Hornbill (Prose): Silk Road

Topics in this chapter

• Travel Narrative and Perspective
• Journey, Hardship and Adaptability
• Tibetan Culture and Society
• Pilgrimage and Spiritual Journey
• Landscape, Altitude and Wildlife
• Tradition, Modernity and Cultural Exchange

Cheat sheet

Practice questions

1. Question 1Q-EA0073

   What was the main purpose of the narrator’s journey through Tibet in “Silk Road”?

   1. A.To conduct a business survey of Tibetan markets
   2. B.To complete a pilgrimage around Mount Kailash
   3. C.To search for ancient Silk Road documents
   4. D.To visit the Dalai Lama in Lhasa
   See the answer and solution
2. Question 2Q-6C6E82

   What quality of Tsetan is most clearly shown when he drives through the difficult mountain terrain?

   1. A.Careful resourcefulness in dealing with danger
   2. B.Careless excitement about taking risks
   3. C.Indifference to the narrator’s safety
   4. D.Fear of travelling beyond Darchen
   See the answer and solution
3. Question 3Q-BB9915

   Why does Norbu’s arrival at Darchen become important for the narrator?

   1. A.Norbu offers to replace Tsetan as the driver.
   2. B.Norbu makes the narrator’s plan to undertake the kora seem possible again.
   3. C.Norbu persuades the narrator to abandon the pilgrimage permanently.
   4. D.Norbu provides medical treatment that immediately cures the narrator.
   See the answer and solution
4. Question 4Q-90CB8C

   How does the harsh Tibetan landscape influence the narrator’s experience in “Silk Road”?

   See the answer and solution
5. Question 5Q-CEA904

   What does Lhamo’s gift of a sheepskin coat to the narrator at Ravu chiefly express?

   1. A.Her wish to obtain money from the narrator
   2. B.Her warmth and practical concern for the traveller
   3. C.Her interest in joining the journey
   4. D.Her fear of the local nomads
   See the answer and solution