Question

What was Maharaja's preference for marrying a girl?

• A. She must be tall
• B. She must have blonde hair
• C. She must have been poor
• D. She must have tigers in her estate

Hint:

The Tiger King's marriage preference perfectly illustrates his all-consuming obsession with tigers. Even his choice of bride was determined by one factor only: whether her family's estate had tigers for him to hunt.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

This question refers to the short story "The Tiger King" by Kalki Krishnamurthy, which is included in the Vistas textbook for Class 12 English.

About the Tiger King's Marriage:

The King's Obsession:
Maharaja Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur (the Tiger King) was completely obsessed with tigers. His sole mission in life was to kill one hundred tigers to prove the astrologers wrong, who had predicted his death from a tiger.

The Marriage Condition:
When it came time for the king to marry, he had a very unusual preference for his bride. He decreed that he would only marry a girl from a royal family that had tigers in its estate.

Reason for This Preference:
The king's primary goal was to continue his tiger-hunting mission.
By marrying into a family with tigers in their territory, he would have access to more tigers to kill.
This would help him reach his target of one hundred tigers more quickly.

The Outcome:
The king found a suitable bride from the royal family of a state that had plenty of tigers.
After marriage, he continued his tiger hunts in his in-laws' territory as well.

The Satirical Element:
This unusual marriage preference highlights the satirical nature of the story.
The king's obsession with tigers completely overtakes normal human considerations in choosing a life partner.
Physical appearance, personality, or compatibility are irrelevant to him — only the presence of tigers matters.
This exaggeration serves to mock the irrationality of those in power and their single-minded pursuits.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

(A) She must be tall:
Height is never mentioned as a criterion for the king's marriage.

(B) She must have blonde hair:
Hair color is not discussed in the story; the king is not concerned with such features.

(C) She must have been poor:
The king specifically married into royalty (a princess), not someone poor. Poverty would not help his tiger-hunting mission.

Final Answer: She must have tigers in her estate