The Tale of Melon City Class 11: Summary, Satire and Answers
Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked
The Tale of Melon City by Vikram Seth is a comic poem in Snapshots. A 'just and placid' King orders an arch that knocks off his crown; his hunt for someone to hang ends with his own hanging. By custom, an idiot then picks a melon as King, and the people accept it while they keep peace and liberty.
What The Tale of Melon City is about
The Tale of Melon City by Vikram Seth is a humorous poem from his collection Mappings (1981), retelling a folk tale after Idries Shah. Written in rhyming couplets, it satirises foolish rulers, blind custom and the passing of blame.
The story in brief:
- the just and placid King orders a triumphal arch over the main road 'to edify spectators'
- riding under it, he loses his crown: the arch is too low
- he orders the chief of builders to be hanged; blame passes to the workmen, the masons, the architect and finally back to the King's own amendments
- the oldest, 'wisest' man says the arch must be hanged; a Councillor objects that it touched the King's head
- the restless crowd wants a hanging, so the noose is set high and only the King fits: he is hanged by royal decree
- by custom, the next man through the City Gate chooses the ruler; an idiot says 'A melon', and the melon is crowned
- the people do not mind, as long as they are left in peace and liberty: the principle of laissez faire
Snapshots is tested through an extract (4 x 1), a short answer (40-50 words, 3 marks) and a long answer (120-150 words, 6 marks). Typical questions: narrate the tale, what a 'just and placid' King's state is like, instances of humour and irony, and how peace and liberty can be maintained.
Weightage: Section C (Literature) carries 31 of the 80 theory marks in the school annual exam; Snapshots is tested through one prose extract of two (4 x 1), one of two short answers of 40-50 words (3) and one of two long answers of 120-150 words (6).Source: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus 2026-27, Class XI question paper design
The Tale of Melon City: explanation
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
In a certain city there ruled a King who was 'just and placid'. He ordered an arch to be built across the main road so that spectators would be edified. The workmen built it simply because he was the King. When the King rode beneath it, the arch was so low that it knocked off his crown.
Angry, he declared it a disgrace and ordered the chief of builders to be hanged. On his way to the gallows the chief blamed the workmen, so the King, 'being just', ordered them hanged instead. The workmen blamed the bricks' wrong size, the masons blamed the architect, and the architect reminded the King that he himself had changed the plans. Confused, the King sent for the wisest man in the land, a man so old he could neither walk nor see. He declared that the arch itself had banged off the crown and must be hanged. As the arch was led to the scaffold, a Councillor objected that it would be shameful to hang what had touched the King's head.
By now the crowd was restless. Sensing their mood, the King declared that the nation wanted a hanging immediately and that finer points of guilt could wait. The noose was set rather high, and every man was measured; only one was tall enough to fit: the King. So he was hanged by royal decree.
The Ministers were relieved that someone had been hanged, or the town might have turned against the Crown. Following custom, they proclaimed that the next man to pass the City Gate would choose the ruler. An idiot came by and, asked who should be King, gave his usual answer: 'A melon.' The Ministers crowned a melon and set it on the throne. Years later the people say they accept their melon King, for who are they to object as long as he leaves them in peace and liberty? Laissez faire, the poet notes, seems well established there.
Themes and message
Satire on foolish rulers
The King is called 'just and placid', but his justice is absurd: he wants someone hanged for a trivial mishap, keeps shifting the blame, and finally hangs himself by his own decree.
From the text: 'Hanged must be / Someone, and that immediately.'
Passing the blame
Everyone blames someone else: builders, workmen, masons, architect, until the blame returns to the King.
From the text: The architect: 'You made certain amendments to / The plans'.
Blind custom and mob mentality
Decisions are driven by a restless crowd and by custom rather than reason, leading to a melon becoming King.
From the text: The next man through the gate 'Will choose the ruler of our state, / As is our custom.'
Peace and liberty over power
The people care little who rules as long as they are left in peace and freedom: laissez faire.
From the text: 'as long as he / Leaves us in Peace and Liberty'
The speaker and the people in the poem
The King
The 'just and placid' ruler of the city.
