Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 8 - Silk Road

Summary
The author of the story, Nick Middleton, describes his journey to Mount Kailash in Silk Road.
In order to complete his Kora, the author wishes to visit Mt. Kailash. Thus, he hires Tsetan so
that he gets someone for driving him up to the mountain. While he was parting with Lhamo,
he receives a long-sleeved sheepskin coat. In order to get companionship, the author takes
Daniel with him till Darchen.
Upon starting their journey, Tsetan takes a short-cut to the south-west. He says it is a direct
route to Mt. Kailash. In order to reach their destination, they would have to cross the high
mountain passes. However, Tsetan assures them that due to lack of snow, it would be easy
to do so. On their way, they cross through a small number of gazelles, a herd of wild asses
and shepherds that were tending the flocks.
Upon reaching the hill, they notice dark tents. They learn they were nomad’s homes and see
a Tibetan mastiff guarding the tents. When they reach near the tents, the dogs with large
jaws ran after their car. Upon entering the valley, they witness mountains and rivers
covered in snow and ice.
The ride on the hill starts turning sharper and bumpier. As they reached higher, the author
could feel the pressure and noticed they were at 5210 meters above sea level. After clearing
the first hurdle of snow-filled roads, they were on and about. The author starts feeling
uneasy due to height and pressure. At around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, they stop for
lunch.
Finally, they reach a small town ‘Hor’ in late afternoon. The author took a break in Hor and
sat at the local café sipping on tea. During this time, Tsetan got the car fixed and Daniel left
for Lhasa. The author did not like Hor too much. Upon resuming the journey, they stay the
night at a guest house in Darchen. We see how he suffers from nose-congestion due to the
altitude change and chilly weather. He goes to see a Tibetan doctor and receives a five-day
course medication.
After that, he feels better and enjoys his stay at Darchen where he meets another pilgrim,
Norbu. As Darchen had no pilgrims, the author finds relief and decides to complete his
pilgrimage with him. Finally, they hire yaks for their luggage and Norbu gives up while
collapsing across the table and laughing. Norbu’s says it would not be possible for him and
he also had a big tummy.
Conclusion of Silk Road
To sum up the Silk Road summary, we learn about the author’s journey through the silk road
and the determination of pilgrims and the hardships they face.
NCERT Solutions

1. Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meanings from the context.
(i) Ducking back
Ans: going inside quickly and coming back out
(ii) Swathe
Ans: to wrap or cover, contextual meaning: land covered with snow

(iii) Careered down

Ans: descending down the slope
(iv) Manoeuvres
Ans: military exercises involving large troops of soldiers, ships etc.
(v) Cairn of rocks
Ans: pile of stones that create a mark for a special place like the top of a mountain or where
someone is buried
(vi) Salt flats
Ans: houses having thatched roofs covered with snow
(vii)Billowed
Ans: filled with air and swelled

Understanding the Text

Give reasons for the following statements.
1. The article has been titled ‘Silk Road.’
Ans: This article’s name is based on the historic silk road or route, the network which
connected the Afro Eurasian landmass. Many trades were established by it – Chinese silk,
spices, teas and porcelain; the Roman Empire’s gold, silver, fine glassware, carpets, jewels
and wine; Indian textiles, pepper and precious stones. The road largely traded silk with
China and was therefore named Silk road. In the chapter, the author was exploring the
Himalayan belt in Tibet and travelled to Mount Kailash. The chapter is named Silk Road as
the author explored this region.

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

Ans: Tibetan mastiffs were popular as hunting dogs in imperial courts of China. In ancient
times they were brought as a tribute from Tibet and they were brought along the Silk Road.
They were used as watchdogs because they were huge and black. They are fast like bullets
and explode very quickly. Their breed is fearless and furious.

3. The author’s experience at Hor was in stark contrast to earlier accounts of the place.
Ans: Hor was a gloomy and pathetic place. There was very little vegetation and there was
dust and rocks dispersed everywhere. Although the place was situated on the shore of Lake
Mansarovar, it still seemed unfortunate and miserable. The author was really astonished to
see the contrast between his experience with that of the previously read accounts. Ekai
Kawaguchi, a Japanese monk arrived there in 1990 and he got so moved by the holiness of
the Lake that tears came into his eyes. A similar effect was felt by Sven Hedin, a swede when
he visited the hallowed waters. However, when the author reached the Hor, he had to get
two punctures mended first. He felt relaxed only when he was served tea at the only café in
town, by Chinese youth. The café was made with badly painted concrete and it had three
broken windows. However, one of the windows had a good view of the Lake and it helped
to compensate a little.

