EnglishCBSE Class 11 · Chapter 6

Silk Road Class 11: Summary, Characters, Themes and Answers

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Silk Road, from Nick Middleton's travelogue, describes his journey across the Tibetan plateau towards Mount Kailash to complete the kora, a pilgrim's walk round the sacred mountain. He crosses high passes in snow, sees nomads and wild animals, suffers altitude sickness, is treated by a Tibetan doctor at Darchen, and finally meets Norbu, a fellow academic who joins him.

What Silk Road is about

Silk Road is an extract from Nick Middleton's travel book. The narrator, a British writer and geographer, is travelling through western Tibet to Mount Kailash, where he plans to do the kora: walking round the mountain, an act of devotion for Hindus, Buddhists and others.

The chapter follows his journey step by step:

leaving Ravu, where Lhamo gives him a sheepskin coat; driving with Tsetan and Daniel across the Changtang plains
wild life and nomads: gazelles, kyang (wild asses), drokbas (nomads) and fierce Tibetan mastiffs
crossing snow on the track at 5,210 metres and reaching the pass at 5,515 metres, with its cairn and prayer flags
the salt-lake workcamp, the grim town of Hor on Lake Manasarovar, and the sleepless night at Darchen (4,760 metres)
treatment by a Tibetan doctor, and meeting Norbu, a Tibetan academic who has written about the kora but never done it

It is a travelogue: vivid description, gentle humour and the writer's honest feelings. 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).

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

Silk Road: summary

In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.

As the narrator leaves Ravu, his hostess Lhamo gives him a long-sleeved sheepskin coat for the cold on his journey to Mount Kailash, where he means to complete the kora. His driver Tsetan takes a short cut south-west across high passes, which he says will be fine 'if there is no snow'.

They cross vast empty plains where gazelles bound away and a herd of kyang (wild asses) gallops in formation. They pass drokbas tending their flocks and nomads' tents guarded by huge black Tibetan mastiffs that charge at the car like bullets. Climbing a river valley, they meet a stretch of icy snow across the track at 5,210 metres. Tsetan throws soil on it for grip and drives across; at a second blockage he steers round the snow over rocks. At 5,515 metres they reach the pass, marked by a cairn with silk scarves and prayer flags; they walk round it clockwise. The narrator suffers a throbbing headache from the altitude, which clears as they descend.

They lunch at a workcamp by a salt lake, a remnant of the ancient Tethys Ocean, and reach Hor, a dusty, rubbish-strewn town on the shore of the sacred Lake Manasarovar. The narrator contrasts his disappointment with earlier travellers such as Ekai Kawaguchi and Sven Hedin, who were moved to tears by the lake.

At Darchen he cannot sleep: whenever he lies down his nose blocks and his chest feels heavy, and a voice tells him he might not wake up. He stays awake all night. A Tibetan doctor diagnoses a cold and the effects of altitude and gives him a five-day course of medicine; that night he sleeps soundly. Tsetan returns to Lhasa.

Darchen looks better after rest, but there are no pilgrims yet, and he does not want to do the kora alone. In the town's only cafe he meets Norbu, a Tibetan scholar from Beijing who has written about the kora but never walked it. Norbu proposes they go together, 'Two academics who have escaped from the library', and the narrator's hopes rise.

Themes and message

Journey and endurance

The trip demands physical courage: icy passes, rough roads, punctures, cold and altitude sickness. The narrator keeps going towards his goal.

From the text: He crosses a pass at 5,515 metres with a throbbing head and spends a sleepless night at Darchen.

Landscape, people and wildlife of Tibet

The chapter paints the stark beauty of the plateau and the lives of nomads, animals and townsfolk.

From the text: Gazelles, kyang, drokbas, Tibetan mastiffs, salt lakes, snow-capped mountains.

Expectation versus reality

The sacred Lake Manasarovar moved earlier travellers to tears, but the narrator finds Hor grim and full of refuse.

