Mrs. Packletide's Tiger - Questions and Answers

Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger - Story Notes, Summary, and (extra) Questions-Answers for Class 7 & 8

Introduction: "Mrs. Packletide's Tiger" is a witty and humorous short story by Saki (H.H. Munro) that deals with themes of vanity, jealousy, and the lengths people will go to for personal pride. The story is set in British India and centres around Mrs. Packletide, an upper-class British woman, who is determined to shoot a tiger not out of bravery or necessity, but simply to upstage her rival, Loona Bimberton.

Story Summary: The story revolves around Mrs. Packletide's desire to kill a tiger in order to outshine Loona Bimberton, who recently garnered fame by flying in an airplane. Mrs. Packletide plans to shoot an old tiger that poses no real danger, bribing the villagers to help her set up the perfect shot. However, despite all her careful planning, when she finally shoots, the bullet misses the tiger and kills a goat instead. The tiger dies of a heart attack caused by the sound of the gunshot. Mrs. Packletide takes credit for killing the tiger, but her companion, Miss Mebbin, blackmails her with the truth.

To help students prepare for exams, the post will include detailed question-answer sections covering:

• Short answer questions focusing on key plot points.
• Long answer questions discussing themes, character motivations, and the story’s irony.
• Extra questions for practice, encouraging deeper analysis of Saki's writing style and use of satire.

In this blog post, students will get comprehensive notes, a story summary, and all necessary questions and answers to understand and master "Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger" for their exams.

Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger - Questions-Answers 

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

Ans: Mrs. Packletide decided to give a party in Loona Bimberton’s honour, not out of genuine admiration, but as a subtle way to display her triumph of shooting the tiger. She planned to present Loona with a tiger-claw brooch at the party, which was her way of flaunting her own achievement and subtly outshining Loona's recent fame from her flight in an airplane.

She had planned on giving Loona Bimberton a tiger-claw brooch for her birthday.

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

Ans. Miss Mebbin was Mrs. Packletide’s paid companion. She was far from devoted to Mrs. Packletide; in fact, she was shrewd and opportunistic. During the tiger shooting, she showed no excitement for Mrs. Packletide’s ambition. Instead, she was more concerned with saving money, scolding Mrs. Packletide for spending too much on the goat used as bait. Her behavior was cold and calculative, focused on her own interests rather than supporting Mrs. Packletide.

3. Mrs. Packletide was a good shot. Discuss.

Ans. Mrs. Packletide was not a good shot at all. In fact, during the tiger hunt, she missed her target completely. Instead of hitting the tiger, she accidentally shot the baited goat. The tiger died of a heart attack from the sound of the gunshot, not from her skill. This shows that her claim of being a good shot was false, and her "achievement" was purely circumstantial.

4. What comment did Miss Mebbin make after Mrs Packletide fired the shot? Why did Miss Mebbin make this comment? How did Mrs Packletide react to this comment?

Ans. Miss Mebbin revealed that Mrs Packletide had killed the goat instead of the tiger. The tiger had simply died due to heart failure. 

She made this comment to make Mrs Packletide realise that she was unsuccessful in her mission. 

Mrs Packletide was very annoyed after knowing the fact.

5. Did Mrs. Packletide achieve her heart’s desire? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans: No, Mrs. Packletide did not fully achieve her heart’s desire. While she did manage to outshine Loona Bimberton and gain some social recognition for her "tiger kill," it came at a significant cost. She was forced to buy Miss Mebbin a weekend cottage to keep her silence, and the experience ultimately left her disillusioned. In the end, Mrs. Packletide gave up tiger hunting altogether because of the high incidental expenses.

6. How did Miss Mebbin manage to get her week-end cottage? Why did she plant so many tiger lillies in her garden?

Ans. Miss Mebbin blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying her a weekend cottage by threatening to reveal the truth about the tiger's death. She knew that Mrs. Packletide didn’t actually shoot the tiger and leveraged this information to her advantage. 

Miss Mebbin planted tiger lilies in her garden as a symbolic and somewhat mocking reminder of how she acquired the cottage—through the tiger hunt scandal.

7. “The incidental expenses are so heavy,” she confides to inquiring friends. Who is the speaker? What is she referring to here?

Ans. The speaker is Mrs. Packletide. 

She is referring to the hidden costs of her tiger-hunting adventure. Though she gained some temporary fame from the event, she had to deal with unexpected expenses, particularly the cost of buying Miss Mebbin a weekend cottage to ensure her silence. The phrase "incidental expenses" humorously underscores the irony of her vanity-driven pursuit.

