EnglishCBSE Class 11 · Silk Road

Silk Road (Nick Middleton): The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet, Class 11

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In Silk Road the narrator travels across the Tibetan plateau towards Mount Kailash to do the kora. He crosses snow and high passes, meets nomads and wildlife, is disappointed by Hor on Lake Manasarovar, suffers altitude sickness at Darchen, is treated by a Tibetan doctor and finally meets Norbu, a fellow academic who joins him.

Follow the route left to right: the climb brings snow and headache, Hor disappoints, and Darchen brings sleeplessness, a doctor and Norbu.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Silk Road: The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet

The route. From Ravu the narrator drives with Tsetan and Daniel across the Changtang plains. Lhamo gives him a sheepskin coat. Tsetan takes a short cut over high passes, which he says is fine "if there is no snow".

Landscape and people. The plains are vast and empty, with gazelles and kyang (wild asses). Drokbas (nomads) herd flocks, and their tents are guarded by huge black Tibetan mastiffs that charge at the car. The writing is vivid, with a touch of humour.

Hardships. The car meets icy snow at 5,210 metres. Tsetan throws soil for grip and later steers over rocks. At the pass, 5,515 metres, there is a cairn with silk scarves and prayer flags; the narrator has a throbbing headache from the altitude. At Darchen (4,760 metres) he cannot sleep because his nose blocks and his chest feels heavy, and he stays awake all night.

Expectation and reality. He calls Hor "a grim, miserable place", unlike the earlier travellers Ekai Kawaguchi and Sven Hedin, who were moved to tears by the sacred Lake Manasarovar. This contrast of expectation and reality is a theme.

Help and company. A Tibetan doctor diagnoses a cold and the effects of altitude and gives a five-day course of medicine. In the town's only cafe the narrator meets Norbu, a Tibetan scholar who has written on the kora but never done it; they are "two academics who have escaped from the library". Neighbouring topics (full summary) are on the chapter page.

Key quotations

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

Hor was a grim, miserable place.
Narrator: On reaching Lake Manasarovar.
Shows how reality differs from expectation.
So I stayed awake all night.
Narrator: At Darchen.
Shows altitude sickness and fear.
Two academics who have escaped from the library.
Narrator: On meeting Norbu.
A humorous remark on their common bond.

Silk Road: The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet: key facts

Journey stages: Ravu
High pass
Hor
Darchen; The order of the places.
Heights: 5,210 m snow
5,515 m pass
4,760 m Darchen; Quote exactly as printed.
Hardship answer: Place
Problem
How handled; Use for any hardship question.

How to answer Silk Road: The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet questions

Use this for any question on the hardships or the people of the journey.

1Name the stage of the journey.
2State the problem with the exact figure if asked.
3Explain how it was handled: soil for grip, doctor, medicine.
4Add the narrator's feeling or the humour in the text.
5End with Norbu and the kora.

Silk Road: The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Climbing without rest

Suppose a group of students trekking to a hill station at 3,000 metres feels dizzy and headachy by the evening, and a local guide tells them to rest, drink water and descend a little.

Which part of Silk Road does this match?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The cause is height.
The headache eases when the group descends.
Local advice helps.

Answer: It matches the narrator's throbbing headache at the high pass, which clears as they descend, and the Tibetan doctor's advice at Darchen.

Memory hook: High up, headache; go down, relief.

Tricks to remember Silk Road: The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet

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

R-P-H-D-N
Ravu, Pass, Hor, Darchen, Norbu.
Use it when: Order of the journey.
Soil for grip
Tsetan threw soil on the icy snow.
Use it when: How the driver crossed the snow.

Silk Road: The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Who gave the coat · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Who gave the narrator a sheepskin coat at Ravu?
(a) Norbu (b) Lhamo (c) Tsetan (d) Daniel

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Lhamo, his hostess, gave it (1 mark).

Answer: (b)

Example 2: Crossing the snow · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

What marked the high pass as a place of devotion, and what did the travellers do there? Answer in 30-40 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Cairn with silk scarves and prayer flags (1).
Travellers walked round it clockwise (1).
Height 5,515 metres (1).

Answer: The pass at 5,515 metres was marked by a cairn hung with silk scarves and prayer flags. The travellers walked round it clockwise, as a sign of respect, before going on.

Example 3: Hor · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Why does the narrator call Hor "a grim, miserable place"? (40-50 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Dusty and rubbish-strewn (1).
Expectation of a sacred lake (1).
Contrast with earlier travellers (1).

Answer: Hor is a dusty, rubbish-strewn town on the shore of the sacred Lake Manasarovar. The narrator expected something moving, as earlier travellers like Kawaguchi and Hedin had found, so the reality disappoints him.

