Silk Road Question Answers, NCERT Solutions | Class 11 Chapter 8

 

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Book Chapter 8 Silk Road Important Question Answers

Looking for Silk Road question answers (NCERT solutions) for CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Book Chapter 8? 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 8: 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, multiple choice 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. 

 

Chapter 8 Silk Road 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?
A.Ans-

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

 

Multiple Choice Questions for Chapter 8 Silk Road

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) are a type of objective assessment in which a person is asked to choose one or more correct answers from a list of available options. An MCQ presents a question along with several possible answers.

 

1. What did the Tibetan doctor give him?
A. a five day course medicine in a brown envelope
B.. Ayurvedic medicine
C. Ancient Himalayan medicine
D. Allopathic medicines
Ans- A. a five day course medicine in a brown envelope

2. Where did Tsetan take the protagonist to seek medical help?
A. Darchen Medical College
B. Tibetan Ayurvedic Doctor
C. to Lhasa Rescue Centre
D. None of the above
Ans- A Darchen Medical College

3. What did Lhamo give to the protagonist as a farewell gift?
A. long sleeved sheepskin coat
B. Flowers
C. Tibetan souvenirs
D. Artwork
Ans- A. long sleeved sheepskin coat

4. Why was the protagonist facing communication problems in Darchen?

A. as he never wanted to talk to locals
B. as he was always busy in his meditation
C. as no one knew English
D. The locals were rude to him
Ans- C. as no one knew English

5. Where did the men play a game of pool in Darchen every afternoon?
A. near general store in open air
B. in the park
C. near lake
D. near the cliff
Ans- A. near general store in open air

6. What was the sky looking like due to the sun rays spreading on the mountain tops?
A. golden-yellow hue
B. rose – tinted blush
C. beautiful and fresh
D. gleams of hope
Ans- B. rose – tinted blush

7. Where did Norbu work?
A. in Belgium
B. Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
C. in Bahrain
D. in Bahamas
Ans- B. Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

8. Where did the protagonist meet Norbu?
A. at cafe
B. at mountain peak
C. at nomad’s tents
D. at home
Ans- A. at cafe

9. Where was the protagonist heading towards in the beginning of the chapter?
A. Mount Kailash
B. Nanda Devi
C. Kanchenjunga
D. K2
Ans- A. Mount Kailash

10. Why did Norbu want to do Kora?
A. because he wanted to become a monk
B. because he was seeking mental peace
C. as he was practising meditation for so long
D. because he was writing an academic paper on Kailash Kora
Ans- D. because he was writing an academic paper on Kailash Kora

11. What is Kora?
A. Yoga position
B. Medication
C. name of a small town
D. meditation performed by Buddhist believers
Ans- D. meditation performed by Buddhist believers

12. What happened when they reached Darchen at night to stay in the guest House?
A. protagonist experienced enlightenment
B. Tsetan went missing
C. protagonist was depressed
D. protagonist wasn’t able to breathe properly
Ans- D. protagonist wasn’t able to breathe properly

13. At which place did the protagonist wait for Tsetan while he was gone to fix the punctured tyres?
A. at roadside near lake
B. at car repair shop
C. at a bus stop
D. Hor’s cafe
Ans- D. Hor’s cafe

14. Who are Drokbas?
A. Hill Tribe
B. sheeps
C. local people
D. cuisine
Ans- A. Hill Tribe

15. What are the names of four rivers that Lake Mansarovar consists of?
A. the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Saraswati
B. the Yamuna, the Ganga and the Alaknanda
C. the Indus, the Ganges, the Sutlej, and the Brahmaputra
D. the Bhagirathi, the Ganges and the Godavari
Ans- C. the Indus, the Ganges, the Sutlej, and the Brahmaputra

Q16. Why was Hor an ugly and miserable place?
A. it had no supermarkets
B. it had no vegetation
C. it did not have any proper medical facilities
D. it was not habitable
Ans- B. it had no vegetation

Q17. Why did the driver take a short cut to Changtang?
A. he wanted to avoid traffic
B. he knew the shortest route towards Mount Kailash
C. the shortcut provided a picturesque view
D. he was lost
Ans- B. he knew the shortest route towards Mount Kailash

Q18. What was an old route from Lhasa to Kashmir?
A. east-west highway
B. Hor town
C. south-west highway
D. north-east highway
Ans- A. east-west highway

Q19. Where did they stop to have lunch at two o’clock?
A. at a long canvas tent beside the dry salt lake
B. at a fancy restaurant
C. at a roadside stall
D. at a friend’s place
Ans- A. at a long canvas tent beside the dry salt lake

Q20. What is the meaning of ‘Kyang’?
A. flower petals
B. sun rays
C. huge pile of dust
D. trees
Ans- C. huge pile of dust

 

Silk Road Short Answer Questions (including questions from Previous years Question Papers)

In this post we are also providing important short answer questions from the Chapter 8 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 Chapter 8 Silk Road Long Answer Questions

 

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.

 

Also See: 

• Silk Road Explanation, Summary
• Silk Road MCQ Question Answers
• Class 11 English Question Answers
• Class 11 English Lesson Explanation
• Class 11 English Hornbill Book Chapter wise word meaning