NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 6: Silk Road; Father to Son

Chapter at a glance

Silk Road – Understanding the Text

Question UI1

Give reasons: The article has been titled ‘Silk Road’.

Answer

The author travels through Tibet along routes that were part of the ancient Silk Road — the trade route linking China with Central Asia and the West, along which silk, Tibetan mastiffs (as tribute) and other goods were carried. The highway through Hor followed the old trade route from Lhasa to Kashmir. He also notes that plastic is now one of China’s most successful exports “along the Silk Road today”. Hence the title.

Because the journey follows routes of the ancient Silk Road trade network through Tibet, which the author refers to repeatedly.

Question UI2

Give reasons: Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts.

Answer

Tibetan mastiffs are huge, ferocious and fearless black dogs, very fast and powerful. These qualities made them excellent hunting dogs, so they were brought along the Silk Road as tribute from Tibet to China’s imperial courts.

Because their size, ferocity, speed and fearlessness made them excellent hunting dogs, sent as tribute from Tibet.

Question UI3

Give reasons: The author’s experience at Hor was in stark contrast to earlier accounts of the place.

Answer

Earlier travellers were deeply moved by the sanctity of Lake Manasarovar: the Japanese monk Ekai Kawaguchi (1900) burst into tears, and Sven Hedin, an unsentimental Swede, was similarly affected. But the author found Hor a grim, miserable place — no vegetation, only dust, rocks and years of accumulated rubbish, a shabby café with broken windows and a dirty table.

Earlier travellers were moved to tears by the holy lake, but the author found Hor dirty, barren and depressing.

Question UI4

Give reasons: The author was disappointed with Darchen.

Answer

Darchen was dusty, partly derelict and full of rubble and rubbish. More importantly, there were no pilgrims, since he had arrived too early in the season, so he had no companions for the kora, and no one spoke enough English to tell him whether the snow on the route had cleared. He also had a troubled first night there.

It was dirty and derelict, and there were no pilgrims or English speakers to accompany or guide him on the kora.

Question UI5

Give reasons: The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all.

Answer

Just when he felt stuck in Darchen with no companions, he met Norbu, a Tibetan academic from Beijing who spoke English and had also come to do the kora. Norbu suggested they team up — “two academics who have escaped from the library”. This lucky meeting made the author feel that his positive thinking had worked.

Because he unexpectedly met Norbu, who also wanted to do the kora and agreed to be his companion.

Question UII1

Briefly comment on the purpose of the author’s journey to Mount Kailash.

Answer

The author travelled to Mount Kailash to complete the kora — the sacred circumambulation (pilgrimage walk) around the holy mountain, revered by Hindus, Buddhists and others. He wanted to experience the pilgrimage and the culture of the region, and to write about it.

To complete the kora, the sacred circuit around Mount Kailash.

Question UII2

Briefly comment on the author’s physical condition in Darchen.

Answer

At Darchen (4,760 m) his cold flared up again; one nostril was blocked, his chest felt heavy and he had difficulty breathing when lying down. He was afraid that if he slept he might not wake up, so he stayed awake all night. The Tibetan doctor diagnosed a cold and the effects of altitude and gave him Tibetan medicine, after which he slept soundly.

He suffered a cold and altitude sickness, could not breathe when lying down and stayed awake in fear, until Tibetan medicine cured him.

Question UII3

Briefly comment on the author’s meeting with Norbu.

Answer

The author met Norbu in Darchen’s only café. Norbu, a Tibetan working at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, had written about the Kailash kora but had never done it. Seeing the author’s English book, he started a conversation, and they decided to do the kora together. Though Norbu was fat and as ill-equipped as the author, his enthusiasm and Tibetan background made him an ideal companion; he suggested hiring yaks to carry the luggage.

A lucky meeting in a café with a Tibetan academic who also wanted to do the kora; they teamed up, making the pilgrimage possible.

Question UII4

Briefly comment on Tsetan’s support to the author during the journey.

Answer

Tsetan was a skilful, cheerful and caring guide and driver. He took a short cut across high passes, cleared icy snow by throwing dirt on it and drove round obstacles, handled punctures and fuel expansion, and kept the author’s spirits up with “no problem, sir”. At Darchen he took the author to the medical college and stayed until he was sure the author would recover.

He drove skilfully over dangerous snowy passes, managed problems on the way, and took the author to the doctor at Darchen, leaving only when he was sure the author would recover.

Question UII5

Briefly comment on: “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.”

Answer

The statement is humorous. As a Buddhist, Tsetan believed that death is not important because life is a cycle of rebirth. But as a practical guide, he felt that a client dying would be bad for his business (his reputation). The remark shows Tsetan’s mix of spiritual belief and practical sense, and the author’s light-hearted way of describing his experience.