8. Do you think the silent figure of Loona Bimberton in the background plays a crucial role in the story? Explain.

Ans. If not to show off and overpower Loona, Mrs Packletide wouldn’t have thought of killing a tiger. The only function of the attention-seeking London socialite Loona Bimberton in the narrative is to provoke Mrs Packletide, to which Mrs Packletide reacts with jealousy and takes upon the task of outshining her.

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

Ans. Mrs. Packletide wanted to kill a tiger purely out of vanity and jealousy. Her main motive was to outshine her social rival, Loona Bimberton, who had recently gained attention for flying in an airplane with an Algerian pilot.

10. How was the tiger shooting arranged? What kind of tiger was chosen for the purpose?

Ans. The tiger shooting was carefully arranged by the villagers, who were paid 1,000 rupees by Mrs. Packletide. They chose an old, decrepit tiger for the hunt, which was so weak and feeble that it was known to only hunt domestic animals like goats. This ensured that Mrs. Packletide could shoot the tiger easily without much danger or effort.

11. How did the villagers react to the tiger's death?

Ans: The villagers were thrilled by the tiger's death, regardless of how it happened. They were more interested in the monetary reward promised by Mrs. Packletide than in the actual shooting. Once the tiger died—despite it being from a heart attack rather than Mrs. Packletide’s shot—they celebrated the event as if it had been a successful hunt, eager to collect the reward.

12. In what way did the villagers help Mrs. Packletide shoot the tiger?

Ans: The villagers helped Mrs. Packletide shoot the tiger in various ways. They built a platform in a tree for her to shoot from and placed a goat as bait to lure the tiger. Children were posted as lookouts at the edge of the jungle, and goats were scattered around to keep the tiger satisfied and prevent it from wandering off. When the tiger finally died, the villagers were overjoyed and quickly carried the news back to the village, ensuring the success of Mrs. Packletide's hunt.

13. Why was Mrs Packletide jealous of Loona Bimberton?

Ans: an Algerian pilot carried Loona for eleven miles in an aeroplane. This makes her very jealous of Loona and she decides to somehow run down her experience.

14. How did dislike of Loona Bimberton affect Mrs. Packletide's life?

Ans: Packletide's obsession with Mrs. Bimberton and her desire to outdo her ultimately leads to her guilt and anxiety, which affects her happiness and enjoyment of her supposed success. She becomes a victim of her own ambition and envy, and her dislike for Mrs. Bimberton ends up causing her more harm than good. In this story, Loona Bimberton act as a foil to Mrs. Packletide's jealous behaviors. 

15. What did Loona Bimberton do?

Answer: Loona Bimberton, a social rival of Mrs. Packletide, gained significant attention and admiration for her adventurous spirit after flying in an airplane with an Algerian pilot. Her thrilling experience captured the interest of society, making her the center of attention. This fame was the catalyst for Mrs. Packletide's desire to outshine her by shooting a tiger. Loona Bimberton again became supremely jealous when Mrs. Packletide steals her limelight by supposedly shooting a tiger in India.

16. What discovery annoyed Mrs Packletide?

Answer: The discovery that she had shot the wrong animal and the fact that the old tiger had died of heart-failure due to the sound of the gun upset and annoyed Mrs. Packletide.

or,

Mrs. Packletide was annoyed to discover that Miss Mebbin, who accompanied her on the tiger hunt, had realized the truth about how the tiger actually died. Instead of being shot by Mrs. Packletide, the tiger died of a heart attack caused by the noise of the gunshot.  

17. Why did Mrs. Packletide altogether stop tiger hunting?

Answer: Packletide gave up big-game shooting as she found it to be an affair where 'incidental expenses' were heavy. She had to pay a lot for the tiger-killing as Miss Mebbin blackmailed her into paying for a weekend cottage. Apart from this she had to pay the villagers as well for helping her in the killing of the animal.

18. What happened after Mrs Packletide had fired the shot?

Answer: Packletide fired the shot it hit the goat and not the tiger. But both the goat and the tiger died the goat from the bullet wound and the tiger due to the sound of bullet. He died perhaps of heart-failure.

19. Who was Miss Mebbin?

Answer: Miss Mebbin was a paid companion to Mrs. Packletide. 

20. Why Miss Mebbin's loyalty to Mrs Packletide is questionable?

Answer: It's questionable because her loyalty is only towards money. She was just behaving like her elder sister but actually, she was a calculative mind lady. So, this was her fake loyalty as in the end, she just blackmailed Mrs packletides. Overall, we can say she was only loyal for money.

21. How did Miss Mebbin attempt to blackmail Mrs Packletide? / How did Miss Mebbin use the incident to her advantage?

Answer: Louisa Mebbin blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying her the weekend cottage or else she would have told Loona Bimberton that it was not the tiger but a mere goat that Mrs. Packletide had shot. The tiger lilies would always remind of how she had procured the cottage.

