NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter 3- Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues(Hornbill)

Understanding The Text

1. Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.

• Forensic reconstruction

Ans: Forensic reconstruction refers to the process of scanning a mummy or any object of archaeological importance and creating a 3-dimensional model of it. King Tut’s body was carefully taken out of its resting place in the tomb and scanned to dig deeper into the secrets of the death of this young king. Modern science and technology are used nowadays to get a better idea of the past.

• Scudded across

Ans: Scudded across refers to a quick motion or movement of something. The text describes the movement of the dark-bellied clouds across the desert sky when King Tut was taken away from his resting place in the Valley of Kings. 

• Casket grey

Ans: Casket grey refers to the dark-colored clouds, compared with a coffin. When King Tut was taken out from the cemetery, it appeared as if the dark-bellied clouds had hidden the stars like jewels in a casket.

• Resurrection

Ans: Resurrection refers to coming back to life after death. King Tut was buried with a lot of wealth. The sunning artefacts in gold caused a sensation at the time of its discovery and guaranteed a resurrection due to their eternal brilliance.

• Funerary treasures

Ans: Funerary treasures refer to the abundant wealth that King Tut was buried with. It is one of the richest royal collections ever found. There are stunning artefacts along with daily needs goods such as board games, razors, linen undergarments, wine, etc. The wealth buried with King Tut was enormous and it gave the illusion of treasure being discovered.

• Circumvented

Ans: Circumvented means to find an alternative or way to overcome a problem. In the text, it meant that the thieves would find a way to trick the guards and rip apart the mummy to steal away the wealth King Tut was buried with. Carter eventually had to separate the king from his wealth piece by piece and arranged him in a sandbox to conceal the damage and proceed for the scan.

• Computed tomography

Ans: Computed tomography is an imaging test used to create internal and detailed images of internal organs. Hundreds of X-rays in cross-section are put together and give a three-dimensional virtual image of the body scanned. CT scan was used to scan the body of King Tut to know more about his history and death.

• Eerie detail

Ans: Eerie detail means strange, frightening, and uncanny details. After the mummy was scanned, head to toe, 1,700 digital X-rays of Tut were created. When the images of King Tut’s head scan were placed together, the resulting image had eerie details that caused a shiver down the spine to the viewers.

2. Give reasons for the following.

(i) King Tut’s body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.

Ans: King Tut was the last powerful king that ruled over Egypt. He ascended the throne and became the Pharaoh of Egypt at the age of eight. He died in his teens and the reason for his death was less known to the archaeologists and historians. Upon discovering King Tut's body in the Valley of Kings, the researchers tried everything to know more about him and even separated his body from the coffin and removed the jewels that he adorned to get a better look at his physical state which eventually would provide some clues for his death. This led to King Tut’s body being subjected to repeated scrutiny. 

(ii) Howard Carter’s investigation was resented.

Ans: Howard Carter's investigation of King Tut’s body was followed by some irrational decisions which resulted in the mummy being damaged. The British archaeologist discovered Tut's tomb in 1922. However, his investigation was resented because the ritual resins had hardened and cemented Tut to the bottom of his solid gold coffin. He tried using the sun to separate the mummy, but it was in vain and eventually he separated the mummy using physical force which damaged it.

(iii) Carter had to chisel away the solidified resins to raise the king’s remains.

Ans: Carter, a British archaeologist found Tut’s tomb in 1922 after years of futile searching. After investigating the treasures, he moved on to the three coffins that laid there. The ritual's resins had hardened and cemented Tut to the bottom of his gold coffin. No amount of legality could remove it and eventually it had to be chiseled away from the coffin. Carter's men removed the mummy’s head and severed every joint. They then reassembled it in a wooden box and concealed the damage.

(iv) Tut’s body was buried along with gilded treasures.

Ans: When Carter discovered Tut’s tomb in 1922 they were awestruck by its lavish beauty. It still remains the richest royal collection ever associated with a pharaoh’s legend. Other than gold artefacts, he was also buried with daily utilities such as bronze razors, board games, wine, linen undergarments, etc. It was believed that the king might need all his wealth and the essentials in his afterlife.

(v) The boy king changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun.

Ans: Tutankhaten took the throne at an incredibly youthful age after a mysterious ruler named Smenkhkare briefly took over the throne. He soon changed his name to Tutankhamun or ‘living image of Amun’ and restored the old day and way of life. King Amennotep destroyed the images of Amun and closed its temples which led to unrest among the masses.

