MRS.

PACKLETIDE’S TIGER

Q4. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

i. Which line from the extract supports the idea that people had no doubts about Mrs
Packletide missing her mark?
Ans.“the villagers, anxious for their thousand rupees, gladly connived at the fiction that
she had shot the beast.”

ii. Select the option that correctly reveals the character traits of Mrs. Packletide.
Ans. D. 2, 4 and 5

iii. Select the idiom that captures the central idea of the extract.
Ans. B. Sometimes a man wants to be stupid if it lets him do a thing his cleverness forbids.

iv. Identify the writer’s tone in this extract.

Ans. The writer’s tone in this passage is humorous.

v. Select the option that displays the reason for Mrs. Packletide’s brief annoyance.
Ans. A. The covering up of her blunder.

Q5 Answer the following questions in your own words:

1. What made Mrs. Packletide decide to give a party in Loona Bimberton’s honour? What
did she intend to give Loona on her birthday?
Ans. Mrs. Packletide made the decision to throw Loona Bimberton an honorary party after
she successfully possessed a dead tiger where she planned to display the recently obtained
tiger skin during the gathering. It would bring all the attention to her tiger-shooting
adventure and she would outshine Loona Bimberton during the celebration. She had
planned on giving Loona Bimberton a tiger-claw brooch for her birthday, like rubbing salt
on her wounds.

2. Who was Miss Mebbin? Was she really devoted to Mrs. Packletide? How did she behave
during the tiger shooting?
Ans. Miss Mebbin was a paid assistant who was hired by Mrs. Packletide to be a witness to
the tiger shooting. She had absolutely no loyalty to Mrs. Packletide. She was only there for
the cash. She was greedy and materialistic. She didn’t want to perform tasks unless she
was being paid for it. She was very smart and practical. She even urged Mrs. Packletide to
refuse to pay for the goat if the tiger did not consume it.

3. Mrs. Packletide was a good shot. Discuss.

Ans. The given statement is actually a sarcastic one. Mrs. Packletide maintained a very bad
shot by scaring the tiger to death and killing a goat instead. However, Miss Mebbin kept
this as a secret from everyone in order to extort money from Mrs Packletide. This statement
makes a mockery of Packletide’s hunting skills.

4. What comment did Miss Mebbin make after Mrs Packletide fired the shot? Why did Miss
Mebbin make this comment? How did Mrs Packletide react to this comment?
Ans. Miss Mebbin threatened to tell everyone that Mrs. Packletide had killed a goat instead
of a tiger. The tiger died from a heart attack caused by the gunshot sound. Miss Mebbin
wanted to use this secret to get money from Mrs. Packletide. She wanted to take more
money from her. This made Mrs. Packletide very angry. However, she thought that since
Miss Mebbin was just a paid helper, she would keep quiet if she was given more money.

5. Briefly comment on the behaviour of the villagers throughout the story.

Ans. The villagers are very helpful and eager to assist Mrs. Packletide because she offers
them money. They do everything they can to make sure the tiger stays nearby so she can
easily shoot it. Their main goal is to earn the reward she promised, showing they are
practical and willing to do whatever it takes to benefit from the situation.

6. Did Mrs. Packletide achieve her heart’s desire? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. From the start of the story, it's clear that Mrs. Packletide wanted to shoot a tiger and
have her photos in the newspapers to outdo Loona Bimberton. She ended up killing a goat,
and the tiger died of heart failure. Still, she got her photos with the dead tiger published.
She gave Loona Bimberton a tiger-claw brooch and invited her to a lunch party, but Loona
refused to come. In the end, Mrs. Packletide outshines her rival and gets what she wanted.

7. How did Miss Mebbin manage to get her week-end cottage? Why did she plant so many
tiger lilies in her garden?
Ans. Louisa Mebbin blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into giving her the weekend cottage. If she
didn't, Louisa would tell Loona Bimberton that Mrs. Packletide had actually shot a goat,
not a tiger. The tiger lilies always reminded Louisa of how she got the cottage.