4. The author was disappointed with Darchen.

Ans: The author was disappointed with Darchen because he was having health problems
due to high altitudes. He got a bad cold and was unable to sleep at night. There were no
pilgrims coming to the place as the author was one of the firsts to arrive. The place was
worn down and it was dusty. There were heaps of rubble and refuse.

5. The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all.
Ans: The author was not happy with Darchen. He was in bad health after reaching there. The
author also felt lonely without any pilgrims around. Just then, he met a Tibetan, Norbu, who
also wanted to visit Kailash. They both made a good team as they both were academicians
and had escaped the library. The author began to think positively and he felt new hope and
enthusiasm.

6. The purpose of the author’s journey to Mount Kailash.

Ans: Nick Middleton is a Professor at Oxford and an adventurer as well. He reaches Mount
Kailash by following the most difficult terrain via the Silk Road. He visited the sacred place to
complete the Kora.

7. The author’s physical condition in Darchen.

Ans: The author did not feel well when he reached Darchen. He got a very bad cold and his
sinuses got blocked due to the cold wind at Hor. He was not even able to sleep well that
night. The very next day, he was taken to the Darchen Medical College by Tsetan. There, the
doctor gave him medicines that provided him relief.

8. The author’s meeting with Norbu.

Ans: After Tsetan left for Lhasa, the author felt lonely without him. The author was one of
the firsts in the season to reach Darchen, so there weren’t any pilgrims there. It was then
that he met Norbu. He was also an academician and a Tibetan. He was also visiting Kailash
and they both decided to go together.

9. Tsetan’s support to the author during the journey.

Ans: Tsetan was an efficient driver and drove the car very carefully. He spoke to the author
during the journey and gave him information about the places that they were visiting. He
also took care of the author when he got to know that he was not well. He took him to the
Darchen Medical College and got him medicine. He was a good Buddhist.

10. “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 and so he used to believe that death was not the end of life. He
believed that Kailash was a sacred place and it’s better for him as it would lead him to
heaven. But if the author died there, his business would be affected badly as his credibility
would be at risk for looking after the tourists and he might not get any customers later on.

Talking about Text

Discuss in groups of four.
1. The sensitive behaviour of hill-folk.
Ans: The behaviour of hill-folk is innocent and unsophisticated. They are very religious
people and fear God. They are very kind and hospitable. They take good care of the visitors.

2. The reason why people willingly undergo the travails of difficult journeys.
Ans: The author undertook this journey because of educational purposes as he was an
academician. He went on the journey to have a learning experience. People also undertake
such journeys because of the kind of adventure they provide. The areas that the author
visited are some of the toughest terrains in the world. People also visit these places due to
religious reasons and as a part of a pilgrimage.

3. The accounts if exotic places in legends and reality.

Ans: Exotic places hold many accounts in legends and reality. Places like Mount Kailash and
Mansarovar have an important place in the legends. These places are being written about in
many articles as well.

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: Although Tsetan's mother tongue was not English, he tried to speak it in a well-
organised manner to attract more and more customers. Daniel was a translator who helped
Tsetan and the author to understand each other. However, we should remember that more
than words, the language of the heart is what matters the most. Gestures along with good
understanding are pretty enough to understand someone.

2. What do the following utterances indicate?

(i) “I told her, through Daniel…”
Ans: She was not able to understand English but Daniel translated what he said into the
Tibetan language for her.

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

Tsetan translated into English what the doctor said in Tibetan, for the author.

3. Guess the meaning of the following words.

In which language are these words found?
Ans: Kora – circumambulate, walking all the way round
Droka – shepherd
Kyang – a wild Tibetan ass
These words are from 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:
(i) After ducking back into her tent, she emerged carrying one of the hang sleeved sheepskin
coats that…
(ii) It involved crossing several fairly high mountain passes.
(iii) Extended banks of cloud-like French loaves glowed as the Sun emerged to splash the
distant mountain tops with a rose-tinted blush.
And etc.