A humorous remark mixing Tsetan’s Buddhist detachment about death with his practical concern for his business reputation.

Silk Road – Talking about the Text

Question T1

Discuss: The sensitive behaviour of hill-folk.

Answer

The hill-folk in the account are kind, caring and helpful: Lhamo gave the author a sheepskin coat as a farewell gift because he needed warm clothes; Tsetan took great care of him and took him to the doctor; the Tibetan doctor treated him patiently; Norbu offered companionship. Hill people living in harsh conditions are often warm and hospitable towards strangers, though they may be wary at first (the nomads stared and waved).

They are kind and hospitable — Lhamo’s gift, Tsetan’s care, the doctor’s help and Norbu’s companionship show this.

Question T2

Discuss: The reasons why people willingly undergo the travails of difficult journeys.

Answer

People undertake difficult journeys for spiritual reasons (pilgrimages like the Kailash kora), adventure and thrill, curiosity about new places and cultures, personal challenge and self-discovery, research or writing, and for the beauty of nature. The sense of achievement outweighs the hardships.

For faith, adventure, curiosity, self-challenge, research and the beauty of nature.

Question T3

Discuss: The accounts of exotic places in legends and the reality.

Answer

Legends and earlier travellers’ accounts often describe places like Lake Manasarovar as sacred, pure and moving (Kawaguchi wept on seeing it). Ancient cosmology claimed four great rivers flow from it. But the reality can be different: Hor was dirty and grim, and only the Sutlej actually flows from the lake. Legends add romance and spiritual meaning, while reality is shaped by modern changes, pollution and neglect. Both together give a fuller picture.

Legends romanticise places (Manasarovar’s sanctity, four rivers), but reality may be different (dirty Hor; only the Sutlej rises from the lake).

Silk Road – Thinking about Language

Question L1

Notice the kind of English Tsetan uses while talking to the author. How do you think he picked it up?

Answer

Tsetan speaks simple, broken English with short phrases and frequent “sir”: “But no problem, sir”, “Not knowing, sir, until we get there”, “Not good, sir”, “Maybe, sir, but no smoking.” He probably picked it up by talking to foreign tourists as a driver and guide, not through formal education.

Simple, broken English with “sir” (“No problem, sir”), learnt informally from foreign tourists during his work as a guide.

Question L2

What do the following utterances indicate? (i) “I told her, through Daniel …” (ii) “It’s a cold,” he said finally through Tsetan.

Answer

They indicate that the author could not speak Tibetan and the locals could not speak English, so he needed interpreters: Daniel interpreted between him and Lhamo, and Tsetan interpreted between him and the Tibetan doctor.

That communication happened through interpreters (Daniel and Tsetan) because of the language barrier.

Question L3

Guess the meaning of the following words: kora, drokba, kyang. In which language are these words found?

Answer

• kora: a pilgrimage circuit or circumambulation around a sacred place (here, Mount Kailash).
• drokba: a nomad (herdsman) of Tibet; Tsetan calls the author “drokba” when he wears the sheepskin coat.
• kyang: the Tibetan wild ass.

These words are from the Tibetan language.

kora: pilgrimage circuit; drokba: nomad; kyang: wild ass — Tibetan words.

Silk Road – Working with Words

Question W1

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.

Answer

• “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.”
• “Plumes of dust billowed into the crisp, clean air.”
• “We passed nomads’ dark tents pitched in splendid isolation.”
• “The river was wide and mostly clogged with ice, brilliant white and glinting in the sunshine.”
• “Big rocks daubed with patches of bright orange lichen.”
• “A huge, snow-capped mountain, Gurla Mandhata, with just a wisp of cloud suspended over its summit.”
• “The sun shone brilliantly in a clear blue sky.”

E.g. “clouds like long French loaves glowed pink”, “plumes of dust billowed into the crisp, clean air”, “rocks daubed with bright orange lichen”, “a wisp of cloud suspended over its summit”.

Question W2

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

Answer

1. shaggy monsters — the Tibetan mastiffs, with long, thick, rough hair, look like fierce monsters.
2. brackish lakes — lakes with slightly salty water (remnants of the Tethys Ocean).
3. rickety table — a shaky, weak table likely to collapse.
4. hairpin bend — a very sharp U-shaped turn in a mountain road, like a hairpin.
5. rudimentary general stores — very basic, simple shops with only essential goods.

shaggy: long rough hair; brackish: slightly salty; rickety: shaky; hairpin: very sharp U-turn; rudimentary: basic.

Silk Road – Noticing Form

Question N1

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?