From the text: Hor was 'a grim, miserable place' on the shore of 'Tibet's most venerated stretch of water'.

Companionship and faith

Kind people help him: Lhamo's coat, Tsetan's skill, the doctor's care, and Norbu's company for the kora.

From the text: Norbu: 'We could be a team.'

Characters

The narrator (Nick Middleton)

British travel writer heading for the Kailash kora.

Adventurous and determined
Observant and descriptive
Honest about his fears and illness
Gently humorous

He records every height, admits he was afraid to sleep, and jokes that the pellets 'looked suspiciously like sheep dung'.

Tsetan

The driver.

Skilful and resourceful
Cheerful and practical
Humorous

He spreads soil on the icy snow, drives round blockages, and jokes that the narrator's death would be 'bad for business'.

Norbu

Tibetan scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.

Friendly and enthusiastic
Self-mocking about his weight
Scholarly but inexperienced at trekking

He has written about the kora but never done it, and laughs that prostrating round the mountain is 'Not possible'.

Lhamo and Daniel

Lhamo, the narrator's hostess at Ravu; Daniel, a fellow traveller who interprets.

Kind and caring (Lhamo)
Helpful (Daniel)

Lhamo gives him a sheepskin coat; Daniel helps judge the icy snow.

How it is written

Device	Example	Effect
Vivid imagery	clouds 'like long French loaves' glowing pink	Brings the landscape to life with fresh pictures.
Simile	the mastiffs charge 'like a bullet from a gun'	Shows their speed and ferocity.
Humour	a tyre 'as smooth as my bald head'; medicine pellets like sheep dung	Keeps the tone light despite hardship.
First-person travelogue with precise detail	Heights such as 5,210 and 5,515 metres	Gives authenticity and lets the reader share the journey.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

But no problem, sir
Tsetan: On crossing the passes 'if there is no snow'.
Shows his cheerful confidence.
Hor was a grim, miserable place.
Narrator: Arriving at the town on Lake Manasarovar.
Contrasts with the lake's sacred image.
Two academics who have escaped from the library.
Norbu: Proposing to do the kora together.
Humorous bond between two scholars.
So I stayed awake all night.
Narrator: At Darchen, afraid to sleep.
Shows the danger of altitude sickness.

Silk Road 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.

Altitude sickness

Suppose your family plans a trip to Ladakh, flying straight to Leh at about 3,500 metres.

What lessons from the narrator's experience would you share? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

He suffered headaches, blocked breathing and sleepless nights at height.
Rest on arrival, drink water, climb slowly, consult a doctor if symptoms persist.

Answer: The narrator suffered headaches and could not sleep at high altitude. In Leh we should rest for the first day or two, drink plenty of water, avoid rushing to higher places and see a doctor if headaches or breathlessness continue. Altitude must be respected.

Memory hook: Go up slowly; listen to your body.

Responsible tourism

Imagine visiting a sacred lake and finding the nearby town full of litter, like Hor.

What can visitors and local authorities do?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Carry back all waste; avoid plastic.
Authorities: bins, collection, rules for camps.

Answer: Visitors should leave no litter and avoid plastics; authorities should arrange waste collection and protect sacred sites.

Memory hook: Leave only footprints.

Help from strangers

Suppose you are stuck alone in an unfamiliar town where few people speak your language.

How does the chapter show the value of finding a companion like Norbu?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The narrator felt stuck and limited until he met Norbu.
A shared language and goal made the kora possible.

Answer: A companion with a common language and purpose turns a lonely, risky plan into a shared adventure.

Memory hook: A good companion shortens the road.

