Chapter 3 

 
Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues 
 

Solutions of Questions on Page No 22: 

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

● forensic reconstruction 
● scudded across 
● casket grey 
● Resurrection 
● funerary treasures 
● Circumvented 
● computed tomography 
● eerie detail 

Answer: 

● Forensic reconstruction– It refers to the process of creating a 

face on the skull and see how the owner of the skull looked 
like. Here, it refers to the construction of the bust of King Tut 
based on the data received from CT scan. 
● Scudded across– It refers to moving quickly. The phrase is 
used with reference to the movement of the ‘dark-bellied 
clouds’. 
● Casket grey– The words point out to the covering of the stars 
by the dark-bellied clouds’, the way jewels are kept in a casket 
(a jewel box). 
● Resurrection– It refers to a new beginning for something 
which is old and long forgotten. Here, it refers to the new life 
after death. 
● Funerary treasures– The valuable things with which the king 
was buried were no less than treasures as most of the items 
were made of pure gold. They are, thus, referred to as 
 ‘funerary treasures’. 
● Circumvented– The thieves would easily bypass the guards 
with artfulness and rip the mummy apart to remove the gold. 
● Computed tomography– Also known as CT scan, it provides 
X-ray image of a body in cross section. It is used for 
diagnostic purposes. 
● Eerie detail– Uncanny description of the resulting image of the 
head of Tut visible through the CT scan. 

Solutions of Questions on Page No 28: 

Question 1(i): 
King Tut’s body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny. 

Answer: 

Since  the  time  King  Tut’s  body  was  first  discovered  in  1922,  it  has been 
subjected  to  repeated  scrutiny.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  King  Tut  died 
at  a  very  young  age.  He  died  as  a  “boyish  pharaoh”  leaving  behind 
numerous mysteries associated with his death. 

Various  investigations,  from  discovering  his  remains  to  excavating  his 

body  and  studying  it  under  the  CT  scan,  have  been  done  just  to  find  out 
the medical mysteries of his death. 

 
Question 1(ii): 
Howard Carter’s investigation was resented. 

Answer: 

Howard  Carter,  a  British  archaeologist,  was  the  first  archaeologist  to 

discover  King  Tut’s  tomb  in  the  year  1922.  His  was a great discovery but 
during  the  investigation  process,  he  damaged  the  mummy  to  a  great 
extent.  As  the  body  was  found  cemented  to  its  gold  coffin,  it  was 
impossible  to  move  it.  Finally,  to  separate  the  mummy  from  its 
adornments,  Carter  decided  to  remove  its  head  and  break  nearly  every 
major joint. Due to this his investigation was resented. 

 
Question 1(iii): 
Carter  had  to  chisel  away  the  solidified  resins  to  raise  the  king’s 
remains. 

Answer: 

Due  to  the  hardened  resins,  the  King’s  body  was  found  cemented  to  the 
solid  gold-bottom  of  the  coffin  such  that  “no  amount  of  legitimate  force 
could  move  them”.  The  mummy  had  to  be  separated  as  the  thieves 
would  escape  the  eyes of guards and rip the mummy apart to steal away 
the  gold.  He  even  tried  to  loosen  the resins by putting the mummy under 
the  blazing  sun.  However,  every  effort  went  in  vain.  The  only  way  left for 
him was to “chisel” it “beneath the limbs and trunk”. Thus, Carter decided 
to  remove  the  mummy’s  head  and  break  the  major  joints  to  separate  it 
from its coffin. 

 
Question 1(iv): 
Tut’s body was buried along with gilded treasures. 

Answer: 

King Tut was buried in a coffin made of pure gold “lavished with glittering 
goods”.  The  gilded  treasures  found  included  precious  collars,  inland 
necklaces  and  bracelets,  rings,  amulets,  a  ceremonial  apron,  sandals, 
sheaths  for his fingers and toes. In those times, the royals believed in the 
idea  of  taking  their  wealth  with  them.  Tut  was  adorned  with  all  such 
riches  for  his  journey  after  life.  It  also  gives  the  idea  of  the  Egyptian 
belief in resurrection. 

