CBSE Class 11 English Lesson 6 Silk Road Question Answers (Important) from Hornbill Book
Class 11 English Silk Road Question Answers – Looking for Silk Road question answers (NCERT solutions) for CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Book Chapter 6? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 11 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Our solutions provide a clear idea of how to write the answers effectively. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Chapter 6: Silk Road now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given NCERT solutions to the chapter’s extract based questions, short answer questions, and long answer questions.
Also, practising with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams.
- Silk Road NCERT Solutions
- Silk Road Extract Based Questions
- Silk Road Short Answer Questions
- Silk Road Long Answer questions
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Silk Road NCERT Solutions
Understanding the text
I. Give reasons for the following statements.
1. The article has been titled ‘Silk Road.’
Ans: The article has been titled ‘Silk Road’’ because the protagonist explored the region of old silk route which was one of the historical routes for trade. The route connected Afro-Eurasian land. Trade of Chinese silk, spices, teas and porcelain, Indian textiles, pepper and precious stones, Roman Empire’s gold, silver, glassware, wine, carpets, and jewels were done.
2. Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts.
Ans: Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts as big hunting dogs. They were fearless and furious with big jaws. They were brought along the Silk Road as a watchdog from Tibet. They were a tribute in ancient times.
3. The author’s experience at Hor was in stark contrast to earlier accounts of the place.
Ans: Hor was an ugly and miserable place which had no vegetation and just dust and rocks. It was scattered with gathered refuse and it is luckless that it was on the shore of Lake Mansarovar which is Tibet’s most respected water. Ekai Kawaguchi was a Japanese monk who arrived in the town in 1900, he was so moved with the purity of the lake that he cried. After a few years, similar effect was on Sven Hedin a Swedish who didn’t have such an emotional outburst.
The protagonist’s car suffered from two punctures in that place. When he reached that place’s only café to have some tea, the place was filled with badly painted concrete and three broken windows.
4. The author was disappointed with Darchen.
Ans: He was disappointed with Darchen because he was having health issues due to change in altitude. He had a cold and was unable to sleep at night. The place had no pilgrims and it was filled with loads of remains and trash.
5. The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all.
Ans: The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all because he finally met someone who understood his language and was there to complete the kora just like him. He met Norbu at Darchen’s only café. Earlier, he got ill as soon as he reached the place. No one understood English well. He felt lonely as there were no pilgrims around.
He decided to team up with him to complete his journey. He was glad he maintained his positive thinking approach in life.
II. Briefly comment on
1. The purpose of the author’s journey to Mount Kailash.
Ans: The author wanted to go to Mount Kailash to complete the kora which is an essential display in Buddhism. Buddhists believers are to be performed meditation in this process.
2. The author’s physical condition in Darchen.
Ans: The author was ill when he reached Darchen. His sinus was were blocked because of the cold weather and altitude change. He didn’t sleep well and the next day, he went to the Tibetan doctor who gave him some medicine.
3. The author’s meeting with Norbu.
Ans: He was feeling lonely in Darchen as Tsetan left for Lhasa. No one knew the English language much in that place. There were no pilgrims at that time of year. He met Norbu at local café. Norbu was an academic from Beijing who worked for the Institute of Ethnic Literature. He was at Darchen to complete the kora.
4. Tsetan’s support to the author during the journey.
Ans: Tsetan played an important role during the author’s journey. He was an efficient driver. He took care of the author when he got ill after reaching Darchen. He took him to the medical college and got medicine for him. He also informed him about the places they were visiting in their journey.
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.”
Ans: Tsetan was a Buddhist who believed that death is not the end. He might have gone directly to heaven as Kailash is a holy place. He thought it would be bad if the author died because it might affect his business and he would not get any customers in future. He could have lost his credibility.
Talking about text
Discuss in groups of four
1. The sensitive behaviour of hill-folk.
Ans: The hill-folk are very innocent and unsophisticated people. They are good at hospitality like Tsetan who took care of the author all the time.
2. The reasons why people willingly undergo the travails of difficult journeys.
Ans: The author was an academician who wanted to take the journey for the purpose of education. He wanted to learn from this experience. Normally, people take such a difficult journey for the spirit of adventure. Also, religious beliefs play an important role in such journeys. Mount Kailash is a holy place which is visited by many people for pilgrimage.
3. The accounts of exotic places in legends and the reality.
Ans: Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar are such prominent places in legends. Many people talk about it and there are many articles published online regarding two places.