2. Explain the use of the adjectives in the following phrases.

i. Shaggy monsters
Ans: hairy, bushy

ii. Brackish lakes

salty

iii. Rickety table

shaky, unsteady

iv. Hairpin bend

a very sharp bend

v. Rudimentary general stores

elementary, basic

Noticing Form
1. The account has only a few passive voice sentences. Locate them. In what way does the
use of active voice contribute to the style of the narrative.
Ans: Following are the few passive voice sentences present in the text:

(i) What was the likelihood of that I asked.

(ii) By late afternoon we had reached.
(iii) That night, after my first full day’s course, I slept very soundly.
(iv) Once he saw that I was going to live Tsetan left me…
(v) The pilgrimage trail was well-trodden…
(vi) The cafe had a single-window beside which I’d taken up position

The active voice is used to show that the subject of the activity is the person, place, or
object that is doing it. The active voice is used in this story to put the reader in the shoes of
the narrator. It allows us to identify with his adventure as the "I" in the story and to feel as if
we are travelling across Tibet with them.

2. Notice this construction: Tsetan was eager to have them fixed. Write five sentences with a
similar structure.
Ans: Following are five sentences with similar sentence structure-

(i) Reema was hoping to have the doors fixed.

(ii) The patient was impatiently waiting to get her teeth fixed.
(iii) The truck driver was about to have his licence cancelled.
(iv) The kids were waiting to get their water bottles refilled.
(v) The teacher was eager to have her class extended.

Extra Questions(Short answer type)