22. Why did Louisa talk loudly in Hindustani?

Answer: Louisa talked loudly in hindustani, for the benefit of village headman, who was in ambush in a neighbouring tree.

23. What type of lady was Mrs Packletide?

Answer: Packletide as portrayed in the story is a jealous woman. She is competitive envious materialistic and vain. When Loona Bimberton tells her about her recent travel for eleven miles in an aeroplane she immediately decides to outdo her and present her with a tiger-claw brooch from a tiger shot by herself.

24. Why did Miss Mebbin name her cottage 'Les Fauves'?

Answer: Miss Mebbin named her cottage Les Fauves, which translates to "The Beasts" in French, which reflects her mockery of Mrs. Packletide's attempt to gain fame by shooting a tiger and it also serves as a reminder of how she acquired the cottage through blackmail. 

25. Why did Mrs. Packletide face the camera with a light heart? 

Answer: Mrs. Packletide faced the camera with a light heart because she believed she had achieved her goal of outshining Loona Bimberton by becoming a celebrated tiger hunter. Despite the comical circumstances surrounding the tiger's death and the subsequent blackmail by Miss Mebbin, she felt a sense of triumph and pride in her supposed accomplishment.

26. What was the primary motivation behind Mrs. Packletide’s decision to hunt the tiger?

Answer. Mrs. Packletide wanted to hunt the tiger to outshine her social rival, Loona Bimberton, who had recently gained attention for flying in an airplane with an Algerian pilot. Mrs. Packletide hoped that by shooting a tiger, she would garner more fame and admiration.

27. How did Mrs. Packletide arrange for the tiger hunt?

Answer. Mrs. Packletide paid the villagers a thousand rupees to help her shoot an old, weak tiger. The villagers made every arrangement to ensure the tiger was easy prey, even tying a goat as bait to lure the tiger to a specific spot.

28. Why did Mrs. Packletide want to kill a tiger?

Ans: Mrs. Packletide wanted to kill a tiger primarily out of vanity and jealousy. She desired to outshine her social rival, Loona Bimberton, who had recently been celebrated for flying in an airplane. Mrs. Packletide wanted to gain similar fame and attention by shooting a tiger and showcasing her "bravery."

29. How did Mrs. Packletide arrange for the tiger hunt?

Ans: Mrs. Packletide arranged the tiger hunt by bribing the villagers with a sum of one thousand rupees. The villagers were tasked with finding an old, harmless tiger and making all the necessary arrangements to ensure that the hunt would go smoothly. They even tied a goat as bait to lure the tiger to a convenient location for Mrs. Packletide.

30. Who was Loona Bimberton, and why was she significant to Mrs. Packletide?

Ans: Loona Bimberton was a social rival of Mrs. Packletide. She gained public admiration after flying in an airplane, which triggered Mrs. Packletide’s desire to achieve something equally grand. Loona's accomplishment made Mrs. Packletide envious, motivating her to kill a tiger so she could gain similar attention and one-up Loona.

31. What role did Miss Mebbin play in the story?

Ans: Miss Mebbin was Mrs. Packletide's companion and chaperone during the tiger hunt. She was a shrewd, money-minded woman who noticed that Mrs. Packletide had not actually killed the tiger—the tiger died of a heart attack caused by the gunshot sound. Later, Miss Mebbin blackmailed Mrs. Packletide with this information, demanding financial favours in exchange for her silence.

32. How did the tiger actually die?

Ans: The tiger did not die from Mrs. Packletide’s shot. It was a very old tiger that collapsed and died of a heart attack caused by the sound of the gunshot, not the bullet itself. Mrs. Packletide’s shot missed the tiger and instead killed the goat that had been tied as bait.

33. What did the villagers receive in exchange for helping Mrs. Packletide?

Ans: The villagers received one thousand rupees from Mrs. Packletide in exchange for their help in organizing the tiger hunt. Their job was to ensure that the tiger would appear in a suitable position for Mrs. Packletide to easily shoot it.

34. How did Miss Mebbin blackmail Mrs. Packletide?

Ans: Miss Mebbin blackmailed Mrs. Packletide by threatening to reveal the truth about the tiger’s death. She knew that the tiger had died of a heart attack and not from Mrs. Packletide’s shot. In exchange for her silence, Miss Mebbin demanded money to buy a cottage, which Mrs. Packletide reluctantly agreed to pay for.

