Workbook Answers/Solutions of A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories, The Tiger in the tunnel by- Ruskin Bond

I

(i) Tembu is the twelve year old son of Baldeo, a khalasi at a small wayside signal stop. Tembu is lying in a corner of a hut near the station, with his father. He suddenly woke up in the night and wondered if his father, who used to go every night on his night duty at the railway signal, had left for the duty as it was a dark and cold night.

(ii) Tembu’s father was working as a watchman at a small wayside railway signal. His nightly errand was to signal whether or not the tunnel was clear of obstruction for the train to pass and to see that the lamp was burning.

The author has described the night as calm and still by portraying it as dark, moonless, chilly, having the "deathly, stillness of the surrounding jungle" which was occasionally broken by the shrill cry of the cicada, the hollow hammering of a woodpecker or the grunt of a wild boar.

(iii) It means that there was complete silence on a chilly, dark night with the only sounds heard occasionally being that of a cicada, a woodpecker or the grunt of a wild boar. And these occasional sounds were engulped by the silence of the forest.

(iv) The station was said to be in name only because it was a small shack where mail trains stopped only for a few seconds before entering the tunnel.

(v) Most of the trains slowed down near the station because there was a sharp curve before the cutting which led to the tunnel and to wait for the signal to make sure if it was free of all obstructions.

II.

 (i) Baldeo’s duties included—

to check whether the lamp was burning; and

using his hand-worked signal to signal whether or not the tunnel was clear of obstruction for the train to pass through.

(ii) The station, a small shack, which served as a wayside signal stop, was three miles away from human habitation. It was surrounded by dense jungle with hills overhanging the main line of the railway. A deep cutting in the forest led to a tunnel through which mail train passed. There was darkness and complete silence in the jungle with the only sounds heard being those of a barking deer, grunting boar, hammering woodpecker and that of dense undergrowth.

(iii) The darkness of the night heightened the eeriness of the station with the black tunnel entrance looming up menacingly.

(iv) Tembu normally used to sleep in his home, in a small tribal village on the outskirts of the forest, about three miles from the station, where his father worked as a night watchman.

(v) Baldeo’s financial condition was quite poor as his income from the small rice fields was not enough to provide for his family. He considered himself lucky to get the job of a khalasi at the signal stop because that supplemented his meagre income from his land in the village.

III.

(i) Before leaving for duty, Baldeo lit his lamp and closed the door of his hut, where his son lay fast asleep.

(ii) Baldeo thought whether the lamp on the signal post would still be alighted. The path leading to his work place, i.e., the station, was marked by dense jungle and hills which overhung the main line of the railway. If he had his way, Baldeo would go back to his hut and feel the warm comfort there instead of working out in a chilling, dark night.

(iii) The rock walls towering high above the rails reminded Baldeo of the wild animals that he might encounter on the way. He had heard that the tiger frequented the tunnel and was a maneater. The other animals mentioned included panthers, whom Baldeo had never seen but had occasionally heard their sawing when they called their mates.

(iv) Baldeo had a small axe, whose head was made of pure steel, was thin but ringing time like a bell. Though it looked fragile, it was deadly when put to use. Baldeo could cut down a tree using his axe in just three or four swift strokes.

Baldeo was emotionally attached to his axe because it belonged to his forefathers and its axe-head had been made by his father over a charcoal fire. That is why he carried the axe wherever he went and did not part with it in return for a good amount of money.

(v) Baldeo had excellent skill in using his axe. He could cut down a tree with just three or four swift strokes using his axe, as neatly as if it had been sawn. He was proud of it because of the skill he had acquired in killing wild animals with it.

IV.

(i) A cutting refers to a narrow open passage that is dug through high ground for a railway tunnel or a road.

It means that in the darkness the black entrance to the tunnel appeared threateningly.

(ii) Just five minutes before the arrival of the mail train, the signal light was out and Baldeo would have to rush back to his hut if the oil in the signal lamp had finished.

(iii) The signal light was out and the mail train was due in five minutes and within five minutes Baldeo had to lit the lamp and check the tunnel of any obstruction.

Baldeo hauled the lamp down by its chain, checked the oil in the lamp and finding a little oil still remaining, lit the lamp and put it back into position. In order to ensure that the line was clear, Baldeo took his own lamp in his hand walked down the tunnel and by swinging his lamp, which cast shadows on the wall made sure that there was no obstruction in the line.

