1. The Tiger King Long Answer-type Qs.

1.  The Tiger King

Long Answer-type Qs.

Q1. How did the Maharaja come in the danger of losing his throne and how did he avert this danger?    2010

The king did not allow a British officer to kill a tiger because he did not want to open the way for other British officers to reach his forests and kill the tigers. He wanted to kill them himself to falsify the astrologer’s prediction. The Maharaja and the Dewan held a meeting. They thought seriously on the issue of the danger on the throne. It was because the king had refused a British officer to fulfil his desire. So they decided to please the officer. They arranged for fifty expensive samples of diamond rings of different designs from a famous British company of jewellery in Calcutta. As the samples of the rings arrived, the king sent them all to the British officer’s good lady. The king had expected that the good lady would select a few of the samples and return the rest of them. The officer’s wife kept all the fifty samples of the rings with her. She sent a letter of thanks to the tiger King who had to pay the bill for three lakh rupees. However the Maharaja was happy as his throne was secured.

2.  How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge upon the Tiger King? What is ironical about his fate?       2009

                                                       Or

How did the Tiger King meet his end? What is ironical about his fate?

The king wished to give a very special gift to his son on his third birth day. So he went to the shopping centre and searched almost every shop to buy such gift. Finally he came to a toy shop where he saw a wooden tiger. The king purchased it for three hundred rupees and presented it to his son. On that day the king and his son played with the wooden tiger for a long time. The toy was not smoothly carved. Its surface was rough and some tiny slivers stood up like quills all over it. So, while playing with It, one of the slivers pierced Maharaja’s hand. He pulled it out with the help of his left hand. But slowly infection spread all over his arm. At last there was no way out but operation. It was performed by three famous surgeons. But the Maharaja died after the operation. The irony was that the Maharaj was called the Tiger King and he was not afraid of the living tigers. They could not harm his life at all. But a wooden tiger became the cause of his death. Nature also takes its revenge. Thus the hundredth tiger took the revenge on the king of Pratibandapuram.

Although the prediction of the astrologer came to be true, yet we do not agree with that. It was by chance that the king’s hand got infected. In those days life saving medicines and modern operation techniques were not available. So the king died in the absence of medical facilities. 

3.  The astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger King came to be true. Do you agree with this statement? Explain why or why not?    2008

(See the above answer)

4.  Describe the efforts made by the Tiger King to achieve his target of killing a hundred tigers?  2009

The Tiger King made every effort to achieve the target of killing hundred tigers. In the beginning, he stared killing comfortably because his state forests had many tigers. But slowly the number fell down and he was able to achieve the target of only seventy tigers. Then he married the daughter of a king whose forest had several tigers. Thus he got the freedom to hunt tigers in his father-in-law’s state. In every visit he killed five to six tigers. He could make the number of ninety-nine only. He made every effort to find out the hundredth tiger. He was worried and anxious to kill the last one. Many officers lost their jobs as they failed to trace the 100^th tiger. Finally he threatened the Dewan of losing his job if he could not find out the last tiger. Anyway the Dewan arranged an old tiger from the People’s Park in Madras. In reality that tiger was not killed by the king.

Other Important Questions

1.  Why did the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram decide to kill tigers or  What led the king to start hunting and killing of one hundred tigers?

2.  How did the king acquire the title ‘tiger’ to his name?

3.  How did the king stand in danger of losing his kingdom?

4.  What did the king do to save his kingdom or What did he do to avert the danger of losing his kingdom?

5.  Even though the Maharaja lost Rs. 3 lac, he was still happy. Why?

6.  What was the Dewan’s tiger like? How did he take it into the forest? (2008)

7.  Why did the Dewan decide to give up his own tiger to be killed by the Maharaja? (2008)

8.  What happened to the tiger provided by the Dewan?  (2009)

9.  What happened when the hundredth tiger came into the Maharaja’s presence?

10.                   What did the hunters do with the hundredth tiger after the Maharaja had left?

11.                   How did the Tiger King celebrate his victory over the killing of the hundredth tiger?

12.                   What did the British officer’s secretary tell the Maharaja? Why did the Maharaja refuse permission?

Writing Skills

Letter writing

1.   Letters to Editor

............................]

............................] self Address

.............................]

Date......................

The Editor

........................{name of the newspaper)

.........................{Place of  publication]

Subject:…………………………………………………………………….

Sir/Madam,

Through the columns of your esteemed paper, I would like to draw the attention of the common people to the problem of ................. (rising  prices/ environmental pollution/ noise created by the use of loud speakers......).

....................................................................................

With regards,

Yours faithfully,

.........................(name)

2.   Job letter

Self address ............

.................................

...........................

Date.....................

The Manager/The Principal/The General Manager

Name of Company .................................................

Place.........................................................................

Subject: Application for the post of................................................