Thinking about Language
1. Notice the kind of English Tsetan uses while talking to the author. How do you think he picked it up?
Ans: As Tsetan used to speak in a basic format, the author understood what he was saying without any major problem.
2. What do the following utterances indicate?
(i) “I told her, through Daniel …”
(ii) “It’s a cold,” he said finally through Tsetan.
Ans:
(i) She didn’t know English so Daniel translated what the author was saying in the Tibetan language.
(ii) The Tibetan doctor was speaking in the Tibetan language. Tsetan translated it to the author in English.
3. Guess the meaning of the following words.
Kora, drokba, kyang
In which language are these words found?
Ans:
Kora – circumambulation of the temple
Drokba – shepherd
Kyang – a wild ass of Tibet
These words are found in the Tibetan language.
Working with words
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.
Ans: ‘Extended banks of cloud-like long French loaves glowed pink as the sun emerged to splash the distant mountain tops with a rose-tinted blush.’
‘We entered a valley where the river was wide and mostly clogged with ice, brilliant white and glinting in the sunshine.’
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
Ans:
(i) hairy
(ii) salty
(iii) shaky
(iv) very sharp
(v) elementary; basic
Class 11 English Silk Road Question Answers Lesson 6 – Extract Based Questions
Extract-based questions are of the multiple-choice variety, and students must select the correct option for each question by carefully reading the passage.
A. Now that we were leaving Ravu, Lhamo said she wanted to give me a farewell present. One evening I’d told her through Daniel that I was heading towards Mount Kailash to complete the kora, and she’d said that I ought to get some warmer clothes. After ducking back into her tent, she emerged carrying one of the long-sleeved sheepskin coats that all the men wore. Tsetan sized me up as we clambered into his car. “Ah, yes,” he declared, “drokba, sir.”
Q1. Name the chapter from which the above extract has been taken.
Ans– Silk Road
Q2. Name the author
Ans– Nick Middleton
Q3. What is Kora?
Ans- Kora is a practice of meditation.
Q4. Who is Tsetan?
Ans-Tsetan is a driver.
B. We passed nomads’ dark tents pitched in splendid isolation, usually with a huge black dog, a Tibetan mastiff, standing guard. These beasts would cock their great big heads when they became aware of our approach and fix us in their sights. As we continued to draw closer, they would explode into action, speeding directly towards us, like a bullet from a gun and nearly as fast. These shaggy monsters, blacker than the darkest night, usually wore bright red collars and barked furiously with massive jaws. They were completely fearless of our vehicle, shooting straight into our path, causing Tsetan to brake and swerve. The dog would chase for a hundred metres or so before easing off, having seen us off the property.
Q1. Who are nomads?
Ans- People who regularly moved from place to place and lead a mobile life are called ‘nomads’.
Q2. Who would guard a nomadic property?
Ans-Tibetan Mastiff
Q3. What do you understand by the word “swerve”?
Ans- Swerve means to turn sharply.
Q4. What would a Tibetan Mastiff do if he sensed that someone was approaching?
Ans- They would chase the person out of the property.
C. Hor was a grim, miserable place. There was no vegetation whatsoever, just dust and rocks, liberally scattered with years of accumulated refuse, which was unfortunate given that the town sat on the shore of Lake Manasarovar, Tibet’s most venerated stretch of water. Ancient Hindu and Buddhist cosmology pinpoints Manasarovar as the source of four great Indian rivers: the Indus, the Ganges, the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra. Actually only the Sutlej flows from the lake, but the headwaters of the others all rise nearby on the flanks of Mount Kailash.
Q1. What kind of place was Hor?
Ans– Hot and miserable
Q2. What does the word “accumulated” mean?
Ans– Accumulated means to gather or pile up especially little by little; amass.
Q3. Manasarovar is the source of _____________
Ans– Manasarovar is the source of four great Indian rivers namely, the Indus, the Ganges, the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra.
Q4. Where is Hor situated?
Ans– Hor is in Tibet.
D. Tired and hungry, I started breathing through my mouth. After a while, I switched to single-nostril power which seemed to be admitting enough oxygen but, just as I was drifting off, I woke up abruptly. Something was wrong. My chest felt strangely heavy and I sat up, a movement that cleared my nasal passages almost instantly and relieved the feeling in my chest. Curious, I thought.
