Class 11 English Hornbill -Silk Road
Silk Road Summary –
The protagonist wanted to go to Mount Kailash to complete the kora. He hired Tsetan to drive him up to Mount Kailash. As a farewell gift, Lhamo gave him a long-sleeved sheepskin coat. He took Daniel as his companion till Darchen.
When they started the journey, Tsetan took a short cut to the south-west which was a direct route to Mount Kailash. They had to cross high mountain passes to reach their destination. Tsetan assured him that it would be no problem if there would be no snow. They crossed through few gazelles, a herd of wild asses and shepherds tending the flocks.
When they reached the hill, they passed dark tents which were home for nomads. He saw a Tibetan mastiff standing outside the tent as a guard. These mastiffs ran after his car as he reached near the tents. These dogs had large jaws.
As soon as they entered the valley, they witnessed snow capped mountains with rivers flowing which were blocked with ice. When they were riding through the hill, the turns became sharper and roads became bumpier. Tsetan was driving in third gear. The protagonist could feel the pressure in his ears. He held his nose, snorted to clear the congestion. He checked his wristwatch, they were at 5210 meters above sea level.
They reached their first hurdle which was a road filled with snow. Tsetan threw dirt on the snow and drove carefully on that road. They resumed their journey. The protagonist felt his head was hurting. He took a few sips of water from his water bottle. They were still climbing up the hill. They reached at 5515 meters above sea level. They stopped again and this time the fuel tank hissed when Testan unscrewed the top. As the petrol was expanding due to low atmospheric pressure, Tsetan told them not to smoke around it.
Soon in the afternoon around two o clock, they stopped for lunch. The protagonist’s headache was gone by now. By late afternoon, they reached a small town called ‘Hor’. They reached the east-west highway again. It was the old route from Lhasa to Kashmir. Daniel got off the car and took a lift to Lhasa. Their car had a few punctures which worried Tsetan. He got them fixed and the protagonist waited at a local café of Hor while having a glass of tea. He found Hor a miserable place. After a while, Tsetan reached to him and they resumed their journey again.
At night around 10.30 pm, they stopped at a guest house in Darchen to spend the night. The protagonist got ill and suffered from nose-congestion due to the change in altitude and cold weather. He stayed awake all night. Next morning, Tsetan took him to Tibetan medical college where a he consulted a Tibetan Doctor who gave him a five-day course medicines in a brown envelope.
After taking a full day of medicine, the protagonist was feeling good. Tsetan left him thereafter assuring his health condition. The protagonist was staying at Darchen. That place had a general store where Chinese cigarettes, soap, and other things were available. In the afternoon, the men gathered at a shabby table to play pool every day. Women would wash their hair in the narrow stream. Darchen had one problem, it had no pilgrims. According to the local people, in the peak season of pilgrimage the place would be filled with travellers. He met a person in the Darchen’s only café. His name was Norbu who was a Tibetan working in Beijing at the Institute of Ethnic Literature of Chinese Academy of Social Science. He came to Darchen to complete the kora just like the protagonist. He was fat and found it difficult to walk. The protagonist decided to go on the pilgrimage with him. They hired yaks to carry their luggage. Norbu finally said it is not possible for him while he collapsed across the table and laughed hilariously. His tummy was also too big.