35. What was the ultimate outcome of Mrs. Packletide’s tiger hunt?

Ans: The ultimate outcome of Mrs. Packletide’s tiger hunt was not as she had planned. Although she gained temporary fame and was able to boast about killing a tiger, the truth of the tiger’s death remained hidden due to Miss Mebbin’s blackmail. Mrs. Packletide had to buy Miss Mebbin a cottage to keep her quiet, and the entire experience left her disillusioned. She ultimately gave up big-game hunting, finding it too expensive.

36. Mrs. Packletide Character.

Ans: Mrs. Packletide is portrayed as vain, status-obsessed, and highly competitive. Her desire to shoot a tiger stems from her jealousy of Loona Bimberton and her obsession with gaining social recognition. She is willing to go to extreme lengths to maintain her image, arranging a staged hunt where every detail is controlled to ensure her success without risk. Mrs. Packletide lacks real courage and skill, as shown when she misses the tiger and accidentally shoots the goat. Her superficiality is further highlighted by her inability to see the absurdity of her actions. Despite achieving her goal of gaining attention, she is ultimately outwitted and blackmailed by Miss Mebbin, highlighting the foolishness of her superficial pursuit for fame.

37. Miss Mebbin Character.

Ans: Miss Mebbin is portrayed as shrewd, manipulative, and greedy. While employed as Mrs. Packletide’s companion, she shows little loyalty or affection for her employer. She is more concerned about money and even criticizes Mrs. Packletide for spending too much on the goat used to lure the tiger. During the tiger hunt, she is calculating and observant, quickly realizing that Mrs. Packletide didn’t actually kill the tiger. Instead of staying quiet, she uses this information to blackmail Mrs. Packletide into buying her a weekend cottage. Miss Mebbin's character reveals her opportunistic and self-serving nature, as she always looks out for her own interests.

Mrs. Packletide's Tiger - Reference to the Context

1. 'I believe it's ill', said Lousia Mebbin.

a. Who is the speaker addressing here?

b. Who or what is the speaker referring to?

c. How did Lousia Mebbin know it was ill?

d. What happened soon after? Why was it an anti-climax?

Answer: 

a) The speaker Lousia Mebbin is addressing Mrs Packletide.

b) The speaker is referring to the tiger, Mrs Packletide planned to hunt.

c) When the tiger appeared near the bait the villagers set up, it did not go for it immediately, rather the tiger lay flat on the earth as if it wanted to take a short rest. Seeing that, Lousia Mebbin knew it was ill.

d) Soon after, the tiger commenced to ambling toward the bait and Lousia Mebbin asked Mrs Packletide to shoot the tiger and the rifle flashed out with a loud report. The tiger sprang to one side and then rolled over in the stillness of death.

As the tiger was killed, the villagers erupted in triumph, which delighted Mrs. Packletide as she felt she was one step closer to outsmarting Loona Bimberton. However, the situation took a sudden turn when Louisa Mebbin revealed that the tiger had actually died from a heart failure caused by the sound of the rifle. The bullet had missed the tiger and hit a goat instead. The outcome was far less dramatic and important than anticipated making it an anti-climax.

2. 'You surely wouldn't give me away?' 

a. Who said these words and to whom?

b. What had the listener said just prior to the quoted line?

c. What did the listener say soon after? What character trait of the listener is brought out by those words?

d. What did the speaker resolve to do at the end of the story? Why?

Answer: 

a) Mrs. Packletide said these words to  Miss Louisa Mebbin.

b) Just before the quoted line, Miss Mebbin threatened that she could reveal the truth about the tiger hunt — that Mrs. Packletide had actually missed her shot and the tiger had died of a heart attack caused by the gunshot sound. When Mrs. Packletide claimed no one would believe such a story, Miss Mebbin cunningly countered by saying that Loona Bimberton, Mrs. Packletide’s social rival, would certainly believe it. This veiled threat revealed Miss Mebbin's intention to use the situation to her advantage over Mrs. Packletide.

c) Soon after Miss Mebbin responded by hinting that she wouldn’t say anything—if she received financial compensation. She made it clear that she wanted to buy a weekend cottage and needed the money for it. This comment reveals Miss Mebbin’s shrewd and calculating nature, as she used her knowledge of Mrs. Packletide’s failed tiger hunt to blackmail her. Her opportunistic and manipulative character is evident in how she exploits the situation to benefit herself, showing no loyalty or genuine concern for Mrs. Packletide.

d) At the end of the story, Mrs. Packletide resolved to give up tiger hunting altogether. She made this decision because Mrs. Packletide was forced to buy Miss Mebbin a weekend cottage to keep her silent, which made her realize that the pursuit of fame and vanity had come with unexpected and burdensome “incidental expenses.” As a result, she decided that tiger hunting was not worth the trouble.

Mrs. Packletide's Tiger - Q-A ends. Hope it helps. Thank You~