 
Question 1(v): 
The boy king changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun. 
Answer: 

‘Tutankhamun’  means  the  ‘living  image  of  Amun’.  Amun  was  the  major 
god  in  the  ancient  Egyptian  society  whose  temples  and  images  were 
destroyed  by  a  preceding  ruler  named  Akhenaten.  He  destroyed  the 
ancient  religious  order  of  the  Egyptians.  Tut’s  changing  of  his  name 
represents  his  efforts  in  the  restoration  of  the  old  ways  that  were  once 
destroyed. 

 
Question 2(i): 
List the deeds that led Ray Johnson to describe Akhenaten as “wacky”. 

Answer: 

The  deeds  that  led  Ray  Johnson  to  describe  Akhenaten  as  “wacky”  and 
comment that “it must have been a horrific time” are listed below. 

● Amenhotep IV (later known by the name of Akhenaten) led to 

one of the aberrant periods in the history of ancient Egypt. 
● He made many unpleasant changes in the social and political 
order of the country. 
● He promoted the worship of the Aten, the sun disk, and 
changed his name to Akhenaten or ‘the servant of the Aten’. 
● He moved the religious capital from the old city of Thebes to 
the new city of Akhetaten. 
● He destroyed the images and temples of Amun, a major god. 

 
Question 2(ii): 
What were the results of the CT scan? 

Answer: 
King  Tut  is  one  of  the  first  mummies to undergo a CT scan. The CT scan 
came  up  with  some  new  clues  about  the  life  and  death  of  King  Tut.  It 
provided  precise  data  for  an  accurate  forensic  reconstruction  of  King 
Tut.  The  CT  scan  displayed  the  mummy  from  head  to  toe  creating 1,700 
digital  X-ray  images  in  cross  section.  It  showed  a  grey  head,  neck 
vertebrae,  a  hand,  several  images  of  rib  cages  and  a  transection  of  the 
skull. 

 
Question 2(iii): 
List the advances in technology that have improved forensic analysis. 

Answer: 

Technology has been making a rapid development. The advancements in 
technology  are  responsible  for  improvements  in  the  field  of  forensic 
sciences.  From  the  use  of  X-rays, technology has advanced to the use of 
advanced  Computed  Tomography  (commonly  known  as  CT  scan).  In  a 
CT  scan,  hundreds  of  X-rays  are  created  in  cross-section,  like  slices. 
They  create  a  three-dimensional  virtual  body  and  with  intricate 
structures.  This  change  in  forensic  analysis  has  helped  in  discovering 
the mysteries behind Egyptian mummies. 

 
Question 2(iv): 
Explain  the  statement,  “King  Tut  is  one  of  the  first  mummies  to  be 
scanned — in death, as in life …” 

Answer: 

The  above  line  indicates  that  King  Tut’s body was the first to be scanned 

under  a  computer  tomography  machine.  Just  like  King  Tut  might  have 
led  his  kingdom  when  alive,  he  led  the  experience  of  being  scanned 
among the mummies. 

 
Question 1: 
Scientific intervention is necessary to unearth buried mysteries. 
Answer: 

For: 

● Science helps determine the facts related to the past even in 
the absence of any living evidences. 
● It leads to good amount of knowledge about the past events 
without which things would go in mere speculations. 
● It helps determine information about ancient cultures, 
tradition, and people. 
● The use of advanced scientific tools helps in extracting 
important facts related to past events. 
● It helps in determining the time and place of the event. 
● It gives us important information about the unsolved 
mysteries. 

Against: 

● There is no use of digging the past. 

● Present is valuable and we must live in the present. 
● Delving into the past is waste of time and energy. 
● It is the job of the historians and not scientists. 
● It is always better to invest one’s resources on the 
development of living rather than investigating the dead. 

