SILK ROAD- NICK MIDDLETON

Class-XI, ENGLISH

Extra Questions and Answers (Short Answer Type)

Question 1. Why was the author disappointed with Darchen?
Answer: Darchen was shabby. The narrator was sick in Darchen. He passed an extremely
uncomfortable night because of his breathing problem. Next day when he felt better, he
disliked Darchen less.

Question 2. How did the author and his companions cross the first snow blockage on their
way to Mount Kailash?
Answer: Snow was so steep that they could not go around it. They had to go over it. The
danger was that they could slip. They flung handfuls of dirt and covered the snow
completely with soil. The narrator and Daniel got off the vehicle to lighten the load and
Tsetan drove the vehicle over the snow.

Question 3. Comment on the sensitive behaviour of hill folk.

Answer: In the story ‘Silk road’, the Hill folks are very simple, naive and unsophisticated.
They are polite and courteous towards all tourists. They actually take good care of all their
tourists. They know the fact that they win their bread because of these tourists. They were
very hospitable and God-fearing.

Question 4. How does the author recount his experience at the Darchen Medical College?
Answer: The doctor at the Darchen Medical College did not wear the traditional white coat
of a doctor. He observed the author and diagnosed his problem as the effect of cold and
high altitude. He gave him brown powders and pellets to be taken with hot water. The
author benefitted with this treatment.

Question 5. How was the author’s experience at Hor a stark contrast to earlier accounts of
the place?
Answer: The author was disappointed and rather depressed on arrival at Hor. Previous
visitors had been overwhelmed by the beauty of Mansarovar Lake, but the author found
Hor shabby and dirty. Question
6. How can the presence of salt flats in Tibet be explained?
 Answer: Salt flats are vestiges of Tethys ocean which bordered Tibet before the great
continental collision.

Question 7. Where is the town of Hor situated? Describe the town.

Answer: Hor is located on the eastwest highway when one travels from Lhasa to Kashmir. It
is a grim desolate place littered with accumulated refuse. There is no vegetation in this
town. It is located on the shore of Lake Mansarovar. On the whole, it has badly painted
concrete buildings.

Question 8. What is the importance of Lake Mansarovar?

Answer: Lake Mansarovar holds sacred importance for both the Hindus and the Buddhists. It
is a source of four great Indian rivers i.e., the Indus, the Brahmaputra, the Ganges and the
Sutlej. It is an extremely beautiful lake. Its first site often move the tourists into tears.

Question 9. How did the author suffer at Darchen?

Answer: Due to extreme cold winds at Hor, on reaching Darchen the author suffered from
cold and a blocked nose. He gasped for oxygen, could breathe through one nostril only. He
could not sleep at night. He sat up and felt better.

Question 10. Who was Norbu? How was he different from the local people?
Answer: Norbu has a Tibetan working in Beijing at the Chinese Academy. He was different
from other Tibetans as he was wearing a windcheater and metal rimmed spectacles of a
Western style and he spoke English fluently.

ASSIGNMENT
Question 1. Why was the narrator relieved on meeting Norbu?
Question 2. Where was the narrator going? Through what kind of terrain would he have to
pass?
Question 3. Did the narrator encounter any wildlife in the course of his journey?
Question 4. What have you learnt about the Tibetan mastiff from the essay?
Question 5. How did the narrator and Tsetan negotiate the hurdle of the swathe of snow?
Question 6. What problems did the narrator and his team experience due to low
atmospheric pressure?