Word Meaning:
Loaves – bread shaped and baked in one piece which is usually sliced before being eaten
Kora – meditation performed by Buddhist believers
Ducking Back – going inside and then coming out
Size me up – to look at someone attentively
Clambered – move or climb in an awkward way
Drokba – Shepherd
Gazelles – an African or Asian mammal with large eyes that moves quickly and hoofs
Nibbling – take a small bite from
Arid – having little or no rain
Pastures – land covered with grass
Frown – to disapprove of something
Bounding – jump; hop; bounce
Wild ass – an animal who have ears shorter than a horse and smaller in size
Herd – a large group of animal
Galloping – progressing in an uncontrollable manner
En masse – in a group
Manoeuvres – military exercises
Plumes – Trails
Billowed – filled with air; swelled out
Wilderness – wasteland
Solitary – private
Flocks – a group of birds
Evasive – slippery
Veering – to change direction suddenly
Shaggy – bushy or hairy
Swerve – change direction suddenly
Ferocious – cruel or violent
Mastiffs – a dog who is a strong breed with dropping ears saggy ears
Glinting – sparkle or twinkle
Meanders – to follow a winding course of a river or road
Daubed – spread a thick sticky substance on a surface carelessly
Lichen – a slow-growing plant which grows on walls, trees or rocks
Clung – hold tightly onto something
Swathe – a long strip of land
Petered out – to diminish gradually and stop
Encrusted – decorated with a hard surface layer
Slither – to move smoothly over a surface
Fling – throw
Lurching – listing
Throb – pulsate
Ascent – climb on an upward slope
Cairn of rocks – the pile of stone on the top of the mountain, especially where someone is buried.
Festooned – decorated
Careered down – sinking the slope
Salt flats – thatched roof covered with snow
Pockmarked – disfigured with a scar
Brackish – slightly salty water
Vestiges – a trace of something that is disappearing
Laden – loaded
Grim – ugly or grey
Accumulated – gathered
Venerated – respected
Cosmology – science about the origin and development of the universe
Flanks – sides
Forge – put together; build-up
Filthy – dirty
Rag – scrap cloth
Solitary – private
Confinement – detention; captivity
Stark – plain
Sanctity – pure
Nocturnal – night time
Gasping – breathlessness
Propping – to hold up
Paraphernalia – miscellaneous articles
Pellets – shots
Derelict – ruined
Heaps – loads
Wisp – a small amount of something
Rudimentary – basic or primary
Incongruous – strange
Brook – a small stream
Pondering – thinking
Well-trodden – much frequented by travellers
Cavernous – vast
Wreathed – twisted
Stout – firm
Rickety – unstable
Tiresome – dull and boring
Transpired – leaked
Envisaged – predicted
Devout – deep
Prostrating – lying down
Q1. Why was the author disappointed with Darchen?
Ans. Darchen was worn out. In Darchen, the storyteller became unwell. He had a really difficult night breathing because of his respiratory issue. After feeling better the following day, he started to like Darchen more.
Q2. How did the author and his companions cross the first snow blockage on their way to Mount Kailash?
Ans. They were unable to avoid the snow since it was so steep. They needed to discuss it. The risk was that they would fall. They threw dirt in all directions, totally covering the snow. To lessen the load, the narrator and Daniel got out of the car, and Tsetan drove it through the snow.
Q3. Comment on the sensitive behaviour of hill folk.
Ans.The Hill people in “Silk Road” are quite straightforward, innocent, and uneducated. All tourists are treated with courtesy and politeness. Actually, they take good care of all of their visitors. They are aware that these tourists help them make a living. They were incredibly kind and reverent of God.
Q4. How does the author recount his experience at the Darchen Medical College?
Ans. The Darchen Medical College’s doctor was not dressed in the customary white coat of a physician. He observed the author and identified the author’s issue as a result of the cold and high altitude. He handed him brown pellets and powders that were to be ingested with hot water. This treatment was advantageous to the author.
Q5. How was the author’s experience at Hor a stark contrast to earlier accounts of the place?
Ans. When the author first arrived at Hor, he was disheartened and feeling a bit down. Although previous visitors had been awestruck by the magnificence of Mansarovar Lake, the author thought Hor was shabby and unclean.
Q6. How can the presence of salt flats in Tibet be explained?
Ans. The Tethys Ocean, which bordered Tibet prior to the big continental collision, is still visible in salt flats. Tibet’s salt flats are created when Lake Namtso freezes over during the winter. During the Paleogene period (approximately 103 million years ago), the Himalayan tectonic plate movements caused the formation of this salt lake.