3. (i) List the deeds that led Ray Johnson to describe Akhenaten as “wacky”.

Ans:  Ray Johnson described Akhenaten as “wacky.” He promoted the worship of Aten, the sun disk. He also moved the religious capital from the old city of Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten, known as Amarna. He further angered the civilization by attacking their major God, Amun, smashing his images and closing his temples. 

(ii) What were the results of the CT scan?

Ans: The C.T. scan machine scanned Tut's mummy from head to toe. It created 1,700 digital X-ray images in cross-section and Tut’s head was scanned in 0.62-millimeter slices and produced images in eerie detail. The body was entirely recorded using the scan and helped specialists in radiology, forensics, and anatomy probe the secrets that the mummy carried with itself.

(iii) List the advances in technology that have improved forensic analysis.

Ans: With time there have been several improvements in the field of forensic science and the medical field. Improved equipment like C.T. scans, MRI, and autopsy can provide us details that earlier equipment like X-ray machines were unable to provide us. With scans as deep as 0.62 millimetres the images produced have eerie details that helped the researchers and specialists dig deeper, scientifically, to find the reasons for his death.

(iv) Explain the statement, “King Tut is one of the first mummies to be scanned — in death, as in life ...”

Ans: Scanning is an advanced medical technology that is not accessible to many. King Tut was the first mummy to be scanned using the advanced and expensive medical tool to get great details of his body. The CT scan machine was donated by the National Geographic Society and Siemens, its manufacturer.

Talking About the Text

Discuss the following in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite points of view.

1. Scientific intervention is necessary to unearth buried mysteries.

Ans: History has great relevance in our lives. It is something about which very less is known. Using scientific technology helps us get a deeper knowledge, with finer details about the past. Using scientific tools properly provides us with precise information that we could not get using physical methods. Scientific technology provides precision to the details we get from the research and aids it further. King Tut’s scans were detailed and helped archaeologists and historians know better about his past and reasons of death.

2. Advanced technology gives us conclusive evidence of past events.

Ans: Advanced technology provides us finer details of the archaeological site. Techniques like carbon dating help us to know how old an aggravation is. Use of equipment like C.T. scan provided even the minute details of the mummy of Tut which would not have been possible with a physical examination. Technology helps greatly if proper equipment is used and helps us to form a better understanding of the past and unveil the secrets that the past has.

3. Traditions, rituals, and funerary practices must be respected.

Ans:  Each civilization and culture has its own rituals and practices. Some practises might be weird or different for some. But each ritual and practice must be respected. These practices are done so that the dead lie in peace and are undisturbed. The sentiments that people have associated with these practices must be respected and not criticized or made fun of. It makes us more tolerant of other cultures and we also learn to be more accepting of things around us.

4. Knowledge about the past is useful to complete our knowledge of the world we live in.

Ans: Past not only provides us details of the great legends who lived during those times but also about other trivial things like diseases, literature, habits, etc. of the people who lived during that time. Having a deep knowledge of history provides us more insight into our civilization and lets us know about what existed before us. It also helps us learn from the mistakes committed in the past.

Thinking About The Language

1. What do you think are the reasons for the extinction of languages?

Ans: Languages evolve with time and as civilization progresses. Latin was a language of the masses during the beginning of civilization, and it eventually progressed to English. Latin is now a dead language and is not used. Lack of flexibility and the language being difficult to use and learn are also major contributors for a language being dead.

2. Do you think it is important to preserve languages?

Ans: Language carries the history of civilization. The ancient transcripts are also written in the language that was used then. When a language is not used further, the data written in that language is not accessible anymore. It is important to preserve the language as it keeps us in touch with one's traditions, heritage, and the events that happened in the past. When a language is lost all the history written in that language is lost.

3. In what ways do you think we could help prevent the extinction of languages and dialects?

Ans: Preventing the extinction of languages is an important step we can take towards the conservation of our history. By teaching the next generation about the language and dialects and encouraging its usage is an effective way to prevent the extinction of the language. Preserving the connection to one's heritage and respecting it are two other behavioral ways that can help us conserve the language. 

1. Given below are some interesting combinations of words. Explain why they have been used together.

(i)  ghostly dust devils

Ans: The phrase tells us more about the winds that were blowing. It provides the characteristics of ghosts and devils and helps imagine the readers the scary nature of the wind.

(ii)  desert sky

Ans: Each vegetation has a characteristic sky color based on the nature of particles in the air. The phrase tells us that the author wants the reader to imagine a typical desert sky and atmosphere.