- Self-important
- Foolishly 'just'
- Easily swayed by advisers and the crowd
- Indecisive
He changes the person to be hanged at each excuse and finally fits the noose himself.
The wisest man
An ancient counsellor.
- Too old to walk or see
- 'Wise' only in name
He advises that the arch be hanged.
The Ministers
The King's officials.
- Practical-minded
- Concerned mainly with keeping the crowd calm
They thank goodness someone was hanged and crown a melon by custom.
The idiot
The man who chooses the new ruler.
- Simple; fond of melons
'A melon' was his standard answer to all questions.
Poetic devices
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Rhyming couplets | 'There was a just and placid King' rhymes with 'sing'; 'crown' with 'frown' | Gives a light, sing-song, ballad-like tone suited to a comic tale. |
| Irony | The 'just' King is hanged by his own decree; a melon becomes King. | Exposes the foolishness behind the show of justice. |
| Humour and bathos | The oldest man is 'So old (and therefore wise)' | Mocks the idea that age alone brings wisdom. |
| Pun | 'In fact he nearly lost his head' | Plays on losing one's temper and losing one's head on the gallows. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
There was a just and placid King.
Poet: Opening.
Ironic description of the King.
They did so since he was the King.
Poet: The workmen build the arch.
Blind obedience to authority.
So old (and therefore wise) was he
Poet: Describing the wisest man.
Mocks the link between age and wisdom.
Leaves us in Peace and Liberty
The people: Explaining why they accept the melon.
What citizens really want from rulers.
The Tale of Melon City in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Passing the blame
Suppose a school project fails and each group member blames another, just as in the poem.
What does the poem suggest about such a blame game? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- In the poem the blame passes from builders to the King himself.
- Better: find the real cause, share responsibility and fix it.
Answer: The poem shows that passing blame only leads to absurd results; even the King turned out responsible. Our group should calmly find what went wrong, accept shared responsibility and correct it, instead of looking for someone to punish.
Memory hook: Fix the problem, not the blame.
Mob pressure
Imagine a crowd on social media demanding instant punishment for someone before facts are known.
Which part of the poem warns against this?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The King postponed 'finer points like guilt' because the crowd wanted a hanging.
- Justice must wait for facts.
Answer: The King's surrender to the restless crowd shows how mob pressure destroys justice.
Memory hook: A crowd's anger is not a court.
Questioning customs
Suppose your community follows a practice no one can explain, simply 'because it has always been done'.
How does the melon King episode comment on this?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Custom alone made a melon the ruler.
- Customs should be examined for sense.
Answer: Following custom without thought can lead to absurd outcomes; we should ask whether a practice still makes sense.
Memory hook: Custom is not a reason.
Topics in this chapter
How the school exam asks The Tale of Melon City
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Snapshots extract (Q12, 4 x 1) | Lines on the arch, the blame game, the wise man, the hanging, or the melon King. | Spot irony and humour; explain who is speaking and why. |
| Short answer (Q14, 40-50 words, 3 marks) | How blame passed; the wise man's advice; why the King was hanged; how the melon became King. | Give events in order with a short quotation. |
| Long answer (Q16, 120-150 words, 6 marks) | Narrate the tale; satire on rulers; humour and irony; peace and liberty in a state. | Organise by events or devices; add a reflective point about governance. |
Tricks to remember The Tale of Melon City
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Blame ladder
Builders → workmen → bricks/masons → architect → King.
Use it when: Sequence of blame.
Arch, crown, noose, melon
Four objects tell the whole tale.
Use it when: Narrating the poem.
Just and placid
Read it as ironic every time it appears.
Use it when: Tone questions.
The Tale of Melon City: extract-based questions
Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.
Extract 1: The noose fits
But only one man was so tall
He fitted. One man. That was all.
He was the King. His Majesty
Was therefore hanged by Royal Decree.
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Just before this, the noose is set up somewhat high and each man is measured by and by. Why was every man measured?
(a) to choose a new King (b) to find someone tall enough to fit the noose (c) to build a new arch (d) to choose soldiers(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Who fitted the noose?
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What is ironic about 'hanged by Royal Decree'?
(4) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Why was a hanging needed at all?
Show the answersAnswers
- (b) to find someone tall enough to fit the noose
- The King himself.
