EVENTS
CONVENT HIGH SCHOOL
19/08/2021 CLASS-11 SESSION2021-22
ENGLISH
Chapter-2
WE ARE NOT AFRAID TO DIE……
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Question 1.List the steps taken by the captain.
(i) to protect the ship when rough weather began
(ii) to check the flooding of the water in the ship
Answer:
(i) The author, the captain of the ship and his
family started an adventurous voyage by sea on their boat ‘Wavewalker’ in July
1976 from Plymouth, England. The first phase of their planned three-year,
105,000 kilometre journey passed pleasantly. They began to encounter strong
gales when they were on their second day out of Cape Town. The captain was
aware of the rough weather ahead. That is why he had taken the services of
Larry Vigil, an American and Herb Seigler, a Swiss. He did so to tackle the
world’s roughest sea, the southern India Ocean
The strong winds blew continuously for the next few
weeks. The size of the waves was alarming, which was upto 15 metres as high as
their boat’s main mast was. They were 3500 kilometres east of Cape Town on 25th
December. Though the weather was extremely bad, yet they celebrated Christmas.
iW waves became gigantic at dawn on January 2. They were sailing with only a
small storm jib and were still making eight knots
To protect the ship from rough weather, the captain
decided to slow the boat down. To do so, they dropped the storm jib and lashed
heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stem. In order to protect themselves
further, he got double-lashed everything. Then they went through their
lift-raft drill, attached lifeliness, donned oilskins and life jackets. This is
how the captain tried to protect the ship when rough weather began
(ii) The author, the captain, his wife Mary, his
six-year-old son Jonathan and his seven-year-old daughter Suzanne started their
round-the-world sea voyage by their boat Wavewalker. They had planned their
journey for three years and were supposed to cover 105,000 kilometres. They
started their long journey in July 1976 from Plymouth, England.
They reached Cape Town safely. But just on their
second day out of Cape Town, they had to encounter strong gales, which blew
continuously for the next few weeks. At dawn on January 2, the waves were
extraordinarily large and high. At about 6 p.m. there appeared a wave,
perfectly vertical and almost twice the height of other waves. Then a
tremendous explosion shook the deck. A strong fast stream of green and white
water broke over the ship. The head of the captain smashed into the wheel and
he was aware of flying overboard and sinking below the waves.
Then unexpectedly, the author’s head came out of the
water. He saw Wavewalker nearly overturning. But a wave hurled her upright. He
grabbed the guard rails and sailed through the air into Wavewalker’s main boom.
His left ribs were cracked and his mouth was filled with blood and broken
teeth. Somehow, he found the wheel, lined up the stem for the next wave and
hung on.
There was water everywhere. His wife Mary told him
that the decks were smashed and they were full of water. He asked her to take
the wheel. Through hatch he went down and found that Larry and Herbs were
pumping fastly and continuously. After finding a hammer, screws and canvas, the
captain struggled back on deck. With the starboard side bashed open, they were
taking water with each wave that broke over them.
Somehow the captain managed to stretch canvas and
secure waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes. Some water continued to
stream below, but most of it was now being deflected over the side. The hand
pumps had started blocking and the electric pump was short circuited. Then the
captain connected another electric pump to an out-pipe and it started working.
They had been continuously pumping. He also hoisted the storm jib.
Question 2.Describe the mental condition of the
voyagers on 4 and 5 January.
Answer:
The author and his family started their adventurous
sea voyage on their boat Wavewalker m July 1976 from Plymouth, England. The
first phase of their planned three- year, 105,000 kilometre journey passed
pleasantly. However they began to encounter strong gales when they were on
their second day out of Cape Town.
