Question/answers
CHAPTER=DISCOVERING TUT
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. Why did King Tut’s mummy have to undergo CT scan?
Ans. The mummy of King Tut has earned worldwide fame for the riches it was
buried with. Further there arose a great controversy about the manner of his death
and his age at the time of death. Keeping in the view this controversy, King Tut’s
body was ordered to be scanned to examine the delayed medical mysteries about
his life and death.
Q2. Which questions still linger about Tut?
Ans. The two biggest questions that still linger about Tut are how did he die and
how old was he at the time of his death? He was the last of his family’s line, and
his funeral was the death rattle of a dynasty but the particulars of his passing away
and its aftermath were unclear.
Q3. Why was Tut’s dead body subjected to CT scrutiny?
Ans. Tut’s dead body was subjected to X-rays in 1968 and CT scan in 2005 to
ascertain the cause of his death.
Q4. In 1968 what was the startling fact revealed by a professor of anatomy
about king Tut?
Ans. In 1968, more than 40 years after Carter’s discovery of king Tut’s tomb, a
professor of anatomy X-rayed Tut’s mummy. He revealed an astonishing fact that
beneath the resin that layers his chest, his breast-bone and front ribs are missing. It
startled everyone.
Q5. Why did the artifacts cause a sensation at the time of discovery?
Ans. The artifacts discovered surprised all present there. They were all made of
pure gold. Their shine was enteral and never fading. This eternal brilliance of the
artifacts meant to guarantee revival from grave.
Q6. What was king Tut’s demise a big event, even by royal standards?
Ans. King Tut’s death was of course a big event. Even by royal standards he was
the last ruler in his family line. His funeral was the death bell of a dynasty that
ruled in Egypt for centuries. The big event is because of the fact that he died
unexpectedly at young age. The particulars of his passing and its aftermath are not
clear.
Q7. Why did some people think the King Tut’s untimely death as the
Pharaoh’s curse?
Ans. After king Akhenaten’s death a mysterious ruler became the king for a short
while and died. Then a very young Tutankhaten took the throne. He changed his
name to Tutankhamun, “Living image of Amun.” He restored the worship of
Amun whose images were broken and temples closed by the Pharaoh. Thus king
Tut disturbed the Pharaoh. Akhenaten and his curse – death Akhenaten had
befallen on Tut causing his untimely death in his late teens.
Q8. List some adornments on Tut’s body. Why had the adornments been
buried along with the body?
Ans. The mummy of Tut was decorated with precious collars, inlaid necklaces,
rings, bracelets, amulets and a ceremonial apron. There were sandals, sheaths for
fingers and toes and the inner golden coffin and mask. All of them were made of
pure gold. According to the beliefs it was thought that they could take their riches
with them to the great beyond.
Q9. What snag did the million dollar scanner develop? How was it set right?
Ans. The million dollar scanner had developed a snag because of sand in a cooler
fan. Eventually substitute fans worked well enough to finish the procedure.
Q10. Explain the statement, “King Tut is one of the first mummies to be
scanned – in death, as in life…”
Ans. It means that the mummy of King tut was the first one ever to be scanned.
The purpose was to reveal the mysteries relating to the period when he was alive.
Secondly, it also helped find out the cause of his death in mysterious
circumstances. The death occurred only nine years after his taking the throne.
Q11. “Curse of the Pharaoh”, joked a guard nervously. What is the curse and
why did the guard say so?
Ans. The curse of the Pharaoh – death or misfortune falling upon those who
disturbed him, is considered to be true. The fans of the CT scan machine got stuck
with the sand dust and stopped working during scanning of the mummy. Then the
guard jokingly said that it was the curse of the Pharaoh. Later another pair of white
plastic fans were arranged which worked well enough.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. Who was King Tut? Why was his mummy taken out for a C.T. Scan?
Ans. King Tut was last Pharaoh of his family line which ruled Egypt for centuries.
He was a very young boy when he took the throne of Egypt in 1332 B.C. The boy
king soon changed his name to Tutankhamun, “living image of Amun,” and
restored the old ways of religious belief. He ruled for about nine years and then
died unexpectedly in 1322 B.C. King Tut’s death was a big event. He was the last
Pharaoh of his family line. His funeral was the death bell of his dynasty. But the
particulars of his death and the after happenings are not clear.
King Tut was buried in the ancient Egyptian cemetery known as the Valley of the
Kings. Tut was loaded with glittering goods: precious neckbands, engraved
necklaces and bracelets, rings, amulets, apron, sandals, sheaths, for fingers and toes
and iconic inner coffin and mask all of pure gold.
Carter discovered Tut’s tomb for more than 3300 years after his death in 1922 and
in 2005 his mummy was taken out of the tomb for the first time for his C.T. scan.
The probe by the C.T, scanner was to look into the delayed medical mysteries of
this little understood young ruler about his life and death.
Q2. In 1922 Tut’s tomb was discovered. Much of the treasure buried in the
tomb had already been plundered. Materialistic attitude of man does not
allow even the dead to sleep in peace. Will there be any end to this attitude?
Ans. For a handful of gold man can go to any extent. Tut’s mummy was buried
deep with a lot of gold and other things believing that the dead pharaoh would need
those things in the afterlife. It was a matter of faith. When Tut’s tomb was
discovered, much of the treasure had already been looted. The thieves did it being
driven by the mad force of materialism. Materialistic attitude attaches no
importance to beliefs, religious sentiments and social rites and rituals. Ethics and
morals have no sanctity for them. Their aim is to get wealth by any means. This
materialistic attitude will never see its dawn. God Himself may advise man to
reject materialism and tell him that all paths lead to death and there is no use to
perpetuate ill deeds. This sermon will have no effect and materialistic attitude will
get sharpened day by day.
