Questions & Answers for Class XII, Book: Vistas Lesson: The Tiger King by Kalki

Questions & Answers for Class XII, Book: Vistas

Lesson: The Tiger King by Kalki

(A) Short Answer-type Questions & Answers

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?

Ans. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram decided to kill tigers to save his life. The king would be safe if he killed one hundred tigers.  It was the prophecy made by the state astrologer.

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

Ans. The king had to kill one hundred tigers to avert (avoid) the danger to his life. Sometimes he had to fight with tigers without any weapon. But he was unable to kill the hundredth tiger. Since he killed so many tigers, he was called the ‘tiger’ king.

( Second Ans.: The title ‘Tiger King’ did not come all of a sudden to his name. There is a story behind it. He was a man of indomitable (great) courage. He killed ninety- nine tigers. He was not afraid of tigers. Sometimes he fought with them bare handed. So people called him the tiger king.

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

Ans. Once, the king stood in danger of losing his kingdom. He refused a British officer to kill a tiger from his state forest. He also refused to accept the officer’s second proposal. It was just to have a photograph with a dead tiger.

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

                                           Or

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

Ans. The king sent fifty valuable diamond rings to the British officer’s wife. He hoped that she would keep one ring with her. She kept them all with her. It proved very costly to the king. But he was happy because his kingdom was saved.

5.Why did the Tiger King not allow the British Officer to hunt and kill tiger in his forests?

Ans.The king did not allow the 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.

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

Ans. The Dewan’s tiger was very old . At midnight, the Dewan and his wife dragged the tiger and pushed it inside to their car. The Dewan drove the car where the king was camping for his hunt in the jungle.

7.Why did the Dewan bring a tiger from the People’s Park in Madras? (2008) Why did he secretly manage to make it slip in the jungle near the King’s camp?

Ans. The Dewan brought a tiger from the People’s Park, Madras, to save his job. He secretly managed to make the tiger slip into the forest near the king’s camp. He did it so that the king could easily kill it.

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

Ans. The king had missed his shot at that that tiger. So it did not die. It had become unconscious and fallen to one side when it heard the shot. But, at last, it was killed by one of the king’s men.

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

Ans. The king’s hunters were confused as to what they should do with the hundredth tiger as it was alive. The king had thought that it was killed by him. Then one of them fired a shot at the tiger from close distance and killed it.

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

 Ans. The king’s joy knew no bounds (extremely happy) when he killed the hundredth tiger.Then, as commanded by the king, the dead tiger was taken in procession through the town and buried. A tomb was erected (built) over it.

 (B)  Long Answer-type Questions & Answers

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

Ans. Once, the king stood in danger of losing his kingdom. He refused a British officer to kill a tiger from his state forest. He also refused to accept the officer’s second proposal. It was just to have a photograph with a dead tiger. The king did not allow the 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 king sent fifty valuable diamond rings to the British officer’s wife. He hoped that she would keep one ring with her. She kept them all with her. It proved very costly to the king. But he was happy because his kingdom was saved.

 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?

Ans.

It was crown prince’s third birhtday. The king brought a wooden tiger toy for him. It was a special gift for the crown prince. 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.

3. How did the 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

Ans. It was crown prince’s third birhtday. The king brought a wooden tiger toy for him. It was a special gift for the crown prince. On that day the king and his son played with the wooden tiger for a long time.

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. 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.

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

Ans. The Tiger King made every effort to achieve the target of killing hundred tigers. He was able to achieve the target of only seventy tigers from his own forest. 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. Anyhow, the Dewan arranged an old tiger from the People’s Park in Madras. In reality that tiger was not killed by the king.

Book: First Flight: Lesson 2. Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Book: First Flight: Lesson 2. Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela             

A.  Very Short Answer-type Questions (In Single Sentences)

1.  Mandela became the first black President of a new nation.

2.  Zenani was the daughter of Nelson Mandela.

3. 100,000 South African men, women and children of all races sang and danced with joy.

4.   The inauguration ceremony took place on 10^th May, 1994.

5. Thabo Mbeki was sworn in as first deputy president.

6. The formation of a democratic government in South Africa has been called a common victory for justice, peace and human dignity.

