11 HORNBILL 2 MARKS

Chapter 1 – The Portrait of a Lady (by Khushwant Singh)

1. Why was the grandmother sad when the author was admitted in an English school?
The grandmother was sad because in the English school, religious teaching was not given. Instead, science and modern subjects were taught, which she could not understand. She felt unhappy and helpless as she could not help her grandson in his studies.

2. When was the link of the friendship between the author and his grandmother snapped?
The link was snapped when they shifted to the city. The author began to go to an English school by bus, and the grandmother could no longer accompany him or help in his lessons. Their close companionship slowly ended.

3. What did the grandmother do when the author returned from abroad after five years?
When the author returned, the grandmother was very happy. She went to receive him at the station. In her excitement, she did not say anything but hugged him tightly. She sang prayers and celebrated his return by beating a drum.

4. What did grandmother used to feed village dogs and why?
In the village, the grandmother carried stale chapatis for the dogs. She fed them out of love and compassion, as the stray dogs followed her to and from the temple. She treated them like her friends and companions.

5. Why did grandmother carry stale chapatis with her?
She carried stale chapatis to feed the street dogs in the village. Later in the city, she also fed sparrows with bits of food. Feeding helpless animals and birds was her daily routine and gave her joy and satisfaction.

6. Why was the grandmother upset with the author when he joined music classes?
She was upset because she believed music was not meant for decent families. To her, music was for beggars, prostitutes, or low-class people. She disliked the idea of her grandson learning music and strongly disapproved of it.

7. Describe the author’s grandfather.
The author’s grandfather looked very old, with a long white beard that covered his chest. He appeared to be at least a hundred years old. He wore big loose clothes and looked like a man who could only grow older.

8. What could the author not believe about his grandfather?
The author could not believe that once his grandfather had been young and handsome. He found it hard to imagine him as a lively man with a wife and children. To him, his grandfather always looked old, wrinkled, and ancient.

Chapter 2 – We’re Not Afraid to Die… if We Can All Be Together (by Gordon Cook & Alan East) 

1. What was the feat that Gordon Cook repeated after 200 years back?
Gordon Cook and his wife set out on a world voyage by sea, repeating the famous expedition made 200 years earlier by Captain James Cook. They wanted to duplicate it in their small sailboat, Wavewalker.

2. What problems did they encounter in the first phase of voyage?
In the first phase, the weather was rough but manageable. The waves were high, the wind was strong, and their ship had to battle constant storms. It tested their patience, stamina, and skills but they continued bravely.

3. How did the sailors repair their ship when it was first attacked by winds?
When the strong waves damaged the ship, they used canvas and waterproof mats to cover leaks. They pumped out water continuously and tried to strengthen the structure with ropes. Temporary repairs were made to keep the ship afloat.

4. What injuries did the father suffer in the accident?
The narrator (father) was thrown overboard but saved by lifelines. He suffered a cracked rib and severe injuries on his mouth and face. Despite pain and weakness, he kept working to save his family and repair the boat.

5. Who were other two crew men that accompanied the journey?
Two professional crewmen, Larry Vigil, an American, and Herbie, a Swiss sailor, accompanied the family. They helped bravely in fighting against the storm, pumping out water, steering the boat, and working tirelessly to keep everyone safe.

6. Which Island did they find nearby using their charts?
After long struggle, they calculated their position and found that Île Amsterdam, a small French island in the Indian Ocean, was nearby. It gave them hope of survival and became their only chance to save their lives.

7. How did the children console the fear-stricken parents?
The children showed extraordinary courage. Jonathan said, “We are not afraid to die if we can all be together.” Their words gave strength to the parents, encouraging them to fight against despair and continue struggling for survival.

8. Describe the little girl and her brother’s courage in supporting their father in fighting against strong waves.
Sue, though injured with a swollen head, never cried or complained. Jonathan, only seven, displayed maturity by accepting death bravely. Their courage and calmness inspired their father to stay strong and keep fighting the storm till they survived.

