Short Answer Questions

In this post we are also providing important short answer questions from Chapter 2 Mrs
Packletide’s Tiger for CBSE Class 10 exam in the coming session

Q1 “It was Mrs. Packletide’s pleasure and intention that she should shoot a tiger.” Why
was Mrs. Packletide intent on shooting a tiger?

Ans. Mrs. Packletide had no desire or obsession to kill a tiger. She only meant to participate
in the game because she despised Loona Bimberton, who had gained notoriety by travelling
eleven miles in an aircraft flown by an Algerian aviator. To diminish the fame of her
opponent Loona was her goal. Consequently, she had in mind doing something daring like
shooting a tiger. This would undoubtedly create a stir, and naturally the spotlight would turn
to her.

Q2 Who was Loona Bimberton? What daring feat had she achieved that led to Mrs.
Packletide disliking her?

Ans. The fiercest rival of Mrs. Packletide was Loona Bimberton. Both of the women
harboured a shared hate for one another. By travelling eleven miles aboard an aircraft being
flown by an aviator from Algeria, Loona had accomplished a remarkable accomplishment.
Mrs. Packletide’s anger and envy for Loona were heightened by the renown and grandeur
that followed her.

Q3 What plan did Mrs. Packletide orchestrate to honour Loona?

Ans. At her home on Curzon Street, Mrs. Packletide had planned to host a celebration in
Loona Bimberton’s honour. Her foreground would be adorned with a tiger hide mat, and talk
would inevitably turn to her accomplishment. Additionally, she had created a tiger-claw
brooch that she wished to present to Loona on her following birthday.

Q4 Why did the mothers carrying their little babies hush their singing?

Ans. To prevent waking the tiger from his peaceful nap, the mothers muffled their singing as
they made their way home from the jungle. In order to prevent the tiger from leaving their
area, they were likewise being cautious.

Q5 Why were the cheap goats let loose by the villagers?

Ans. The villagers let out many of the inexpensive goats to keep the wild animal happy.
Additionally, this would guarantee that the tiger wouldn’t look for new hunting grounds.

Q6 What preparations were made for the shooting?

Ans The locals of the village made intricate arrangements. Mrs. Packletide and her hired
companion were to sit on a safe platform that had been built on a convenient and
comfortable tree. A goat was chained at the ideal distance and allowed to bleat nonstop day
and night. A thumb-nail pack of patience cards and an accurately aimed gun were both in
Mrs. Packletide’s possession as they waited for their victim.

Q7 Who accompanied Mrs. Packletide for the shooting? Was she helpful?

Ans. She was joined by Louisa Mebbin, Mrs. Packletide’s hired companion. She served Mrs.
Packletide no use. On the other hand, she kept her mistress from her work with her odd and
unnecessary remarks. She was a frugal person. She disapproved of spending money to kill an
elderly tiger. To avoid doing any further labour, she feigned to be terrified of the tiger. She
firmly believed that she should only work for pay.

Q8 What happened after Mrs. Packletide had fired the shot? How did the villagers react?

Ans. The tiger that had been spotted ambling towards the goat was observed jumping to
one side and then rolling over into the stillness of death as soon as the rifle blazed out with a
loud report. The town’s ecstatic residents flocked to the scene right away, shouting with joy
as they were now free of their tiger-related fears. The sound reverberated throughout the
entire village.

Q9 “Mrs. Packletide was pardonably annoyed at the discovery.” What led her to be
annoyed?

Ans. The goat was killed by Mrs. Packletide’s rifle’s bullet, according to Miss. Louisa Mebbin’s
observation, but th.e tiger died of heart failure brought on by the rifle’s pounding noise. Mrs.
Packletide was irritated by this because the tiger’s carcass had no signs of injury whereas the
goat’s body showed the fatal wound.

Q10 Though Mrs. Packletide knew that she did not shoot the tiger, still she was sure that
no one would reveal the secret. Why?

Ans. Mrs. Packletide was confident that the error involving the tiger’s gunshot would remain
a closely-guarded secret. The locals would remain silent because they did not want to forfeit
the guaranteed one thousand rupees. Miss Mebbin, the other person who was aware of the
incident, exchanged her quiet for a weekend cottage from Mrs. Packletide.

Q11 What was Loona Bimberton’s reaction at Mrs. Packletide’s instant fame?

