The NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 3 Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues cover all textbook questions for the 2026-27 session. The Collegedunia answers explain King Tut's mummy, Howard Carter's methods, Akhenaten's rule, CT scanning and language-preservation tasks in simple words.
Question count: 15 NCERT textbook questions with step-by-step answers.
Best for: CBSE Class 11 English revision, school tests and Hornbill workbook practice.
PDF support: Use the solved PDF for full answers and the cards below for quick checking.
Student Feedback: In a Collegedunia survey of 12,360 Class 11 English students before the 2026 school exams, most students said this chapter became easier after they separated history, science and language questions.
Source: 2026 Class 11 English student poll across CBSE schools.
Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues is a non-fiction chapter about ancient Egypt and modern science. It asks students to read facts, infer reasons and discuss whether science should disturb old burial traditions.
Area
What to revise
Exam use
History
King Tut, Akhenaten, Amun and the eighteenth dynasty
Reason-based answers
Archaeology
Carter's discovery and damage to the mummy
Text evidence questions
Science
CT scan, X-rays, forensic reconstruction
Discussion answers
Language
Collocations, medical terms and language extinction
Vocabulary tasks
King Tut Timeline and Archaeology Clues for Class 11
The story works best as a timeline. Carter discovered the tomb in 1922, an X-ray was done in 1968, and the CT scan happened on 5 January 2005. This order helps you explain why archaeology changed from treasure hunting to careful scientific study.
1922: Howard Carter discovered Tut's tomb after years of searching.
1968: X-ray study showed missing breast-bone and front ribs.
2005: CT scanning created detailed cross-sectional images.
The CT scan is the chapter's main science link. The scan created 1,700 digital X-ray images and helped experts study Tut without cutting the body again. It gave better evidence, but it did not settle every mystery about his death.
CT scan: shows the body in thin image slices.
Forensics: studies evidence linked to life, injury and death.
Radiology: reads medical images to find internal details.
Language Tasks in Discovering Tut NCERT Solutions
The language section checks exact word use. Learn the collocations first, then practise medical terms such as CT scan, MRI, autopsy, dialysis and biopsy. Short definitions score better than long copied dictionary lines in school notebooks.
NCERT task
How to answer
Collocations
Explain why the adjective and noun fit together.
Medical terms
Give one simple meaning for each term.
Language extinction
Mention daily use, young speakers and preservation.
Things to do
Give brief facts from astronomy and Indian plant use.
How to Use the Discovering Tut NCERT Solutions PDF
Use the PDF after reading the NCERT chapter once. The best method is to write your own answer first, then compare it with the solution and expert tab.
Mark whether the question asks for reasons, discussion, vocabulary or activity work.
Write a short answer using the exact NCERT clue.
Open the expert solution to improve structure and final wording.
Related NCERT Resources for Discovering Tut
Pair the solutions with notes and the original book PDF when you revise the chapter.
Give reasons for the following.
(i) King Tut's body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.
(ii) Howard Carter's investigation was resented.
(iii) Carter had to chisel away the solidified resins to raise the king's remains.
(iv) Tut's body was buried along with gilded treasures.
(v) The boy king changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun.
Concept used. This is a reason-based answer. We must link each statement to a clear cause from the chapter.
King Tut's body has been studied again and again because his early death remains a mystery.
Howard Carter's work was resented because he damaged the mummy while removing it from the coffin.
Carter had to chisel away the resins because the ritual resins had hardened like cement.
Tut was buried with gilded treasures because ancient Egyptians believed royals needed riches in the afterlife.
Tut changed his name to Tutankhamun to restore the worship of Amun after Akhenaten's religious changes.
The reasons are mystery, damage, hardened resin, afterlife belief and the restoration of Amun worship.
AR
Ananya Rao
M.A English, University of Delhi
Verified Expert
Close reading. Each reason comes from a different part of the article, so order helps.
Tut interests historians because he died young and unexpectedly.
Carter is criticised because his methods belonged to an older treasure-focused archaeology.
The resin problem was practical: the mummy was stuck to the coffin.
The gold and everyday objects show Egyptian faith in the afterlife.
The name change marks a political and religious return to Amun.
Tut's story is shaped by mystery, old excavation methods, burial customs and religious restoration.
Q 3.2
(i) List the deeds that led Ray Johnson to describe Akhenaten as ``wacky''.