8. “The incidental expenses are so heavy,” she confides to inquiring friends. Who is the
speaker? What is she referring to here?
Ans. The speaker is Mrs. Packletide. The lines are spoken in answer to inquiries about why
she stopped hunting. The statement refers to the additional costs Mrs. Packletide had to
suffer when she went hunting for the first time. She had to pay the villagers, Louisa
Mebbin, and even had to purchase her a cottage in order to keep her mouth shut that she
had killed a goat instead of a tiger.

9. Do you think the silent figure of Loona Bimberton in the background plays a crucial role
in the story? Explain.
Ans. If not to show off and overpower Loona’s success and attention, Mrs Packletide
wouldn’t have thought of killing a tiger. The only function of the attention-seeking London
socialite Loona Bimberton in the narrative is to provoke Mrs Packletide, to which Mrs
Packletide reacts with jealousy and takes upon the task of outshining her.
Q6. Discuss the following questions in detail and write the answers in your notebooks:

1. Do you think the tiger shooting organised by the villagers was a serious affair? Give
reasons for your answer.
Ans. The villagers’ planned tiger shooting was a serious event because Mrs. Packletide had
promised a thousand rupees for the chance to shoot a tiger without taking any significant
risks. The game killing took place in a nearby community. The people were motivated by
the prospect of making a thousand rupees.
In an attempt to prevent the tiger from moving on to new hunting grounds, they had
stationed their kids at the edge of the neighbourhood jungle. Cheaper varieties of goats
were dispersed widely to provide food to the tiger. They took every precaution to avoid
scaring the tiger away.
A platform was built on a tree that was in a good location for Mrs Packletide to shoot the
tiger. An old tiger was arranged which was lazy and thus, easier to kill. Even Mrs
Packletide’s companion, Miss Mebbin, was paid to go to the shoot with her.
The fact that a swarm of joyfully yelling locals arrived at the scene as soon as the gun
flashed and the beast rolled over dead gave the impression that it was a serious situation
for them. They yearned to receive their one thousand rupees.

2. 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.
Ans. Saki uses these characters and their absurd motivations to satirize the vanity and
superficiality of the British upper class. The exaggerated focus on social status and the
ridiculous lengths to which these characters go for personal prestige are clearly meant to
be humorous and critical.Here are some instances that highlight this:
i). Mrs. Packletide’s Motivation: Mrs. Packletide’s desire to shoot a tiger is not driven by
bravery or adventure but purely by a wish to outdo her social rival, Loona Bimberton. This
trivial motivation is highlighted in the text:
“Mrs. Packletide had already arranged in her mind the lunch she would give at her house
in Curzon Street, ostensibly in Loona Bimberton’s honor, with a tiger-skin rug occupying
most of the foreground and all of the conversation.”

ii). The Shooting Incident: The actual tiger hunt is a farce. Mrs. Packletide does not display
any skill or courage. Instead, she ends up shooting the goat bait rather than the tiger,
which dies of a heart attack:
“The bullet that had been intended for the beast of prey had unfortunately hit the bait, the
wrong animal had been killed.”
This highlights her incompetence and the absurdity of her attempt to gain social prestige
through such means.

iii). Miss Mebbin’s Character: Miss Mebbin, Mrs. Packletide’s paid companion, is portrayed
as cunning and opportunistic. Her greed and manipulation are evident:
“Louisa Mebbin adopted a protective elder-sister attitude towards money in general,
irrespective of nationality or denomination.”
She later blackmails Mrs. Packletide, using her knowledge of the real events of the hunt to
extort money from her.

iv). Loona Bimberton’s Response: The pettiness of the social rivalry is further underscored
by Loona Bimberton’s reaction to Mrs. Packletide’s supposed triumph:
“Only a personally procured tiger skin and a heavy harvest of press photographs could
successfully counter that sort of thing.”

3. 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.