They faced the alarmingly high, sea waves, which
broke over the ship, injuring him and his daughter Sue. A part of their ship
had damaged and a lot of water had entered the ship. The author repaired the
ship as far as he could do. But still they were deeply disturbed about their
uncertain fate
On January 4, after 36 hours of continuous pumping,
they reached the last few centimetres of water. Now they had only to keep pace
with the water still coming in. The voyagers were tired, hungry and struggling
hard to survive. Mary found some corned beef and cracker biscuits and they had
their first meal in almost two days. But their respite was for a short time
only. At 4 p.m. black clouds began building up behind them. The weather
continued to deteriorate throughout the night. They were probably aware of
their approaching death.
On January 5, their situation was again desperate.
Even the children were aware of their approaching death. But the children too
showed exemplary courage. The author’s son told his daddy that they were not
afraid of death if they could all be together his daddy and mummy and Sue and
Jonathan.
The author was so moved with these words that he was
determined to fight the sea with whatsover he had. The author and his wife sat
together that evening holding hands, as the motion of the ship brought more
water in through the broken planks. They both felt that their end was
approaching very near. Thus their mental condition was quite positive despite
the danger of death they were facing.
Queston 3.Describe the shifts in the narration of
the events as indicated in the three sections of the text. Give a suitable to
each section.
Answer:
The first section of the text describes how the author
and his family set sail from Plymouth England in July 1976 on their boat
Wavewalker. They had spent months fitting their boat and testing it in the
roughest weather. The first phase of their planned three- year, 105,000
kilometre journey passed pleasantly as they sailed down the west coast of ‘
Africa to Cape Town. But on their second day out of Cape Town, they began to
encounter strong gales, which blew continuously for the next few weeks. The
size of the waves was alarming. At dawn on January 2, the waves were gigantic.
At 6 p.m. an exceptionally high wave hit the ship
and a tremendous explosion shook the deck. A torrent of green and white water
broke over the ship. The author’s had smashed into the wheel, he flew overboard
and sank below the waves. But unexpectedly his head popped out of the water. A
few metres away, he saw Wavewalker nearly capsizing. But a wave hurled her up
right. There was water everywhere.
He asked his wife Mary to take the wheel. When he
went to the children’s cabin, he found that his daughter Sue’s head was hurt
and there was a big bump above her eyes. The author repaired the ship as far as
he could do. A lot of water had entered due to which they had been pumping
continuously. Their Mayday calls got no replies
The second section is about their search for an
island. By morning on January 3, the water level was sufficiently under
control. So they took two hours’ rest in rotation. But still there was a
tremendous leak somewhere below the waterline. A whole section of the started board
hull was damaged and there was nothing holding it up. They had survived for 15
hours since the wave hit. But Wavewalker would not hold together long enough to
reach Australia. So, the author was looking for the nearest island.
On checking the charts, the author calculated that
there were two small island a few hundred kilometres to the east. Their only
hope was to reach one of them. One of them lie Amsterdam was a French
scientific base. On January 4, after 36 hours of continuous pumping, they reached
the last few centimetres of water. Now, they had only to keep pace with the
water still coming in. Mary found some corned beef and cracker biscuits, and
they ate their first meal in almost two days. But at 4 p.m. black clouds began
building up behind them. The weather continued to deteriorate throughout the
night. By dawn on January 5, their situation was again desperate.
When he went to comfort the children, his son Jon
said, I “But, daddy, we aren’t afraid of dying if we can all be together you
mid Mummy, Sue and I.” That evening Mary and the author sat together holding
hands. They both felt that the end was near. But Wavewalker rode out of the
storm and by the morning of January 6, with the wind easing, he tried to get a
reading on the sextant. He came to know that they were somewhere in 150,000
kilometres of ocean looking for a 65 kilometre wide island.
The third section is about their cheerful landing on lie Amsterdam. The author had checked and rechecked his calculations. About 2 p.m., he went on deck and asked Larry to steer a course of 185 degrees. He told Larry that he could see the island at about 5 p.m. Then he went below, climbed on his bunk and dozed off. He woke up at 6 p.m. Then he was informed by his children that he had found the island. They anchored offshore for the night. Next morning all 28 inhabitants of the island of lie Amsterdam cheered as they helped them ashore.
