Class 10 NCERT Solutions English Chapter 2 - Mrs. Packletide's Tiger

Reasons for hunting:

• As a sport
• To collect the skins/hides/tusks etc of the animals for trade and trophies
• As protection from wounded or dangerous animals
• For selfish interests
• To trap and use animals in zoos, circuses etc
• To eat the meat

Mrs. Packletide wanted to kill a tiger because her friend Loona Bimberton had recently had been carried eleven miles in an aeroplane by an Algerian aviator and talked of nothing else. She was extremely jealous of her friend and therefore wanted to outdo her feat by procuring a tiger skin along with plenty of press photographs to counter the praise and attention Loona Bimberton was receiving.

It tells you that Mrs. Packeltide was a showoff and a very jealous woman. She could not bear the fact that her so called friend was in the limelight. She hated her so much that to counter the praise and attention Loona was receiving, she planned to procure her own tiger skin. In this way she would make Loona's achievement seem quite small.

The tone of the story write is humorous and extremely sarcastic. It is a satire as the author has truly identified the true feelings of an envious woman.

I think she was partially successful in her mission.

She did manage to fool Loona Bimberton as she now possessed the dead tiger and the villagers who were anxious to earn their thousand rupees, gladly connived at the fiction that she had shot the beast.

She also faced the cameras with a light heart and her fame reached the pages of the Texas Weekly Snapshot and the illustrated Monday supplement of the Novoe Vremya. She even presented Loona with the gift of a tiger claw brooch.

But in the long run, she was the loser as Miss Mebin was after all only a paid companion who knew the whole truth.

She managed to blackmail her by promising not to tell how she had actually shot the goat and frightened the tiger to death to Loona if and only if she bought her a weekend cottage near Darking.

The story is about Mrs. Packletide's strong desire to kill a tiger and be the envy of all especially her friend Loona Bimberton. She wanted desperately to one up her friend Loona.

The story brings out the enmity, jealousy and false friendships that exist among the upper class women and socialites.

They cannot bear to see their friends being praised or in the limelight.

They have to outdo each other at all times.

Mrs. Packletide wished to kill a tiger because her friend Loona Bimberton had recently been carried eleven miles in an aeroplane by an Algerian aviator and talked of nothing else. She was extremely jealous of her friend and therefore wanted to procure tiger skin along with plenty of press photographs to counter the praise and attention Loona Bimberton was receiving.

Since she disliked Loona immensely, she had purposely decided to hold a lunch at her house in Curzon street in her honour, with the tiger skin rug occupying the foreground. At the lunch, she would speak about her tiger expedition. She had also designed in her mind the tiger-claw brooch she would give Loona on her next birthday.

Mrs. Packletide wanted to kill a tiger because her friend Loona Bimberton had recently flown in an aeroplane. Annoyed by the adulation and attention Ms. Bimberton was receiving, Mrs. Packletide decided to counter her achievement by shooting a tiger and procuring its skin.

Mrs. Packletide was jealous of Loona. She disliked her immensely, and so she purposely decided to hold a lunch at her house in Curzon street in Loona's honour. She decided to display the tiger skin rug at that time knowing that Loona would be mad with jealousy. She had also decided to present Loona with a tiger -claw brooch on her next birthday.

Mrs. Packletide offered a thousand rupees for the opportunity to shoot a tiger. It so happened that the neighbouring village was visited by an old tiger. A platform was constructed in a comfortable and conveniently placed tree for Mrs. Packletide and her companion. A goat with a particularly persistent bleat was tethered at the correct distance.

The tiger chosen for the purpose was rather old and had been preying on domestic animals on account of his senility. The only fear about the tiger was that he would die of old age before the date of the appointed shoot. None of the villagers were allowed to disturb the restful sleep of the old tiger.

Mrs. Packletide had offered the villagers a thousand rupees for the opportunity to shoot a tiger. The neighbouring village was visited by an old tiger who had given up killing game and only fed on domestic animals.

The villagers posted children night and day on the outskirts of the local jungle to head the tiger back in the unlikely event of it attempting to roam away to fresh hunting grounds. Cheaper goats were left about with elaborate carelessness to keep the animal satisfied with his present quarters. The only fear about the tiger that the villagers had was that he would die of old age before the date of the appointed shoot. Mothers carrying babies home through the jungle after the days working the fields hushed their singing lest they disturb the restful sleep of the tiger.