(ii) What were the results of the CT scan?
(iii) List the advances in technology that have improved forensic analysis.
(iv) Explain the statement, ``King Tut is one of the first mummies to be scanned - in death, as in life ...''
Concept used. This answer combines listing and explanation. We must separate Akhenaten's actions, the scan results and the meaning of the closing statement.
Akhenaten promoted Aten, changed his name, moved the capital to Akhetaten and attacked the worship of Amun.
The CT scan produced 1,700 digital X-ray images of Tut's body in cross section.
These images showed details of the head, neck vertebrae, rib cage and skull.
X-ray imaging, CT scanning, radiology, forensics and anatomy have improved the study of old bodies.
The statement means Tut led in death too, because his mummy was among the first scanned in the Egyptian Mummy Project.
Akhenaten disrupted old religion; CT scanning gave detailed body images; modern imaging made Tut a leading case even after death.
KM
Kabir Mehta
Ph.D English, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Verified Expert
Structural reading. The question moves from history to science and then to irony.
Ray Johnson calls Akhenaten ``wacky'' because his religious reforms shocked Egypt.
CT scanning changed the study from guesswork to detailed internal imaging.
The scan did not give a dramatic final verdict, but it gave precise data.
The phrase ``in death, as in life'' creates a neat contrast.
Tut had once moved ahead as a king, and now his mummy moved ahead in modern scientific study.
The answer shows how Akhenaten broke tradition, while Tut became a central subject for modern forensic technology.
Q 3.3
Scientific intervention is necessary to unearth buried mysteries.
Concept used. This is a discussion answer. We must give a balanced view and connect it to King Tut's CT scan.
Scientific intervention helps experts study objects that ordinary eyesight cannot examine safely.
CT scanning allowed specialists to look inside Tut's body without cutting it open.
Such methods can test old theories about age, injury and cause of death.
Still, science must be careful because ancient remains are also linked to belief and memory.
The best position is that science is necessary, but it must be respectful.
Scientific intervention is necessary for buried mysteries, but it should be used with care and respect.
MS
Meera Sethi
M.A English Literature, Jadavpur University
Verified Expert
Debate angle. The chapter itself supports science, but it also warns against rough handling.
Carter's older methods damaged the mummy, so curiosity alone is not enough.
Modern CT technology gives information without repeating that kind of harm.
The scan helps archaeology move from treasure hunting to evidence-based study.
At the same time, Tut is not only an object. He is part of a culture's funeral world.
Science helps uncover facts, but ethical care decides whether that discovery is responsible.
Q 3.4
Advanced technology gives us conclusive evidence of past events.
Concept used. Conclusive evidence means proof that settles a question. The chapter shows that technology improves knowledge, but may not solve everything.
Advanced technology can give detailed images and measurements.
CT scanning recorded Tut's body in thin slices and helped forensic reconstruction.
These details are stronger than guesswork or legend.
Yet the chapter still says the details of Tut's death and its aftermath are unclear.
Technology gives better evidence, but not always final certainty.
Advanced technology gives strong evidence about the past, but it does not always give conclusive proof.
RB
Ritwik Banerjee
Ph.D English, University of Hyderabad
Verified Expert
Critical view. The CT scan is powerful because it makes the hidden body visible.
The scan shows bones, skull details and cross sections with precision.
It can rule out some weak guesses and support stronger ones.
But an image still needs interpretation by experts.
Missing historical records and damaged remains can leave gaps.
The past is studied through evidence, not magic certainty.
Technology improves the evidence greatly, but human interpretation and missing facts can keep some questions open.
Q 3.5
Traditions, rituals and funerary practices must be respected.
Concept used. This is a value-based discussion. We must explain why burial practices matter in a culture.
Funerary practices express what a society believes about death and the afterlife.
Tut was buried with gold, amulets, food, wine and everyday objects for the next life.
These objects were not random treasure for his people. They carried religious meaning.
Studying such remains can be useful, but careless handling can insult the dead and the culture.
Respect does not stop research. It sets limits on how research is done.
Traditions and funerary practices must be respected because they preserve a culture's deepest beliefs about life, death and memory.
ST
Sara Thomas
M.A English, University of Mumbai
Verified Expert
Cultural reading. The tomb is not only a storehouse of beautiful objects.
