NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 8 Silk Road

Understanding the text

1. Give reasons for the following statements.

Question:- 1. The article has been titled ‘Silk Road.’

Answer:- Because the author was travelling through the mountains where the ancient Silk Road used to pass, connecting Tibet and China, that’s why the article was titled Silk Road

Question:- 2. Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts.

Answer:- Tibetan mastiffs were ferocious guard dogs who kept a close eye on their surroundings. They pursued down the author’s vehicle without fear when it entered the property. As a result, they were delivered as a type of Tibetan tribute to the Chinese imperial court.

Question:- 3. The author’s experience at Hor was in stark contrast to earlier accounts of the place.

Answer:- The author’s experience at Hor contrasted with that of travellers like Kawaguchi and Hedin, who were overcome by the lake’s beauty and serenity and cried. The author noticed a run-down Hor with scant greenery, a rocky and dusty landscape, and dumped rubbish in the vicinity.

Question:- 4. The author was disappointed with Darchen.

Answer:- Because the author couldn’t sleep owing to a cold when they arrived in Darchen, he sought treatment from a Tibetan doctor. He realised there were no pilgrims the next day as he looked around, which was a big disadvantage for his future voyage.

Question:- 5. The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all.

Answer:- When the author realised that Darchen had no pilgrims, he began to rethink his optimistic outlook. However, he happened to meet Norbu, who had also come to do kora. In Beijing, he was a professor. The author realised that his positive thinking had paid off when he recommended that they both form a team.

2. Briefly comment on

Question:- 1. The purpose of the author’s journey to Mount Kailash.

Answer:- Nick Middleton is an Oxford professor who also happens to be an explorer. He travels the Silk Road’s most challenging terrain till he reaches Mount Kailash. He goes to the holy site to finish the kora (circumambulation).

Question:- 2. The author’s physical condition in Darchen.

Answer:- When he arrived in Darchen, the author was physically ill. Due to the chilly wind at Hor, his sinuses were blocked, and he couldn’t get a good night’s sleep. Tsetan took him to the Darchen Medical College the next day, where he was given some medication that helped him feel better.

Question:- 3. The author’s meeting with Norbu.

Answer:- Tsetan had left for Lhasa, and the author was feeling a little lonely. Because he had arrived early in the season, there were no pilgrims at Darchen. Norbu, a Tibetan who was also an academician, was in charge at the time. He was also in town to see Kailash, so they decided to go together.

Question:- 4. Tsetan’s support to the author during the journey.

Answer:- Tsetan was a competent and reliable driver. He drove the car with extreme caution. He spoke to the author throughout the tour, providing information about the areas they were visiting. He was an extremely caring person. When he discovered the author was ill in Darchen, he took him to the medical college and obtained medicine for him. He was an excellent Buddhist.

Question:- 5. “As a Buddhist, he told me, he knew that it didn’t really matter if I passed away, but he thought it would be bad for business.”

Answer:- Tsetan was a devout Buddhist who thought that life did not terminate with death. It would be better for him to go to Kailash because it is a holy location and would transport him to heaven. Then, if the author died there, it would be detrimental for his business because his credibility as a tourist guide would be undermined, and he may lose customers as a result.

Talking about the text

Discuss in groups of four

Question:- 1. The sensitive behaviour of hill-folk.

Answer:- The people of the hills are simple and innocent. Tsetan is a devout and God-fearing individual. They are quite welcoming and look after tourists from the outside.

Question:- 2. The reasons why people willingly undergo the travails of difficult journeys.

Answer:- Because the author was an academic, he embarked on the journey to further his education. It was an eye-opening event for him. Second, many go on such travels out of a sense of adventure. The author’s territory includes some of the world’s most challenging terrains. The third motivation could be religious. As part of their pilgrimage, people go to destinations like Mount Kailash.

Question:- 3. The accounts of exotic places in legends and the reality.

Answer:- Legends and reality both provide numerous accounts of exotic locations. Mount Kailash and Manasarovar have long been associated with tales. Many articles have been written on these locations.

Thinking about language

Question:- 1. Notice the kind of English Tsetan uses while talking to the author. How do you think he picked it up?

Answer:- Tsetan’s English must have been picked up through his travels and conversations with the pilgrims he met.

Question:- 2. What do the following utterances indicate?

(i) “I told her, through Daniel …”

(ii) “It’s a cold,” he said finally through Tsetan.

Answer:- The above statements illustrate that there is no shared language. The author couldn’t converse in the local language and had to rely on English instead. As a result, Tsetan was the one who translated the doctor’s words for the author, and Daniel was the translator.

Question:- 3. Guess the meaning of the following words.

In which language are these words found?

Answer:- Kora means Walk all the way round, circumambulate

Droka means shepherd

Kyang  means It is a wild Tibetan ass.

These words are found in Tibetan Language.

Working with words

Question:- 1. The narrative has many phrases to describe the scenic beauty of the mountainside like:

A flawless half-moon floated in a perfect blue sky. Scan the text to locate other such picturesque phrases.

Answer:-  Some other such picturesque phrases from the text are following:-

1. Extended banks of cloud like long french loaves glowed sink as the sun emerged to splash the distant mountain tops with a rose-tinted blush.
2. After ducking back into her tent, she emerged carrying one of the hng sleeved ‘ sheepskin coats that….
3. It involved crossing several fairly high mountain passes.
4. … I could see the herd galloping en masse, wheeling and turning in tight formation ° as if they were practising maneouvres or some predetermined course. Plumes of dust bil¬lowed into the crisp, clean air, etc. etc.

Question:- 2. Explain the use of the adjectives in the following phrases.

(i) shaggy monsters

(ii) brackish lakes

(iii) rickety table

(iv) hairpin bend

(v) rudimentary general stores

Answer:- (a) Shaggy monsters:- The word literally translates to “monsters with long, messy hair.” Monsters refers to the black Tibetan dogs that served as security dogs for nomads’ tents. They were monsters because they were massive, large, ferocious, and aggressive.

(b) Brackish lakes:- salty lakes: Brackish lakes were strewn throughout the plateau. It expresses sharply the absence of vegetation.

(c) Rickety table:- The table was in a worn-out state, indicating the kind of the table. The author stayed in the only cafe in Darchen.

(d) Hairpin bend:- The tyre’s screw, which is in bad shape.

(e) Rudimentary general stores:- Basic general stores are available. Provisional businesses that sell necessities.