Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues Class 11: Summary, Themes and Answers
Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked
Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues, by A. R. Williams, is a Hornbill report on the CT scan of the mummy of Tutankhamun, Egypt's boy king, on 5 January 2005. It recalls Howard Carter's 1922 discovery and rough handling of the mummy, Tut's family history, and how modern technology seeks to answer how he died and how old he was.
What Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues is about
Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues by A. R. Williams is a non-fiction piece adapted from National Geographic. It mixes history, archaeology and science. On the evening of 5 January 2005, the mummy of Tutankhamun (King Tut), a pharaoh who died in his late teens more than 3,300 years ago, is taken from its tomb in the Valley of the Kings and passed through a CT scanner.
The chapter covers:
- the scene at the tomb, the tourists and the legend of the pharaoh's curse
- Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb in 1922, the treasures, and how his team cut the mummy free from its gold coffin
- how archaeology has changed: from treasure to the details of life and death, with tools such as X-rays (1968) and computed tomography
- Tut's family: Amenhotep III, the religious upheaval of Akhenaten, the mysterious Smenkhkare, and Tut's restoration of the old ways
- the night of the scan, the scanner failing because of sand, and Zahi Hawass's relief
In the Class 11 paper it can give a prose extract (3 x 1), short answers (40-50 words, 3 marks) and long answers (120-150 words, 6 marks). Note: the chapter as printed in Hornbill describes the scan and its first images (head, neck vertebrae, a hand, the rib cage, a section of the skull) but does not say what they revealed about his age or death; answer from what the text says.
Weightage: Section C (Literature) carries 31 of the 80 theory marks in the school annual exam; Hornbill is tested through one prose extract of two (3 x 1), two of four short answers of 40-50 words (one prose, one poetry; 3 x 2) and one of two long answers of 120-150 words (6).Source: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus 2026-27, Class XI question paper design
Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues: summary
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
King Tut was a teenager when he died. He was the last heir of a powerful family that had ruled Egypt for centuries, and was buried with gold and then forgotten. Since his tomb was discovered in 1922, people have wondered how he died, with murder the most extreme theory. In 2005 his mummy left its tomb for a CT scan that could offer new clues.
At 6 p.m. on 5 January 2005, under a dusty, cloudy sky, Tut's mummy was taken from his tomb in the Valley of the Kings and moved into a scanner. Earlier, tourists had visited the tomb, some whispering about the pharaoh's curse. Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the mummy was in very bad condition because of what Howard Carter had done in the 1920s.
Carter, a British archaeologist, had found the tomb in 1922 after years of searching. Its gold treasures caused a sensation, but Tut had also been buried with everyday objects such as board games, a razor, linen and food. When Carter reached the mummy, hardened resins had stuck it to the solid gold coffin. Heating it in the sun did not help, so his men chiselled it free, removing the head and cutting nearly every major joint, and then reassembled the body in a wooden box. Without this, thieves would probably have torn it apart for the gold.
Archaeology now focuses less on treasure and more on life and death, using medical tools. An X-ray in 1968 showed that Tut's breast-bone and front ribs were missing. A CT scan, which combines hundreds of cross-section X-rays into a three-dimensional image, might reveal how he died and how old he was.
Tut's family history was dramatic. Amenhotep III, his father or grandfather, ruled for nearly forty years. His son Akhenaten worshipped the sun disk Aten, moved the capital to Amarna and attacked the god Amun. After the shadowy Smenkhkare, the young Tutankhaten became king, renamed himself Tutankhamun and restored the old ways, but died after about nine years.
On the night of the scan, the machine stopped because of sand in a cooler fan, and a guard joked about the curse. Spare fans worked, 1,700 images were made, and Tut was back in his tomb within three hours. Hawass, relieved, said he could now sleep. Above the tomb, the constellation Orion, the soul of Osiris, watched over the boy king.
Themes and message
Science shedding light on history
Modern medical technology (X-ray, CT scanning, forensic reconstruction) is used to answer old questions about Tut's life and death that excavation alone could not.
