Question

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 1

• 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 a CT scan, it provides an 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.