Topics in this chapter

Silk Road: The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet

How the school exam asks Silk Road

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 mastiffs, the snow at 5,210 m, the pass, Hor, Darchen or Norbu.	Note precise details (heights, names) and explain images.
Short answer (Q13, 40-50 words, 3 marks)	Lhamo's gift; how Tsetan crossed the snow; why Hor disappointed; the doctor's treatment; why Norbu was a good companion.	Two or three facts in order.
Long answer (Q15, 120-150 words, 6 marks)	The hardships of the journey; the landscape and people; the role of Tsetan or Norbu; the chapter as a travelogue.	Organise by stages or qualities with examples.

Tricks to remember Silk Road

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Height ladder
5,210 snow → 5,400 headache → 5,515 pass → 4,760 Darchen.
Use it when: Factual questions on altitude.
People in order
Lhamo (coat), Tsetan (driver), Daniel (leaves at Hor), doctor (medicine), Norbu (companion).
Use it when: Character questions.
Places in order
Ravu → Changtang → pass → salt lake → Hor → Darchen.
Use it when: Sequence questions.

Silk Road: extract-based questions

Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.

Extract 1: Tibetan mastiffs

These beasts would cock their great big heads when they became aware of our approach and fix us in their sights. As we continued to draw closer, they would explode into action, speeding directly towards us, like a bullet from a gun and nearly as fast.

(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Just before this, the travellers pass nomads' dark tents 'pitched in splendid isolation', each usually guarded by a huge black dog. What guarded the nomads' tents?
(a) wild asses (b) Tibetan mastiffs (c) gazelles (d) yaks
(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Which figure of speech is used in 'like a bullet from a gun'?
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
(See the context given in the first question.) What does 'splendid isolation' suggest about the nomads' tents?

Show the answersAnswers

(b) Tibetan mastiffs
A simile, showing the dogs' great speed.
They stood alone, far from others, in a vast and impressive landscape.

Extract 2: Meeting Norbu

Norbu had been writing academic papers about the Kailash kora and its importance in various works of Buddhist literature for many years, he told me, but he had never actually done it himself.

(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
What was ironic about Norbu?
(a) he disliked travel (b) he had written about the kora for years but never done it (c) he was not Tibetan (d) he was a monk
(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Why did the narrator's 'heart jump' on meeting Norbu?
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What is the kora?

Show the answersAnswers

(b) he had written about the kora for years but never done it
Norbu was also going to do the kora, so he would not have to do it alone.
A pilgrimage walk round the sacred Mount Kailash.

Silk Road: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Crossing the snow · 3 marks · Short answerExam level

How did Tsetan get the car across the snow on the track? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

First patch: tested it, threw soil on the icy surface, passengers walked, drove across slowly.
Second patch: drove round over steep rocky slope, cutting a hairpin bend.

Answer: At the first patch Tsetan tested the icy surface, then he and the others threw soil on it for grip; with Daniel and the narrator walking to lighten the load, he drove across slowly. At the second, he drove round the snow over a steep, rocky slope.

Example 2: Lake Manasarovar and Hor · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

Hor stands on the shore of Tibet's most venerated lake. What contrast does the narrator draw between the town and the lake's reputation among earlier travellers? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Hor: dust, rocks, refuse, no vegetation, broken cafe.
Lake sacred; earlier travellers moved to tears (Kawaguchi, Hedin).

Answer: Hor was dusty, bare and littered with years of rubbish, though it stood beside Lake Manasarovar, Tibet's most sacred lake. Earlier travellers such as the monk Ekai Kawaguchi and Sven Hedin were moved to tears by the lake; the narrator felt only gloom.

Example 3: The night at Darchen · 3 marks · Short answerExam level

What happened to the narrator at Darchen, and how was he cured? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Lying down: blocked sinuses, heavy chest; feared he might not wake; stayed awake.
Doctor: cold and altitude; five-day Tibetan medicine; slept soundly.

Answer: Whenever he lay down, his sinuses blocked and his chest felt heavy, and he feared he might never wake, so he stayed awake all night. A Tibetan doctor diagnosed a cold and the effects of altitude, and after his medicine he slept soundly.