- The King is executed by his own order, the very order he gave to satisfy the crowd.
- The restless crowd wanted one, and the King feared their mood.
Extract 2: Peace and liberty
If His Majesty rejoice
In being a melon, that’s OK
With us, for who are we to say
What he should be as long as he
Leaves us in Peace and Liberty?’
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Who is 'His Majesty' here?
(a) the old King (b) the architect (c) a melon (d) the chief Minister(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Why do the people not object to their King?
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
The poet adds: 'The principles of laissez faire / Seem to be well-established there.' What does 'laissez faire' mean here?
(4) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What is the poet's tone in these lines?
Show the answersAnswers
- (c) a melon
- Because he leaves them in peace and liberty.
- A policy of leaving people alone, without interference by the ruler.
- Gently ironic and humorous: he mocks a state ruled by a melon, yet notes the people are content.
The Tale of Melon City: exam-level solved questions
Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: The chain of blame · 3 marks · Short answerExam level
How did the blame for the low arch pass from person to person? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Chief of builders → workmen.
- Workmen → wrong-sized bricks → masons.
- Masons → architect; architect → King's amendments.
Answer: The chief of builders blamed the workmen, who said the bricks were the wrong size. The masons, summoned next, blamed the architect. The architect reminded the King that he himself had changed the plans, so the blame came back to the King.
Example 2: Why the King was hanged · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Explain how the King came to be hanged. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Crowd restless, wanted a hanging.
- King ordered someone hanged at once, guilt aside.
- Noose set high; only the King fitted.
Answer: The restless crowd wanted a hanging, so the frightened King ordered that someone be hanged immediately, setting aside the question of guilt. The noose was set high and every man measured; only the King was tall enough to fit, so he was hanged by his own decree.
Example 3: The melon King · 3 marks · Short answerExam level
How did a melon become the ruler of the city? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Custom: next man through the City Gate chooses the ruler.
- An idiot passed; asked, he said 'A melon'.
- Ministers crowned the melon.
Answer: By custom, the next man to pass the City Gate would choose the ruler. An idiot came by and, asked who should be King, gave his usual answer, 'A melon'. The practical Ministers crowned a melon and reverently set it on the throne.
Example 4: Criticism through laughter · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
The narrator never openly condemns the King or his court. How does the poem criticise them through laughter alone? Answer with examples in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- 'Just and placid' King who keeps ordering hangings.
- Wise man too old to walk or see; hang the arch.
- King fits his own noose; Ministers 'Long live the King! The King is dead.'
- Melon crowned; people content: laissez faire.
Answer: Vikram Seth fills the poem with gentle humour and sharp irony. The King is repeatedly called 'just and placid', yet he flies into a temper over a lost crown and keeps ordering hangings, changing the victim with every excuse. The pun that he 'nearly lost his head' hints at the ending.
The 'wisest man' is so old that he must be carried in, 'So old (and therefore wise)', and he solemnly proposes hanging an arch. When the crowd demands a victim, the noose is set high and only the King fits, so the ruler is executed by his own decree. The Ministers' 'Long live the King! The King is dead' adds to the absurdity.
Finally, by custom, the fruit an idiot happens to like becomes the ruler, and the people accept it happily. The irony is that a melon gives them what the 'just' King never did: peace and liberty.
Example 5: A just and placid King · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Would you like to live under the King of Melon City before his hanging? Judge his rule from his actions in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Arbitrary orders; vanity (arch to edify).
- Justice as punishment, not inquiry; blame shifting.
- Rule swayed by crowd and custom; incompetent advisers.
- Conclusion: such a state is unstable and absurd; real justice needs reason.
Answer: The poem's King is called just and placid, but his state is governed by whim and fear. He orders an arch only to impress spectators, and workmen build it without question 'since he was the King'.
His idea of justice is simply to find someone to hang. Each accused person passes the blame, and the King changes his order every time, without any real inquiry. His advisers are no better: the 'wisest man' is chosen for age, not sense, and suggests hanging an arch.
When the crowd grows restless, the King abandons reason entirely and demands an immediate hanging, which ends with his own death. Then custom puts a melon on the throne.
