SMART STUDY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, NATHDWARA, RAJSAMAND

ACADEMIC SESSION 2021-22

SUBJECT : ENGLISH

CLASS : XI DATE: 05- 01 – 2022

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Name of the Chapter : 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.

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