A platform was constructed in a comfortable and conveniently placed tree for Mrs. Packletide and her companion.

 A goat with a strong continuous bleat that could be heard even by a partially deaf tiger on a still night was tied at the correct distance.

Miss Mebbin was the paid companion of Mrs. Packletide.

No, she was not devoted to Mrs. Packletide.

She was an extremely materialistic woman who was not actually nervous about the killing of the tiger but only had a fear of doing an atom more service for anyone than she was paid for. She was also a stingy, cunning woman who felt that a thousand rupees for an old tiger was unreasonable. She had adopted a protective elder sister attitude towards money in general and saved many roubles that should have actually been given away as tips in a Moscow hotel.

She even speculated on the market depreciation of the tigers remnants.

During the shoot, she was extremely cooperative with Mrs. Packletide. When the tiger appeared on the scene, she said "I believe its ill" loudly in Hindustani for the benefit of the village headman who was in a neighbouring tree. She urged Mrs. Packletide to shoot at the tiger before it touched the goat to avoid paying extra for the bait.  

However, Mebbin was the one who drew attention to the fact that the goat had actually been hit and the tiger had probably died of heart failure.

This answer depends on each student's views and opinions.

A few guidelines

No, I don't think Mrs. Packletide was a good shot. Unlike real hunters, she had had the hunting ground arranged artificially by the villagers for a huge sum.

Mrs. Packletide was perched on a platform and the bleating goat was tethered at the correct distance. The moment the tiger began ambling towards his victim Mrs. Packletide's rifle flashed out with a loud report. However, the bullet did not even touch the huge tiger but instead gave a mortal wound to the goat. The wrong animal had been hit and the tiger had most probably died of heart failure.

After Mrs. Packletide had fired the shot, Miss Mebbin brought it to her notice that the goat was in death throes from a mortal bullet wound while there was no trace of any shot on the tiger. Evidently, the wrong animal had been hit and the tiger had died of a heart failure.

Miss Mebbin made this comment because she knew the reason why Mrs. Packletide had wanted to kill the tiger. She was a cunning, materialistic woman who knew that once the truth was out Mrs. Packletide would be extremely embarrassed especially in front of her friend Loona Bimberton. She also knew that at a later stage she might be able to use the truth to blackmail Mrs. Packletide and hold her at ransom.

Mrs. Packletide on the other hand was pardonably annoyed at Miss Mebbins discovery and comment, but since she was the possessor of a dead tiger, the villagers who were anxious for their thousand rupees gladly connived with her story that she had shot the tiger. Besides, since Miss Mebbin was a paid companion Mrs. Packletide may have felt that she could bribe her into maintaining silence.

The moment the tiger was shot at, a crowd of excited natives swarmed onto the scene, and their shouting speedily carried the glad news to the village where a thumping took up the chorus of triumph. Even when it was later discovered that the wrong animal had been hit, the villagers who were so anxious to receive their thousand rupees gladly connived with Mrs. Packletide and her story that she had shot the tiger.

Yes, I think Mrs. Packletide was able to achieve her heart's desire.

At the very beginning, we are told that it was Mrs. Packletide's pleasure and intention that she should shoot a tiger only to outdo her friend Loona Bimberton. Once the tiger was killed, she had even planned to give a lunch in Loona Bimberton's honour and present her with a tiger's claw as a gift for her next birthday.

The moment the tiger was shot at and rolled over dead, the excited natives shouted and beat on drums in triumph. Mrs. Packletide rejoiced with the villagers as the luncheon party that she longed to have at Curzon Street now would be a reality. She faced the cameras with a light heart and her pictured fame reached from the pages of the Texas Weekly Snapshot to the illustrated Monday supplement of the Novoe Vremya. Her dream had finally come true.

A few days after the ball Miss Mebbin told Mrs. Packletide that everyone would be really amused if they heard the truth about how she had actually shot the goat and frightened the tiger to death.  Mrs. Packletide was quite upset but retorted that no one would believe her. However, Miss Mebbin convinced her that Loona Bimberton would.

When she asked Miss Mebbin whether she would give her away, she avoided the question but instead spoke about a weekend cottage near Darking that she would like to buy but did not have the money for. In this way, she managed to blackmail Mrs. Packletide into buying her the cottage and she had to agree rather than let the story out.

Miss Mebbin planted many tiger lilies in her garden as a constant reminder to her of how she had obtained the cottage.

The speaker is Mrs. Packletide.

She made this statement in reply to questions asked by many as to why she has given up big game shooting.

 By 'incidental expenses' she means all the added expenses she had to incur because of her plan to shoot the tiger.

She had to pay the villagers a thousand rupees for the arrangements and pay them extra for the goat that was used as the bait.

She was also black mailed into buying a weekend cottage for Miss Mebbin for six hundred and eighty. This was done to stop Miss Mebbin from informing everyone, especially Loona Bimberton about how Mrs. Packletide had actually shot the goat and frightened the tiger to death. Mrs. Packletide was determined not to be embarrassed and so wished to silence her paid companion from revealing the truth about the death of the tiger at all costs. All these expenses added up to a lot of money.

Yes, the tiger shooting organized by the villagers was a serious affair.

Mrs. Packletide had promised the villagers a thousand rupees for the opportunity to shoot a tiger. They were therefore, very keen on her killing the tiger and made every effort to see that the plan was accomplished. The villagers knew that the neighbouring village was visited by a tiger who because of its age had given up killing game and only fed on domestic animals.

They therefore posted children night and day on the outskirts of the local jungle to head the tiger back in the unlikely event of it attempting to roam away to fresh hunting grounds. Cheaper goats were left about to lure the beast. The only fear about the tiger that the villagers had was that he would die of old age before the date of the appointed shoot. Mothers carrying babies home through the jungle after the days working the fields hushed their singing lest they disturb the restful sleep of the venerable tiger.

Yes, I think the writer is trying to make fun of the main characters in the story: Mrs. Packletide, Miss Mebbin and Loona Bimberton.

Mrs. Packletide's pleasure and intention to shoot a tiger was not for the love of hunting. It was because of sheer jealousy  and a strong desire to outdo her friend Loona Bimberton. In a world swayed by hunger and by love, Mrs. Packletide's was an exception; her movements and motives were governed by her dislike of Loona Bimberton. She was willing to pay the villagers rupees 1000 for the opportunity of shooting a tiger without much risk or exertion. Her face kept changing colour as rapidly as though it were going through a book of patterns before post time.

Miss Mebbin was not actually nervous about the wild beast but she had a morbid dread of performing an atom more service than she had been paid for. She had a protective elder sister attitude towards money in general irrespective of nationality or denomination.

Loona Bimberton refused to look at an illustrated paper for the fear of discovering any article written in Mrs. Packletide's praise. She grudgingly wrote a letter to thank her rival for her tiger claw brooch. She even refused to attend the luncheon that was supposedly thrown in her honour. Loona was afraid that she may no longer be able to continue her charade of politeness and may actually make her bitterness evident.

Yes, I think Mrs. Packletide is a vain person.

At the very beginning, we are told that it was Mrs. Packletide's pleasure and intention that she should shoot a tiger only to outdo her friend Loona Bimberton. Her only obsession to kill the tiger was to one up her friend and to show off to everyone. She paid large amounts of money and made many arrangements just so that the shoot she organized was a success. 

She disliked Loona immensely and had purposely decided to hold a lunch at her house in Curzon street in her honour, with the tiger skin rug occupying the foreground. At the lunch, she would speak at length about her tiger expedition. She had also designed in her mind the tiger-claw brooch she would give Loona on her next birthday.

The moment the tiger was shot at and rolled over Mrs. Packletide rejoiced with the villagers as the luncheon party, which she longed to have would be a reality. 

She faced the cameras with a light heart and her pictured fame reached from the pages of the Texas Weekly Snapshot to the illustrated Monday supplement of the Novoe Vremya. Her dream had finally come true.

She was so vain, that she agreed to buy Miss Mebbin the weekend cottage, rather than allow the truth about how she had actually shot the goat and frightened the tiger to death be known to all.

Yes, this story is definitely a satire.