7. Nelson Mandela takes the pledge to remove bondage of poverty, hunger and all kinds of discrimination.

8.   The smoke that trailed in the sky by Impala jets symbolised the new South African flag.

9. The old system in South Africa was based on hatred.

10.       The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in South Africa to its people.

11.       The people of South Africa are its greatest wealth.

12.        Obligation to his family, his people and the country are the twin obligations for Mandela.

13.        The twin obligations are filled only in civil and humane society.

14.        Hatred towards each other robs the humanity.

15.       Inauguration ceremony took place in Pretoria in South Africa.

16.       Mandela talks about the inauguration of the formation of new government in South Africa in this lesson

17.       Nelson Mandela feels hungry for the freedom of his countrymen.

Q1.Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstone?

Ans. The ceremonies took place in the campus of the Union Building of Pretoria. The Parliament House in New Delhi, the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi and Madras High Court in Chennai are some examples of Indian public buildings that are made of sandstone.

Q2.Can you say how 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?

Ans: The tenth May is an ‘Autumn Day’ in South Africa. It is because there was a large gathering of the guests from across the world on that day there. They had come to attend the function of the installation of South Africa’s first democratic and non-racial government.

Q3. At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human disaster”. What does he mean by this? What is the “glorious … human achievement” he speaks of at the end?

Ans. The coloured people in South Africa had to suffer discrimination and other types of torture by the white rulers for about three centuries. That was ‘an extraordinary human disaster’. Mandela talks of ‘glorious human achievement’ because a black person became the president of the country where the whites did all types of cruelties for about three hundred years.

Q4. What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?

Ans. Nelson Mandela thanks the international leaders because they came to South Africa to attend the function of forming the first non racial and democratic government there.

Mandela felt privileged to be the host to the nations of the world because not too long ago, the South Africans were considered outlaws. He thus thanked all the international leaders for having come to witness his investiture as President since this event could be considered as a common victory for justice, peace and human dignity.

Q5. What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?

Answer 

Mandela set out the ideals of poverty alleviation, removal of suffering of people. He also set the ideal for a society where there would be no discrimination based on gender or racial origins.

Q6. What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?

Answer 

The highest military generals of the South African defence force and police saluted Mandela and pledged their loyalty.
Their attitude towards blacks had taken great change. Instead of arresting a black they saluted him.

Q7. Why were two national anthems sung?

Ans. The two national anthems were sung when Nelson Mandela’s government was formed. It was done to create balance between two races, the white and the black. It showed the new government’s vision of equality also.

Q8. What does courage mean to Mandela?

Ans. Mandela thinks that courage is not the absence of fear in mind. It is the victory over it. Fear is present in every person. But the brave person is that who conquers fear.

Q9. Mandela talks of twin obligations. What are these?

Ans. According to Mandela, every person has twin obligations in life. One is towards his family, to wife and children. The other is towards his people and the country.

Q10.  In this lesson, Mandela talks of the oppressor. Is the oppressor free in any sense or is he also a slave of something?

Ans. Madela says that the oppressor is a slave of hatred. He is imprisoned behind the bars of prejudices and narrow-mindedness. He has made the other person slave.

Q11. What does Mandela mean when he says that he is “the sum of all those African patriots”, who had made struggle for freedom in South Africa before him?

Ans. By saying so, he pays a glowing tribute to the patriots of South Africa who had struggled for freedom so far. He succeeded in his great mission of getting freedom to South Africa. So he finds their blessings in himself.

Long Answer-type Qs (About 100 words)

Q1. What twin obligations does Mandela talk about in this lesson?

Ans. Nelson Mandela says that everyone has twin obligations. One obligation is towards one’s family, children and parents. Another obligation is towards his people and the country. People fulfil these obligations towards their families and the country in their own ways. But in South Africa, it was not possible to do so. The white-skinned people had put several restrictions on the black coloured people under the policy of apartheid. The person doing his duty for his people was punished and sent behind the bars. Mandela was also sent to prison for fulfilling his obligation towards his people. Thus he was not allowed to fulfil his twin obligations.

Q2. How did the meaning of the word ‘freedom’ change with the passage of time for Mandela?

