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, (v).
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, (v).
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