Previous Year: Short Questions With Answers - Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues | English Class 11 PDF Download

Q. 1. Who was King Tut? Why was a CT scan done on him?
Ans. King Tut was a boy King of Egypt who was the last heir of its powerful family. This family ruled it for centuries. His tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter. A CT scan was done on his mummy to get new clues about his life and death.

Q. 2. What did the tourists in the burial chamber of King Tut do?
Ans. The tourists looked keenly at the murals on the walls of the burial chamber. They also peered at Tut’s gilded face. Others stood silently thinking about the Pharaoh’s curse. It was said that death or misfortune would fall upon those who disturbed him.

Q. 3. What was the Pharaoh’s curse? Who refers to it and in what context?
Ans. The Pharaoh’s curse was that death or misfortune that would fall upon those who disturbed him. The silent visitors are the first to refer to it. Later on a guard joked nervously when the million dollar scanner stopped functioning because of the sand in a cooler fan.

Q. 4. Which evidence proves the burial of Tut in March or April?
Ans. Tut’s shroud was found adorned with faded garlands of willow and olive leaves, wild celery, lotus petals and cornflowers. Since some of them are available only at the end of winter season, Tut must have been buried in March or April.

Q. 5. What is so special about the contents of Tut’s tomb?
Ans. Stunning artifacts in gold found in Tut’s tomb remain the richest royal collection ever found. These caused a sensation at the time of the discovery. Even now they get the most attention.

Q. 6. How had King Tut been lavished the royals when he was buried?
Or
List some of the adornments and golden objects on Tut’s body?
Ans. King Tut had been lavished with glittering goods. These were precious collars, necklaces, bracelets, rings, amulets, a ceremonial apron, sandals, sheaths, etc. All these things including the coffin were made of pure gold. It was believed that he would take them with him in his journey beyond after death.

Q. 7. What did Howard Carter find when he began investigating King Tut’s three nested coffins?
Ans. Howard Carter opened the coffin. He found a shroud adorned with garlands of willow, olive leaves, lotus petals and cornflowers. When he finally reached the mummy he found the ritual resins had cemented it to the bottom of his solid gold coffin.

Q. 8. What became a sensation when Howard Carter, the British archaeologist, discovered Tut’s tomb in 1922?
Ans. King Tut’s tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. Its contents in gold and their shine were meant to guarantee the King’s resurrection. But nothing happened. These contents are the richest royal collection of Pharaoh’s legend.

Q. 9. What problem did Carter face when he reached the mummy? How did he find a way out?
Ans. Carter found that the ritual resins had become quite hard. These had fixed Tut to the bottom of his solid coffin. The heat of the sun could not melt it. So, the solid resins had to be chiseled away to free the King’s remains from the box.

Q. 10. Why did Egyptians resent Carter’s investigations?
Ans. Egyptians took utmost pride in well being of their Pharaohs and never wanted anyone to disturb them. They always tried to preserve the Royal mummies intact. They believed that Howard Carter was just meddling with the peace of their popular child king and would cause harm and insult to its sanctity.

Q. 11. What did Carter’s men finally do to the mummy?
Ans. They removed the mummy’s head and severed nearly every major joint. This they did to separate the body from the adornments. Then they reassembled the remains on a layer on sand in a wooden box with padding.

Q. 12. What effect did Tut’s demise have dynasty?
Ans. King Tutankhamun was the last pharaoh of his dynasty that ruled Egypt for decade. The dynasty rattled down after the demise of king Tut.

Q. 13. Why is January 5, 2005 significant in Tutankhamun’s Saga?
Ans. On this date for the first time Tutankhamun was removed from his tomb and taken to CT scanner brought there to probe the lingering mysteries surrounding the young ruler.

Q. 14. How was the atmosphere when Tut’s body was taken for CT scan?
Ans. Violent wind raised ghost like shapes of dust. Bulging clouds moved quickly across the desert sky and did the stars in the grey sky.

Q. 15. How had archaeology changed substantially in the modern times?
Ans. Archaeology has changed substantially in the modern times. It now focuses less on treasures but more on other aspects of life and the mysteries of death. It also uses latest tools used in the field of medical technology.

Q. 16. How did the workmen carry out the CT scanning of Tut’s mummy? What happened thereafter?
Ans. The workmen took the mummy from the box and climbed a ramp and a flight of stairs. They rose it on a hydraulic lift into the trailer that held the scanner. Then it could be scanned but the sand entered the portable scanner. The replacement fans helped in its scanning.

Q. 17. How can CT scan prove more effective than the X-ray?
Ans. In CT scan, hundreds of X-ray in cross section are put together like slices of bread to create a three dimensional virtual body. X-ray provides only a two dimensional image.

Q. 18. How can diagnostic imaging be done now? What could it reveal about King Tut’s mummy?
Ans. Diagnostic imaging can be done with computed tomography or CT. Hundreds of X-rays in cross section are put together like slices of bread to create a three dimensional virtual body. This could reveal how King Tut died and how old he was at the time of his death.

Q. 19. Describe the scene around the place where King Tut’s mummy had successfully been CT scanned.
Ans. The wind stopped when the workmen came down to the ground. The winter air lay cold and still like death itself. Just above the entrance to Tut’s tomb stood Orion. It is the group of stars. The Egyptians knew it as the soul of Osiris, the God of after life. It watched over the boy King.

Q. 20. How was king Tut’s mummy scanned by the portable CT scanner?
Ans. King Tut’s mummy was scanned by a portable CT scanner from head to toe. 1700 digital x-rays were created in cross section to find out the secret of his death. His head was scanned in thin slices of 0.62 mm. for intricate details.

Q. 21. How did Zahi Hawass express his satisfaction as the results?
Ans. Zahi Hawass was greatly relieved. He said that he did not sleep the night before, not for a second. He was greatly worried. Now, he said he would go and sleep.