Many people come to the salt-lake and the flats because of their natural beauty and to see the hermitages that are located in the caves there.
Q7. Where is the town of Hor situated? Describe the town.
Ans. When travelling from Lhasa to Kashmir, one would take the east-west road to reach Hor. The area is gloomy and desolate, covered in accumulated trash. In this town, there is no vegetation. It is situated by Lake Mansarovar. Its concrete buildings are usually poorly painted.
Q8. What is the importance of Lake Mansarovar?
Ans. Both Hindus and Buddhists consider Lake Mansarovar to be sacred. It is the source of the Indus, Brahmaputra, Ganges, and Sutlej, four of the largest rivers in India. The lake is breathtakingly gorgeous. Visitors are frequently brought to tears upon its first sight.
Q9. How did the author suffer at Darchen?
Ans. The author arrived in Darchen with a cold and a congested nose as a result of the extremely cold winds at Hor. He struggled to breathe and could only use one nose. He struggled for oxygen. He struggled to fall asleep at night. He sat up and felt better.
Q10. Who was Norbu? How was he different from the local people?
Ans. Tibetan Norbu works at the Chinese Academy in Beijing. He stood out from other Tibetans because he spoke English well, wore a windcheater and Western-style metal-rimmed glasses.
Q11. Why was the narrator relieved on meeting Norbu?
Ans. Because he was alone at Darchen, the narrator was very relieved to first meet Norbu. He had Norbu as a friend. He was a proficient English speaker. He had a degree. He didn’t adhere to the traditional practise of performing Kora on foot. They both agreed to hire yaks. Norbu seemed to be the narrator’s ideal friend in every way.
Q12. Where was the narrator going? Through what kind of terrain would he have to pass? Ans. The narrator had to cross several difficult mountain passes on his way to Mount Kailash and the Mansarovar Lake. He had to travel across wide landscapes and a lot of snow.
Q13. Did the narrator encounter any wildlife in the course of his journey?
Ans. Yes, the narrator encountered a herd of wild asses and gazelles throughout his voyage, and shepherds tending the flocks.
Where nomads lived, the narrator saw a Tibetan mastiff standing outside the tent as a guard. These mastiffs ran after his car as he approached the tents. These dogs had large jaws.
Q14. What have you learnt about the Tibetan mastiff from the essay?
Ans. After reading the essay, we come to the conclusion that Tibetan mastiffs have large heads and are extremely fierce and ferocious. They have red collars and are dressed in black. They attack in the manner of gunshots. They have enormous jaws. They bark angrily. They can even attack automobiles and jeeps since these mastiffs lack fear.
Q15. How did the narrator and Tsetan negotiate the hurdle of the swathe of snow?
Ans. They couldn’t get around the snow because it was so steep. They needed to examine it. The risk was that they would fall. They threw dirt in all directions, totally covering the snow. To lessen the load, the narrator and Daniel got out of the car, and Tsetan drove it through the snow.
Q16. What problems did the narrator and his team experience due to low atmospheric pressure?
Ans. The narrator and his colleagues noticed that their heads were getting heavy due to the low atmospheric pressure. Also, because of the low pressure, the fuel expanded, making it very challenging for them to move onto their voyage.
Q17. Why has the article been titled ‘Silk Road’?
Ans. The title of the article, “Silk Road,” refers to the narrator’s journey to Mansarovar along the ancient Silk route that runs over the Himalayas and borders Tibet.
Q5. Discuss the accounts of exotic places in legends and reality.
Ans. Exotic locations are those that seem thrilling and unusual. They occasionally have connections to other nations. In the legends, or old stories that transport us back in time, we have read about many wonderful sites. Accounts and descriptions of these locations are popular.
The author may have exaggerated or intensified due to the author’s own heightened emotional response rather than because of a goal to misrepresent. If we go there, the reality can be very different. We must not lose sight of the fact that when writing, authors frequently delve into rich realms of fantasy and imagination. So, the author may occasionally emphasize a location. He never does this to deceive his readers; instead, he does it from the heart.
