Important Questions for CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 3 - Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues

In this section, we will discuss about the important questions of Chapter 3. The questions are divided into 4 sections - very short, short, long, and very long type questions. 

A. Very Short Answer Questions.  (1 Mark)

1. Word-Meaning

i. Scudded across

ii. Ransacked iii. Adorned

iv. Intriguing

v. Wacky

Ans: i. Moved fast and smoothly

ii. Looted

iii. Decorated

iv. Secret

v. Crazy

2. He was just a teenager when he died, who is he in the line?

Ans: Tut, the monarch of a powerful family, is his final heir.

3. In which year was the tomb discovered?

Ans: In 1922, the tomb was unearthed.

4. For how many years did the corpse stay in the tomb?

Ans: The body of King Tut remained in the tomb for about 80 years.

5. What did they do with the corpse of King Tut in the modern world?

Ans: The scientist brought Tut's corpse for a CT scan in order to learn more about his life and death.

B. Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)

1. How was the death of King Tut a big event by royal standards?

Ans: King Tut was the last of his dynasty. His death marked the end of a dynasty. As a result, it was a fantastic event. His death, however, remained a mystery to historians.

2. When a professor X-rayed tut’s mummy, what facts were revealed? 

Ans: In 1968, an anatomy expert X-rayed Tut's mummy, which revealed something horrifying: the mummy's breastbone and front ribs were missing.

3. Why was the mummy CT-scanned too?

Ans: Tut's mummy was CT-scanned in the year 2005. It was utilised to determine Tut's age at the time of his death, as well as the reason for his death.

4. When did King Tut die? What place was chosen to lay his corpse? When was his mummy discovered?

Ans: More than 3,300 years ago, King Tut died. He was a young emperor who governed his empire for barely nine years. He was buried 26 feet below in a tomb in the King's Thebes Valley.

5. What things formed a part of the funerary treasure recovered from Tut‘s tomb?

Ans: The funeral wealth discovered in Tut's tomb included pure gold jewellery like necklaces, bracelets, rings, sandals, the inner coffin, and a mask.

C. Short Answer Question (3 Marks)

1. Who was Howard Carter?

Ans: After years of research, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered Tut's tomb in 1922. He amassed the most valuable royal collection, as well as daily items such as razors, clothes, food, and wine. Tut's mummy was buried in a solid gold casket, so he had to liberate it piece by piece from solidified resins, rebuild it, and place it in a wooden box before burying it in the tomb.

2. Who were Pharaohs? What facts do we know about them from the chapter “Discovering Tut ... the Saga Continues”?

Ans: Egypt's rulers were known as Pharaohs. They were buried with the treasures of the Valley of the Departed Kings, deep beneath the soil. The Egyptian Mummy Project has recorded 600 bodies, and the count is still ongoing.

3. 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.

Ans: It was said that Tut's mummy was guarded by the winged goddess. As a result of scanning the mummy, there were black clouds in the sky and strong winds blowing up the desert sand. Because the sand got inside the cooling fan, the machine didn't work for twenty minutes, prompting a guard to joke that it was the "Curse of the Pharaohs."

4. Who was Akhenten? Why was he called crazy?

Ans: Akhenaten was a lunatic king. Akhentan fostered the worship of Aten, the Sun God. As a result, Akhenaten changed his name. He relocated Thebes' religious capital to the new city of Akhetan and assaulted Amun, a significant god. He also destroyed Amun's images and imprisoned his temples. All of this led many to conclude he was insane.

5. How was Tut able to undo the activities of Akhentan?

Ans: Tut, the monarch, changed his name to Tutankhamun when he revived the ancient practice of worshipping the god Amun. Tut ruled for around nine years before passing away abruptly.

D. Long Answer Questions (5 Marks)

1. What role did science play in collecting information about King Tut’s mummy, life, and death under mysterious circumstances?

Ans:  King Tut's mummy was first discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. The embalmed body of the boy king was buried in the tomb along with lots of gold ornaments, sandals, masks, and coffins, and everything was made of pure gold. The death of King Tut was a big event as he was the last of a powerful ruling family. 

His death, however, remained a mystery because it occurred at a young age, barely nine years after he had ruled his country. In 1968, an anatomy professor noticed that Tut's mummy was missing the breastbone and front ribs, and the help of modern science and technology was used to solve the enigma. In January 2005, Tut's skull was transported for a CT scan and carbon dating, which confirmed that the monarch died 3,300 years ago. However, the manner and cause of the king's death remain unknown.

