English: Mrs. Packletide's Tiger

(a) Why did Mrs. Packletide wish to kill a tiger?

Answer: Mrs. Packletide wished to kill a tiger because she wanted to show Loona Bimberton down, who had earned huge popularity by hunting a tiger.

(b) 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’s intension to show Loona down and humiliated her in front the crowd made her to decide to give party in Loona Bimberton’s honour. She intended to give a tiger claw brooch to Loona on her birthday.

(c) How was the tiger shooting arranged? What kind of tiger was chosen for the purpose?

Answer: The tiger shooting was arranged in a well planed way. Mrs. Packletide offered one thousand rupee to the villagers for a risk free and comfortable hunting. An old tiger was chosen for the purpose, which had confined itself to the outskirts of the village because it could not hunt wild animals in the jungle.

(d) In what way did the villagers help Mrs. Packletide shoot the tiger?

Answer: The villagers helped Mrs. Packletide in many ways. Children were posted night and day on the outskirts of the local jungle to head the tiger back in the unlikely event of his attempting to roam away to fresh hunting-grounds, and the cheaper kinds of goats were left with elaborate carelessness to keep him satisfied with his present quarters. 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.

(e) 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 to Mrs. Packletide. No, she was not devoted to Mrs. Packletide. She was only devoted to money. During the tiger shooting she acquired an elder sister attitude and inquires Mrs. Packletide the reason for paying a thousand rupees for an old and ill tiger. Moreover, she was always afraid for doing a little more service than she was paid for.

(f) Mrs. Packletide was a good shot. Discuss.

Answer: No, Mrs. Packletide was not a good shot because even though she targeted the tiger her bullet missed the tiger and instead of hitting the tiger, hit the goat. It was just a mere co-incidence that the tiger too died but due to heart failure.

(g) 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 commented that Mrs. Packletide’s bullet had hit the wrong animal. It was the goat who was hit by the bullet while the tiger died of heart attack. She made this comment to bring the truth to the notice of Mrs. Packletide, who was much exited after killing the tiger. Mrs. Packletide was very annoyed at the discovery and could not believe easily that she had not killed the tiger.

(h) How did the villager react to the tiger’s death?

Answer: After the tiger’s death the villager got exited and crowded on the scene, they started shouting in the chorus on the victory of Mrs. Packletide. Moreover, they were extremely delighted as they were going to get a thousand rupees.

(i) Do you think Mrs. Packletide was able to achieve her heart’s desire? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: Though Mrs. Packletide did not shoot the tiger and the tiger died of heart attack. Even after that she was a possessor of a dead tiger. She was able to achieve huge popularity through the photograph which was published in the magazines and news paper as a result she was able to outshine Loona Bimberton which was her only objective.

(j) How did Miss Mebbin manage to get her week-end cottage? Why did she plant so many tiger lilies in her garden?

Answer: Miss Mebbin managed to get her week-end cottage by blackmailing Mrs. Packletide by disclosing the secret of the tiger’s death, to Loona Bimberton and asking for 680 rupees to buy the cottage. She planted so many tiger lilies in her garden as a tribute to the tiger whose death gave her the opportunity to blackmail Mrs. Packletide to get her week-end cottage.

(k) “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. She is referring to the money she had to pay to Miss Mebbin on being blackmailed by her.