outclass her, Mrs. Packletide decided to hunt a tiger and gain media coverage through her pictures.
Q2 : What does it tell you about her?
Answer :
Note: This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, sample solutions have been provided for your reference.
Mrs. Packletide is full of vanity. She is a selfish person who seems to be jealous at other people’s success.
Q3 : What is the tone of the storywriter?
Answer :
Note: This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, sample solutions have been provided for your reference.
It seems that the story has humour laced with satire.
Q4 : Do you think she was successful in her mission?
Answer :
Note: This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, sample solutions have been provided for your reference.
The story begins on a note that suggests that Mrs. Packletide’s has made up her mind to shoot a tiger. With this firm resolve, it seems that she was successful in her mission.
Q5 : What do you think the story is all about?
Answer :
Note: This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, sample solutions have been provided for your reference.
I think the story is all about Mrs. Packletide’s hunting expedition.
Q6 : Why did Mrs. Packletide wish to kill a tiger?
Answer :
Mrs. Packletide wished to kill a tiger so that she could counter to Loona Bimberton’s claim who had been carried eleven miles in an Algerian aviator.
Q7 : What made her decide to give a party in Loona Bimberton’s honour? What did she intend to give Loona on her birthday?
Answer :
Mrs.Packletide decided that once she shot a tiger, she would invite Loona Bimberton for a luncheon party. At the party she would display the newly-acquired tiger skin. The party would be an appropriate time to show off the tiger skin and talk about her tiger-shooting experience to Loona Bimberton. She intended to give a tiger-claw brooch to Loona Bimberton on her birthday.
Q8 : How was the tiger shooting arranged? What kind of a tiger was chosen for the purpose?
Answer :
Mrs.Packletide offered a thousand rupees to villagers for arranging an opportunity to shoot a tiger without much risk or exertion. An old tiger that had given up hunting and confined himself to eating domestic animal was chosen for this purpose.
Q9 : In what way did the villagers help Mrs. Packletide shoot the tiger?
Answer :
The villagers were very excited at the prospect of earning a thousand rupees. They posted children at the outskirt of the jungle to keep a watch on the tiger in case he wanders off to new hunting grounds. Goats were scattered to keep him satisfied and to prevent him from straying. Mothers with babies walked quietly through the jungle so as to not to disturb its sleep. The villagers were only worried about the tiger that should not die of old age before the day of shoot.
Q10 : Who was Miss Mebbin? Was she really devoted to Mrs. Packletide? How did she behave during the tiger shooting?
Answer :
Miss Mebbin was a paid companion. Mrs. Packletide had acquired her so that she could witness the shooting of the tiger. She was very materialistic. She didn’t want to do more than she was paid for. In fact she also instigated Mrs. Packletide not to pay for the goat if the tiger did not eat it. She was not at all devoted to Mrs. Packletide. She was there only for the money.
Q11 : Mrs. Packletide was a good shot. Discuss.
Answer :
Mrs.Packletide was definitely a good shot. She did manage to shoot an animal although it was only the goat. The tiger merely died of a heart-failure caused by the sound of the gun shot.
Q12 : 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 brought to everybody’s notice that Mrs.Packletide had not killed the tiger but the goat. The tiger died because of a heart-failure caused by the sound of the gun shot. Miss Mebbin intended to blackmail Mrs. Packletide with this piece of information. She wanted to take more money from her. Mrs. Packletide was very annoyed at this disclosure. However, she told herself that Miss Mebbin was only a paid companion who would keep the secret to herself if given more money.
Q13 : How did the villagers react to the tiger’s death?
Answer :
The villagers were only bothered for their thousand rupees. They did not pay any heed to Miss Mebbin’s revelation that Mrs. Packletide had not killed a tiger but a goat. They readily believed that Mrs. Packletide had shot the beast lest they lose their money.
Q14 : Do you think Mrs. Packletide was able to achieve her heart’s desire? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer :
At the very beginning of the story it is made clear that Mrs. Packletide had made up her mind to shoot a tiger and get her pictures published in newspapers to show off to Loona Bimberton. She managed to shoot an animal, the goat. The tiger died of heart-failure. She, however, got her pictures with the dead tiger published in the newspapers. She also gifted a tiger-claw brooch to Loona Bimberton. She also hosted a luncheon party for Loona Bimberton which the latter declined to attend. Thus Mrs. Packletide achieved what her heart desired.
Q15 : How did Miss Mebbin manage to get her week-end cottage? Why did she plant so many tiger lilies in her garden?
Answer :
Louisa Mebbin blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying her the weekend cottage or else she would have told Loona Bimberton that it was not the tiger but a mere goat that Mrs. Packletide had shot. The tiger lilies would always remind of how she had procured the cottage.
Q16 : “The incidental expenses are so heavy,” she confides to inquiring friends. Who is the speaker? What is she referring to here?