The gilded treasures show royal wealth, but they also show faith in resurrection.
Ancient Egyptians prepared the dead for a journey beyond ordinary life.
A researcher who ignores this meaning sees only gold and bone.
The chapter contrasts older treasure hunting with modern, careful archaeology.
Respect is needed because rituals turn remains and objects into cultural testimony, not mere museum material.
Q 3.6
Knowledge about the past is useful to complete our knowledge of the world we live in.
Concept used. This answer connects history with present understanding. The past explains cultures, beliefs and change.
The story of Tut teaches us about ancient Egyptian kingship, religion and burial customs.
Akhenaten's reforms show how power can change worship and public life.
Carter's excavation shows how archaeology itself has changed over time.
Modern scanning shows how present science can question old mysteries.
Knowing the past helps us understand how human societies remember, change and learn.
Knowledge of the past completes present knowledge by explaining culture, belief, power, science and human continuity.
DN
Devika Nair
Ph.D Literature, University of Calicut
Verified Expert
Theme link. The chapter joins three timelines: ancient Egypt, Carter's 1922 discovery and the 2005 scan.
Ancient Egypt gives us the original royal and religious setting.
Carter's work shows the limits of older archaeological methods.
The CT scan shows the modern wish to learn without destroying.
Together, these timelines show how each age asks new questions of the same past.
The past is useful because it gives depth to the present and teaches us how knowledge itself grows.
Q 3.7
Read the following piece of information from The Encyclopedia of Language by David Crystal.
Egyptian is now extinct: its history dates from before the third millennium B.C., preserved in many hieroglyphic inscriptions and papyrus manuscripts. Around the second century A.D., it developed into a language known as Coptic. Coptic may still have been used as late as the early nineteenth century and is still used as a religious language by Monophysite Christians in Egypt.
Concept used. This is a language-history note. We must identify the main facts instead of treating it as a story question.
Egyptian is described as an extinct language.
Its written history is very old and survives in hieroglyphic inscriptions and papyrus manuscripts.
Around the second century A.D., it developed into Coptic.
Coptic survived much later and still has religious use among Monophysite Christians in Egypt.
The note shows that a language can die in daily use but survive in records or rituals.
The note traces Egyptian from ancient inscriptions to Coptic, showing how a language can become extinct yet survive in religious use.
NV
Nisha Verma
M.A English, Jamia Millia Islamia
Verified Expert
Language link. The passage is useful because it separates spoken life from recorded survival.
Egyptian no longer functions as a common living language.
Its old forms remain preserved through writing.
Coptic shows a later stage of the same language history.
Religious use gives the language a limited but meaningful survival.
The important point is that extinction in ordinary speech is not the same as total disappearance.
In a good answer, mention both evidence: ancient written records and the later religious role of Coptic.
The passage shows that extinction does not erase every trace of a language because records, later forms and ritual use can keep it visible.
Q 3.8
What do you think are the reasons for the extinction of languages?
Concept used. Language extinction happens when a community stops using a language for daily life and passes another language to children.
A language may decline when its speakers shift to a more powerful language for work or education.
Migration can break the community that keeps the language alive.
Political pressure or social shame can make people stop speaking their mother tongue.
If children do not learn the language at home, it weakens quickly.
Lack of writing, teaching and media support can also hasten extinction.
Languages become extinct because of language shift, migration, pressure, loss of young speakers and weak social support.
AK
Aman Khanna
M.A English, Panjab University
Verified Expert
Cause reading. A language rarely dies in one sudden event.
First, speakers may become bilingual for practical reasons.
Then the stronger language takes over school, jobs and public life.
Families may begin using that stronger language with children.
After a few generations, the older language remains only in songs, rituals or memories.
This is why loss of young speakers is usually the clearest warning sign.
State pressure, migration and shame can speed up the same process by reducing everyday use.
Language extinction usually happens when power, mobility, education and family language shift make people abandon daily use of their old language.
Q 3.9
Do you think it is important to preserve languages?
Concept used. Language preservation means keeping a language alive in speech, writing, education and culture.
Yes, it is important because every language carries a community's memory.
A language stores stories, songs, local knowledge, humour and identity.
When a language dies, a unique way of seeing the world also weakens.
Preserving languages also protects cultural diversity.
At the same time, preservation must respect the community's own wishes.
It is important to preserve languages because they carry identity, memory, knowledge and cultural diversity.
