Class 12 English — Chapter 2: The Tiger King

Chapter 2: The Tiger King is a chapter in Class 12 English (Vistas), part of the CBSE NCERT curriculum followed by over 25 million students across India. This chapter covers 8 topics including The Astrologer's Prophecy, The Maharaja's Vow and Tiger Hunt, Conflict with British Authority. BrainWeave provides free AI-powered explanations — by voice or text, in Hindi or English — with no signup required.

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What you'll learn

▸The Astrologer's ProphecyCore concept

prophecyastrologerhour of the Bullten-day-oldmanner of death
▸The Maharaja's Vow and Tiger HuntCore concept

hundred tigersvowtiger huntPratibandapuramban
▸Conflict with British Authority

British officerduraidiamond ringsthree lakhkingdom
▸The King's All-Consuming ObsessionCore concept

obsessionmarriagetiger populationfather-in-lawninety-nine tigers
▸The Anticlimax of the Hundredth TigerCore concept

hundredth tigerdewanmissed shotfaintedprocession
▸The Ironic Demise of the Tiger KingCore concept

ironywooden tigersliverinfectionfinal revenge
▸Character of the Tiger KingCore concept

hubrisarrogancewhimsicalself-absorbedconceit
▸Satire on Power and Conceit

satireironyroyaltyexaggerationKalki

Chapter Summary

Understand the central prophecy made at the birth of the crown prince, Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, that his death would come from a tiger, and the infant's miraculous and defiant response.

Analyze the Maharaja's singular ambition to kill one hundred tigers to disprove the prophecy, leading him to ban tiger hunting for everyone else and neglect all his state duties.

Examine the incident with the high-ranking British officer, where the Tiger King risked losing his kingdom to prevent another person from hunting a tiger, and how he appeased the officer's wife with expensive diamond rings.

Understand the extreme measures the King took to complete his tally, such as his decision to marry a princess from a state with a large tiger population solely to continue his hunt.

Analyze the events surrounding the hunt for the final tiger, including the dewan's desperate arrangement of an old tiger and the fact that the Maharaja's bullet actually missed its mark.

Explain the ultimate irony of the story: the king's death is not caused by a real tiger but by a tiny sliver from a poorly made wooden toy tiger, which he bought for his son.

Evaluate the Tiger King's character as an embodiment of arrogance, hubris, and foolishness, whose obsession with defying fate ultimately leads to his own absurd downfall.

Recognize the story as a political satire that uses exaggeration and irony to ridicule the vanity, eccentricity, and abuse of power by Indian royalty during the colonial era.

Practice Questions from this Chapter

Tap "Get Solution" on any question to ask our AI tutor.

Describe how tigers hunt. Get Solution →
Explain what royal prophecies were. Get Solution →
Compare different tiger species. Get Solution →
What is the common name used to refer to the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram in the story? Get Solution →
According to the chief astrologer's prediction, what would be the cause of the King's death? Get Solution →
How old was the infant prince when he first spoke? Get Solution →
What did the Maharaja ban in his state to help achieve his goal? Get Solution →
How many tigers did the Maharaja vow to kill? Get Solution →

Did you know?

💡 Tigers have stripes on their skin, not just their fur.
💡 A group of tigers is actually called an ambush or a streak.
💡 Historically, hunting large animals was a royal sport in many cultures.
💡 The art of predicting the future using stars began over 4,000 years ago.
💡 Ancient cultures often believed animal actions could foretell the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many topics are covered in this chapter?

This chapter covers 8 key topics: The Astrologer's Prophecy, The Maharaja's Vow and Tiger Hunt, Conflict with British Authority, The King's All-Consuming Obsession, The Anticlimax of the Hundredth Tiger, and more. The BrainWeave AI tutor explains each one with examples.

Is Chapter 2: The Tiger King important for board exams?

Yes — Class 12 is a CBSE board exam year, and every NCERT chapter is part of the syllabus. Use BrainWeave's AI tutor to master this chapter, then practice with the auto-generated quizzes and mind maps.

Can I get NCERT solutions for this chapter in Hindi?

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Is BrainWeave free for Class 12 - Commerce?

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Related Chapters

Chapter 1: The Third Level

Chapter 3: Journey to the end of the Earth

Chapter 4: The Enemy

Chapter 5: On The Face Of It

Chapter 6: Memories of Childhood

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