Answer :
Mrs. Packletide is the speaker. The lines are said in response to questions regarding why she did not hunt anymore. Mrs. Packletide is referred to the expenses that she incurred when she hunted for the first time, she paid the villagers, she paid Louisa Mebbin and even had to buy her a cottage.
Q17 : Do you think the tiger shooting organized by the villagers was a serious affair?
Give reasons for your answer.
Answer :
The tiger shooting organised by the villagers was a serious affair. They were very keen to earn their thousand rupees. They posted children at the outskirts of the jungle to keep a watch on the tiger in case he wanders off to new hunting grounds. Goats were scattered to keep him satisfied and to prevent him from straying. Mothers with the babies walked quietly through the jungle so as to not to disturb its sleep. The villagers had only one worry that the tiger should not die of old age before the day of shoot.
Q18 : 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 :
Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger is a humourous story. The author makes fun of almost all the characters. He satirises Mrs.Packletide’s obsession with killing a tiger so as to show off in front of Loona Bimberton. He makes fun of Louisa Mebbin’s materialistic nature. She was very particular about how every penny was spent. He makes fun of Loona Bimberton who refused to attend Mrs. Packletide’s luncheon party because she was jealous of her achievements.
Q19 : 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 :
The story begins with Mrs. Packletide’s obsession to procure a tiger skin so that she can show it off to Loona Bimberton. To obtain the tiger skin Mrs.Packletide goes to extreme lengths; she offers a thousand rupees to the villagers to shoot a tiger without much risk or exertion. She acquires a paid companion, Louisa Mebbin, a witness to her extraordinary feat. She makes sure her pictures appear in international newspapers. Finally, she buys a weekend cottage for Louisa Mebbin to prevent her from telling anybody that it was not the tiger but a goat she had shot because the tiger merely died of a heart attack. All this proves that Mrs. Packletide was a vain woman.
Q20 : 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 :
This story is definitely a satire. The author not only makes fun of the situation but also of the characters. Mrs. Packletide’s actions were largely directed by dislike of Loona Bimberton. The motive behind tiger hunt was to show off to her. Loona Bimberton did not look at Mrs. Packletide’s pictures in the newspapers. Her letter of thanks for the tiger-claw brooch was a model of repressed emotions. She declined to attend the luncheon party because she wouldn’t be able to see people praising Mrs. Packletide. Both Louisa Mebbin and the villagers are only concerned about their remuneration. Louisa Mebbin even blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying her a cottage. The villagers happily believed that Mrs. Packletide had shot the tiger and not the goat lest they lose their fee. The whole situation of the tiger hunt is also laced with satire. An old tiger who had given up hunting was chosen for the purpose. The tiger dies of a heart-failure than a gun shot. The author paints a picture of a society that is essentially governed by wealth and mutual dislike for each other.
Q21 : How does the writer create humor in this story?
Answer :
The author makes fun of each character and situation. The characters of Loona Bimberton, Mrs. Packletide, Louisa Mebbin and the villagers are all ridiculed for their peculiar character traits.The tiger hunt is mocked a; an old, infirm tiger is chosen for the hunt making it the least dangerous expedition. The power of money is so strong that the villagers agree that it was not a goat but a tiger that was shot. Louisa Mebbin agrees to keep this a secret in return of money. Thus the author creates humour in the story by highlighting the negative aspects in society or human beings.
Q22 : 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
| Character | Extract from the story | What this tells us about the character |
| Mrs. Packletide | (i) The compelling motive for her sudden deviation towards the footsteps of Nimrod was the fact that Loona Bimberton had recently been carried eleven miles in an aeroplane by an Algerian aviator, and talked of nothing else; only a personally procured tiger-skin and a heavy harvest of Press photographs could successfully counter that sort of thing | Competitive |
| (ii) Mrs. Packletide had offered a thousand rupees for the opportunity of shooting a tiger without over-much risk or exertion, | _______ | |
| (iii) Mrs. Packletide faced the cameras with a light heart, and her pictured fame reached from the pages of the Texas Weekly Snapshot to the illustrated Monday upplement of the Novoe Vremya. | _______ | |
| Louisa Mebbin | (i) “If it’s an old tiger I think you ought to get it cheaper. A thousand rupees is a lot of money.” | ________ |
| (ii) Louisa Mebbin adopted a protective elder-sister attitude towards money in general, irrespective of nationality or denomination | ________ | |
| (iii) “How amused everyone would be if they knew what really happened,” said Louisa Mebbin a few days after the ball. | _______ | |
| (iv) Louisa Mebbin’s pretty week-end cottage, christened by her “Les Fauves,” and gay in summer-time with its garden borders of tiger-lilies, is the wonder and admiration of her friends | _______ | |
| Loona Bimberton | (i) 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 | _______ |
| (ii) there are limits beyond which repressed emotions become dangerous. | _______ |
Answer :
|
Character |
Extract from the story |
What this tells us about the character |
| Mrs. Packletide | (i) The compelling motive for her sudden deviation towards the footsteps of Nimrod was the fact that Loona Bimberton had recently been carried eleven miles in an aeroplane by an Algerian aviator, and talked of nothing else; only a personally procured tiger-skin and a heavy harvest of Press photographs could successfully counter that sort of thing |
Competitive |
| (ii) Mrs. Packletide had offered a thousand rupees for the opportunity of shooting a tiger without over-much risk or exertion, |
Manipulative | |
| (iii) Mrs. Packletide faced the cameras with a light heart, and her pictured fame reached from the pages of the Texas Weekly Snapshot to the illustrated Monday upplement of the Novoe Vremya. |
Vain | |
| Louisa Mebbin | (i) “If it’s an old tiger I think you ought to get it cheaper. A thousand rupees is a lot of money.“ |
Stingy |
| (ii) Louisa Mebbin adopted a protective elder-sister attitude towards money in general, irrespective of nationality or denomination |
Materialistic | |
| (iii) “How amused everyone would be if they knew what really happened,” said Louisa Mebbin a few days after the ball. |
Shrewd | |
| (iv) Louisa Mebbin’s pretty week-end cottage, christened by her “Les Fauves,” and gay in summer-time with its gardenborders of tiger-lilies, is the wonder and admiration of her friends |
Spiteful | |
| Loona Bimberton | (i) 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 |
Jealous |
| (ii) there are limits beyond which repressed emotions become dangerous. |
Spiteful |
Q23 : 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 a tiger-skin rug occupying most of the foreground and all of the conversation.