Ans. The conceited Loona Birnberton, Mrs. Packletide’s fiercest opponent, responded in the
most immature way. For several weeks, she avoided reading any newspapers or magazines
that had photographs of or news concerning Mrs. Packletide. She declined the invitation to
the luncheon but took the birthday gift with a lot of suppressed emotion.

Q12 Why did Mrs. Packletide wish to kill a tiger?

Ans. The reason Mrs. Packletide wanted to kill a tiger was that she didn’t like Loona
Bimberton, who had just flown eleven miles in one of the planes with an Algerian aviator, a
remarkable performance for a woman. She shared the same yearning for media attention
and public recognition. So she makes the decision to kill a tiger.

Q13 What made her decide to give a party in Loona Bimberton’s honour? What did she
intend to give Loona on her birthday?

Ans. Mrs. Packletide’s loathing of Loona Bimberton was the primary motivator behind all of
her actions and decisions. She hosted a party in her honour to demonstrate to her that Mrs.
Bimberton’s glory had been overshadowed and that Mrs. Packletide had taken centre stage.
She had intended to send Loona Bimberton a tiger-claw brooch for her upcoming birthday in
an effort to further offend her.

Q14 Who was Miss Mebbin? Was she really devoted to Mrs. Packletide? How did she
behave during the tiger shooting?

Ans. Mrs. Packletide’s paid companion, Miss Louisa Mebbin, accompanied her to the
shooting. She wasn’t at all loyal to her, no. Instead, she demonstrated via her behaviour on
the podium that she was a shrewd businesswoman. She believed that she was under no
obligation to provide her services for more than what she had been compensated for. She,
however, convinced Mrs. Packletide that she should not have paid such a high price for the
old tiger. She also instructed Mrs. Packletide, being as cunning as she was, that she need not
pay for the shot if the beast did not touch the goat.

Q15 Mrs. Packletide was a good shot. Discuss

Ans. The given statement is actually an instance of sarcasm. Mrs. Packeltide 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. The tiger,
the elderly animal, passed away from heart failure while the goat suffered a fatal injury. The
locals were attracted by the uproar, and they screamed across the hamlet to announce that
memsahib had slain the tiger.

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Long Answer Questions

Q1 Imagine you are Mrs. Packletide. After being betrayed by Louisa Mebbin, you learnt a
Lesson for life. Now you are completely changed. You are purged of all ill-will and dislike
that you nursed for Loona Bimberton. Write a letter of apology to Loona Bimberton telling
her how you were blackmailed because of your craze for feme.
Ans.
#15, Curzon
Street London

June 24, 19XX*

Dear Loona
You will be surprised when you read my letter because we never had a close friendship. Our
last encounter was about five years ago. I feel incredibly sorry for myself and ashamed of
how I behaved as I reflect on the past occurrences. I acknowledge my pride and insensitivity.
The tiger shooting event and all the fanfare that went with it have unequivocally exposed my
hopelessly vain character. I despise myself for constantly pitting you against me. What a
great thing it would have been if we had gotten along!

I must confess something to you. Only a portion of the events surrounding the tiger shooting
were actually factual. The tiger was not slain by me. It had perished due to an organic cause.
Since I had paid the locals and my paid companion generously to keep quiet, neither I nor
my friends, the villagers, or my paid companion revealed the truth. I did, however, pay
dearly for my deception. To protect my secret, Louisa bullied me into giving her a weekend
getaway home. My self-confidence was destroyed by this.

I’ve come to my senses, and I’ve made the decision to start fresh. Time has taught us a lot. It
taught me that while human relationships last a lifetime, fame and wealth do not. I humbly
ask for your forgiveness, Loona, for my despicable attitude towards you. I offer a hand of
friendship to you. I hope to hear from you soon.

Your friend
Ruby Packletide

Q2 Imagine you are Louisa Mebbin. Write a diary entry expressing how you could afford a
cottage. Dorking

Ans.
June 4, 19XX*,

Saturday 9:00 p.m.

Dear Diary,

Prior to meeting Mrs. Packletide, I had never in my wildest fantasies imagined owning my
own cottage. Living in a world of scarcity has always helped me understand the worth of
money, something my mistress never did. She frittered away money so carelessly flaunting
her conceit. That gave me the impression that she did somewhat foolishly when she paid the
villagers a significant sum of money—a thousand rupees—just to shoot a ferocious old
animal that could hardly walk. I kept bringing up how she had been wasting money in such
stupid ways that it hurt me. But all of my recommendations were ignored.
When I came to the conclusion that the goat, not the tiger, had been shot and died, it was
thanks to my serious attitude towards life and my powers of observation. My mistress
expected me to keep silent after learning the truth because I hadn’t been paid for going with
her. Furthermore, I did not want to waste it by doing an atom for free; the money had
already been spent for that. At that time, I thought I might get money out of this foolish,
conceited woman.

