🧠 Vocabulary Booster (20 words) — सरल हिंदी अर्थ

Tip: Read the Word then the Meaning. Try to use 3 in your own sentence! ✍️

📝 Summary (English) — ~250 words

On a blazing noon, Suraj cycles to a jungle cutting to watch a steam engine burst from a hillside tunnel. The train erupts like a “green, black and gold dragon,” showering sparks and heat, then the forest falls silent again. Curious, Suraj walks inside the tunnel, feels the damp walls, hears a bat and a lizard scuttle, and steps out into light—where he glimpses a flash of orange and gold: a leopard. Near the entrance stands a marigold-ringed hut belonging to the tunnel’s watchman, Sunder Singh, who jokes that the tunnel is “his”—only lent to the Government. He explains his duty: inspect the tunnel before each train, signal danger with a flag or lamp, and otherwise nap like the jungle animals in the heat.

At dusk the next day, Suraj returns. The air cools, birds quieten, and night sounds rise—the barking deer, fox, and the quaint tonk-tonk of a nightjar. As Sunder trims his lamp, a rhythmic sawing sound echoes: the leopard inside the tunnel. Fearing it will be killed by the oncoming night mail, Sunder decides to drive it out. Suraj insists on going. They advance, shouting; the lamp’s glow finds the lithe, sinewy cat crouched between the rails. It snarls, tail twitching, then slips away into darkness, uncertain how many humans confront it. Rails begin to hum; the engine hisses past, “defying” the jungle, and silence returns.

A week later, Suraj travels with his father by night mail. He cannot see the hut, but he spots the watchman’s lamp—a tiny flicker like a firefly for thousands of passengers. The train dives into and out of the tunnel, racing from forest to endless plains. Suraj thinks of Sunder Singh, the quiet guardian whose steady light keeps both engines and leopards safe. The story blends curiosity, courage, friendship, and deep respect for the rhythms of the wild. 🌳🚂🟡

📝 सारांश (Hindi) — ~250 शब्द

झुलसाती दोपहर में सुराज जंगल के कटाव (कटिंग) तक आता है ताकि पहाड़ी सुरंग से निकलती भाप इंजन वाली ट्रेन देख सके। इंजन “हरे-काले-सोने के ड्रैगन” की तरह दहकता निकलता है, चिंगारियाँ उड़ती हैं, फिर जंगल फिर से निःशब्द। जिज्ञासावश सुरंग के भीतर जाता है—गीली दीवारें, चमगादड़, छिपकली की सरसराहट—और बाहर निकलते ही पेड़ों के बीच चीते की सुनहरी-नारंगी झलक देख लेता है। पास ही गेंदे के फूलों से घिरा पहरेदार सुंदर सिंह का झोपड़ा है। वह हँसकर कहता है—यह सुरंग “उसकी” है, बस सरकार को उधार दी है। उसका काम है—ट्रेन से पहले सुरंग की जाँच करना, खतरा हो तो झंडा/लैम्प दिखाना, वरना दोपहर में जानवरों की तरह आराम करना।

अगले दिन संध्या को सुराज लौटता है। हवा ठंडी है, पक्षी शांत, रात्रि-धुनें स्पष्ट—भौंकता हिरन, लोमड़ी, और नाइटजार की टोंक-टोंक। सुंदर दीपक की बाती ठीक करता है तभी आरी चलने जैसी लयदार आवाज़ सुनाई देती है—सुरंग में चीता! रात की मेल जल्द आने वाली है; चीता कुचल न जाए, इसलिए उसे भगाना ज़रूरी है। सुराज भी साथ चलता है। लैम्प उठाए दोनों जोर से चिल्लाते हैं; रोशनी में पटरियों के बीच दुबका, लचीला-तगड़ा चीता दाँत दिखाकर गुर्राता है, पूँछ फड़कती है, फिर अनिश्चित होकर अँधेरे में सरक जाता है। इतने में पटरियाँ गूँज उठती हैं, इंजन फुफकारता हुआ सुरंग चीर निकल जाता है और जंगल फिर साँस लेने लगता है।