Discuss the following questions with your partner :
Question 1.What difference did you notice between
the reaction of the adults and the children when faced with danger?
Answer:The author, hiswife Mary, his six-year-old son Jonathan and his seven-year-old daughter Suzanne set sail from Plymouth, England for a round-the-world voyage by sea. They started their long journey by their boat Wavewalker in July 1976. Their journey upto Cape Town was quite pleasant. Before heading east they took the services of Larry Vigil and Herb Seigler. Thus there were four adults and two children on Wavewalker when they faced the danger of death. A section of their ship was damaged and a lot of water had entered the ship
The reaction of the adults when faced with disaster
and danger was that of ‘horror’ when the author saw a wave like no other he had
ever seen. When his head smashed into the wheel and he was flying overboard and
sinking below the waves, he “accepted” his “approaching death.” When his wife
Mary came to him, she “Screamed” and said, “We’re sinking!” Larry and Herb were
pumping “Like madmen.” But the children seemed to be more calm and less
panicky. When the author entered their cabin they said that they were all
right. Sue said that her head hurt a bit, when her condition was much more
critical than that.
Later on, when the author found her head swollen
alarmingly and she had a deep cut on her arm, the author asked her why she had
not made more of her injuries before. Then the brave seven-year-old girl
replied, “I didn’t want to worry you when you were trying to save us all.”
januuary 5, the situation became again desperate.
Then the author went into com.., ‘ a children. His
six year old son Jonathan said courageously, ‘We aren’t afraid of dying all be
together you and Mummy, Sue and I.” That evening the author and his wife sat together holding hands, as the motion of
the ship brought more and more water in through the broken planks. They both
felt that the end was very near. But the children were unaware of the feeling
of death.
His daughter Sue gave a card to her daddy on which
caricatures of her parents were drawn. Inside the card, there was a message: ‘Oh,
how I love you both. So this card is to say thank you and let’s hope for the
best.’ This shows their optimism. The author ‘with a heavy heart’ went below,
climbed on his bunk and dozed off. When he woke up at 6 p.m. he thought that
they had missed the island. Just then Jonathan and Sue came to him and asked
for a hug. His son called him the best daddy in the whole world and the best
captain. Then his daughter told him the happy news that he had found the
island.
Whereas the author did his best to save them from
the calamity, the children had their own contribution. Sue did not want them to
worry about a head injury. It was so serious that subsequently to remove a
recurring blood clot between skin and skull, six minor operations had to be
performed. The six-year-old Jonathan was not afraid to die. Of course, Larry
and Herb remained cheerful and optimistic under the direst stress. And Mary
stayed at the wheel during all those crucial hours.
Question 2.How does the story suggest that optimism
helps to endure “the direst stress”?
Answer:The highly adventurous story “We’re not Afraid to Die… If we can all be together” shows that by optimism, courage and conviction, we can endure the direst stress. The author, his wife Mary, his son Jonathan and his daughter Sue started their round-the-world sea voyage in July 1976 from Plymouth, England. At Cape Town, they took the services of two crewmen Larry Vigil and Herb Seigler.
Though during their voyage, they faced the danger of
death several times, yet none of them ever lost hope. They remained optimistic
during disaster. Even the children had shown an exemplary courage and optimism.
Rather, they seemed to be more calm and less panicky. The author though worried
for the safety of others, always tried his best until the Wavewalker touched
the island lie Amsterdam. Even his children did not want to worry him because
the author was trying to save them all. Sue did not tell how serious her head
injury was.
The best example of optimism is shown by the card
presented by her to her daddy with this message : ‘Oh, how I loved you both. So
this card is to say thank you and let’s hope for the best.’ Larry and Herb also
remained cheerful and optimistic during all this crucial time. Mary also was on
the wheel with a hope of their survival. Thus through this story we learn that
optimism does help to “endure the direst stress.”
Question 3.What lessons do we learn from such
hazardous experiences when we are face to face with death ?