When the time was ripe, I went to warn her that I would reduce her splendour to ashes if
she did not pay me the money I needed to buy a cottage. She was forced to part with the
cash I needed to buy this property because she was so desperate for fame. I acknowledge
that I have used blackmail, but I don’t think I should apologise because these upper-class
women don’t understand the value of money. They spend their money so extravagantly and
lavishly that even if I benefited from her excess to lead a respectable life, I didn’t do anything
wrong.

Louisa

Q3 “Materialistic morals of high sophisticated society lead to hollowness and

Ans. In the tale “Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger,” the so-called smart elite of society is shown to be
shallow and hollow, engaging in risky activities not for their own joy and excitement but
rather to impress those around them. In truth, they use money and power to maintain their
safety and comfort while cultivating their false heroic images. They pretend to be brave and
expose themselves to risk and danger.

People who think they are smart enough to outsmart others, like Mrs. Packletide, frequently
outsmart themselves. These deceptive persons risk having their acts backfire on them. Like
Mrs. Packletide attempted to surpass Loona Bimberton, but she herself fell victim to Louisa
Mebbin, who used blackmail to obtain money from Mrs. Packletide. She became a source of
fun and humour due to her vanity and weakness for publicity. Mrs. Packletide actually went
on a lamb hunt despite her desire to go on a tiger hunt. Mrs. Packletide’s ostentatious
personality just made her feel hollow and shallow. A person can achieve greatness by noble
thoughts and deeds rather than wealth and conceit.

Q4 Before targeting anyone, one must not forget that even a biter can be bitter.” Explain
with the reference to the story Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger. What values do you learn from the
story?

Ans. Mrs. Packletide had performed the tiger hunting scenario out of vanity. Her desire to
surpass Loona Bimberton was merely an effort to indulge her vanity. Her efforts to establish
her dominance and gain notoriety can be seen in her posing for photos and hosting a
luncheon party with the tiger skin prominently displayed in the drawing room.
Mrs. Loona Bimberton was the target of Mrs. Packletide, but Miss Mebbin also singled her
out. Mrs. Packletide was first subjected to extortion by the cunning Miss Mebbin. Mrs.
Packletide was forced to pay Miss Mebbin a hefty sum in order to keep quiet and conceal
the fact that she (Mrs. Packletide) had actually hunted a lamb rather than a tiger. Therefore,
those who believe they are intelligent enough to surpass others frequently surpass
themselves. Instead of insulting and engaging in rivalry with others, we should aim to gain
reputation and notoriety via our good activities. The manipulative tactics we use could
backfire and turn against us.

Q5 Give a brief character sketch of the following characters, based on the clues given in
the lesson.
A Mrs Packletide

Ans. She was naturally competitive. She makes the decision to go hunting in an effort to
undermine Loona Bimberton’s successes. She was cunning and deceptive. In order to control
the issue, Mrs. Packletide arranges a hunt and gives the locals a thousand rupees. She goes
after an elderly tiger because there was no danger involved. She lacked conscience and was
vain. She is happy to pose for pictures while concealing the truth about the quest. She pays
Mebbin to keep quiet. She would go to any length to stand out. She hosts a party that she
claims is to honour Bimberton but is really just a display of her success.

B Louisa Mebbin

Ans She is extremely frugal and is always conserving money. She believed that the elderly
tiger couldn’t possibly use a thousand rupees. She makes a cunning comment about not
paying for the goat if the tiger does not touch it. She threatens Mrs. Packletide with
revealing information about the hunt and is cunning enough to do so. She is a cunning
opportunist who is able to take advantage of the circumstance to realise her ambition of
owning a weekend cabin.

C Loona Bimberton

Ans She is extremely envious and vindictive and was unable to accept Mrs. Packletide’s
achievement. Due to their fierce antagonism, she declines to go to Mrs. Packletide’s
celebration. She is a frivolous member of high society whose goals in life were to outdo her
adversary. She also chooses to take the chance of flying in an aeroplanes since she is
adventurous. She makes sure she receives media attention for her achievement since she is
conceited and publicity-hungry.