Example 4: Hardships · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe the hardships the narrator faced and how he overcame them. (120-150 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Snow and passes (2).
Altitude headache (1).
Sleepless night at Darchen (1).
Doctor and medicine (1).
Conclusion (1).

Answer: The narrator faced snow, height and illness. The car met icy snow at 5,210 metres, and Tsetan threw soil for grip. At the 5,515-metre pass the narrator had a throbbing headache from the altitude, which cleared on descent. At Darchen he could not sleep, because his nose blocked and his chest felt heavy, and he stayed awake all night. A Tibetan doctor found a cold and the effects of altitude and gave him medicine for five days, after which he slept soundly. He overcame these with local help and rest, and then met Norbu, a companion for the kora.

Example 5: Expectation and reality · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

"The journey did not match the narrator's expectations." Do you agree? (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Evidence: Hor (1).
Evidence: illness and no pilgrims at Darchen (1).
Judgement (1).

Answer: I agree. He found Hor grim and miserable, unlike the earlier travellers, and Darchen had no pilgrims yet. But he also met Norbu, who brought hope, so the journey was a mix of disappointment and encouragement.

Where students lose marks in Silk Road: The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet

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

Mistake: Wrong figures
Numbers must match the text.
Wrong working
The pass is 5,210 metres.
Right working
The snow was at 5,210 metres; the pass at 5,515 metres.
Do this: Learn the three heights.
Usually costs: 1 mark of 3.
Mistake: Omitting the doctor
It completes the hardship answer.
Wrong working
He recovered by himself.
Right working
A Tibetan doctor treated him with medicine.
Do this: Mention the doctor.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks of 6.
Mistake: Calling the narrator a pilgrim
He is a travel writer.
Wrong working
The pilgrim walks the kora.
Right working
The writer plans the kora, as a traveller.
Do this: Say "writer and traveller".
Usually costs: 1 mark of 3.

Exam tips

Quote the three heights exactly as in the text.
Name each place in order: Ravu, pass, Hor, Darchen.
Mention humour, such as "But no problem, sir".
Include the doctor and Norbu in long answers.
Keep a 3-mark answer to 40-50 words and a 6-mark answer to 120-150 words.

Practice questions on Silk Road: The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet

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 · MCQBoard level
The narrator wanted to complete the
(a) kora (b) trek to Lhasa (c) journey to Hor (d) pilgrimage to Amarnath
Hint
A walk round the sacred mountain.
Answer
(a)
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What did the narrator see at the top of the pass? (40-50 words)
Hint
At 5,515 metres.
Answer
At 5,515 metres there was a cairn with silk scarves and prayer flags. The travellers walked round it clockwise, and the narrator felt a throbbing headache from the altitude.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does the narrator hesitate to do the kora alone? (40-50 words)
Hint
No pilgrims were there yet.
Answer
At Darchen there were no pilgrims yet, and the walk round the mountain is long and hard. He did not want to do it alone, and so he welcomed meeting Norbu in the cafe.
Q4 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Write a diary entry for the night at Darchen from the narrator's point of view. (120-150 words)
Hint
First person, feelings, sleeplessness, doctor.
Answer
Darchen, at 4,760 metres. I could not sleep tonight. Whenever I lay down my nose blocked and my chest felt heavy, and a voice told me I might not wake up. I stayed awake all night, afraid and tired. In the morning the Tibetan doctor said I had a cold and the effects of altitude, and gave me medicine for five days. I slept soundly after that. Tsetan has gone back to Lhasa, and I feel alone. The town looks better after rest, but there are no pilgrims yet. I do not want to do the kora alone. Perhaps I will meet someone tomorrow.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Why might the author describe Norbu and himself as "two academics who have escaped from the library"? What does it say about the kora? (3 marks)
Hint
Think of study versus experience.
Answer
Both are scholars who know their subject from books. The kora is a living experience, and Norbu has written about it but never done it. The remark is humorous and suggests going beyond books to live experience.

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.Which mountain is the goal?Show answer
Mount Kailash.
3.Who is the driver?Show answer
Tsetan.
4.At what height is Darchen?Show answer
4,760 metres.
5.Who joins the narrator at the end?Show answer
Norbu.

Silk Road: The Journey, Hardships and People of Tibet: frequently asked questions

What type of text is Silk Road?

A travelogue extract from Nick Middleton's travel book.

What is the kora?

A walk round the sacred Mount Kailash as an act of devotion.

What is the main theme?

Journey and endurance, and expectation versus reality.