Mrs Packletide (3N Narrative Compre)

It was Mrs Packletide's pleasure and intention that she should shoot a tiger. Not that she suddenly had a lust to kill, or that she felt that she would leave India safer with one tiger less. The compelling motive was the fact that her neighbour, Loona Bimberton, had recently flown twenty kilometres in an aeroplane with an Algerian aviator, and gushed of nothing else but the handsome pilot. Only a personally acquired tiger-skin in a tiger-hunt and a heavy harvest of photographs could successfully counter Loona Bimberton.

Why did Mrs Packletide want to shoot a tiger?

• India will become safer with one less tiger.

• She loves to kill tigers.

• She wanted to show Loona Bimberton that can catch a tiger.

• She wanted to brag to Loona Bimberton that she managed to catch a tiger, which is better than her flying experience with the handsome pilot.

It was Mrs Packletide's pleasure and intention that she should shoot a tiger. Not that she suddenly had a lust to kill, or that she felt that she would leave India safer with one tiger less. The compelling motive was the fact that her neighbour, Loona Bimberton, had recently flown twenty kilometres in an aeroplane with an Algerian aviator, and gushed of nothing else but the handsome pilot.

What is an Algerian aviator?

• It is the handsome pilot from Algeria.

• It is an aeroplane that is made in Algeria.

Mrs Packletide had already planned the lunch she would give at her house, supposedly in Loona Bimberton's honour, but her recently acquired tiger-skin rug would dominate all of their conversation for the day. She had also already designed in her mind the tiger-claw brooch that she was going to give Loona Bimberton on her next birthday.

Based on the text above, pick a statement that is TRUE about Mrs Packletide as a friend.

• She is a really thoughtful friend who wants to have lunch with Loona Bimberton and even has a birthday gift prepared for her.

• She is pretending to be a nice friend to Loona Bimberton, but all she wants to do is to brag about her acquiring a tiger.

In a world that is supposed to be mainly swayed by hunger and by love, Mrs Packletide was an exception; everything she did revolved largely around her dislike of Loona Bimberton.

What does it mean by "in a world that is supposed to be mainly swayed by hunger and by love"?

• People make decisions based on whether their basic needs (food, water and shelter) and whether it is their passion.

• People make decisions based on what they dislike and to make others people's life miserable.

Mrs Packletide had offered a thousand rupees for the opportunity of shooting a tiger without too much risk or exertion. Circumstances proved favourable towards Mrs Packletide. It so happened that a neighbouring village spoke of an old and ailing tiger which had abandoned hunting and confined its appetite to the smaller domestic animals.

What can you tell about Mrs Packletide?

• She is rich and wants the excitement to catch a tiger.

• She is poor and wants the excitement to catch a tiger.

• She is poor and does not want to spend too much effort and risk to catch a tiger.

• She is rich and does not want to spend too much effort and risk to catch a tiger.

Mrs Packletide had offered a thousand rupees for the opportunity of shooting a tiger without too much risk or exertion. Circumstances proved favourable towards Mrs Packletide. It so happened that a neighbouring village spoke of an old and ailing tiger which had abandoned hunting and confined its appetite to the smaller domestic animals.

Why were the circumstances favourable to Mrs Packletide?

• She offered a thousand rupees to shoot a tiger.

• There was an old tiger which was sickly and only hunts the small farm animals that are reared by a neighbouring village.

• She found a village where she ask people to find a tiger for her to shoot.

The prospect of earning the thousand rupees had stimulated the commercial instincts of the villagers; children were posted night and day on the outskirts of the local jungle to head the tiger back in case he attempted to roam away to fresh hunting-grounds, and the cheaper kinds of goats were deliberately left lying about to keep the tiger satisfied with his present quarters. The one greatest anxiety was that the tiger could die of old age before the date of the shooting.

Which statement is FALSE about the villagers' attitude towards the tiger?

• The villagers wanted to keep the tiger alive so that they can earn the 1000 rupees from Mrs Packletide.

• The villagers went all out to ensure that the tiger will remain alive by providing easy access to food to the tiger.

• The villagers got the children to monitor the tiger in fear that the tiger would attack the village anytime.

• The villagers were worried that the tiger will die before Mrs Packletide as they cannot control when it is going to die due to old age.

The one greatest anxiety was that the tiger could die of old age before the date of the shooting. Mothers carrying their babies home through the jungle after a day's work in the fields hushed their singing, in order not to curtail the restful sleep of the honourable herd-robber.

Who does the herd-robber refer to?

• The mothers

• Mrs Packletide

• The tiger

The one greatest anxiety was that the tiger could die of old age before the date of the shooting. Mothers carrying their babies home through the jungle after a day's work in the fields hushed their singing, in order not to curtail the restful sleep of the honourable herd-robber.

What does "honourable" tell your about the herd-robber?

• The herd-robber is respected and righteous.

• The herd-robber is without any morals.

The great night duly arrived, moonlit and cloudless. A platform had been constructed in a conveniently placed tree of a strategic height to ensure a safe and successful shoot (mind you, the tree was selected with great care to ensure that the height was just right; not too tall and not too short either).

In order to ensure that Mrs Packletide can kill the tiger accurately and prevent the tiger from pouncing up on them, the platform was at a strategic height, not too tall and not too short. True or false?

• True

• False