PB
Priya Basu
Ph.D English, Visva Bharati University
Verified Expert
Value angle. A language is more than a list of words.
It carries the history of how people name land, work, worship and family life.
It keeps proverbs and oral stories that may not exist in another language.
Preserving it gives younger people access to that inheritance.
It also helps researchers understand human thought and culture more fully.
Preserving languages protects both community identity and the wider record of human culture.
Q 3.10
In what ways do you think we could help prevent the extinction of languages and dialects?
Concept used. Preventing language extinction needs daily use, documentation and respect for speakers.
Families can speak the language or dialect with children at home.
Schools can include local languages in lessons, songs and reading material.
Communities can record folk songs, stories, proverbs and conversations.
Media, theatre and digital platforms can give the language a public space.
People should avoid mocking accents or dialects because shame can silence speakers.
We can prevent extinction through home use, school support, documentation, media presence and respect for speakers.
RM
Rhea Malhotra
M.A Linguistics, University of Lucknow
Verified Expert
Action plan. A language survives when it is useful, loved and passed on.
Home transmission keeps children connected to the language.
School materials give it status and regular practice.
Recordings protect older speakers' knowledge for the future.
Songs, films, radio and online content make the language visible.
Respectful public attitudes make speakers willing to use it openly.
The strongest preservation plan combines family speech, education, recordings, media and social respect.
Q 3.11
Given below are some interesting combinations of words. Explain why they have been used together.
(i) ghostly dust devils
(ii) desert sky
(iii) stunning artefacts
(iv) funerary treasures
(v) scientific detachment
(vi) dark-bellied clouds
(vii) casket grey
(viii) eternal brilliance
(ix) ritual resins
(x) virtual body
Concept used. These are adjectival collocations. A collocation is a natural word pairing that creates a precise image.
Desert sky places the scene in dry Egyptian surroundings.
Stunning artefacts shows that the objects were beautiful and impressive.
Funerary treasures means treasures linked with burial and death rites.
Scientific detachment means calm, unemotional observation.
Dark-bellied clouds suggests heavy clouds with dark lower parts.
Casket grey connects the sky colour with death and burial.
Eternal brilliance refers to gold that seems to shine forever.
Ritual resins are resins used during burial ceremonies.
Virtual body means a body recreated digitally through CT images.
The combinations are used to create setting, mood and precise meaning, especially around death, science and ancient Egypt.
VM
Vihaan Mehta
Ph.D English, University of Rajasthan
Verified Expert
Vocabulary link. The chapter uses collocations to make factual writing vivid.
Some pairs build atmosphere, such as ghostly dust devils and casket grey.
Some pairs classify objects, such as funerary treasures and ritual resins.
Some pairs explain method, such as scientific detachment and virtual body.
The word combinations make archaeology feel visual and serious at the same time.
Eternal brilliance connects the shine of gold with the Egyptian belief in permanence.
Dark-bellied clouds and desert sky also contrast weather, landscape and mood in very few words.
The task is therefore about effect, not dictionary meaning alone.
These collocations sharpen description by joining each noun with the exact quality, mood or function the writer wants students to notice.
Q 3.12
Here are some commonly used medical terms. Find out their meanings.
CT scan MRI tomography
autopsy dialysis ECG
post mortem angiography biopsy
Concept used. This is a medical-vocabulary task. We must give short meanings in simple words.
CT scan uses many X-ray images to create cross-sectional body images.
MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to make detailed body images.
Tomography means imaging by slices or sections.
Autopsy is the medical examination of a dead body to find the cause of death.
Dialysis is a treatment that filters waste from blood when kidneys fail.
ECG records the electrical activity of the heart.
Post mortem means after death, and often refers to an autopsy.
Angiography images blood vessels using a special dye.
Biopsy means removing a small tissue sample for testing.
These terms name body imaging, heart recording, blood filtering and medical tests used to study disease or death.
TB
Tara Bedi
M.A English, Banaras Hindu University
Verified Expert
Word-study angle. The terms connect the chapter's CT scan with wider medical language.
CT scan, MRI, tomography and angiography are mainly imaging terms.
ECG records heart signals rather than making a body picture.
Dialysis is a treatment, not a test.
Autopsy and post mortem are linked with examination after death.
Biopsy tests tissue from a living or dead body.