Answer :
Mrs. Packletide had already imagined the lunch party she would have, supposedly in honour of Loona Bimberton, where she would display the tiger-skin rug and talk about the tiger hunt.
Q24 : 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.
Answer :
Mothers, with their babies, after the day’s work, walked past the jungle in complete silence so as not to disturb the sleep of the esteemed lion.
Q25 : Louisa Mebbin adopted a protective elder-sister attitude towards money in general, irrespective of nationality or denomination
Answer :
Louisa Mebbin was very particular about money, irrespective of nationality or denomination.
Q26 : 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
Answer :
It was clear that the wrong animal had been shot. The lion had died of heart-failure caused by the gun shot and hastened by old age.
Q27 : 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 :
Loona Bimberton did not read the illustrated newspaper for weeks and her letter of thanks for the gift of a tiger-claw brooch was written in the form which could hide her true feelings.
Q28 : The story Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger has a number of oxymorons. Can you identify them and write them down in your notebooks?
Answer :
List of oxymorons used in the story:
Over-much risk
Elaborate carelessness
Immeasurably nearer
Gladly connived
Pardonably annoyed
Writing task : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 20
Q1 : Years later Mrs. Packletide writes her autobiography. As Mrs. Packletide, write about the tiger episode with the help of the clues given below.
| jealous of the applause Loona was getting-thought of tiger hunt–all arranged– Louisa Mebbin accompanied; turned out to be a blackmailer-huge price to pay to outdo a rival |
Answer :
Note: This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, sample solutions have been provided for your reference.
Clues already given in the question.
Q2 : 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
Answer :
Note: This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, sample solutions have been provided for your reference.
Mrs.Packletide: I want to shoot a tiger. I will give you a thousand rupees to make necessary arrangements for tiger hunting. I want to shoot a tiger but without any risk or exertion.
Village Headman: There is an old tiger in the jungle who has given up hunting because of old age. He will be right for this hunt.
Mrs.Packletide: That will be perfect! I will make other arrangements. You let me know when the time is right.
Q3 : In groups of four construct the dialogues and enact the following situations from the story:
Miss Mebbin blackmailing Mrs Packletide into gifting her a cottage
Answer :
Note: This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, sample solutions have been provided for your reference.
Miss Mebbin: What would everyone say if they got to know the truth?
Mrs.Packletide: What do you mean?
Miss Mebbin: The truth Mrs. Packletide! How you shot the goat and frightened the tiger to death!
Mrs. Packletide (shocked): No one would believe it!
Miss Mebbin: Loona Bimberton would.
Mrs. Packletide: You wouldn’t tell the truth to Loona.
Miss Mebbin: I wish to buy a weekend cottage at Darking, its just that I don’t have the money.
Mrs.Packletide: If I buy you the cottage, would you promise not to tell our little secret to Loona Bimberton.
Miss Mebbin: Oh yes! Yes!
Q4 : In groups of four construct the dialogues and enact the following situations from the story:
Loona Bimberton and a lady-friend discussing Mrs Packletide’s hunting success
Answer :
Note: This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, sample solutions have been provided for your reference.
Lady-friend: Did you see the newspapers today?
Loona Bimberton: Why? What happened?
Lady-friend: Didn’t you see pictures of Mrs. Packletide with a dead tiger!
Loona Bimberton: Oh that! Yes I glanced at it.
Lady-friend: Isn’t it amazing!
Loona Bimberton: Yes, yes, of course. Did I tell you about my experience in the Algerian aviator?