Such a state is unstable and absurd. It shows that real justice needs patience, reason and responsibility, not hasty punishment to please a crowd.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
Chain of blame (40-50 words, 3 marks) (3 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: builders, workmen, bricks/masons | 1 |
| Content: architect and the King's own amendments | 1 |
| Expression | 1 |
Criticism through laughter (120-150 words, 6 marks) (6 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: three or four examples explained | 3 |
| Organisation | 1 |
| Expression | 2 |
Where students lose marks in The Tale of Melon City
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Taking 'just and placid' at face value
It is ironic: the King is neither wise in justice nor calm.
Do this: Show the contrast with his actions.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Saying the arch was hanged
The Councillor objected; the King was hanged instead.
Do this: The arch was led to the scaffold but not hanged.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Saying the Ministers chose the melon
An idiot passing the City Gate chose it, by custom.
Do this: Mention the custom and the idiot's answer.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Missing the satire in long answers
The poem's purpose is to mock rulers, blame and custom.
Do this: Name the targets of satire with examples.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks
Practice questions on The Tale of Melon City
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
Why did the King order the arch?
(a) to protect the city (b) to edify spectators (c) to mark a victory in war (d) to mark the city gateHint
Repeated phrase.
Answer
(b) to edify spectators
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
What happened when the King rode under the arch?
Hint
Too low.
Answer
The arch was too low and knocked off his crown.
Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level
Why did the Councillor object to hanging the arch?
Hint
What did it touch?
Answer
Because it would be shameful to hang something that had touched the King's head.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Why were the Ministers relieved that someone was hanged? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
The unruly town.
Answer
The crowd had been restless and demanding a hanging. The Ministers feared that if no one had been hanged, the unruly town might have turned against the Crown. A hanging, even the King's, kept the people quiet and protected the government.
Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
According to the poem and your own view, what keeps the people of a state content? Answer in 120-150 words.
Hint
Peace, liberty, fair rule.
Answer
Model points: the people accept a melon because it leaves them in peace and liberty; contentment comes from security, freedom and non-interference; but good government also needs fairness, reasoned justice and responsible leaders, unlike the King; balance between freedom and order; examples from democratic life.
Q6 · 1 mark · MCQHarder exam level
Assertion (A): The poem satirises blind adherence to custom. Reason (R): A melon becomes King because an idiot's answer is followed as custom demands. Choose (a) both true, R explains A (b) both true, R does not explain A (c) A true, R false (d) A false, R true.
Hint
City Gate custom.
Answer
(a) Both are true and R explains A.
Q7 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Pick out two lines that contain a pun or a joke and explain them. Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
'lost his head'; 'old (and therefore wise)'.
Answer
'In fact he nearly lost his head' means the King nearly lost his temper, but also foreshadows his hanging. 'So old (and therefore wise) was he' mocks the belief that age alone makes a person wise, since this man proposes hanging an arch.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Who wrote 'The Tale of Melon City'?Show answer
Vikram Seth.
2.From which collection is it taken?Show answer
Mappings (1981).
3.What did the King lose under the arch?Show answer
His crown.
4.What did the wise man advise?Show answer
That the arch should be hanged.
5.Who was hanged in the end?Show answer
The King.
6.What was the idiot's standard answer?Show answer
'A melon.'
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you narrate the tale in eight lines?
- Can you trace the chain of blame?
- Can you explain why the King was hanged?
- Can you explain how the melon became King?
- Can you list examples of humour and irony?
The Tale of Melon City: frequently asked questions
What is the theme of The Tale of Melon City?
A satire on foolish rulers, hasty justice, the blame game, mob pressure and blind custom; it ends by noting that people value peace and liberty more than who rules.
What is laissez faire?
A policy of non-interference; the people are happy with a ruler who leaves them alone.
Why is the poem written in rhyming couplets?
The light, regular rhyme suits a comic folk tale and adds to its charm and humour.
Is the King really just?
No. The word is ironic: he punishes hastily, keeps shifting blame and yields to the crowd.
Based on: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus, Classes XI-XII 2026-27; NCERT Snapshots, Supplementary Reader for Class XI (Reprint 2026-27), The Tale of Melon City