ENGLISH STORY 2 THE TIGER IN THE TUNNEL (Ruskin Bond) Class 11Complete Solution

                                      2

            THE TIGER IN THE TUNNEL

                                                     (Ruskin Bond) 

Question And Answer

Q. What were the sounds that broke the silence of the night ? 

Ans. The sounds that broke the silence of the night were of a cicada and a woodpecker  The shrill cry of a cicada and the hollow hammering of a woodpecker created noise in the pindrop silence of the lonely area where Baldeo lived with his family. 

Q. What duties had Baldeo to perform ? 

Ans. Baldeo worked at a small railway station. He did the job of giving signals whe the tunnel next to the station was clear or not. At night it was his duty to see that the le at the signal post was burning and that the overland mail passed through safely. 

Q. Why had Baldeo to work as a Khalasi ? 

Ans. Baldeo lived in a small tribal village. He was a poor man. He belonged to a family Turmeric. He had small rice fields which could not fulfil the needs of his family. So he haa work as a Khalasi at a small railway station. 

Q. What were the factors that contributed to the eeriness of the place? 

Ans. Next to that small railway station, there was a deep cutting that led to the tunn= cutting had sheer rock walls towering high above the rails. The cutting and the entrance tunnel looked very horrible at night. The most frightening thing was this The cutting ved that the wild animals visited that place frequently. 

Q. What was Baldeo axe like? 

Ans. Baldeo's axe was small and fragile to look at. But it was quite dead With this axe, Baldev could cut down a tree 1n Just three or four swift strokes.once killed a young boar with this axe. 

Q. How did Baldeo know that a tiger was nearby and later it had sprung into the cutting? 

Ans. Baldeo heard a low grunt from the top of the cutting. He at once understood ump: tiger was nearby because only a tiger could emit such a sound. Then he heard a thump rattle of small stones. lt made him sure that the tiger had sprung into the cutting

Q. Why did Baldeo not run away from the tiger.? 

Ans. Baldeo did not run away from the tiger because there was no shelter for him. at time, he was standing in the cutting at the entrance of the tunnel. And the tiger was coming rapidly towards him from the opposite side. Flight was impossible in such a situation 

Q. Describe the fight between Baldeo and the tiger. 

Ans. A tiger attacked Baldeo when he went to the signal. Baldeo jumped to one side a hit the tiger with his axe. The tiger roared loudly with pain. He sprang upon Baldeo to sar himself and tore him to pieces. Baldeo had hit the tiger so badly that the tiger could not out of the way when the train arrived there. Thus he too was killed eventually 

Q. How did the tiger die 

Ans. The tiger was badly wounded during his encounter with Baldeo at the signa After killing Baldeo, the tiger sat down on the track roaring with pain. He didnt nou the train was coming. But when he realized, he couldn't get out of the way immediately was cut in half by the engine. 

Q. How did his father's death affect Tembu ? 

Ans. Tembu was filled with grief over his father's death. But he did not allow emasculate him. He decided to face life bravely.All the responsibility of the family had fallen on him. So he decided to work in his father's place. 

           Long Answer type question

Q. Write a brief character-sketch of Baldeo. 

Ans. Baldeo belonged to a small tribal village.He had small rice fields which could not fulfil the needs of his family. So he started working as a Khalasi at a small railway station. The station had a thick forest at its back. Next to the station, there was a deep cutting that led to the tunnel. Baldeo's job was to give the signal whether the tunnel was clear or not. At night it was also his duty to see that the lamp at the signal post was burning and that the overland mail passed through safely. At night hours, the cutting and the entrance of the tunnel looked very horrible. Moreover, it was believed that wild animals often came there. But Baldeo didnt believe in such stories. Baldeo was very brave and courageous. was attacked by a tiger at the signal post, he didn't lose his courage. He faced the tiger bravely. Though he himself was killed in the encounter, he injured the tiger also, very badly with his axe. 

Q. Describe Baldeo's encounter with the tiger. 

Ans. One night,Baldeo,as usual, went to the signal post to see if lamp was humi Ans. There he heard the thump and soon he saw a tiger moving towards him. Flight was im Ans Ans. at that time. Baldeo grasped his axe firmly that he always carried with him. Soon the fio reached there and attacked Baldeo with his right paw.Baldeo hit the tiger's shoulder with axe. The tiger roared loudly with pain. Baldeo again threw his axe at the iger with full fo This time, the axe caught the tiger on the shoulder, almost severing his legs. Unluckily, the e got stuck in the bone of the tiger. Now Baldeo had no weapon. The tiger sprang upon him and tore him to pieces in a few minutes. Then the tiger sat down. He roared with pain no and then. He could not notice that the train was coming. When he realized it, he tried to rm on his wounded leg. But it was too late. And the tiger too was cut in half by the engine.

Q. Write a note on the message contained in the story, The Tiger in the Tunnel

Ans. The message contained in this story is that whatever adversities may befall, life has to go on. The main character of the story, Baldeo workS as a watchman at a small railway station. One night, when he goes on his duty at the signal post, a tiger attacks him and kils him. Baldeo's wife, his son and his daughter all are plunged in grief for two whole days. Bur then his son, who is only twelve years old, realized the hardness of the fact. Whatever may come, a living has to be made for the family. Now all the responsibility of the family has fallen on him. So he does not allow grief to emasculate him. He decides to face life bravely and fulfil his duty towards his family. And three nights later, he is at the cutting, lighting the signal lamp for the overland mail. 

Q. Describe, in brief, the scene and the setting of the place where Baldeo worked. 

Ans. Baldeo was a watchman at a small railway station which was about three miles away from his village. The station was in the form of a small hut. It had a thick forest at its back. Next to this station, there was a deep cutting that led to the tunnel. The cutting had sheer rock walls towering high above the rails. Baldeo did the job of giving signal whether the tunnel was clear or not. At night it was his duty to see that the lamp at the signal post was burning or not and that the overland mail passed through safely. There prevailed the deathly stillness of the surrounding jungle. The cutting and the entrance of the tunnel looked horrible in the darkness of the night. Wild animals were believed to visit that place frequently. Such things contributed to the eeriness of that place. 

Objective type Question

Q. Who wrote the story 'The Tiger in the Tunnel ? 

Ans. Ruskin Bond. 

Q. Who was Baldeo ? 

Ans. A watchman at a small railway station. 

Q. What was there at the back of that small railway station? 

Ans. There was a thick forest at its back. 

Q. What was there next to that small railway station 

Ans. Next to this station, there was a deep. cutting that led to the tunnel

Q. What job did Baldeo do at the station ? 

Ans. He did the job of giving signals whether the tunnel was clear or not. 

Q. Who was Tembu? 

Ans He was Baldeo's son. 

Q. How old was Tembu ? 

Ans. He was twelve years old. 

Q. Who took over the responsibility of Baldeo's family after his death ?

Ans. His son, Tembu. 

Q. What work did Tembu do to earn his living after his father's death?

Ans. He started working in place of his father at the same station. 

Q What did Baldeo pride himself in? 

Ans He prided himself in wielding his axe against the animals. 

Q. What did Baldeo always carry with him ? 

Ans. A small axe that was deadly in use. 

Q. What was Baldeo's axe like? 

Ans. It looked very fragile, but it was quite deadly when used. 

Q. What were the sounds that broke the silence of the night ? 

Ans. The shrill cry of a cicada and the hollow hammering of a woodpecker