Question 1.
When they set out on their journey.
Answer:
The narrator was moving towards Mount Kailash to complete the kora. He recalls the day,
when they set out from Ravu, with nostalgia. It was a
'perfect' early morning to start a journey. The clouds looked like long French loaves
glimmering pink as the rising sun shone on them. The faraway mountain peaks glowed with
a rose-tinted colour. Lhamo presented him with one of the long-sleeved sheepskin coats
that all the men there wore, for protection against cold.
Question 2.
Describe the initial phase of their journey.
Answer:
As they set out, they took a shorter route to get off the Changtang. It was a road that would
take them south-west, almost directly towards Mount Kailash. It required crossing several
quite high mountain passes. Tsetan was confident that if there was no snow they would
have a comfortable journey but that they would not know till they got there.
From the gently sloping hills of Ravu, the short cut took them across vast open plains with
nothing in them except a few antelopes grazing in the arid pastures. As they moved ahead,
the plains became more stony than grassy. There, the antelopes were replaced by herds of
wild ass.
Question 3.
What did the narrator notice about the 'drokbas'?
Answer:
As the narrator went further up the hills from the rocky wasteland, he noticed the solitary
drokbas tending their flocks. Sometimes these well-wrapped figures would halt briefly and
stare at their car. They seldom waved as they crossed.
When the road took them close to the sheep, the animals would swerve away from the
speeding car.
Question 4.
The narrator was fascinated by the awesome mastiffs. Why?
Answer.
Crossing the nomads' dark tents pitched in remoteness, the narrator noticed that a huge
black dog, a Tibetan mastiffs, guarded most of the tents. These monstrous creatures would
tilt their great big heads when someone moved towards them. As they drew closer, these
dogs would race straight towards them, like a bullet from a gun. These dogs were pitch
black and usually wore bright red collars.
They barked furiously with their gigantic jaws and were so fearless that they ran straight
into the path of their vehicle. They would chase them for about a hundred metres. The
narrator could understand why Tibetan mastiffs became popular in China's imperial courts
as hunting dogs.
Question 5 : How did Tsetan manoeuvre across the first patch of snow that they came
across?
Answer:
Tsetan stopped at a tight bend and got out because the snow had covered the path in front
of them. This unexpected-depository was too steep for their vehicle to mount. Tsetan
stepped on to the covered snow, and stamped his foot to determine how sturdy it was. The
snow was not deep but the car could turn over. Tsetan took handfuls of dirt and threw them
across the frozen surface. Daniel and the narrator, too, joined in.
When the snow was spread with soil, Tsetan backed up the vehicle and drove towards the
dirty snow. The car moved across the icy surface without noticeable difficulty.
Question 6.
When did the narrator feel unwell or the first time?
What did he do?
Answer:
When they went further up the trail and were 5,400 metres above the sea level, the
narrator got an awful headache. He took gulps from his water bottle, which is supposed to
help during a speedy uphill journey. His headache soon cleared as they went down the other
side of the pass.
Question 7.
What was the sight on the plateau ruins of the Tethys Ocean?
Answer:
The narrator and his friends stopped for lunch in a long canvas tent, part of a work camp
erected beside a dry salt lake. The plateau was covered with salty desert area and salty lakes
that were remnants of the Tethys Ocean. This place was bustling with activity. Men with
pickaxes and shovels were moving back and forth in their long sheepskin coats and salt-
covered boots. All wore sunglasses as protection against the dazzling light of blue trucks
that energed from the lake with piles of salt.
Question 8.
Why was the narrator sorry to see the miserable plight of Hor?
Answer:
Hor was a dismal place with no vegetation. It only had dust and rocks coupled with years of
accumulated refuse. He found this unfortunate because this town was on the banks of Lake
Manasarovar, Tibet's most venerated stretch of water.
Question 9.
What is the belief about Lake Manasarovar? What is the fact?
Answer.
According to ancient Hindu and Buddhist cosmology Manasarovar is the source of four great
Indian rivers: the Indus, the Ganges, the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra. In actuality only the
Sutlej flows from the lake, but the headwaters of the all others rise nearby on the flanks of
Mount Kailash.
Question 10.
The narrator 'slept very soundly. Like a log, not a dead man. Explain.
Answer:
After going to the Tibetan doctor the narrator soon recovered. Unpalatable as it seemed,
the medicine led him to a quick recovery. Hence the narrator had a healthy and sound sleep
unlike when he was ailing and restless. He slept undisturbed. He was not tossing and turning
because he was sound a sleep, not because he felt lifeless.
Question 11.
Darchen didn't look so horrible after a good night's sleep: Justify
Answer:
The narrator had a very uncomfortable night at Darchen. After he rested, although Darchen
was dusty, with heaps of rubble and refuse, the bright sun in a clear blue sky gave the
narrator a view of the Himalayas. He also noticed the huge, snow-capped mountain, Gurla
Mandhata, with just a tuft of cloud suspended over its peak.
Question 12.
Thadn't made much progress with my self-help programme on positive thinking.' Why does
the narrator feel so?
Answer:
The narrator was very disappointed with Darchen.
It was dusty, with heaps of rubble and refuse. But he was even more disappointed as there
were no pllgrims. As his mind went over the drawbacks of the place he concluded that he
hadn't made much progress with his self-help programme on positive thinking. In that case
he would have been more accepting and optimistic.
Question 13.
Who was Norbu? How could he be a help to the narrator?
Answer:
The narrator met Norbu in a cafe. He was Tibetan, and worked in Beijing at the Chinese
Academy of Social Sciences, in the Institute of Ethnic Literature. He had come to do the
kora. Norbu had been writing academic papers about the Kailash kora and its importance in
various works of Buddhist literature for many years but he had never actually done it
himself. The narrator was relieved to team up with him. He would not be alone then.
Question 14.
He suggested we hire some yaks to carry our luggage, which I interpreted as a good sign'.
Why does the narrator feel so?
Answer:
The narrator was relieved at meeting Norbu. He kept telling the narrator how fat he was and
how hard it was going to be for him to climb. He wasn't really a practising Buddhist, but he
was enthusiastic and was a Tibetan. Making the trek in the company of devout believers
would not be easy as they would go prostrating all round the mountain. But Norbu
suggested that they hire some yaks to carry our luggage. This to the narrator came as a
relief.
Extra Long Answer Type Questions :