The protagonist wanted to go to Mount Kailash to complete the kora. He hired Tsetan to drive him up to Mount Kailash. As a farewell gift, Lhamo gave him a long-sleeved sheepskin coat. He took Daniel as his companion till Darchen.
When they started the journey, Tsetan took a short cut to the south-west which was a direct route to Mount Kailash. They had to cross high mountain passes to reach their destination. Tsetan assured him that it would be no problem if there would be no snow. They crossed through few gazelles, a herd of wild asses and shepherds tending the flocks.
When they reached the hill, they passed dark tents which were home for nomads. He saw a Tibetan mastiff standing outside the tent as a guard. These mastiffs ran after his car as he reached near the tents. These dogs had large jaws.
As soon as they entered the valley, they witnessed snow capped mountains with rivers flowing which were blocked with ice. When they were riding through the hill, the turns became sharper and roads became bumpier. Tsetan was driving in third gear. The protagonist could feel the pressure in his ears. He held his nose, snorted to clear the congestion. He checked his wristwatch, they were at 5210 meters above sea level.
They reached their first hurdle which was a road filled with snow. Tsetan threw dirt on the snow and drove carefully on that road. They resumed their journey. The protagonist felt his head was hurting. He took a few sips of water from his water bottle. They were still climbing up the hill. They reached at 5515 meters above sea level. They stopped again and this time the fuel tank hissed when Testan unscrewed the top. As the petrol was expanding due to low atmospheric pressure, Tsetan told them not to smoke around it.
Soon in the afternoon around two o clock, they stopped for lunch. The protagonist’s headache was gone by now. By late afternoon, they reached a small town called ‘Hor’. They reached the east-west highway again. It was the old route from Lhasa to Kashmir. Daniel got off the car and took a lift to Lhasa. Their car had a few punctures which worried Tsetan. He got them fixed and the protagonist waited at a local café of Hor while having a glass of tea. He found Hor a miserable place. After a while, Tsetan reached to him and they resumed their journey again.
At night around 10.30 pm, they stopped at a guest house in Darchen to spend the night. The protagonist got ill and suffered from nose-congestion due to the change in altitude and cold weather. He stayed awake all night. Next morning, Tsetan took him to Tibetan medical college where a he consulted a Tibetan Doctor who gave him a five-day course medicines in a brown envelope.
After taking a full day of medicine, the protagonist was feeling good. Tsetan left him thereafter assuring his health condition. The protagonist was staying at Darchen. That place had a general store where Chinese cigarettes, soap, and other things were available. In the afternoon, the men gathered at a shabby table to play pool every day. Women would wash their hair in the narrow stream. Darchen had one problem, it had no pilgrims. According to the local people, in the peak season of pilgrimage the place would be filled with travellers. He met a person in the Darchen’s only café. His name was Norbu who was a Tibetan working in Beijing at the Institute of Ethnic Literature of Chinese Academy of Social Science. He came to Darchen to complete the kora just like the protagonist. He was fat and found it difficult to walk. The protagonist decided to go on the pilgrimage with him. They hired yaks to carry their luggage. Norbu finally said it is not possible for him while he collapsed across the table and laughed hilariously. His tummy was also too big.