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

Answer: 

For: 
 ● With advanced technology such as CT scan, it is possible to 
solve medical mysteries related to deaths. 
● It is possible to create a 3-D view of the various body parts. 
● It provides intricate details through forensics, radiology and 
anatomy. 
● It helps find new clues related to life and death. 
● It provides data for forensic reconstruction. 
● Technology such as satellite imaging helps find buried sites. 
● Date and time of an event can be confirmed through 
advanced technology. 

Against: 

● No use of gathering facts about the past. 

● It’s important to focus on the present issues and events rather 
than investigating the past. 
● Even with the help of CT scan, no conclusive evidence could 
be constructed about Tut. 

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

Answer: 

For: 

● Traditions, rituals and funerary practices are born out of the 

sentiments and feelings of a community. 
● They provide identity to a community. 
● They maintain continuity of a culture. 
● They help in transferring the values of ancestors to the new 
 generation. 
● They add to our knowledge the progress of human civilisation. 

Against: 

● Traditions, customs and funerary practices may encourage 

superstition. 
● They may hamper the development of the society. 
● They affect unity. 
● They could lead to violence and friction between people 
belonging to different cultures. 

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

Answer: 

(Such  questions  are  to  be  done  by  the  students  on  their  own.  However, 
pointers have been provided for the students’ help.) For: 

● Past acts as a mirror to our mistakes and teaches us lessons. 

● Present is the outcome of past. 
● It helps us understand the progress of the events down the 
history. 
● It builds foundation for our present and future. 

Against: 

● One must live in the present. 

 ● Past is infinite and should be left as it is. 
● Past should not affect our present life. 
● Past should not be delved in and must be considered as a 
gone phase. 

Solutions of Questions on Page No 29: 

Question 2: 
What do you think are the reasons for the extinction of languages? 

Answer: 

Below are listed a few reasons for the extinction of languages. 

● Migration of people to other lands 

● Influence of the rulers 
● Evolution of language due to cultural fusion 
● Limitation of vocabulary 
● Absence of written script along with prevalence of oral 
tradition 
● Constant changes in the society 
● Globalisation, as it has led to the use of only dominant 
languages 

 
Question 3: 
Do you think it is important to preserve languages? 

Answer: 

Yes,  it  is  important  to  preserve  languages as they are responsible for the 

development  of  culture  of  the  community.  It  helps  in  preservation  of 
one’s  heritage  and  traditions.  Language  preservation  ensures  contact 
with one’s history and literature. 

 
Question 4: 
In  what  ways  do  you  think  we  could  help  prevent  the  extinction  of 
languages and dialects? 

Answer: 

Extinction  of  languages  and  dialects  can  be  prevented  through  the 
following reasons. 

● Transferring the vocabulary and dialects of the language to 

the next generation 
● Teaching the languages in colleges and universities and 
encouraging students to specialise in the same 
● Teaching children to use mother-tongue 
● Remaining connected to one’s cultural roots 
● Respecting one’s language which will help in taking it forward 
to the coming generations 

 
Question 1(i): 
ghostly dust devils 

Answer: 

ghostly  dust  devils-  it  points  out  to  the  devilish or frightful movement of 

the  dusty  winds.  It  reflects  the  anger  of  the  winds for disturbing the king 
from his resting place. 

 
Question 1(ii): 
desert sky 
Answer: 

desert  sky-  it  refers  to  the  dusty sky of the desert. The barren sky spread 

over the vast desert region portrays a sad and dry picture. 

 
Question 1(iii): 
stunning artefacts 

Answer: 

stunning  artefacts-  items  found  in  the  tomb  were  extremely  beautiful. 
Usage  of  both  the  words  together  explains  the  ‘eternal  brilliance’  of  the 
objects. 

 
Question 1(iv): 
funerary treasures 

Answer: 

funerary  treasures-  reference  is  to  the  fact  that  king  was  buried  with 
numerous  things which were no less than treasures as most of the items 
were made of pure gold. 

 
Question 1(v): 
scientific detachment 

Answer: 

scientific detachment- it refers to an indifference towards science. 

 
Question 1(vi): 
dark-bellied clouds 
Answer: 

dark-bellied clouds– it refers to the dark clouds containing rain. 