From the text: The CT scan created 1,700 digital X-ray images in cross section.
Respect for the dead and changing archaeology
Carter's treasure-focused methods damaged the mummy; today's archaeology handles remains carefully and studies details of life and death.
From the text: Archaeology now focuses 'less on treasure and more on the fascinating details of life'.
Mystery, legend and curiosity
Tut's early death, his family's upheavals and the legend of the pharaoh's curse keep the world fascinated.
From the text: A guard jokes 'Curse of the pharaoh' when the scanner fails.
Wealth, death and the afterlife
The royals hoped to take their riches into the afterlife; Tut was buried with gold and everyday things he might need.
From the text: Board games, a bronze razor, linen undergarments, food and wine lay beside the gold.
Characters
King Tut (Tutankhamun)
The boy pharaoh whose mummy is scanned.
- Last of a powerful dynasty
- Restored the old religion
- Died young, after about nine years on the throne
He changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun and 'oversaw a restoration of the old ways'.
Howard Carter
British archaeologist who found the tomb in 1922.
- Persistent
- Treasure-focused, careless of the body by modern standards
After failing to loosen the resin with sunlight, his men cut the mummy apart to remove the gold.
Zahi Hawass
Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, in charge of the scan.
- Responsible and anxious about the mummy's safety
- Relieved when the scan succeeds
He had not slept the night before out of worry.
How it is written
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Atmospheric description | 'An angry wind stirred up ghostly dust devils'; clouds 'veiling the stars in casket grey' | Creates a mysterious, funereal mood suited to the legend of the curse. |
| Simile | X-rays put together 'like slices of bread' | Explains CT scanning simply. |
| Use of quotations from experts | Hawass and Ray Johnson are quoted. | Makes the report authentic and lively. |
| Personification | Orion 'watching over the boy king' | Ends the piece on a gentle, reverent note. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
The mummy is in very bad condition because of what Carter did in the 1920s
Zahi Hawass: On first seeing the mummy before the scan.
Blames Carter's methods for the damage.
No amount of legitimate force could move them
Howard Carter (written): On the resins cementing Tut to his coffin.
Shows Carter's problem and leads to the cutting of the mummy.
Curse of the pharaoh
A guard: When the scanner stops because of sand.
Shows how the legend still lingers.
in death, as in life, moving regally ahead of his countrymen
Narrator: Tut is one of the first mummies scanned.
A witty comment on his royal status even in death.
Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Technology in heritage conservation
Suppose your state museum plans to study a fragile ancient manuscript.
What lesson from Tut's story should guide the museum? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Carter's rough methods damaged Tut's mummy.
- Modern non-invasive tools (scanning, imaging) reveal details without harm.
Answer: The museum should avoid handling that could damage the manuscript, as Carter's methods damaged Tut. It should use non-invasive tools such as high-resolution imaging or scanning, which can reveal hidden text and details while keeping the original safe for future generations.
Memory hook: Study the past without breaking it.
Superstition versus explanation
Imagine a projector fails during a school play about ghosts, and some students say the 'ghost' did it.
How is this like the scanner episode, and how should it be explained?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The scanner failed because of sand in a fan; the guard joked about the curse.
- Look for a practical cause: a loose cable, overheating, power.
Answer: Like the scanner, the projector failed for a physical reason; check and fix the cause instead of blaming a curse.
Memory hook: Find the fault before blaming a ghost.
CT scans in medicine
Suppose a relative is advised a CT scan after a fall.
Using the chapter, explain to a younger cousin what a CT scan does.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Many thin X-ray 'slices' are taken across the body.
- A computer stacks them, 'like slices of bread', into a 3-D image doctors can turn and study.
Answer: A CT scan takes many cross-section X-rays and joins them into a 3-D picture so doctors can see inside without surgery.
Memory hook: Slices of bread make a whole loaf.