(iv) Baldeo was out in the dark, chilling night at the railway signal. He walked from his hut to the station, lighted the signal lamp

and checked the tunnel of any obstruction. Since the train was late, he huddled up in a corner and dozed off in the biting cold.

(v) Baldeo was indeed a responsible employee. He would not shirk his duty even in the dead of night, extreme cold and amidst prowling wild animals. Every night, he used to leave the warmth of his bed to proceed toward the station, lit the signal lamp and walking down the tunnel check for any obstruction in the line.

Baldeo was a caring father. He took up the job of a watchman, unmindful of having to stay away from home and family, just to supplement his meagre income from land. When he heard the roar of a tiger, his first thought was whether the tiger was moving towards his hut, where his son was sleeping unprotected.

 

V.

(i) The absence of usual jungle noises and the thump and rattle of small stones made by the forward march of the tiger, indicated that it had entered the cutting.

(ii) Baldeo’s main worry was whether the tiger was moving towards his hut, where his son, Tembu was fast asleep, unprotected. It is said that he did not have to wonder for long because he could see the tiger moving towards him.

(iii) The tiger’s eyes have been described as shining green in the light from the signal lamp. Baldeo thought that flight would be useless because the tiger would be faster and sure-footed than him and would soon pounce upon him.

(iv) As the tiger moved towards Baldeo, he stood with his back to the signal post, motionless, staring at the tiger with courage and without being intimidated.

(v) Baldeo did not lose his calm and courage on seeing the tiger moving towards him. Although he was aware that flight would be useless, he decided not to be an easy prey to the tiger. He stood there motionless, waiting for his prey. As the tiger pounced on him, he hit it with his axe, wounded it and almost served its leg. Unfortunately, his axe got struck in the tiger’s shoulder, the tiger tore his body and put to an end the life of valiant Baldeo.

VI.

(i) Baldeo was standing at the station with his back to the signal. The tiger had became fearless because it had become used to the ways of men, for he had been preying on them for years.

(ii) The tiger attacked Baldeo with its right paw. But Baldeo, who was prepared to defend himself, made an agile leap and avoided the tiger’s paw. He hit his axe on the tiger’s shoulder. The tiger roared and tried to come closer to Baldeo. This time Baldeo hit the tiger on the shoulder and almost severed its leg. But unfortunately, the axe got struck in the tiger’s bone and Baldeo became weaponless. The tiger, now furious with pain sprang on Baldeo, tore his body and killed him.

(iii) The overland mail entered the cutting with its engine puffing and climbing steadily. As it advanced through the trees, the glow of its furnace could be seen with the showers of sparks falling like Diwali lights over the forest.

The tiger was in agony because of his wounded leg and did not notice the faint rumble on the earth caused by the moving train. The overland mail entered the tunnel and the tiger saw it but found himself trapped in the narrow cutting with no space to run for safety.

(iv) The title of the story is quite apt because the entire story revolves around one incident in which a tiger appears in the tunnel through which the train used to pass and the deadly encounter between the ferocious maneater and the night watchman at the traffic signal.

VII.

(i) The wounded tiger failed to notice the train entering the cutting and was trapped in the tunnel. The train passed through the tunnel and the tiger was cut into half by the engine and its major portion got struck in the train’s cowcatcher.

(ii) Baldeo’s body was lying at the cutting. Baldeo’s son, Tembu sat beside the body guarding it from wild animals. The relief watchman arrived early at the dawn.

(iii) Baldeo’s family remained grief-stricken for two whole days. However, despite the great tragedy of losing his father and the only earning member, Baldeo’s son, Tembu took over his father’s responsibility on himself and assumed the job of a watchman at the signal stop.

(iv) Tembu took up his father’s responsibility with the confidence that his father’s axe and blessings are with him. He was no longer afraid of anything because his father had killed the most fearsome enemy—the maneater tiger.

(v) For the answer, please refer to the Extract V.


Install Our New Mobile App to get answers of all chapters.

Solved Textbook -

Harsh Kumar Other Apps

This app is made by Harsh Kumar

                               Click On The Box to download my app

Or Visit:- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.harsh.solutions