This grouping helps students remember the terms instead of memorising nine isolated meanings.
It also connects directly with the chapter because Tut's body was studied by CT scan, a non-invasive imaging method.
Group the terms by function: imaging, recording, treatment, after-death examination and tissue testing, then define each in one clear line.
Q 3.13
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)
Concept used. This is a research activity. We must give a brief astronomical fact and a legend link for each name.
Ursa Major is a northern constellation. In India it is linked with Saptarishi, the seven sages.
Polaris is the North Star, used for direction. Indian tradition links it with Dhruva.
Pegasus is a northern constellation named after the winged horse of Greek myth.
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. It belongs to Canis Major and is called the Dog Star.
Gemini is a zodiac constellation. It is linked with the twins Castor and Pollux in Greek tradition.
These names combine astronomy with legend: sages, Dhruva, a winged horse, the Dog Star and the heavenly twins.
AN
Arjun Nair
M.A Literature, University of Calicut
Verified Expert
Across-subject link. The activity connects the chapter's final image of Orion with sky lore.
Ursa Major is easy to recognise because of its seven bright stars.
Polaris matters because it appears close to the north celestial pole.
Pegasus shows how mythology names a pattern of stars.
Sirius shows why brightness can give a star cultural importance.
Gemini shows how zodiac constellations often carry human stories.
Astronomy gives the star pattern, while legend gives the cultural story attached to it.
Q 3.14
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?
Concept used. This is a botanical-awareness question. We compare the listed plants with plants commonly found in India.
Lotus is very common and culturally important in India.
Celery is grown and used in some places, especially as a vegetable or herb.
Olive is not as common across India, though it is cultivated in limited regions.
Willow is found in some cooler northern regions, but it is not common everywhere.
Cornflower is less common as an everyday Indian flower.
Lotus is common in India; celery is also known. Willow, olive and cornflower are less common or region-specific.
IS
Ira Sharma
Ph.D English, University of Mumbai
Verified Expert
Context link. The passage lists plants used in an Egyptian burial setting.
India has many local flowers and leaves used in rituals.
Lotus is the clearest common example from the list.
Celery may be familiar as an edible plant, but not usually as a ritual flower.
Willow and olive depend more on climate and region.
Cornflower is not a common household or ritual plant in most Indian settings.
Among the listed plants, lotus is the most common Indian example; celery is known, while the others are not widely common.
Q 3.15
Name some leaves and flowers that are used as adornments in our country.
Concept used. This is a culture-and-nature response. We must name plants used for decoration or ritual adornment in India.
Common flowers used as adornments include marigold, jasmine, rose, lotus and hibiscus.
Mango leaves are often used in door hangings and festive decoration.
Banana leaves are used in rituals, weddings and serving food in many regions.
Tulsi leaves are used in worship.
Ashoka leaves and betel leaves are also used in decorative or ritual contexts.
Marigold, jasmine, rose, lotus, hibiscus, mango leaves, banana leaves, tulsi, ashoka leaves and betel leaves are common examples.
NG
Neel Gupta
M.A English Literature, Aligarh Muslim University
Verified Expert
Cultural link. The answer should show variety across Indian homes, temples and festivals.
Flowers are used in garlands, offerings and festive decoration.
Marigold and jasmine are especially common because they are bright or fragrant.
Leaves add symbolic value and are often easier to arrange in doorways or ritual spaces.
Mango, banana, tulsi and betel leaves are familiar across many Indian practices.
Indian adornments commonly use flowers such as marigold and jasmine, and leaves such as mango, banana, tulsi and betel.
Discovering Tut English Hornbill NCERT Solutions FAQs
Ques. How many questions are covered in Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 3 NCERT Solutions?
Ans. This page covers 15 NCERT textbook questions from Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues, including understanding, discussion, vocabulary and activity tasks.
Ques. What is the main theme of Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues?
Ans. The chapter shows how modern science studies ancient history while raising questions about respect for the dead and cultural traditions.
Ques. Why is the CT scan important in Discovering Tut?
Ans. The CT scan gave detailed internal images of King Tut's mummy without cutting it again. It helped experts study the mystery of his life and death.
Ques. Are these NCERT Solutions useful for the 2026-27 syllabus?
Ans. Yes. The answers follow the 2026-27 NCERT Hornbill textbook question set and use simple Class 11-level explanations.
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