Word Meaning:
Loaves – bread shaped and baked in one piece which is usually sliced before being eaten
Kora – meditation performed by Buddhist believers
Ducking Back – going inside and then coming out
Size me up – to look at someone attentively
Clambered – move or climb in an awkward way
Drokba – Shepherd
Gazelles – an African or Asian mammal with large eyes that moves quickly and hoofs
Nibbling – take a small bite from
Arid – having little or no rain
Pastures – land covered with grass
Frown – to disapprove of something
Bounding – jump; hop; bounce
Wild ass – an animal who have ears shorter than a horse and smaller in size
Herd – a large group of animal
Galloping – progressing in an uncontrollable manner
En masse – in a group
Manoeuvres – military exercises
Plumes – Trails
Billowed – filled with air; swelled out
Wilderness – wasteland
Solitary – private
Flocks – a group of birds
Evasive – slippery
Veering – to change direction suddenly
Shaggy – bushy or hairy
Swerve – change direction suddenly
Ferocious – cruel or violent
Mastiffs – a dog who is a strong breed with dropping ears saggy ears
Glinting – sparkle or twinkle
Meanders – to follow a winding course of a river or road
Daubed – spread a thick sticky substance on a surface carelessly
Lichen – a slow-growing plant which grows on walls, trees or rocks
Clung – hold tightly onto something
Swathe – a long strip of land
Petered out – to diminish gradually and stop
Encrusted – decorated with a hard surface layer
Slither – to move smoothly over a surface
Fling – throw
Lurching – listing
Throb – pulsate
Ascent – climb on an upward slope
Cairn of rocks – the pile of stone on the top of the mountain, especially where someone is buried.
Festooned – decorated
Careered down – sinking the slope
Salt flats – thatched roof covered with snow
Pockmarked – disfigured with a scar
Brackish – slightly salty water
Vestiges – a trace of something that is disappearing
Laden – loaded
Grim – ugly or grey
Accumulated – gathered
Venerated – respected
Cosmology – science about the origin and development of the universe
Flanks – sides
Forge – put together; build-up
Filthy – dirty
Rag – scrap cloth
Solitary – private
Confinement – detention; captivity
Stark – plain
Sanctity – pure
Nocturnal – night time
Gasping – breathlessness
Propping – to hold up
Paraphernalia – miscellaneous articles
Pellets – shots
Derelict – ruined
Heaps – loads
Wisp – a small amount of something
Rudimentary – basic or primary
Incongruous – strange
Brook – a small stream
Pondering – thinking
Well-trodden – much frequented by travellers
Cavernous – vast
Wreathed – twisted
Stout – firm
Rickety – unstable
Tiresome – dull and boring
Transpired – leaked
Envisaged – predicted
Devout – deep
Prostrating – lying down
Q1. Why was the author disappointed with Darchen?
Ans. Darchen was worn out. In Darchen, the storyteller became unwell. He had a really difficult night breathing because of his respiratory issue. After feeling better the following day, he started to like Darchen more.
Q2. How did the author and his companions cross the first snow blockage on their way to Mount Kailash?
Ans. They were unable to avoid the snow since it was so steep. They needed to discuss it. The risk was that they would fall. They threw dirt in all directions, totally covering the snow. To lessen the load, the narrator and Daniel got out of the car, and Tsetan drove it through the snow.
Q3. Comment on the sensitive behaviour of hill folk.
Ans.The Hill people in “Silk Road” are quite straightforward, innocent, and uneducated. All tourists are treated with courtesy and politeness. Actually, they take good care of all of their visitors. They are aware that these tourists help them make a living. They were incredibly kind and reverent of God.
Q4. How does the author recount his experience at the Darchen Medical College?
Ans. The Darchen Medical College’s doctor was not dressed in the customary white coat of a physician. He observed the author and identified the author’s issue as a result of the cold and high altitude. He handed him brown pellets and powders that were to be ingested with hot water. This treatment was advantageous to the author.
Q5. How was the author’s experience at Hor a stark contrast to earlier accounts of the place?
Ans. When the author first arrived at Hor, he was disheartened and feeling a bit down. Although previous visitors had been awestruck by the magnificence of Mansarovar Lake, the author thought Hor was shabby and unclean.
Q6. How can the presence of salt flats in Tibet be explained?
Ans. The Tethys Ocean, which bordered Tibet prior to the big continental collision, is still visible in salt flats. Tibet’s salt flats are created when Lake Namtso freezes over during the winter. During the Paleogene period (approximately 103 million years ago), the Himalayan tectonic plate movements caused the formation of this salt lake.
Many people come to the salt-lake and the flats because of their natural beauty and to see the hermitages that are located in the caves there.