लगभग एक सप्ताह बाद सुराज अपने पिता के साथ रात-मेल से गुजरता है। झोपड़ा दिखता नहीं, पर वह लैम्प की झिलमिल “जुगनू” सी देख लेता है—हज़ारों यात्रियों के लिए एक छोटी-सी रोशनी। ट्रेन सुरंग में घुसकर बाहर निकल जाती है और वन से मैदानों की ओर बढ़ती है। सुराज सोचता है—शांत चौकीदार सुंदर सिंह—जिसकी स्थिर रोशनी इंजन और चीते—दोनों की रक्षा करती है। कथा जिज्ञासा, साहस, दोस्ती और प्रकृति के ताल-मेल का स्नेहिल चित्र है। 🌲🚦🐆

🎯 One-Word Answers (10)

1. Boy who visits the tunnel — Suraj
2. Watchman’s name — Sunder Singh
3. Animal near the tunnel — Leopard
4. Train Suraj loves to watch — Steam engine
5. Time of the second train — Night
6. Bird with “tonk-tonk” — Nightjar
7. Flowers near the hut — Marigolds
8. Thing Sunder carries — Lamp
9. Place Suraj sits later — Train
10. What the lamp looks like — Firefly

✍️ Very Short Answer (10) — 2–3 lines

1. Why does Suraj visit the cutting?
   To watch the steam engine roar out of the tunnel and feel its power and beauty up close.
2. What does he find inside the tunnel at noon?
   Damp walls, smoke, a bat, a scuttling lizard—and deep darkness.
3. Who lives near the tunnel?
   Watchman Sunder Singh, in a small hut with marigolds and a vegetable patch.
4. What is Sunder’s duty?
   Inspect the tunnel before each train and signal danger with a red flag or lamp.
5. Which sound tells them the leopard is inside?
   A rhythmic sawing sound coming from within the tunnel.
6. How do they save the leopard?
   By entering with a lamp, shouting together, and driving it out before the night mail arrives.
7. What image does Suraj use for the engine?
   A “beautiful dragon” hissing, sparking, and defying the jungle.
8. How does Suraj know the train is near?
   Rails hum and tremble; a distant rumble grows louder.
9. Why does Sunder call the tunnel “his”?
   He alone cares for it daily, joking that he has just “lent” it to the Government.
10. What does the lamp symbolize at the end?
    A tiny, steady hope—like a firefly—guiding trains and protecting wildlife.

🧩 Short Answer (10) — 3–4 lines

1. Describe the jungle atmosphere around noon and at dusk.
   Noon: hot, still, shimmering heat, sudden roar of the engine. Dusk: breeze, fading birdsong, nightjar’s tonk-tonk, deer and fox calls—an alive, whispering forest.
2. What shows Suraj’s curiosity and courage?
   He walks into the dark tunnel alone to “know what it’s like” and later volunteers to help Sunder drive the leopard out.
3. How is the train personified?
   As a dragon—snorting, puffing, hissing, scattering sparks, “defying” the jungle—turning machinery into living spectacle.
4. Why does Sunder believe the leopard won’t harm them?
   He knows this particular leopard’s habits; they’ve seen each other many times. Still, he carries an axe—showing caution.
5. Explain the routine Sunder follows with his lamp/flag.
   Before each train he inspects the tunnel; if danger appears, he walks back to signal. If safe, he hangs the lamp and rests.
6. How does the author create suspense in the tunnel scene?
   Darkness, echoing footsteps, rhythmic sawing, the lamp’s small circle of light—and then the sudden sight of the crouched leopard.
7. What does the “firefly” image at the end mean?
   To faraway passengers the watchman’s lamp is tiny yet guiding—quiet service shining in the vast dark.
8. Contrast town vs. jungle safety in Sunder’s view.
   He says the jungle is safer—nothing happens to him there; in town he was nearly hit by a bus—an ironic, humorous truth.
9. What change occurs in Suraj by the end?
   He moves from spectator to participant and gains a deeper respect for the people who safeguard journeys and wildlife.
10. State the central theme of “The Tunnel”.
    Harmonious coexistence of humans, machines, and nature—guided by duty, empathy, and quiet courage.