Question 1.
The narrator on his way to Mount Kailash came across a lot of topographic variation.
Comment.
Answer:
The narrator and his companions took a short cut to get off the Changtang. Tsetan knew a
route that would take them southwest, almost directly towards Mount Kailash. It involved
crossing several fairly high mountain passes. From the gently rising and failing hills of Ravu,
the short cut took them across vast open plains with nothing in them except a few gazelles
that were grazing in the arid pastures. Further ahead,
the plains became more stony than grassy, and there a great herd of wild ass came into
view.
Still ahead hills became steeper wh^re solitary drokbas were tending their flocks. This led
them to the snow-capped mountains and then to the valley where the river was wide and
by and large clogged with ice. At a height of 5,515 metres, piles of stones marked the
landscape. Next was the plateau which was covered with salty desert area and salty lakes
that were remnants of the Tethys Ocean. Hor was next in line. It was a wretched place with
no vegetation just dust and rocks, liberally scattered with years of accumulated refuse.
Question 2.
The narrator realized that the snow was both dangerous as well as beautiful. Justify.
Answer:
Tsetan on his way surveyed the snow on the path by stamping on it. It was not deep. But in
case they slipped the car could turn over. Hence to cover the risk, they flung handfuls of dirt
across the frozen surface. When the snow was spread with soil, they drove without
difficulty. Ten minutes later, they stopped at another blockage. This time they decided to
drive round the snow.
However, the risks did not undermine the scenic beauty of the place. In the valley, they saw
snow-capped mountains and the river was wide but mostly blocked with ice that was
sparkling in the sunshine. As they moved ahead, on their upward track, the turns became
sharper and the ride bumpier. The rocks around were covered with
patches of bright orange lichen. Under the rocks, seemed unending shade.
Question 3.
Enumerate the difficulties that the group faced in Hor.
Answer:
The group reached the small town of Hor by late afternoon. Daniel, who was returning to
Lhasa, found a ride in a truck and left. They had suffered two punctures in quick succession
on the drive down from the salt lake and they got them replaced. Hor was a gloomy place
devoid of vegetation. It only had dust and rocks, liberally scattered with years of
accumulated refuse.
Hor's only cafe which, like all the other buildings in town, was constructed from badly
painted concrete and had three broken windows. The good view of the lake through one of
them helped to compensate for the draught. The narrator was served by a Chinese youth in
military uniform who spread the grease around on his table with a filthy rag before bringing
him a glass and a thermos of tea.
Question 4.
Describe in detail the narrator's miserable night in Darchen.
Answer:
The narrator reached the Darchen guesthouse after 10.30 p.m. This was just the beginning
of a troubled night. The open-air rubbish dump in Hor had set off his cold once more. One of
his nostrils was blocked again and he was tired and hungry.
He started breathing through his mouth. After a while, he woke up abruptly. His chest felt
strangely heavy but when he sat up, his nasal passages cleared almost instantly and relieved
the feeling in his chest. He lay down again. Just as he was about to doze something told him
not to.
He was not gasping for breath, but could not go to sleep. He sat up but as soon as he lay
down, his sinuses filled and his chest felt strange. He tried supporting himself against the
wall, but could not manage to relax enough to sleep. He did not know what was wrong but
had a feeling that if he slept he would not wake up again. So he stayed awake all night.
Question 5.
Narrate the narrator's meeting with the Tibetan doctor.
Answer:
After an awfully uncomfortable and breathless night, Tsetan took the narrator to the
Darchen Medical College. The college was new and looked like a monastery from the
outside with a very solid door that led into a large courtyard. The consulting room was dark
and cold and occupied by a Tibetan doctor who did not have any kit that the narrator had
been expecting.
He wore a thick pullover and a woolly hat. The narrator explained the symptoms and the
doctor shot him a few questions while feeling the veins in his wrist. Finally he said, it was
the cold and the effects of altitude. He said that the narrator would be well enough to do
the kora. He gave him a brown envelope stuffed with fifteen screws of paper. Each package
had a brown powder that had to taken with hot water. It tasted just like cinnamon. The
contents of the lunchtime and bedtime packages were less obviously identifiable. Both
contained small, spherical brown pellets. Though the medicine looked like sheep dung, it
helped him recover quickly.
Question 6.
Meeting Norbu came as an immense relief to the narrator. Why?
Answer:
The narrator was not only disappointed with the filth in Darchen but also because of the
lack of pilgrims. Moreover, since Tsetan had left, he had not come across anyone in Darchen
with enough English to answer even this most basic question.
It was then that he met Norbu in a cafe. He was Tibetan, he told him, but worked in Beijing
at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in the Institute of Ethnic Literature.
He had also come to do the kora. Norbu had been writing academic papers about the
Kailash kora and its importance in various works of Buddhist literature for many years, but
he had never actually done it himself. He was relieved to form a team with another
academician. This apart, Norbu, wasn't really a practising Buddhist, though he was a
Tibetan. He suggested that they hire some yaks to carry their luggage, as he had no
intention of prostrating himself all round the mountain.