10.(a) The great night duly arrived, moonlit and cloudless. A platform had been constructed in a comfortable and conveniently placed tree, and thereon crouched Mrs. Packletide and her paid companion, Miss Mebbin. A goat, gifted with a particularly persistent bleat, such as even a partially deaf tiger might be reasonably expected to hear on a still night, was tethered at the correct distance. With an accurately sighted rifle and a thumbnail pack of patience cards the sportswoman awaited the coming of the quarry. (Mrs. Packletide's Tiger) (iv) Which word in the passage is closest in meaning to the following phrase ? A person or animal being hunted or looked for.
10.(a) The great night duly arrived, moonlit and cloudless. A platform had been constructed in a comfortable and conveniently placed tree, and thereon crouched Mrs. Packletide and her paid companion, Miss Mebbin. A goat, gifted with a particularly persistent bleat, such as even a partially deaf tiger might be reasonably expected to hear on a still night, was tethered at the correct distance. With an accurately sighted rifle and a thumbnail pack of patience cards the sportswoman awaited the coming of the quarry. (Mrs. Packletide's Tiger) (iv) Which word in the passage is closest in meaning to the following phrase ? A person or animal being hunted or looked for.
Quarry — it means a person or animal being hunted, chased or looked for; in the extract it refers to the tiger Mrs. Packletide is waiting to shoot.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark: correct one-word answer — 'quarry'.
- 2No mark deducted if the student also correctly explains it refers to the tiger.
- 3Zero marks for supplying a synonym not present in the passage (e.g. 'prey', 'target') since the question asks for the word IN the passage.
Hint
Look at the last line of the extract — one word means 'the animal being hunted'.
Quick Oral Answer
The word is 'quarry' — it means the animal being hunted, and in this extract it refers to the tiger that Mrs. Packletide is waiting to shoot.
Analysis & Explanation
Vocabulary-in-context question from Saki's 'Mrs. Packletide's Tiger', testing the word 'quarry'.
Concept
- 'Quarry' means a person or animal being hunted, chased or pursued.
- Context clues (sportswoman, accurately sighted rifle, awaited the coming of) confirm the hunting sense, not the stone-pit sense.
Key points
- The word occurs in the closing line: 'the sportswoman awaited the coming of the quarry.'
- Here the quarry is the tiger Mrs. Packletide hopes to shoot to outdo her rival Loona Bimberton.
Common mistakes
- Confusing 'quarry' (prey) with 'quarry' (a stone pit).
- Giving a synonym such as 'prey' or 'target' instead of the exact word from the passage.
Real-world irony
- The story's satire: this grand 'quarry' turns out to be an old, sickly tiger that dies of a heart attack from the gun's report, not the bullet, deflating Mrs. Packletide's heroic pose.
Common Mistakes
- 1Writing 'prey' or 'target' — these are synonyms but are NOT the word used in the passage; the question specifically asks for the word in the extract.
- 2Confusing 'quarry' with its unrelated meaning of a stone/mineral pit.
- 3Giving a full sentence when only the single word is required.
Previously Asked
Find the meaning of the word: shrill (Para 1)
Find the meaning of the word: deliberately (Para 2)
Interesting Facts
'Mrs. Packletide's Tiger' was written by Saki (pen name of H. H. Munro), who was killed in 1916 in World War I; his last recorded words were reportedly 'Put that bloody cigarette out.'
The word 'quarry' in the hunting sense comes from the Old French 'cuiree', the parts of a slain animal placed on the hide and fed to the hounds after a hunt.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'quarry' mean in Mrs. Packletide's Tiger?
In this extract 'quarry' means a person or animal that is being hunted or pursued. It refers to the tiger that Mrs. Packletide is waiting to shoot from her tree platform.
Why is 'quarry' the answer and not 'prey'?
The question asks for the word that appears IN the passage. Only 'quarry' is present in the extract; 'prey' is a synonym but does not occur in the text, so it would not earn the mark.