Example 4: Hardships of the journey · 6 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

Describe the hardships the narrator faced on his journey to Mount Kailash. Answer in 120-150 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Terrain: high passes, icy snow, rocky slopes, bumpy track.
Altitude: headache at 5,400 m; sleepless night at Darchen.
Practical troubles: punctures, bald spare tyre, mastiffs, cold.
Emotional: grim Hor, no pilgrims, fear of doing the kora alone.

Answer: The road to Kailash tested the narrator in many ways. The short cut crossed high passes where icy snow blocked the track; at 5,210 metres the car could have overturned, and at the next blockage Tsetan had to drive over a rocky slope. Near 5,400 metres his head throbbed and his ears hurt from the pressure.

There were practical troubles too: two punctures left them without a spare, and fierce Tibetan mastiffs charged at the car. The cold he had caught grew worse in dusty, dirty Hor.

The worst moment came at Darchen. Every time he lay down, his nose blocked and his chest felt heavy, and he was afraid that if he slept he might never wake. He sat awake all night. Even after the doctor cured him, he faced loneliness: there were no pilgrims, and he did not want to do the kora alone, until he met Norbu.

Example 5: Tsetan's character · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

What kind of person is Tsetan? Answer with examples in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Skilled, resourceful driver: snow, rocks, tyres.
Cheerful: 'no problem, sir'.
Humorous: 'no smoking'; 'bad for business'.

Answer: Tsetan is a skilled, resourceful driver who handles icy snow, rocky slopes and punctures calmly. He is cheerful ('But no problem, sir') and has a dry sense of humour, joking about the hissing petrol tank and saying the narrator's death would be 'bad for business'.

Example 6: Is 'Silk Road' a fitting title? · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

'Silk Road' names an ancient trade network, yet the narrator is a traveller heading for a pilgrimage, not a trader. Is the title apt? Give your view with evidence from the chapter in 120-150 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Silk Road: ancient trade routes linking China, Tibet, Central Asia, India, Europe.
References: mastiffs as tribute along the Silk Road; highway following the Lhasa-Kashmir trade route; plastic as a modern export.
Theme of exchange: travellers, cultures, ideas; the narrator as a modern traveller.
Own view.

Answer: The Silk Road was a network of ancient trade routes along which goods, people and ideas travelled between China, Tibet, Central Asia, India and Europe. Although the narrator does not follow a single road, his journey crosses this historic world.

The chapter makes several links. Tibetan mastiffs, he says, were taken along the Silk Road as tribute to China's imperial courts. At Hor he joins a highway that follows the old trade route from Lhasa to Kashmir. In Darchen's cafe he jokes that striped plastic must be one of China's most successful exports along the Silk Road today.

The title also suits the spirit of the piece. Like the merchants and pilgrims of old, the narrator is a traveller meeting strangers, sharing tea and help, and exchanging stories with people such as Lhamo, Tsetan and Norbu. So 'Silk Road' captures both the place and the idea of journeys that connect cultures.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

The narrator's night at Darchen and its cure (40-50 words, 3 marks) (3 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: blocked nose, heavy chest, fear of not waking; stayed awake	1
Content: doctor's diagnosis (cold and altitude); medicine; slept well	1
Expression	1

Hardships of the journey (120-150 words, 6 marks) (6 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: terrain, altitude, practical and emotional difficulties with examples	3
Organisation	1
Expression	2

Where students lose marks in Silk Road

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Saying all four rivers flow out of Manasarovar
The narrator says only the Sutlej does; the others rise nearby.
Do this: State the belief and the fact separately.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Calling Norbu a monk or a devout pilgrim
He was a scholar from Beijing who was not really a practising Buddhist.
Do this: Describe him as a Tibetan academic.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Writing that the narrator completed the kora in this chapter
The extract ends with him meeting Norbu and planning it.
Do this: Stop the summary at the meeting with Norbu.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Mixing up Tsetan and Daniel
Tsetan is the driver; Daniel interprets and leaves at Hor.
Do this: Link each to his role.
Usually costs: 1 mark