Sir/Madam,

I have come to know from the advertisement published in ............... (name of the newspaper) that there is a vacancy of .....................(name of the post) in your ..................office/school/company/firm. I apply for the same.

I hope that you would surely give me a chance to prove my worth.

I am a very hard working person believing in positive and rational thinking.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully.

..........................(signature)

(Bio-data Enclosed)

                                        Bio-data

(i)              Name:

(ii)           Father’s name:

(iii)        D.O.B.

(iv)         Address:

(v)             Experience:

(vi)         Marital status:

(vii)      Hobbies:

(viii)   Language known:

(ix)         Special interests:

(x)            Educational Qualifications:

Sr. Nos	Name of Exam	Board/University	Pass Percentage

(xi)         Any other Qualification

(xii)      Salary expected:

Reference of any two neighbours of yours:

Certificate: I hereby declare that the information given by me is correct.

    …………………………..                                             

(signature)

Date ………………… 

Place …………………..

3.   Article Writing

                           1.    Title/Heading

(Usually, the title or the heading is given in the question. So the students get it from there. If it is not stated clearly, then the students are to understand by reading the question carefully and write it here. It should be about the theme)

                       2.    (Name of the author)

(Just below, the name of the author is written)

                        3.Introductory paragraph

(This small paragraph may begin with a question, catching the attention of the reader/…some data may be given to show the enormity of the problem being discussed)

                        4.Enhancement of the topic

(This part of the article develops the theme with certain points of discussion------giving the full picture of the problem with positive and negative points and your own thoughts about the topic of discussion.

Suppose the topic is: Overpopulation is the Mother of many Problems in our country, the students are advised to write its bad effects on various fields of life, like, demand & supply disturbance causing rise in prices, unemployment, increase in crime rate, falling moral values, crowds in market, class-rooms, bus stands, railway stations, etc.)

                             5.Summarising your ideas and telling about your suggestions to improve

                              6. Conclusion

(In conclusion, the writer may give a warning to people of the consequences if the problem not tackled or controlled on time/It may end with your solution giving a hope for improvement

(Note: the students are advised to write the article observing word-limit)

Debate Writing

Para graph 1

(The speaker may start dramatically quoting some great writer’s remarks/statement relevant to the topic to catch the attention of the audience. It may be a catchy relevant question.)

Paragraph 2

(The speaker would proceed to greet the chief guest, the judges, the principal, teachers and the participants and the students as audience.)

Paragraph 3

Announcement of the topic stating clearly whether speaking for and against/support the motion or go against it)

Paragraph 4

(You will mention some ideas of your opponent team and reject them with solid supportive data/facts/ arguments.)

     Paragraph 5

     (You are to wind up your topic expressing your 

     personal views on the topic under debate?

     Paragraph 6

     (You will end up your speech making an emphatic    

     Statement about the topic and may pose a warning or

     hope to the people in general)

   6 (Leave the mike gracefully showing your smiling face, formally thanking the audience for listening to you patiently.)

Notice                        Name of school/organisation                                Date--------------- { Space { for { writing { information ……………………..(signature) --------------------(Name in block letters) (-----------------)(Designation as mentioned in the question)

                                               Notice       

                             Name of School/Organisation                                                                               

 Date---------------

{ Space

{ for

{ writing

{ information

……………………..(signature)

--------------------(Name in block letters)

(-----------------)(Designation as mentioned in the question)

The Age of Chaucer

The Age of Chaucer

Mostly the age of Chaucer was medieval-unscientific, superstitious, chivalrous, religious-minded and “backward” in most respects.

But still it was an age of transition. It implies a shift from the medieval to modern times and the emergence of the English nation from the “dark ages” to the age of enlightenment.

In fact Chaucer’s age was moving towards the dawn of the Renaissance and the Reformation, which were a couple of centuries ahead.

·         What was the Renaissance?

·         What was the Reformation?

·         What was the Hundred Years’ War?

Ans. It was the period between 1337 to 1443, in which there were several skirmishes (small fights) between England and France. The whole period taken together is known as ‘the Hundred Years’ War’.

·         The Black Death:

In Chaucer’s times, most of the people lived in poverty and squalor. Event the educated nobles avoided using soap while bathing. Even the physicians considered it harmful for health. As a result of it, England had to face several epidemics like plague. The severest attack of plague in England was in 1348 in which approximately one thirds of the total population of England was eliminated. The black knotty boils used to appear on the body of the victims of plague. That’s why it was termed as ‘Black Death’

·         The Peasants’ Revolt

·         Labourers’ Unrest

The Peasants’ Revolt:

·         It occurred during the reign of Richard II in 1381.

·         It was led by Kentish priest John Ball who preached ‘dignity of labour’.

·         There was a big shortage of labour in those days because of a large number of deaths in England due to epidemics like pestilence (plague).

·         At that time the king had promised reforms but later on he backed out from his promise, therefore there was unrest among the peasants.