 Chapter 3 – Discovering Tut 

1. What is the Cemetery of Tut called? 

The cemetery of Tutankhamun (Tut) is in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt.   His tomb is known as KV62 (King’s Valley Tomb Number 62). This valley is famous as the burial place of many pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt.

2. Who said “The mummy is in very bad condition because of what Carter did in the 1920s”?
This was said by Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian expert on ancient history. He blamed Howard Carter because Carter damaged Tut’s body while removing treasures and hard resins during the excavation in the 1920s.

3. Who is Osiris?
Osiris was the Egyptian God of the afterlife and resurrection. Egyptians believed that after death, their kings (pharaohs) would join Osiris in the next world. That is why Tut was buried with treasures for his journey.

4. When did Tut die?
Tutankhamun, the boy king, died around 1324 B.C. when he was just 18 or 19 years old. His death was sudden and mysterious, and scientists are still trying to find the real cause.

5. Who was Tutankhamun?
Tutankhamun, often called King Tut, was a young Egyptian ruler of the 18th dynasty. He became king at only 9 years old. His tomb contained amazing treasures and gave the world clues about ancient Egyptian life.

6. When was Tut’s body taken back in his tomb after CT scan?
Tut’s body was taken back to his tomb on the night of 5th January 2005 after a CT scan was done. The scan helped scientists study his body in detail with modern technology.

7. For how many years did Amenhotep III rule Egypt?
Amenhotep III, Tut’s grandfather, ruled Egypt for almost 40 years. His rule was long and very prosperous. It was remembered as a golden period of wealth, art, and progress in ancient Egypt.

8. When was the mummy examined in X-Ray by the anatomy professor?
In 1968, an anatomy professor took an X-Ray of Tut’s mummy. This revealed that the body had been badly damaged. There were signs of injuries and broken bones, raising new questions about Tut’s death.

9. What name did Amenhotep IV change to?
Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten. He worshipped the Sun God, Aten, and rejected other gods. Because of this, people called him the “heretic king,” as he went against old traditions.

10. What was found with Tutankhamun’s body?
Tut’s body was found with many treasures—like gold jewelry, clothes, daggers, and his famous golden mask. Egyptians believed these things would help him live comfortably in the afterlife with Osiris.

Lesson 7 – The Adventure (by Jayant Narlikar) 

1. Where was Khan Sahib going? How did he intend to reach there?
Khan Sahib was going to Peshawar. He planned to travel from Bombay (Mumbai) to Delhi by train and then take the Frontier Mail from Delhi, which would finally take him to Peshawar.

2. What was the profession of Gaitonde?
Professor Gaitonde was a history professor. He loved studying and discussing historical events. He often delivered lectures on history and was deeply interested in finding out how history could have taken a different turn.

3. Whom did Gaitonde want to meet?
Professor Gaitonde wanted to meet Rajendra Deshpande, his friend. Rajendra was a rational thinker and a scientist. Gaitonde wished to share his strange experience of entering an alternative history and wanted Rajendra’s help in understanding it.

4. How will Khan Sahib go to Peshawar?
Khan Sahib would first travel by train from Bombay to Delhi. From there, he would board the Frontier Mail that would take him directly to Peshawar, his final destination.

5. Where did Gangadharpant go after leaving library?
After leaving the library, Gangadharpant (Gaitonde) went to the Azad Maidan in Bombay. A lecture was going on there, and he saw that the chair for the main speaker was lying vacant.

6. Why was the chair unoccupied?
The chair was unoccupied because Professor Gaitonde himself was supposed to preside over the function. But since he was in a different reality at that time, no one else occupied the chair, and it remained vacant.

7. What did the professor Gaitonde do to see the vacant chair?
Professor Gaitonde became upset seeing his chair vacant. He went up the stage, sat on the chair, and started speaking. He told the audience about how history could have been different if certain events had changed.