Practice questions on Silk Road

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
What gift did Lhamo give the narrator?
(a) a woollen scarf (b) a long-sleeved sheepskin coat (c) prayer flags (d) a pair of boots
Hint
All the men wore it.
Answer
(b) a long-sleeved sheepskin coat
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
Why did the narrator and the others walk round the cairn clockwise?
Hint
Custom.
Answer
Because that is the tradition when passing such a cairn at the top of a pass.
Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level
Why did the petrol tank hiss when Tsetan opened it at the top of the pass?
Hint
Pressure.
Answer
The lower atmospheric pressure at that height let the fuel expand, so gas escaped with a hiss.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
What does the narrator say about the belief that Manasarovar is the source of four great rivers? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Which river actually flows from it?
Answer
Ancient Hindu and Buddhist cosmology names Manasarovar as the source of the Indus, Ganges, Sutlej and Brahmaputra. The narrator notes that in fact only the Sutlej flows from the lake, though the headwaters of the other three rise nearby on the slopes of Mount Kailash.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Why did the narrator think Norbu might be the ideal companion despite being ill-equipped? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Enthusiasm, Tibetan, yaks.
Answer
Though Norbu was overweight, inexperienced and not a practising Buddhist, he was enthusiastic, Tibetan, spoke English and suggested hiring yaks for the luggage. As a fellow scholar he shared the narrator's interests, so together they could manage the kora without strict religious demands.
Q6 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Write a short travel blog entry (120-150 words) as the narrator on the day he crossed the 5,515-metre pass.
Hint
Snow, headache, cairn, petrol hiss, descent.
Answer
Model points: date and place; early start from the Changtang; the snow at 5,210 metres and Tsetan's soil trick; throbbing head past 5,400 metres; the cairn with silk scarves and prayer flags, walking round clockwise; the hissing petrol tank and Tsetan's joke; relief on the descent; noodles at the salt-lake camp; feelings about the next stage.
Q7 · 1 mark · MCQHarder exam level
Assertion (A): The narrator stayed awake all night at Darchen. Reason (R): A voice inside him warned that if he slept he might never wake up. Choose (a) both true, R explains A (b) both true, R does not explain A (c) A true, R false (d) A false, R true.
Hint
His fear.
Answer
(a) Both are true and R explains A.

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 'Silk Road'?Show answer
Nick Middleton.
2.What is a 'drokba'?Show answer
A Tibetan nomad (herder).
3.What is 'kyang'?Show answer
The Tibetan wild ass.
4.At what height was the top of the pass?Show answer
5,515 metres.
5.Which town lies on the shore of Lake Manasarovar?Show answer
Hor.
6.Where did Norbu work?Show answer
The Institute of Ethnic Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you trace the route and the people met?
Can you describe the animals and nomads on the plains?
Can you explain how they crossed the snow and the pass?
Can you describe Hor and compare it with earlier travellers' accounts?
Can you explain the Darchen illness and cure?
Can you describe Norbu and why he was a good companion?

Silk Road: frequently asked questions

What is the kora?

A circuit walked round Mount Kailash as an act of pilgrimage; parts of the route can be blocked by snow, so it is seasonal.

What type of writing is Silk Road?

A travelogue, an extract from Nick Middleton's account of travelling through Tibet, told in the first person with vivid description and humour.

Why did Tsetan leave?

Once he saw the narrator would recover, he returned to Lhasa; he joked that as a Buddhist he knew death did not really matter, but it would be bad for business.

Why were there no pilgrims at Darchen?

The narrator had arrived at the very beginning of the pilgrimage season, too early for the crowds.

Based on: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus, Classes XI-XII 2026-27; NCERT Hornbill, English Reader for Class XI (Reprint 2026-27), Silk Road