Answer:
The sea voyage which the author and his family
undertook was quite a hazardous experience from them. Several times they were
face to face with death. But with their courage, conviction, struggle and
optimism they were able to reach the island lie Amsterdam though their boat was
badly damaged and a lot of water had entered in it.
When we are face to face with death either we can
lose heart and stop struggling. Or we can struggle hard for our survival in a
courageous and optimistic manner what the author and his family and Larry and
Herb did under the disasterous situation. Half the battle is lost when we
surrender cowardly before the circumstances.
But victory is very much within our reach if we face
the death bravely, with balanced mind and, of course, with faith and optimism.
Under such circumstances, we should always hope for the best and never cease
struggling with the best of our abilities.
Question 4.Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks involved ?
Answer:
From the times immemorial, man has shown courage to
t)e adventurous. He has been undertaking adventurous expeditions despite the
risk involved. This adventurous spirit enabled him to conquer Mount Everest, to
reach Moon and to undertake such aventurous expeditions in the sea, on land and
mountains, in space etc. Only brave and courageous people undertake such
adventurous expeditions. So naturally they Are not bothered about the risks
involved in such adventurous acts.
A man is endowed with the basic urge to discover
various places. This urge inspires various people to undertake such adventurous
expeditions, like the lone undertook by the author. The author tried to do
again what Captain James Cook had Already done 200 years ago. Of course, the
people who undertake such expeditions are aware of the risks involved. But
being courageous people, they are not afraid of anything which may come in
their way to complete an expedition.
Question 1.
The following words used in the text as ship terminology
are also commonly used in another sense. In what contexts would you use the
other meaning ?
NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill
Chapter 2 We’re Not Afraid to Die… If We Can All Be Together 3
Answer:
The other meaning of these words are
1. Knot :
(i) part of one or more pieces of string, rope, etc.
twisted together, usually to make a fastening, e.g. tie a knot in a rope; make
a knot; something that ties together, e.g. marriage-knot.
(ii) piece of ribbon, etc. twisted and tied as an
ornament.
(iii) difficulty; hard problem, e.g. tie oneself s
knot (get badly confused about something.)
(iv) hard lump irks wood where a branch grew out
from a bough or trunk.
(v) group of person or things e.g. People were
standing about in knots.
(vi) knotty problem : one that is difficult to
solve.
2. Stern:
(i) demanding and enforcing obedience, e.g. a stem
taskmaster.
(ii) severe; strict, e.g. a stem face; stem looks;
stem treatment; stem rebukes.
3. Boom :
(i) heavy chain, mass of floating logs etc. held in
position across a river or harbour entrance, e.g. as a defence in time of war
or to prevent logs from floating away.
(ii) long, movable arm for a microphone.
(iii) make deep, hollow, or resonant sounds (e.g. of
big guns, the wind, an organ.)
(iv) boom out: utter in a deep voice.
(v) sudden increase in trade activity, especially at
a time when money is being made quickly.
(vi) boom towmtown showing sudden growth and
prosperity.
(vii) have a boom: become well known and successful,
e.g. Jones is booming as a novelist, (becoming famous).
4. Hatch :
(i) opening in a wall between two rooms, especially
a kitchen and a dining room, through which dishes etc. are passed.
(ii) break out of an egg, e.g. The hen is hatching
an egg.
(iii) think out and produce a plot etc. e.g. of a
story or novel.
(iv) draw on or engrave (a surface) with parallel
lines
5. Anchor :
(i) anything that gives stability or security
(ii) anchor man : one who co-ordinates the work of a
group of persons who work together, e.g. in a radio or T. V. Studio.
Question 2.
The following three compound words end in ship. What
does each of them mean ?
Answer: (i) airship, means a power-driven aircraft kept in the air by a body of gas which is lighter that air.
(ii) flagship, means
the ship in a fleet which carries the commanding admiral.
the best or most important thing owned or produced
by an organisation.
(iii) lightship, ship moored or anchored and
provided with beacon lights for the same purpose as those in a light house.