Ans. Mandela said that freedom had different meanings for him according to the stages in his age. In the days of his boyhood, it was just running into his fields near his mother’s hut and to swim in the clear water of a stream. He was free to do the small things that a child could do. A he grew in age, that freedom turned into an illusion for him. He began to understand that his freedom was already snatched. As a student, he desired for freedom only just for himself. It was the freedom to stay out at night, read what he pleased and go where he chose. Later as a young man, he yearned for the real kind of freedom. It was the freedom to fulfil his twin obligations. But it was not there.

Q3. What does Mandela say about the policy of apartheid? How did it affect peoples of South Africa?

Ans. The white-skinned peoples of South Africa patched up their differences and erected (set up) a system of racial domination (जातीय शाशन) against the dark-skinned peoples of their own land. The policy of apartheid /əˈpɑː.taɪt/ created a deep and lasting wound in my country and my people. The people of South Africa would take a long time to recover from the deep would created by the policy of apatheid. But the continuous oppression and cruelty on the South Africans produced great men like the Oliver  Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, the Chief Luthulis, etc. They were the men of such extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity (kindness) that their like may never be known again.

My Mother at Sixty-six by Kamala Das

Poem 1: Book: Flamingo: Class XII (Notes by Shish Pal Chauhan)

My Mother at Sixty-six by Kamala Das

The Poetess: Kamla Dass

Driving from my parent's

home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with
pain
that she thought away, and
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, but after the airport's
security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan,
pale
as a late winter's moon and felt that
old familiar ache, my childhood's fear,
but all I said was, see you soon,
Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and
smile.

Main Points about the Poem

1.   A paradox (contradiction) of human relationship: Sometimes we are unable to express our emotions of sympathy, love and affection to our near and dear ones in an appropriate way.

 Reason may be any.

2.   The poetess tells us about the same type of her experience in this poem.

3.   Once she was driving her car form her parents’ home to the airport of Cochin. Her mother was also sitting in the car with her. Her mother was at sixty-six at that time.

4.   Suddenly, while driving, she saw her mother. She was dozing and her mouth was wide open. She also saw paleness on her mother’s face. It was the paleness which is found on the face of a dead body. The poetess got afraid. She thought that her mother was not going to live for long time. She thought that she was about to die. It was a very painful thought for the poetess.

5.   She discarded (dismissed) that painful thought at once and tried to divert her attention by looking outside the car. She looked at the young trees which seemed running fast in the opposite direction. She also saw children coming joyfully out of their houses. She describes the young trees as sprinting because they are full of energy. It makes a sharp contrast to the description of the mother. She is pale and weak.

6.   By describing the children ‘spilling out of their homes’, the poetess again wants to intensify the contrast between the pale and weak mother and the children who are full of energy and joy. Childhood period is full of joy and energy while the old age lacks in all this.

7.   Then she reaches the airport. As the poetess went through the security check, her mother was standing silently at a distance.

8.   Again she looked at her mother’s face. It looked as pale as the face of the moon in late winter season. The mother is in her old age. Her face has grown old and pale. The moon also looks pale in winter season.

9.   The thought about her mother’s death was very painful to the poetess. It was like the same painful thought which she used to experience in her childhood when she was alone and some fear overpowered her.

10.                  But the poetess, still, failed to say nothing more than the words, “See you soon, Amma”. She said this smilingly. These were the parting words.

11.                  Although the poetess felt pained to note the paleness on her mother’s face, yet she was unable to do anything. Those were the signs of old age on her face. That is the reason  she spoke only, “See you soon, Amma” The poetess hopes to meet her mother in near future. 

A.  Questions & Answers

Q1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

Ans. It was the same kind of pain that she used to feel in her childhood. It was caused by her fear of being separated from her mother.

Q2.Describe why the young trees are described as sprinting?

                                        Or

What does the poet want to convey to us when she describes the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?

Ans. The poetess describes the children ‘spilling out of their homes’. She wants to intensify the contrast between the pale and weak mother and the joyful and energetic children. Childhood period is full of joy and energy while the old age lacks in all this.

Q3. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?

Ans. The poetess compares her mother’s face to a waning winter moon. The late winter’s moon looks pale and it suggests decay and death.

Q4. Where was the poet going? Who was with her? What did she observe about the person who was going with her in the car?