8. What was the strange reality that Professor Gaitonde saw as he stepped out of the station?
When Gaitonde stepped out of the station, he saw that India was not under British rule. Instead, it was a free country. He saw different flags, new names, and realized he had entered an alternative history.

 Lesson 8 – Silk Road (by Nick Middleton) 

1. What does Kora mean?
Kora means a religious pilgrimage or circuit around a sacred place, usually a mountain or temple, in Tibetan culture. Pilgrims believe that completing a kora brings them spiritual merit and washes away sins.

2. What could home create a hindrance in advancement of the writer?
The author’s car faced difficulties due to snow-filled tracks and blocked mountain passes. Harsh winds, thin air, and extreme cold also slowed their journey. Such natural barriers in the Himalayas created hindrance in his advancement towards Mount Kailash.

3. What does Kyang mean? Which language does it belong to?
Kyang means wild ass. It belongs to the Tibetan language. These animals were seen running in groups across the plateau, and their presence showed the unique wildlife of Tibet.

4. “Not good sir,” who spoke these words and why?
A Chinese youth at Darchen spoke these words. He was explaining to the author that medical facilities in the town were poor and that getting proper treatment for altitude sickness there was difficult.

5. Why were the narrator and his friends heading towards Mount Kailash?
The narrator and his friends were heading towards Mount Kailash to complete the Kora, a holy pilgrimage. Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains consider Mount Kailash a sacred mountain connected to Lord Shiva and other deities.

6. What happened to the author as they reached 5400 meters?
At 5400 meters, the author suffered from severe breathing problems, nausea, headache, and fatigue due to lack of oxygen. These symptoms showed that he was affected by altitude sickness at such a great height.

7. Describe the appearance of Hor.
Hor was a dirty and dull town with no greenery or beauty. It had scattered rubbish, rocks, and filth. The author found it depressing and uninviting, unlike the beauty of the mountains around.

8. Where had the narrator taken tea and who served him tea?
The narrator had tea at a café in Hor. The tea was served by a Chinese woman, who poured him a glass of steaming liquid to warm him in the cold weather.

9. Who was Norbu?
Norbu was a Tibetan scholar working at the Beijing Institute. He wanted to do the Kailash Kora for religious reasons. He met the author at Darchen, and they decided to do the pilgrimage together.

10. What was the farewell present given by Lhamo to the author?
Lhamo, a Tibetan woman, gave the author a long-sleeved sheepskin coat as a farewell present. It was very useful for him in the freezing climate of Tibet during his journey to Mount Kailash.

11. How did the Tibetan mastiffs react when the author and his group approached?
The Tibetan mastiffs barked loudly and fearlessly when the author’s car passed by. They ran beside the car, showing aggression, as they were traditionally trained to guard sheep and property in the mountains.

12. Why is it that on the top of the mountain there is a plateau pockmarked with salt flats?
The plateau was once covered by a huge lake that had dried up over time. What remained was a large flat ground with white salt patches, showing the place’s history of being under water.

13. What troubled the author at Darchen?
At Darchen, the author was troubled by severe breathing problems and inability to sleep. His health worsened due to altitude sickness, and he felt weak, tired, and restless in the thin air of the high altitude.

14. What, according to the doctor, was the problem the author suffered from?
According to the doctor, the author suffered from altitude sickness. The thin air and low oxygen level at such a height caused his headache, nausea, and breathing difficulty. He was advised rest and proper medication.

15. How did Norbu become an ideal companion for the author?
Norbu became an ideal companion because he was also unfit and inexperienced in trekking. Both shared the same pace, humor, and motivation. They encouraged each other and made the tough pilgrimage to Mount Kailash together.

16. What is the importance of Lake Mansarovar?
Lake Mansarovar is considered a holy lake near Mount Kailash. Pilgrims bathe in its waters, believing it washes away sins. It holds great spiritual importance for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains as a symbol of purity and devotion.