It is a satire on the values, wealth, fake lives and activities of the socialites and elite women of the society. There is no true friendship and each is only waiting to outdo and ridicule the other.

The story  is based on Mrs. Packletide's obsession to kill a tiger not because she loved hunting or because she wanted to make the land safer by killing the wild beasts, but only because she wanted to one up her friend Loona Bimberton. Her jealousy and hatred towards Loona knew no bounds and she was determined to go to any lengths or spend any amount of money just to make the operation successful.

Her paid companion, Miss Mebbin, was one of the most materialistic and greedy people one could ever meet. She had a morbid dread of performing more service than she had been paid for. The author even refers to her as having adopted a protective 'elder-sister attitude 'towards money. Not only is she stingy, but also cunning and shrewd. In the end, she manages to blackmail Mrs. Packletide into buying her a summer cottage. She takes total advantage of Mrs. Packletide's obsession and comes out the winner.

The villagers too, are not concerned about the killing of the tiger they are only interested in collecting their reward of thousand Rupees.

Loona Bimberton was a typical 'socialite' who carried out projects not for the love of them but to inform everyone else about her heroic escapades. She talked of nothing else and has a harvest of press photographs for the occasion. When she found that her friend had outdone her by killing a tiger she was a model of 'repressed emotions'. She was very unhappy with the praise her friend was receiving and gave up looking at an illustrated paper for weeks.

Even the tiger chosen for the kill was an old tiger who had confined its appetite to smaller domestic animals.

The tiger hunt, along with the death of the tiger not by a bullet but of a heart attack, is again a satire.

The sarcastic tone of the write points to the fact that he had intended to lampoon the vain society of his times.

The writer creates humour in this story by highlighting all the negative points of each of the characters and making fun of them. He uses plenty of sarcasm to give the story a very humorous tone. He ridicules not only every character but also every situation in the story.

The obsession of Mrs. Packletide to kill the tiger based only on her jealousy and hatred of her friend Loona Bimberton is the highlight of the story.

Miss Mebbin was a materialistic and greedy person who had a morbid dread of performing more service than she had been paid for. She had adopted a protective 'elder-sister attitude' towards money. At the end, she managed to blackmail Mrs. Packletide into buying her a summer cottage.

Loona Bimberton, a typical socialite, carried out projects not for the love of them but to inform everyone else about her escapades.

He humorously describes even the old tiger and the villagers' attitude towards making money. It was one of the least dangerous expeditions and the villagers actually cared and protected the tiger to prepare it for Mrs. Packeltide's shooting.

The entire tiger hunt, the precautions taken to protect the old invalid tiger, the money spent, along with the death of the tiger not by a bullet but of a heart attack is again humorously depicted.

The climax when the materialistic Miss Mebbin manages to clinch a summer cottage in which she grows tiger lilies ends the story on an extremely humorous note.  

Mrs. Packletide wanted to shoot a tiger.

Mrs. Packletide had already thought about how she would host a luncheon at her home on Curzon street  in Loona Bimberton's honour. The tiger skin rug would occupy a place in the foreground and the entire conversation would be about the tiger hunt.

Mothers carrying their babies home through the jungle after a day's work in the fields would sing softly so as not to disturb the restful sleep of the tiger.

Louisa Mebbin was very careful with money in general. It did not matter which countries currency it was or what denomination or value it had.

Most probably, the wrong animal meaning the goat had been hit with the bullet and the tiger had died of a heart failure because of old age and the loud sound made by the rifle.

Loona Bimberton did not look at an illustrated paper for weeks. Even the thank you letter that she wrote to Mrs. Packletide for the tiger-claw brooch had all her emotions suppressed in it.

It is recommended that you read the text thoroughly to find more examples of oxymorons other than those given below.

• Paid companion
• Elaborate carelessness
• Immeasurably nearer
• Pardonably annoyed
• Gladly connived
• Greenish white
• Disagreeably pleasant

This is an activity to be carried out by the students. The clues have already been supplied in the question.

This is a group activity to be carried out by the students.

ii. they view it as a sign of bravery and personal achievement

ii. of the declining lion population

i. they bear the cubs

iii. make it angry

i. the mane, tail and claws

i. the strongest warrior