Ans. The poetess, Kamala Das was going to Cochin airport. Her mother was with her. She observed that paleness was spread on it. She also thought that her mother was not going to live for more time. She feared separation from her mother.

Q5. What were Kamala Das’ fears as a child? Why did they surface when she was going to the airport?

Ans. Kamala Das did not want to be separated from her. The idea about her mother’s separation from her always pained her. She looked at her closely and found paleness on her face. She feared that her mother would not survive for more time.

Q6. What painful thoughts come to the poet’s mind? How does she drive them off?

Ans. When the poetess noticed her mother’s face closely, she found paleness on her face. It was the same kind of paleness that is found on a dead body’s face. She immediately drove those negative thoughts by looking outside the window of the car.

Q7.  What does the poetess see when she looks outside the car while going to the Cochin airport in a car?

Ans. She looked at the young trees which seemed running fast in the opposite direction. They were young and seemed to her as if they were young children running fast in the opposite direction.  She also saw the happy children who were running out of their homes to reach some nearby playground.

 Q8. What happens when the poetess reaches the airport?

Ans. After the security check, the poet looked again at her mother’s face which was pale. After that, she felt a familiar pain that she used to experience in her childhood also. It was the pain that emerged out of the fear of losing her mother. Then she uttered hopefully “see you soon, Amma”.

Stanzas for Comprehensions:

Stanza 1.

“…but after the airport’s/ Security check, standing a few yards

Away, I looked again at her, wan,/ Pale/ As late winter’s moon and felt that/ Old/ Familiar ache, my childhood’s fear/ But all I said was, see you soon,/ Amma,/ All I did was smile and smile and/Smile…”

Questions:

Q1.Name the poem and its poet.

Ans. The poet is Kamala Das and the title of the poem is ‘ My Other at Sixty-six’.

Q2. Who is ‘I’ in the above stanza?

Ans. The poetess/poet Kamala Das.

Q3.What was the familiar childhood ache the poet felt now?

Ans. That pain troubled her again when she thought that her mother would not survive for more time.

Q4. What were the parting words spoken by the poet. What did they suggest?

Ans. She said, “See you soon, Amma,”. These words suggested hope.

 Q5. What poetic device has been used in the line, I looked again at her, wan, Pale /As late winter’s moon’?

Ans. Simile has been used here.

Q6. Give a synonym for the word ‘wan’.

Ans. Pale

Stanza 2

“…but soon/ put that thought away, and/looked out at young/ trees sprinting, the merry children spilling/ out of their homes,…”

Q1. Which thought does the poet put away?

Ans. She puts away the thought that her mother would not survive for long time.

Q2. What poetic device does the expression ‘sprinting trees’ stand for? What do the sprinting trees add to the poet’s description of her mother?

Ans. The device used in the expression ‘sprinting trees’ is personification. This expression adds contrast to the poet’s description about her mother’s old age.

Q3. What do the “…the merry children spilling
out of their homes…” symbolize?

Ans. ‘The merry children’ symbolize energy and youth. The word ‘spilling’ signifies the flow of energy.

Q4. What do you mean by ‘sprinting’?

Ans. It means ‘running fast’

Stanza 3

but after the airport's/ security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan,/ pale/ as a late winter's moon and felt that/ old familiar ache, my childhood's fear,/ but all I said was, see you soon,/Amma,/all I did was smile and smile and/ smile.

Q1. Who is “I” in the above stanza?

Ans. “I” is the poet Kamala Das.

Q2. Who is ‘you’ in the above lines?

Ans. ‘You’ is the poet’s grandmother.

Q3, Where are both of them standing?

Ans. They are standing at the Cochin airport.

Q4. Which poetic device has been used in “wan, pale as a late winter's moon”?

Ans. Simile has been used here.

Q5. Explain the words: ”… old familiar ache, my childhood's fear…”

Ans. In her childhood, the poet used to feel some pain when her mother was away from her. Now, she suffers the fear of losing her mother as she is in her extreme old age.

Q6. What does the word ‘all’ suggest in the lines “all I said was, see you soon, Amma,/all I did was smile and smile and smile.”?

Ans. The word ‘all’ suggests that she could not express all her feelings to her mother.

Q7. Why did the poet repeat the word smile in the line ‘smile and smile and smile’?

Ans. It shows a long smile.