The free ncert class 12 english vistas pdf chapter 2 The Tiger King is the official Reprint 2026-27 release from NCERT, aligned to the CBSE 2026-27 English Core syllabus. The chapter, written by the Tamil writer Kalki Krishnamurthy (1899-1954), runs to about 10 pages inside the Vistas supplementary reader and is the second literature piece of Class 12 Vistas.
- CBSE Weightage: 6 marks per Vistas Long Answer in Section C, drawn from the Reading with Insight questions
The chapter carries 7 Reading with Insight questions at the end - CBSE Vistas Long Answers are pulled from this block. Read the source PDF before the Solutions or Notes on Collegedunia.
The chapter is a satirical short story about the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, prophesied at birth to be killed by a tiger. The Maharaja vows to kill one hundred tigers to defy the prophecy. He kills ninety-nine and finally orders the killing of the hundredth - a weak, half-starved beast. The story closes with the Maharaja being killed not by a real tiger but by a cheap wooden toy tiger gifted to his son. Kalki uses the tale to satirise royal arrogance, sycophantic court culture, the colonial-era taxidermy fashion, and the futility of trying to outwit fate.
This page is the entry point to the official NCERT source material. Pair it with the Collegedunia NCERT Solutions and Notes for active practice and revision.
Also Check:
- The Tiger King Class 12 NCERT Solutions PDF
- The Tiger King Class 12 Vistas Notes
- CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2026-27
What's Inside the Chapter 2 The Tiger King NCERT PDF
The Reprint 2026-27 edition keeps Chapter 2 of NCERT Class 12 Vistas intact at about 10 pages. One About-the-Author note, the full story by Kalki, and one Reading with Insight question block cover the chapter end to end.
| NCERT Block | Pages | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| About the author and Notes block | 1 | Kalki Krishnamurthy (1899-1954); Tamil short-story writer and journalist; Vistas reader |
| The Story (Maharaja's narrative) | 7 to 8 | The prophecy at birth, the tigers killed in his own state, marriage to a princess from a state of plentiful tigers, the diwan's planted tiger, the hundredth tiger, the wooden toy and the splinter, the autopsy and the funeral |
| Reading with Insight | 1 | Seven Long-Answer prompts on theme, satire, character, narrative voice, and the moral of the story |
The Tiger King Video Chapter Walkthrough
Source: Magnet Brains on YouTube
Class 12 Vistas Chapter 2 End-of-Chapter Question Inventory
The chapter ends with seven Reading with Insight questions. CBSE pulls one 6-mark Long Answer from this block in every Vistas slot. The table maps every question to the concept it tests.
| Q# | Prompt | Skill Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power - discuss | Theme: satire; royal arrogance; the futility of defying nature |
| Q2 | What is the author's indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to senseless slaughter? | Value-based reasoning; conservation argument; animal-rights reading |
| Q3 | How would you describe the behaviour of the Maharaja's minions towards him? Was he an example of a "yes-man"? | Character study; sycophancy; the diwan as a comic foil |
| Q4 | Can you relate instances of game-hunting among the rich and the powerful in the present times that illustrate the callousness of human beings towards wildlife? | Value-based reasoning; contemporary parallels; conservation |
| Q5 | We need a new system for the age of ecology - a system which is embedded in the care of all people. Discuss. | Value-based reasoning; ecological ethics; the chapter's moral charge |
| Q6 | How does the story enable us to view the events of the past with a humorous and ironic eye? | Narrative voice; Kalki's tonal control; irony and satire |
| Q7 | The Maharaja's tragic end - inevitability versus arrogance | Theme: fate versus free will; the wooden toy as the fatal instrument |
CBSE has set at least one 6-mark Long Answer from this block in every recent Vistas slot.
2026-27 Rationalisation Note for Chapter 2
The NCERT 2026-27 reprint keeps The Tiger King fully intact inside the Vistas supplementary reader. No part of the story, About-the-Author note, or Reading with Insight question has been removed. Students should treat the chapter as fully examinable for the Vistas slot of the CBSE English Core Board paper.
| Status | Item | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Kept | About-the-Author note on Kalki Krishnamurthy (1899-1954) | CBSE 1-mark MCQs draw nationality, dates, and source-language from this paragraph |
| Kept | The full text of the story across about 7-8 pages | Anchor for every text-grounded Long Answer; line-level quotation is mandatory in the 6-mark slot |
| Kept | All seven Reading with Insight questions | The only Long-Answer prompts CBSE rotates for Vistas Chapter 2 every year |
How Collegedunia Pairs the NCERT PDF with Active Practice
- Pair this PDF with the Collegedunia The Tiger King Class 12 NCERT Solutions to see every Reading with Insight question answered as a 6-mark Long Answer with text-grounded anchors.
- Use the Collegedunia The Tiger King Notes for the chapter summary, character sketches of the Maharaja and the diwan, the satire-and-irony map, and the year-wise PYQ analysis.
- The Handwritten Notes condense the plot beats into a scanned student notebook ideal for last-week revision.
NCERT Book PDFs for Class 12 English Vistas: All Chapters
| Chapter | NCERT Book PDF |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | The Third Level PDF |
| Chapter 3 | Journey to the End of the Earth PDF |
| Chapter 4 | The Enemy PDF |
| Chapter 5 | On the Face of It PDF |
| Chapter 6 | Memories of Childhood PDF |
FAQs on The Tiger King Class 12 NCERT Book PDF
FAQs on The Tiger King Class 12 NCERT Book PDF
Who is the author of The Tiger King Class 12?
The Tiger King is written by the Tamil short-story writer and journalist Kalki Krishnamurthy (1899-1954). It appears as Chapter 2 in the Class 12 Vistas supplementary reader for English Core.
What is the central theme of The Tiger King?
The story is a satire on royal arrogance and the futility of trying to outwit fate. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram tries to defy a birth prophecy by killing one hundred tigers, but is finally killed by a cheap wooden toy tiger - the chapter's ironic punchline.
How does the Tiger King die in the story?
The Maharaja dies of an infected wound caused by a splinter from a cheap wooden toy tiger he gifts to his son. The toy was carved badly and a sliver pierces his hand; the wound turns septic. Kalki uses the wooden tiger as the final ironic instrument of the prophecy.
Why does the Maharaja kill tigers in the story?
At birth, astrologers prophesy that the Maharaja will be killed by a tiger. He vows to kill one hundred tigers to defy fate. He kills ninety-nine in his own state and the diwan finally arranges the hundredth - a half-starved beast that the Maharaja shoots and presumes dead.
Is the NCERT Class 12 Vistas Chapter 2 PDF free to download?
Yes. The official NCERT Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 2 The Tiger King PDF (Reprint 2026-27) is free to download on Collegedunia. Use the flipbook above to read every page online.
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