Topics in this chapter
How the school exam asks Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Prose extract (Q11, 3 x 1) | Passages on the tomb scene, Carter's work, CT scanning, Tut's family or the night of the scan. | Pick out facts precisely (dates, names, numbers) and explain technical words simply. |
| Short answer (Q13, 40-50 words, 3 marks) | Why Carter cut the mummy; what was buried with Tut; how archaeology has changed; why the scanner stopped. | Give the reason with two supporting details. |
| Long answer (Q15, 120-150 words, 6 marks) | Role of technology in archaeology; ethics of disturbing the dead; Tut's family history; why Tut still fascinates. | Use facts from the text, then evaluate or link to the present. |
Tricks to remember Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Key dates
1922 found; 1968 X-ray; 2005 CT (5 January, 6 p.m.).
Use it when: Factual questions.
Family line
Amenhotep III → Akhenaten (Aten) → Smenkhkare → Tut (Amun again).
Use it when: Tut's family history.
Numbers
3,300 years, 9-year reign, 1,700 images, about 600 mummies, under 3 hours.
Use it when: Extract and short questions.
Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues: extract-based questions
Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.
Extract 1: The tourists and the curse
Some visitors read from guidebooks in a whisper. Others stood silently, perhaps pondering Tut’s untimely death in his late teens, or wondering with a shiver if the pharaoh’s curse — death or misfortune falling upon those who disturbed him — was really true.
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Just before this, the visitors gaze at the murals of the burial chamber and at Tut's mummy-shaped outer coffin lid. What was the most striking feature of the outer coffin lid?
(a) the murals (b) Tut's gilded face (c) the winged goddesses (d) the board games(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What is the 'pharaoh's curse'?
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Why might some visitors have been 'wondering with a shiver'?
Show the answersAnswers
- (b) Tut's gilded face
- The belief that death or misfortune falls on anyone who disturbs the pharaoh's resting place.
- Because they were inside the tomb and half-feared the legend of the curse might be true.
Extract 2: How CT scanning works
Today diagnostic imaging can be done with computed tomography, or CT, by which hundreds of X-rays in cross section are put together like slices of bread to create a three-dimensional virtual body. What more would a CT scan reveal of Tut than the X-ray?
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
What does a CT scan create?
(a) a photograph of the coffin (b) a three-dimensional virtual body (c) a single X-ray image (d) a gold mask(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Why does the writer compare the X-rays to 'slices of bread'?
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Name two questions the scan was expected to help answer.
Show the answersAnswers
- (b) a three-dimensional virtual body
- To explain simply that many thin cross-section images are stacked together to form a whole.
- How Tut died and how old he was when he died.
Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues: exam-level solved questions
Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: Why Carter cut the mummy · 3 marks · Short answerExam level
Why did Carter's men cut Tut's mummy apart, and how does the writer defend him? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Hardened resins cemented the mummy to the gold coffin; sun heating failed.
- Head removed, joints severed to free the body and its gold.
- Defence: thieves would otherwise have ripped it apart.
Answer: Ritual resins had hardened and cemented the mummy to its solid gold coffin, and heating it in the sun failed. So his men removed the head and cut the joints. The writer says Carter had little choice, since thieves would otherwise have torn the mummy apart for gold.
Example 2: Everyday objects in the tomb · 3 marks · Short answerExam level
Apart from gold, what was Tut buried with, and why? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Board games, a bronze razor, linen undergarments, food and wine.
- Ancient Egyptians believed he would need them in the afterlife.
Answer: Tut was buried with everyday things such as board games, a bronze razor, linen undergarments and cases of food and wine. The ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife and thought the king would need these ordinary comforts on his journey to the great beyond.
Example 3: Akhenaten's upheaval · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Why does Ray Johnson call the time of Akhenaten 'horrific'? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Akhenaten promoted the Aten (sun disk), changed his name.
- Moved the religious capital from Thebes to Amarna; attacked Amun, smashed images, closed temples.
- The ruling family was ending.
