Silk Road Class 11 | Nick Middleton | Summary | English |

Silk Road Class 11 by Nick Middleton | Summary | English |

Summary of Silk Road

Silk Road Class 11 by Nick Middleton revolves around Nick Middleton, the author of the story, who describes his journey to Mount Kailash. He wants to visit Mt. Kailash so that he can complete his Kora.  He starts his journey from Ravu from where he hires a local driver named Tsetan so that he can reach Darchen within stipulated time and commence his journey towards the mountain. Lhamo bids him farewell giving him sheep-skin coat which will protect him from chilling winds and freezing cold. In the beginning of their journey, they come across many shepherds, gazelles nibbling the grasses, wild asses and much more.

Tsetan takes up a direct route to reach the destination as soon as possible. Besides, he has a fair enough idea that they will have to cross huge mountain passes and undergo roads which are teemed with snow. On they way, they find nomads and their tents. Outside their houses, they find monstrous Tibetan Mastiff protecting their master and homes.

They even chase the author and the driver till they leave their territories. After crossing those monsters and crossing all the hurdles they reach around 5200 metres above the sea level and have their lunch. The problem gets enlarged when the author starts facing breathing problems due to lack or oxygen and height. Ultimately, they reach a small but filthy town ‘Hor’  and stay at a guest house in Darchen from where he has to commence his journey to Mount Kailash.

But that night becomes the worst night of his life. He has to stay awake all the night due to congestion in his nose. He knew that if he slept, he would not be able to wake up the next day. The next day, he goes to a Tibetan doctor and undergoes a five-day course which gives him some sort of relief and makes him able to continue his journey. At Darchen, he meets another traveller ‘Norbu’ who works at a Chinese Institute. They both hire yaks to reach their destination but before they could do so, Norbu gives up saying that it would not be possible for him as he is fat and unable to move up.

That’s all about Silk Road by Nick Middleton ! 

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Important Questions/Answers of Silk Road

Q1. How did Lhamo bid farewell to the author? Why?

Ans. Lhama bade farewell to author by giving him a sheep-skin coat because he was going to undertake a  troublesome journey to Mount Kailash which was full of obstacles. Moreover, it was biting cold outside especially for an outsider.  Therefore, she presented him a coat so that he can protect himself.

Q2. What unusual scenes were observed by author on the way? What did he notice about the Tibetan Mastiff?

Ans. In the beginning of their journey, they came across many shepherds, gazelles nibbling the grasses, wild asses and much more. But the thing that fascinated them the most was huge jaws and the activities of Tibetan Mastiffs. They guarded their masters and chased the outsiders till they saw them off out of their territories.

Q3. Why was the narrator unable to breathe? What precautions did he take to survive?

Ans. Both the narrator and Tsetan, the driver, had undertaken a long journey to Mount Kailash. When they reached at 5210 metres above the sea level, the narrator started facing breathing problems. In order to survive, he had to stay awake throughout the night as he knew that he would die if he slept.

Q4. How did the narrator get some relief from his nose congestion?

Ans. The narrator was on the verge of dying at a certain point of time due to lack of oxygen at a height of 5210 metres at the sea level. He stayed awake throughout the night and went to a Tibetan doctor the next day. The doctor advised him to undergo five-days course which gave him some sort of relief.

Q5. What was the narrator’s reaction after reaching Hor?

Ans. Initially, the narrator was very excited to go to Hor. But, when he reached there, all his excitement fled away to an unknown place. To his surprise, the found the small town extremely dirty and full of small shops selling Chinese items.

Q6. Who was Norbu ? Why did he regret his inability to move further?

Ans. Norbu was a Tibetan who was also staying there to complete kora. He worked at Beijing in a Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and able to speak English. He fell down while talking to the narrator. Besides, he was overweight and fat too, therefore he refused to walk any further.

Q7. Why was the narrator relieved on meeting Norbu?

Ans. Narrator had been looking for some one for a long time who could accompany him to Mt. Kailash in order to complete his kora. At, Darchen, he met a Tibetan who could not only accompany him but speak English as well. Therefore, he got a sigh of relief after meeting him.

Q8. What was Silk Road?

Ans. Silk Road, also known as silk route, was an ancient trade route that linked China with the west. It was a popular route at that time and known for its trade between the countries. 

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