Ans. Yes, Mrs. Packletide is portrayed as vain in "Mrs. Packletide's Tiger" by Saki. Here are
the reasons:

i). Motivation for the Hunt:

- Her main reason for the hunt is to outshine her rival, Loona Bimberton, indicating her
desire for social recognition.
- "Mrs. Packletide was not prone to nervousness; the tempting prospect of being able to
talk for the rest of her life about the sensational hunting incident was worth a mild attack
of malarial fever."
ii). Superficial Concerns:
- She focuses on the appearance and story rather than the substance, imagining the
social benefits and admiration from displaying a tiger skin.
- "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."

iii). Lack of Genuine Bravery or Skill:

- She doesn’t actually kill the tiger but the goat, with the tiger dying from a heart attack.
Her desire for the hunt is merely for social acclaim.
- "The bullet that had been intended for the beast of prey had unfortunately hit the bait,
the wrong animal had been killed."

iv). Reaction to Blackmail:

- When blackmailed by Miss Mebbin, she pays her off to maintain her social standing,
showing her vanity and willingness to go to great lengths to protect her image.
- "The incidental expenses are so heavy," she confides to her friends.

These points collectively show Mrs. Packletide's vanity and her efforts to prove her
superiority in her social circles.

4. Sometimes writers highlight certain negative aspects in society or human beings by

making fun of them. This is called a Satire. In your groups, discuss whether you would
classify this story as a satire. Give reasons to support your answer.
Ans. In the story, the author uses satire. To highlight the satire, he pokes fun at the story’s
characters. Mrs. Packletide is a cunning and competitive individual who develops
resentment for her friend after she learns that Loona Bimberton has a tiger skin, had
appeared in front of the media, and obtained images. She too plans to shoot a tiger out of
pride. She even goes so far as to give the peasants money. Cheaper goats are used to entice
an aged tiger.
The author utilises satire to ridicule a society that, as Mrs. Packletide depicts, will stop at
nothing to achieve fame. Miss Mebbin is a mirror of the other side of the materialistic
culture. She is a stingy lady who threatens to purchase Mrs. Packletide a cottage if she
does not keep the secret about the wrong animal being murdered. The villagers stand in for
a different segment of society that is similarly materialistic. Whether it was a goat or a tiger
that was shot, money was more important to them than the subject of the shooting.

5. How does the writer create humour in this story?

Ans. The hilarity in the tale is abundant. Mrs. Packletide makes the shooting
arrangements. The most amusing aspect is that a frail tiger is set up and cheap goats are
left to entice him. Despite Mrs. Packletide’s poor shooting skills, a platform has been built
in a tree on which she sits holding a gun and a pack of patience cards. The funniest thing
is that the tiger laid down on the ground as soon as it saw the goat, seemingly less out of
predation instinct than out of fear.
The big beast leaps to one side and then rolls over dead as the rifle fires with a loud sound.
By pointing out that Mrs. Packletide had killed the incorrect animal, Miss Mebbin makes
fun of her. The goat was struck by the bullet, but the tiger’s heart failed as a result of the
rifle’s deafening noise. The villagers yelled joyfully since all they cared about was getting
their one thousand rupees, and they eagerly bought into the lie that she had killed the
tiger. Mrs. Packletide smiled for the cameras when her photograph appeared in Texas
Weekly Snapshot.

Q8. There are many amusing lines in the story. Here are a few of them. Rewrite each one in
ordinary prose so that the meaning is retained. One has been done for you as an example:
Ans. 1. Mrs. Packletide wanted to shoot a tiger for fun and to show off.
2. Mrs. Packletide had already planned a lunch at her Curzon Street house in honor of
Loona Bimberton, with a tiger-skin rug as the main attraction and topic of conversation.
3. Mothers carrying their babies home through the jungle after work stopped singing to
avoid waking the old tiger.
4. Louisa Mebbin was very protective of money, no matter where it came from or what
currency it was.
5. Clearly, the wrong animal was shot, and the tiger died of a heart attack caused by the
rifle's noise, worsened by old age.
6. Loona Bimberton avoided looking at illustrated papers for weeks, and her thank-you
letter for the tiger-claw brooch was very restrained.

Q9. The story Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger has a number of oxymorons. Can you identify them
and write them down in your notebooks?
Ans. Oxymorons :
morbid dread
sympathetic hands
laud report
glad news
pardonably annoyed
disagreeably pleasant
gladly connived