Q1. Who is “I” in the above lines?
Ans- Nick Middleton
Q2. What made the narrator catch a cold?
Ans- High altitude made the narrator catch a cold.
Q3. Give the antonym of the word “alleviate”.
Ans- Relieved
Q4. Whom did the narrator consult for medication?
Ans- Tibetan doctor
E. Tsetan took me to the Darchen medical college the following morning. The medical college at Darchen was new and looked like a monastery from the outside with a very solid door that led into a large courtyard. We found the consulting room which was dark and cold and occupied by a Tibetan doctor who wore none of the paraphernalia that I’d been expecting. No white coat, he looked like any other Tibetan with a thick pullover and a woolly hat. When I explained my sleepless symptoms and my sudden aversion to lying down, he shot me a few questions while feeling the veins in my wrist.
Q1. Where was the medical college situated?
Ans- Darchen
Q2. What is a monastery?
Ans– A monastery is a building or collection of buildings in which monks live.
Q3. How did the narrator recover from his cold?
Ans- Narrator recovered by taking proper medication.
Q4. Give synonyms of the word “hatred” from the given extract.
Ans- Aversion
Class 11 English Silk Road Question Answers (including questions from Previous Years Question Papers)
In this post we are also providing important short answer questions from the Chapter 6 Silk Road for CBSE Class 11 exams for the coming session.
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.
Class 11 Silk Road Long Answer Questions Lesson 6
Q1. Describe the difficulties and disillusionment faced by Nick Middleton during his journey to Mount Kailash.
Ans. The narrator, Nick Middleton, had to travel across the challenging terrain to get to Mount Kailash. The path was completely covered in snow, and because it was so steep, they couldn’t go around it. They overcame it in some way. The risk was that they would slip. They threw dirt in all directions, totally covering the snow.
Tsetan drove the car across the snow and the narrator and Daniel stepped out to reduce the burden. He had a headache as a result of the low air pressure. Due to the low pressure, the fuel in automobiles also expanded, which was dangerous for them. The narrator also experienced severe cold symptoms and respiratory difficulties in Darchen as a result of blocked sinuses. Hor was a run-down, filthy, and incredibly dreary town. Overall, the author’s journey was exciting.
Q2. What was the purpose of the narrator’s journey? What route did he take to reach his destination?
Ans. The author had organised a religious pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and the Mansarovar Lake to practise Kora. Kora is both a type of pilgrimage and a type of meditative practice in the Tibetan Buddhist or Bon traditions. A Kora is performed by the practitioner making a circumambulation around a sacred site or object, typically as a constituent part of a pilgrimage, ceremony, celebration or ritual. To get to Mansarovar, he took the ancient Silk Road over the Himalayas, which borders Tibet. To get here, one must travel via a number of snow-covered high mountain passes and vast open plains. The storyteller passed through Hor and Darchen en route. Hor endured unusually frigid conditions. Hor was a gloomy, unkempt place, according to the narrator. The narrator experienced an intense cold in Darchen, another unclean location, and required medical care.
Q3. What physical discomfort did the narrator experience in Darchen? How did he find relief?
Ans. The narrator’s time in Darchen got quite difficult since he had developed a severe cold as a result of blocked sinuses. He struggled for air. He was limited to using one nostril for breathing. He was utterly restless and unable to fall asleep. He was afraid that if he went to sleep, he may pass away. He spent the night lying in bed. The following morning, Tsetan drove him to the Darchen Medical College for medical attention. He received a five-day course of Tibetan medicine, which brought him a great deal of comfort and relief. He felt a little bit better when the procedure was completed and he could finally get some rest.
Q4. Why was the narrator disappointed to find no pilgrims at Darchen? Was his disappointment dispelled?
Ans. The Kora to Kailash and Mansarovar had to be completed by the narrator. He expected to meet groups of pilgrims. Yet by the time he arrived in Darchen, the season had not yet begun. He grew so dejected and lonely. Without any company, he felt uncomfortable and alone. He found it tough to spend his free time. But after meeting Norbu, he swiftly overcame this despair.
The narrator interacted with him and became overly at ease around him. They were meant to be together because they shared some traits and ideas. The narrator chose to perform Kora along with him. Both of them were against performing Kora traditionally on foot, therefore they decided to hire yaks.
The finest aspect was how fluently Norbu could speak English despite being Tibetan. Norbu, in the narrator’s opinion, would be the ideal friend.
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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