(iii)  stunning artefacts

Ans: There are various forms of artefacts that are discovered while excavation. The artefacts discovered in Tut's tomb were stunning and of magnificent brilliance. 

(iv)  funerary treasures

Ans:  Egyptians believed in the concept of afterlife and hence laid importance in burying the dead with wealth and the daily necessities like a razor, linen undergarments, flowers, and wine. The wealth buried along with King Tut was so enormous that it almost appeared like treasure.

(v)  scientific detachment

Ans: Scientific detachment means having an indifference towards the scientific measure and techniques that can be used to further explore the aggravations discovered.

(vi)  dark-bellied clouds

Ans: Clouds containing enough water to shower are often dark. The clouds casted in the sky were dark and announced rain.

(vii) casket grey

Ans: Casket is a box or case used to store a body. When Tut was taken out of his resting place the dark-bellied clouds made the surroundings appear as if it was a casket.

(viii)  eternal brilliance

Ans: Eternal brilliance talks about the shine and the amount of wealth that King Tut got buried with. It was in enormous quantities and gave off an eternal brilliance which is timeless and still has that awe.

(ix)  ritual resins

Ans: There were various crematory activities that were done while burying King Tut. The resins and flowers that King Tut was buried within spring eventually melted because of the heat and the body got cemented to the coffin.

(x)  virtual body

Ans: The C.T. scan provided various virtual images of the scanned body. The researchers almost got virtual data and an image of his whole body with great precision.

2. Here are some commonly used medical terms. Find out their meanings.

Ans: Various medical terms like CT scan, MRI, Autopsy, Tomography, and angiography are used in the text.

• CT scan: or Computed Tomography scan provides an X-ray image of a body taken from various angles. It creates slices of blood vessels and soft tissues inside our bodies. It provides extremely detailed images and has helped in medical diagnosis.

• MRI: MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging uses strong magnetic fields and gradients to generate images of the organs in the body. It helps to distinguish between distinct types of tissues in the body and creates a detailed image of the inside of the body.

• Tomography: It is an old scanning tool. In this X-ray technique shadows of superimposed structures are blurred out by a moving X-ray tube. Linear and nonlinear are two basic types of tomography used.

• Autopsy: It is the dissection and examination of a dead body. It helps to know the reason for death. The organs and samples of tissues are collected to know the cause.

• Post mortem: Dissection of the body to know the reason of death is called post mortem.

• Biopsy: The removal of the tissues for diagnostic purposes is termed as biopsy.

• Dialysis: It is the process of filtering toxins from the blood via kidneys. In case both the kidneys of the patient stop working he is put on a dialysis machine to aid the process of filtration. 

• ECG: ECG or electrocardiogram is a test that is used to check the heart's rhythm and electrical activity. Electrodes are attached to the chest, arms, and legs for the diagnosis. It detects the electrical signals produced in the body when the heartbeats. 

• Angiography: It is the examination of the blood vessels via injecting a radiographically detectable substance into the body and scanning using x-rays.

Benefits of NCERT Solutions for English Chapter 3 Class 11 Question Answers

• NCERT Solutions for Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues Question Answer provides detailed explanations, helping students grasp the chapter's complex themes and historical context.

• These solutions cover important questions and answers from Class 11 English Chapter 3, ensuring students are well-prepared for exams.

• By exploring the investigation into Tutankhamun's death, students develop analytical skills and learn to interpret historical and scientific information.

• The solutions break down difficult terms and phrases from Class 11 Hornbill Chapter 3 Question Answer, enhancing students' vocabulary and comprehension.

• Prepared by master teachers, these solutions align with the latest NCERT syllabus, ensuring accuracy and reliability in the provided information.

• By using NCERT Solutions for Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues Question Answers, students can deepen their understanding of the chapter, improve their exam performance, and enhance their overall learning experience.

CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 3 (Prose) Other Study Materials

Conclusion

Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues reveals the intriguing story of Pharaoh Tutankhamun's life and mysterious death. By combining modern technology with history, the chapter enhances our understanding of ancient Egypt, highlighting the advancements in archaeology and the enduring legacy of this young pharaoh. You can find comprehensive NCERT Solutions to English Chapter 3 Class 11 Question Answers here on Vedantu which you can use to upgrade your exam preparation and fully equip yourself for success.

Chapter-wise NCERT Solutions Class 11 English

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