Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Baldeo, the watchman, was awake. He stretched himself, slowly unwinding the
heavy shawl that covered him like a shroud. It was close on midnight and the chill air made
him shiver. The station, a small shack backed by heavy jungle, was a station in name only;
for trains only stopped there, if at all, for a few seconds before entering the deep cutting
that led to the tunnel. Most trains only slowed down before taking the sharp curve before
the cutting. (i) What were Baldeo’s duties as a watchman?
What question did his son ask him before he left for his nightly errand? (ii) Describe the axe that Baldeo carried with him. Who had made the axe? (iii) Which sound made Baldeo realise that the tiger was close by?
Why was he worried that the tiger may be going in the opposite direction?
Why didn’t the tiger fear the man? (iv) Give an account of the encounter between Baldeo and the tiger. (iv) How did the tiger die? Point out a similarity in the characters of Baldeo and his son
Tembu. Give an example for each to justify your answer.