2. What do we know from the story ―Discovering Tut... the Saga continues – about the materialistic attitude of a man?

Ans: According to the chapter, King Tut's mummy was buried deep in the desert with a large amount of gold and other items, believing that the deceased Pharaoh would require those items in the afterlife. When the scientist uncovered Tut's tomb, there was already a large amount of treasure plundered. This was the case of man's materialism. Materialism is a curse on the value of values, beliefs, religious sentiments, and social rites and rituals. Carter also discovered that Tut's tomb was brimming with real gold. The coffin was also constructed of gold. And he had to chop the king's body apart at the joints to get him out of the coffin.

3. How does the study of history make humans wiser?

Ans: Real history is the deliberate portrayal of events and facts that illustrate progress and demolition. True history is never tinted with political hues. It reflects many facets of society. Modern technology has made it possible to interpret intent. History teaches us presumptuous lessons and gives us opportunities to grow. So, it is true that those who do not learn these teachings are doomed to penitence. Astute people have utilised history to incite widespread hysteria in order to bury their own hatchet. Misrepresentation of history wreaks havoc on society.

4. What were the problems that were faced by HowardCarter related to Tut’s mummy? How was he able to resolve them?

Ans: After years of searching, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered King Tut's tomb in 1922. Despite the fact that the tomb had been looted previously, he discovered fantastic treasures. The treasure included a golden coffin, gold jewellery, and even small items of daily use. Carter discovered three coffins. He discovered the garlands of leaves and flowers first. 

But when he got to the mummy, he ran across problems. The resins that had been used to embalm Tut's body had hardened. The coffin was made entirely of gold. The corpse could not be loosened by human power or the burning sun. Carter then removed the resins with a chisel and hammer. He didn't have much of a choice. Tut's mummy had to be removed piece by piece as well. After removing the gold casket, the body parts were reconstructed, placed in a wooden box, and returned to the tomb.

5. Who was the king, Tut? Why in the chapter it is mentioned that his life and death are mysteries?

Ans: According to the chapter, King Tut's mummy was buried deep in the desert with a large amount of gold and other items, believing that the deceased Pharaoh would require those items in the afterlife. When the scientist uncovered Tut's tomb, there was already a large amount of treasure plundered. 

Carter also discovered that Tut's tomb was brimming with real gold. The coffin was also constructed of gold. And he had to chop the king's body apart at the joints to get him out of the coffin. In 1968, an anatomy professor noticed that Tut's mummy was missing the breastbone and front ribs, and the help of modern science and technology was used to solve the enigma. In January 2005, Tut's skull was transported for a CT scan and carbon dating, which confirmed that the monarch died 3,300 years ago. However, it is still unknown how and why the king died.

This was the complete discussion of the important questions of Chapter 3. We have also learnt about the summary and very short type questions. We highly recommend practising these questions to excel in the upcoming examinations.

Summary of Chapter 3 - Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues

Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues is written by A.R. Williams. Tutankhamun, also known as tut, was a valiant king of the Pharaoh Dynasty. After nine years of rule, he passed away mysteriously when he was a teenager. His demise spawned many mysteries. This chapter discusses all the potential mysteries, including the curse, the location of his tomb, his entire existence, and finally his passing.

The ancient Pharaoh Dynasty's last ruler, Tutankhamun, passed away at a young age. His tomb was discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter. He was given a CT scan in January 2005, 80 years after the discovery, in an effort to reconstruct his life and death using forensic evidence. It was found that he had passed away more than 3300 years prior and was buried in a royal grave in the Valley of the Kings.

The tomb contains gorgeous golden artefacts, board games, bronze razors, cases containing food and wine, and linen underwear, according to Howard Carter's experiment.

The story then briefly discusses about the history and ancestry of Tut.

Amenhotep III, who was either Tut's father or grandfather, was a very strong Pharaoh who ruled for 40 years. Amenhotep IV, his descendant, adopted the name Akhenaten, which means "the servant of Aten, the sun deity." He encouraged the worship of the Sun God.

He relocated the religious centre from Thebes to the Akhetaten, also known as Amama. He attacked Amun (an Egyptian god) and destroyed his temples and statues. The inhabitants of the kingdom were going through a difficult time during his reign.

He was then descended by Smenkhkare, not much is known about this ruler and his ancestry. Following a brief period of administration by the enigmatic Smenkhkare, the young king Tutankhamen ascended to the throne.

This was the short summary of Chapter 3 Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues.