Question

Who wanted a photograph of himself holding the gun and standing over the tiger's carcass?

• A. The Durai
• B. The courtier
• C. The astrologer
• D. The king

Hint:

"The Tiger King" is a satire on power, pride, and the foolishness of trying to defy fate. The king's desire for a photograph with his hundredth tiger symbolizes his vanity and his desperate attempt to prove the prophecy wrong.

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 Story "The Tiger King":

"The Tiger King" is a satirical story about Maharaja Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, also known as the Tiger King. The story revolves around his obsession with tigers and a prophecy that predicted his death would come from a tiger.

Key Plot Points:

The Prophecy:
At his birth, astrologers predicted that the Tiger King would die at the hands of a tiger. The prophecy suggested that he would be killed by a tiger after he had killed one hundred tigers.

The Obsession:
Upon hearing this prophecy, the king vowed to kill one hundred tigers to prove the astrologers wrong. He became completely obsessed with tiger hunting.

The Photograph:
Throughout the story, the king is portrayed as someone eager to display his achievements and power. After killing tigers, he would pose with his gun over the tiger’s carcass for photographs.

The Specific Incident:
When the king kills what he believes to be his hundredth tiger, he wants to celebrate this milestone. He specifically asks for a photograph of himself holding the gun and standing over the tiger’s carcass to commemorate his achievement and demonstrate that he had defeated the prophecy.

The Irony:
Ironically, the hundredth tiger was not actually killed by the king’s bullet—it died from shock after being shot at. Later, the king meets his death because of a wooden tiger toy that causes an infection, thus fulfilling the prophecy that his death would come from a tiger.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

(A) The Durai:
The Durai was a British officer whom the king had to appease by not hunting in his territory.

(B) The Courtier:
Courtiers served and accompanied the king during hunts but were not the ones requesting such photographs.

(C) The Astrologer:
The astrologers predicted the king’s fate but had no involvement in the tiger hunt celebrations or photographs.

Final Answer: The King