Q7. Where is the town of Hor situated? Describe the town.
Ans. When travelling from Lhasa to Kashmir, one would take the east-west road to reach Hor. The area is gloomy and desolate, covered in accumulated trash. In this town, there is no vegetation. It is situated by Lake Mansarovar. Its concrete buildings are usually poorly painted.
Q8. What is the importance of Lake Mansarovar?
Ans. Both Hindus and Buddhists consider Lake Mansarovar to be sacred. It is the source of the Indus, Brahmaputra, Ganges, and Sutlej, four of the largest rivers in India. The lake is breathtakingly gorgeous. Visitors are frequently brought to tears upon its first sight.
Q9. How did the author suffer at Darchen?
Ans. The author arrived in Darchen with a cold and a congested nose as a result of the extremely cold winds at Hor. He struggled to breathe and could only use one nose. He struggled for oxygen. He struggled to fall asleep at night. He sat up and felt better.
Q10. Who was Norbu? How was he different from the local people?
Ans. Tibetan Norbu works at the Chinese Academy in Beijing. He stood out from other Tibetans because he spoke English well, wore a windcheater and Western-style metal-rimmed glasses.
Q11. Why was the narrator relieved on meeting Norbu?
Ans. Because he was alone at Darchen, the narrator was very relieved to first meet Norbu. He had Norbu as a friend. He was a proficient English speaker. He had a degree. He didn’t adhere to the traditional practise of performing Kora on foot. They both agreed to hire yaks. Norbu seemed to be the narrator’s ideal friend in every way.
Q12. Where was the narrator going? Through what kind of terrain would he have to pass? Ans. The narrator had to cross several difficult mountain passes on his way to Mount Kailash and the Mansarovar Lake. He had to travel across wide landscapes and a lot of snow.
Q13. Did the narrator encounter any wildlife in the course of his journey?
Ans. Yes, the narrator encountered a herd of wild asses and gazelles throughout his voyage, and shepherds tending the flocks.
Where nomads lived, the narrator saw a Tibetan mastiff standing outside the tent as a guard. These mastiffs ran after his car as he approached the tents. These dogs had large jaws.
Q14. What have you learnt about the Tibetan mastiff from the essay?
Ans. After reading the essay, we come to the conclusion that Tibetan mastiffs have large heads and are extremely fierce and ferocious. They have red collars and are dressed in black. They attack in the manner of gunshots. They have enormous jaws. They bark angrily. They can even attack automobiles and jeeps since these mastiffs lack fear.
Q15. How did the narrator and Tsetan negotiate the hurdle of the swathe of snow?
Ans. They couldn’t get around the snow because it was so steep. They needed to examine it. The risk was that they would fall. They threw dirt in all directions, totally covering the snow. To lessen the load, the narrator and Daniel got out of the car, and Tsetan drove it through the snow.
Q16. What problems did the narrator and his team experience due to low atmospheric pressure?
Ans. The narrator and his colleagues noticed that their heads were getting heavy due to the low atmospheric pressure. Also, because of the low pressure, the fuel expanded, making it very challenging for them to move onto their voyage.
Q17. Why has the article been titled ‘Silk Road’?
Ans. The title of the article, “Silk Road,” refers to the narrator’s journey to Mansarovar along the ancient Silk route that runs over the Himalayas and borders Tibet.
Q5. Discuss the accounts of exotic places in legends and reality.
Ans. Exotic locations are those that seem thrilling and unusual. They occasionally have connections to other nations. In the legends, or old stories that transport us back in time, we have read about many wonderful sites. Accounts and descriptions of these locations are popular.
The author may have exaggerated or intensified due to the author’s own heightened emotional response rather than because of a goal to misrepresent. If we go there, the reality can be very different. We must not lose sight of the fact that when writing, authors frequently delve into rich realms of fantasy and imagination. So, the author may occasionally emphasize a location. He never does this to deceive his readers; instead, he does it from the heart.
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