Answer

Passive sentences

• “It was marked by a large cairn of rocks festooned with white silk scarves and ragged prayer flags.”
• “…the second tyre he’d changed had been replaced by one that was as smooth as my bald head.”
• “…like all the other buildings in town, was constructed from badly painted concrete…”
• “I was served by a Chinese youth in military uniform…”
• “I was simply not allowed to go to sleep.”
• “…the striped variety… that is made into stout, voluminous shopping bags…”

Contribution of active voice: the active voice makes the narrative direct, lively and personal. It shows who is doing what — Tsetan driving, the dogs chasing, the author struggling — giving a sense of movement and immediacy, which suits a first-person travelogue.

Passives include “It was marked by a large cairn…”, “I was served by a Chinese youth…”, “was constructed from badly painted concrete” and “I was not allowed to go to sleep”; the predominant active voice makes the travelogue direct, vivid and personal.

Question N2

Notice this construction: Tsetan was eager to have them fixed. Write five sentences with a similar structure.

Answer

The structure is have + object + past participle (causative: getting something done by someone else).

1. I need to have my eyes tested.
2. She had her hair cut yesterday.
3. We are going to have the house painted before Diwali.
4. He had his car repaired at the garage.
5. The principal wanted to have the results announced quickly.

E.g. I had my eyes tested; she had her hair cut; we will have the house painted; he had his car repaired; they had the results announced.

Silk Road – Things to Do

Question D1

“The plateau is pockmarked with salt flats and brackish lakes, vestiges of the Tethys Ocean…” Go online or consult an encyclopedia for information on the Tethys Ocean.

Answer

The Tethys Ocean was an ancient ocean that existed between the supercontinents Gondwana (south) and Laurasia (north) from about 250 to 50 million years ago. As the Indian plate drifted north and collided with Asia (Eurasia/Cimmeria), the ocean floor was pushed under the continents and the sediments at its bottom were folded and uplifted to form the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau. Evidence includes marine fossils found high in the Himalayas (identified by geologists like Eduard Suess, who named the ocean) and the salt flats and brackish lakes of Tibet. The Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas are considered remnants of the Tethys, and the Alps were raised by a similar collision of Africa with Europe.

An ancient ocean between Gondwana and Laurasia whose floor was uplifted when India collided with Asia, forming the Himalayas and Tibet — shown by marine fossils in the mountains and Tibet’s salt lakes.

Father to Son – Poem

Question F1

Does the poem talk of an exclusively personal experience or is it fairly universal?

Answer

Though written as a personal experience of a father, the poem is fairly universal. The generation gap and lack of communication between parents and grown-up children is common in every family and culture: parents feel they no longer understand their children, while children want independence. Both sides long for love and understanding but fail to express it.

It is universal: the generation gap and failure of communication between parents and grown children occur everywhere.

Question F2

How is the father’s helplessness brought out in the poem?

Answer

• He admits, “I do not understand this child” and “I know nothing of him”, though they have lived together for years.
• He tries to build a relationship from memories of the son as a small child.
• He wonders if he has “killed the seed” or sown it where the land is not his.
• “We speak like strangers”; “what he loves I cannot share”; “Silence surrounds us.”
• He would rather have his son return like the prodigal than build his own world, and would forgive him.
• He cannot understand why “anger grows from grief”.
• Both “put out an empty hand”, longing to forgive, but cannot reach each other.

Through his admissions that he does not understand or know his son, their speaking like strangers, the silence between them, his wish for the son’s prodigal return, and the image of empty outstretched hands.

Question F3

Identify the phrases and lines that indicate distance between father and son.

Answer

• “I do not understand this child”
• “I know / Nothing of him”
• “We speak like strangers, there’s no sign / Of understanding in the air.”
• “Yet what he loves I cannot share.”
• “Silence surrounds us.”
• “the land is his and none of mine”
• “He speaks: I cannot understand”
• “We each put out an empty hand, / Longing for something to forgive.”

“I do not understand this child”, “I know nothing of him”, “We speak like strangers”, “what he loves I cannot share”, “Silence surrounds us”, “We each put out an empty hand”.

Question F4

Does the poem have a consistent rhyme scheme?

Answer

Yes. Each of the four six-line stanzas follows the rhyme scheme abbaba. For example, stanza 1: child (a), now (b), know (b), build (a), how (b), killed (a); stanza 2: where, mine, sign, air, design, share.

Yes — every stanza follows the rhyme scheme abbaba.

Topic checklist

• Journey to Mount Kailash: Ravu, the passes, Hor, Darchen
• Characters: Lhamo, Tsetan, Daniel, Norbu
• Legend vs reality; Lake Manasarovar
• Tibetan words, picturesque phrases, adjectives, passive voice, causative “have”
• Father to Son: generation gap, helplessness, rhyme scheme

Total questions answered: 25 of 25