Silk Road notes class 11 cbse, Study notes of English

Download Silk Road notes class 11 cbse and more Study notes English in PDF only on Docsity! NOTES: SILK ROAD 1.ANSWER THE FOLLOWING: 1.Who gave narrator ‘a farewell present and was the present given at Ravu’? Ans: It was time for leaving Ravu. The narrator was to head towards Mount Kailash to do the Kora. Lhambo, Tibetan woman, wanted to give him a farewell present. She wanted that the narrator ought to get some warm clothes. So, she gave one of the long-sleeved sheepskin coats that all the men wore in the hilly region to keep themselves warm. 2.Who was Norbu? How could he be a help to the narrator? Ans: 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. 3.‘I hadn’t made much progress with my self-help programme on positive thinking.’ Why does the narrator feel so? Ans: 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 pilgrims. 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. 4.Why was the narrator sorry to see the miserable plight of Hor? Ans: ‘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. II. Answer the following in about 100-125 words: 1.Justify the statement ‘Silk Road’ The ‘Silk Road’ is not a single highway, but a network of overland routes linking Europe with Asia, making trade possible between those with a passion for silk, horses and exotic fauna and flora. It’s a thread that links East and West, a network of veins that pumped new lifeblood into mighty empires, a fabled route trodden by innumerable adventurers through the ages. Yet, underlying this trail is one of the most extraordinary tracts of land on this planet, a vast region separating China from the Mediterranean world that rates as one of the least hospitable areas on Earth. It was the difficulty of crossing such unforgiving territory that kept East and West apart for so long, allowing them to develop in their own distinct ways. The author records the challenges and hardships he faced in the Silk Road regions as they are now. The reader finds it refreshing to traverse such vast tracts of the natural world that remain largely unchanged from earlier days. Thus, the title is justified 2.Describe the initial phase of their journey. Ans: 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. 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 far-away 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. 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