We’re Not Afraid to Die...if We Can All Be Together By Gordon Cook and Alan East

 Day 2 class XI

Super seven/ Eleven Qs/ Ans. Hornbill- Snapshot- Poems-writing skills- Grammar

Lesson 2. We’re Not Afraid to Die...if We Can All Be Together   By  Gordon Cook and Alan  East

Short Answer-type Questions

Q3/1. Describe the boat which the narrator and his wife prepare for sailing in the manner of the famous British explorer James Cook.

Ans. Both of them prepared a large boat ‘Wave-walker’, which was 23 meters in length and 30 tons in weight. It was a very beautiful and professionally built boat. The narrator and his wife had to spend several months in making it suitable for the roughest weather in the sea.

Q5/2. Who were the hired crewmen? Why were they hired?

Ans. The narrator hired two crewmen from Plymouth in the United Kingdom. One was Larry Vigil, an American and the other was Herb Seigler, a Swiss. He hired them to tackle the southern Indian Ocean, the world’s roughest seas.

Q7/3. What dangers of the sea did the narrator and his family face on the dawn of the 26^th of January? What did they do?

 

Ans. The narrator and his family had to face the spray created in big ways. There was a fast flow of wind and rain. After that, they dropped down the jib (a small sail) to decrease the speed of the boat. They also tied a strong rope to the back of the boat. They put on oilskins and life jackets.  

 

Q8/4. How did the narrator and his family along with the crewmen do after a huge wave struck the boat on the evening of the 2^nd of January? What was their condition?

Ans. Ans. A large amount of green and white water fell over the boat smashing (HITTING) the narrator’s head into the wheel (steering wheel). Fortunately, his head came out (popped up) of the water.

Q10/5. What did the narrator notice when he went down into the lower part of the boat to take stock of the situation after Mary informed him that they were sinking?

Ans. On reaching there, he saw:

(i)                Larry and Herb were trying to pump water out of the lower part of the vessel (boat).

(ii)             He also saw that so many broken pieces of timber were lying scattered here and there.

(iii)            The things like clothes, crockery, charts, tins and toys were floating about in deep water.

Q12/6. What did the narrator do at once to stop water that was coming in the Wavewalker?

Ans. After some time, he was able to find a hammer, screws, and canvas and reached the deck (upper part of a boat or ship) with some difficulty. After some struggle, he could spread some canvas and put waterproof hatch covers on the gaping (widening) holes.

Q13/7. After checking the charts and making calculations, what did the narrator hope to find?

Ans. The narrator checked the charts and made some calculations. He was able to find two small islands at a small distance.

 Q14/8. Describe the courage shown by the children during the disaster they had to face during their voyage?

Ans. The narrator’s children showed immense (great) courage even in the face of death-like situations. Sue’s head had swollen. There was a deep cut on her arm also. She did not want to worry her father. She also tried to cheer them up by making caricatures and a card for them.

Q16/9. What kind of card did Sue make and what did she want to convey through it?

Ans. It was a beautiful card made by her. She made caricatures of her mother and father. She also wrote a message of hope for the best on the card saying that her parents were funny persons and she loved them most.

Q19/10. How did the narrator feel when he set foot on the island? Who came to receive him?

Ans. He was extremely happy to set foot on the earth’s surface. The inhabitants (the people who lived there) of that island, who were 28 in number, welcomed them on the shore.

 

Long Answer-type Questions

Q1. Describe the disaster that reached the narrator and his family along with the crewmen at 6 p.m. on the 2nd of January.

Ans. It was 6 p.m. on 26^th January. The wind completely stopped blowing.

The sky became overcast with dark clouds immediately. Then they heard a roar that was increasing at an alarming speed. An enormous cloud seemed to chase the boat. It was such a big wave that he had never seen before. It was twice the height of the other waves and rose up perfectly vertically. It had  a frightful breaking  crest.

The roar created by that wave increased as the stern lifted up. The narrator thought for some time that they were going to ride the wave.

But, immediately after that, a large amount of green and white water fell over the boat smashing the narrator’s head into the wheel (steering wheel) and he was fully aware of the fact that he was flying overboard and sinking below the waves.

[Word-meanings: impending (a usually unpleasant event that is sure to happen, indication (hint, disaster (an event that causes a lot of destruction, ominous (suggesting that something bad is going to happen, enormous (very big in size), crest (top, peak). roar (HUGE NOISE), stern (back part of the boat), smashing (HITTING)

Q2. Describe how the water was pumped out. How did the narrator manage all the difficulties?

Ans. As he knew that some water was still flowing below, but most of it was being deflected (diverted, moved to another side). The debris (pieces of wood metal, plastic, etc.) was also floating and it blocked the hand pumps.

The electric pump was also short-circuited. The level of water was rising alarmingly. Then he found two spare hand pumps at the deck.

He also remembered that there was an electronic pump at the chartroom floor. He connected it to an out pipe and it started working. The narrator continued pumping water out, steering the wheel, and working the radio for the whole cold night. But no reply came for their Mayday (The word is used for distress calls.) calls.

Q3. How was the narrator able to survive the blow that the huge wave gave him on the 2^nd of January?

Ans. After being blown overboard by the huge wave, after some time, a wave came and lifted the boat upright (straight, vertical). The lifeline (rope) that was tied to the boat became taut (tight, stiff) due to the pressure of the water.

 He had grasped (clutched, grabbed) the guard rails. Then he was pulled back into the Wavewalker. Now the sea waves tossed him around the deck like a ragdoll.   His left rib was cracked in that tussle (fight, struggle) and his mouth was full of blood due to the broken teeth.   Luckily, he was successful in getting the steering wheel, lined up (straightening up) the stern, and waited for the next wave to come.