Answer: Akhenaten overturned Egypt's religion: he promoted the sun disk Aten, changed his name, moved the capital from Thebes to Akhetaten (Amarna), and attacked the god Amun by smashing his images and closing temples, just as his long-ruling family was coming to an end.
Example 4: Technology and archaeology · 6 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
How has modern technology changed the way archaeologists study the past? Answer with reference to the chapter in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Carter's era: treasure, crude methods, damage.
- 1968 X-ray: missing breast-bone and ribs.
- CT: 1,700 images; 3-D body; questions of age and death; forensic reconstruction.
- Egyptian Mummy Project: portable CT, hundreds of mummies; value and care.
Answer: In Carter's time archaeology was largely a hunt for treasure. To remove Tut's gold, his men chiselled and cut the mummy apart, causing damage that Zahi Hawass still regrets.
Today the focus has shifted to the details of life and the mysteries of death, and medical technology has made this possible. An X-ray in 1968 showed that Tut's breast-bone and front ribs were missing. In 2005 a CT scanner made 1,700 cross-section images and combined them into a three-dimensional virtual body, which could help reveal how old Tut was and how he died, and allow a forensic reconstruction of his face.
Such tools are now being used on hundreds of mummies through the Egyptian Mummy Project. The mummy was back in its tomb within three hours. Technology thus lets us learn more while disturbing the dead far less.
Example 5: Should the dead be disturbed? · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Is it right to disturb ancient tombs and mummies in the name of science? Give your views with reference to the chapter in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- For: knowledge of history, medicine, culture; careful modern methods.
- Against: respect for the dead and beliefs; Carter's damage; risk to fragile remains.
- Balanced view: minimal, respectful, scientific study.
Answer: The chapter shows both sides of this question. Carter's discovery gave the world the richest royal collection ever found, but his men cut Tut's body apart to remove the gold. Many would call that disrespectful, and Hawass blames it for the mummy's poor condition.
Yet study of the dead has value. Tut's mummy can tell us how a young king lived, what illnesses or injuries he had, and how he died, adding to our knowledge of history and medicine.
In my view, such study is justified only if it is careful and respectful. The 2005 scan is a good example: the mummy was handled gently, scanned without cutting and returned to its tomb within three hours. Scientists should treat remains as human beings, not objects, and disturb them only when the knowledge gained is significant.
Example 6: The scanner and the curse · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
What went wrong on the night of the scan, and how did people react? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The scanner stopped because of sand in a cooler fan.
- Two men fetched plastic fans; scan completed.
- A guard joked nervously about the curse; Hawass was relieved.
Answer: Soon after Tut was taken into the trailer, the million-dollar scanner quit because sand had got into a cooler fan. Two men rushed out and returned with white plastic fans, which worked well enough to finish. A guard nervously joked about the pharaoh's curse; Hawass, sleepless with worry, was relieved.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
Why did Carter cut the mummy, and how is he defended? (40-50 words, 3 marks) (3 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: hardened resins; sun heating failed; mummy cut free | 1 |
| Content: defence: thieves would have ripped it apart for gold | 1 |
| Expression within the limit | 1 |
Technology and archaeology (120-150 words, 6 marks) (6 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: contrast of old and new methods with facts from the text | 3 |
| Organisation | 1 |
| Expression | 2 |
Where students lose marks in Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Stating the scan's findings (age, cause of death) as if given in the chapter
The Hornbill text describes the scan and the questions it may answer, not the results.
Do this: Say the scan was expected to help answer these questions.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks
Mistake: Calling Akhenaten Tut's son
Akhenaten was the son of Amenhotep III and ruled before Tut.
Do this: Follow the order Amenhotep III → Akhenaten → Smenkhkare → Tut.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Saying the scanner was broken by the curse
Sand in a cooler fan stopped it; the guard only joked about a curse.
Do this: Give the real cause.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Confusing Aten and Amun
Aten is the sun disk promoted by Akhenaten; Amun is the old god Tut restored.