 
Question 1(vii): 
casket grey 

Answer: 

casket  grey-  the  words  point  out  to  the  stars  being  covered  by  the 
‘dark-bellied clouds’, the way jewels are kept in a casket (a jewel box). 

 
Question 1(viii): 
eternal brilliance 

Answer: 

eternal  brilliance-  eternal  refers  to  something  that  is  timeless.  Thus, 
eternal  brilliance  refers  to  timeless  lustre  and  shine  of  the  jewels  and 
valuables of the king. 

 
Question 1(ix): 
ritual resins 

Answer: 

ritual  resins-  resins  are  used  as  a  customary  duty  in  the  process  of 
burying a body. 

 
Question 1(x): 
virtual body 
Answer: 

virtual  body-  a  body  created  through  electronic  images  or  CT  scan.  It 
resembles a real body and provides a very clear view. 

 
Question 2: 
Here are some commonly used medical terms. Find out their meanings. 
CT scan  MRI  tomography 

Autopsy  dialysis  ECG 

angiograp
Post mortem  biopsy 
hy 

Answer: 

CT  scan-  It  refers  to  Computed  Tomography. It provides X-ray image of a 

body in cross section. It is used for diagnostic purposes. 

MRI-  MRI  is  the  short  form  of  magnetic  resonance  imaging.  It  is  a 
diagnostic tool. 

Tomography-  It  refers  to  taking  pictures  of  various  sections  of  a  human 
body in a three-dimensional view. 

Autopsy- It refers to the post-mortem examination. 

Dialysis-  It  is  the  process  of  filtration  of  bloodstream  usually  during 
kidney failure. 

ECG-  The  electrocardiogram  is  a  diagnostic  tool  that  measures  and 

records the electrical activity of the heart in exquisite detail. 

Post  mortem-  It  refers  to  the  medical  examination  and  dissection  of  a 
dead body to determine the cause of death 

Angiography-  Angiography  is  the  examination  of  the blood vessels using 

x-rays and injecting of a radiopaque substance. 

Biopsy-  The  removal  and  examination  of  a sample of tissue from a living 

body for diagnostic purposes is known as biopsy. 

 
Question 1: 
The  constellation  Orion  is  associated  with  the  legend  of  Osiris,  the god 
of  the  afterlife.  Find  out  the  astronomical  descriptions  and  legends 
associated with the following. (i) Ursa Major (saptarishi mandala) 
(ii) Polaris (Dhruva tara) 
(iii) Pegasus (winged horse) 
(iv) Sirius (Dog star) 
(v) Gemini (Mithuna) 

Answer: 

(i)  Ursa  Major  (saptarishi  mandala)-  Ursa  major  is  also  known  by  the 
name  of  “Great Bear”. In Hinduism, Ursa Major is known as ‘saptarishi’ or 
the ‘seven sages’. 

(ii)  Polaris  (Dhruva  tara)-  It  is  the  brightest  star  in the constellation Ursa 
Minor. It is the current northern pole star. 

(iii)  Pegasus  (winged  horse)-  It  is  the  constellation  in  the  northern sky. It 
is named after the winged horse Pegasus in Greek mythology. 

(iv)  Sirius  (Dog  star)-  Sirius  is  the  brightest  star  in  the  night  sky.  It  is 
called the “Dog Star”. It is classically depicted as Orion’s dog. 

(v)  Gemini  (Mithuna)-  It  is  a  zodiacal  constellation  in  the  northern 
hemisphere.  In  Greek  mythology  it  is  associated  with  twins,  Castor  and 
Pollux. 

 
Question 2: 
Some  of  the  leaves  and  flowers  mentioned  in  the  passage  for adorning 
the  dead  are  willow,  olive,  celery,  lotus,  cornflower.  Which  of  these  are 
common in our country? 

Answer: 

Lotus is a common flower in India. 

 
Question 3: 
Name  some  leaves  and  flowers  that  are  used  as  adornments  in  our 
country. 

Answer: 

Rose,  Orchid,  Lily,  etc.  are  some  flowers  used  as  adornments  in  our 
country.