Do this: Tutankh-aten → Tutankh-amun shows the change.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Practice questions on Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
When was Tut's tomb discovered, and by whom?
(a) 1922, Howard Carter (b) 1968, an anatomy professor (c) 2005, Zahi Hawass (d) 1922, Ray JohnsonHint
British archaeologist.
Answer
(a) 1922, Howard Carter
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
What did the 1968 X-ray reveal?
Hint
Chest.
Answer
That Tut's breast-bone and front ribs were missing beneath the resin.
Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level
What does the flower-decorated shroud tell us about Tut's burial?
Hint
Season.
Answer
The willow, olive, celery, lotus and cornflower garlands are evidence that he was buried in March or April.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
The writer says that Tut 'oversaw a restoration of the old ways'. What had to be restored, and which act of his announced the change? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
What Akhenaten had done; Tut's new name.
Answer
Akhenaten had promoted the sun disk Aten, moved the religious capital from Thebes to Akhetaten and attacked Amun, smashing his images and closing his temples. Tut brought back the old religion; changing his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun, 'living image of Amun', announced the return.
Q5 · 1 mark · Very short answerHOTS / competency
The workmen carry Tut's box to the scanner 'Like pallbearers'. What does this comparison suggest about the scene?
Hint
Who are pallbearers?
Answer
Pallbearers carry a coffin at a funeral, so the comparison makes a scientific procedure feel like a second, solemn royal burial procession.
Q6 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Do you think Howard Carter should be blamed for the damage to the mummy? Give reasons in 120-150 words.
Hint
Context of his time versus modern standards.
Answer
Model points: facts of the damage (head removed, joints severed); his reasons (hardened resins, failed heating, threat from thieves); standards of the 1920s focused on treasure; modern view values the body; balanced judgement: partly excused by circumstances and his time, but a lesson in care for today's archaeologists.
Q7 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
How long was Tut's mummy out of its coffin for the scan?
(a) three days (b) less than three hours (c) a week (d) twenty minutesHint
End of the scan section.
Answer
(b) less than three hours
Q8 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
What is the significance of Orion at the end of the chapter? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Osiris, the afterlife.
Answer
The ancient Egyptians saw the constellation Orion as the soul of Osiris, god of the afterlife. Showing it above Tut's tomb, 'watching over the boy king', ends the report on a calm, reverent note and links modern science back to ancient belief.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Who wrote 'Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues'?Show answer
A. R. Williams.
2.Where is Tut's tomb?Show answer
In the Valley of the Kings, Egypt.
3.Who was Zahi Hawass?Show answer
Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
4.How many coffins was Tut buried in?Show answer
Three nested coffins.
5.How many images did the CT scan make?Show answer
1,700.
6.What does Tutankhamun mean?Show answer
'Living image of Amun'.
7.Why did the scanner stop?Show answer
Sand in a cooler fan.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you describe the scene on 5 January 2005?
- Can you explain what Carter found and why he cut the mummy?
- Can you explain how archaeology and its tools have changed?
- Can you outline Tut's family history?
- Can you narrate the night of the scan?
- Can you write 120-150 words on technology or ethics in archaeology?
Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues: frequently asked questions
Does the chapter tell us how Tut died?
No. It describes the 2005 CT scan, the questions it was meant to answer (how he died and how old he was) and the first images on the technician's screen: a grey head, neck vertebrae, a hand, the rib cage and a section of the skull. As printed in Hornbill it does not say what killed him or how old he was.
What is the pharaoh's curse?
A popular belief that death or misfortune falls on anyone who disturbs a pharaoh's tomb. The chapter mentions it as a legend and shows a guard joking about it.
Why is Tut's funeral called 'the death rattle of a dynasty'?
Because he was the last of his family's line; with his death, the long-ruling family came to an end.
What type of text is this chapter?
A non-fiction report or feature, adapted from National Geographic, combining history, science and on-the-spot description.
Based on: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus, Classes XI-XII 2026-27; NCERT Hornbill, English Reader for Class XI (Reprint 2026-27), Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues