Class 11th

Subject English
Chapter" We are not Afraid to Die if We can All Be Together"
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
1 honouring our seafaring skills
it refers to the efforts made by the narrator and his wife to perfect or sharpen their knowledge of
navigation handling of the boat and equipment and other seaskills.
2. Ominous silence
it refers to the silence just before an impending danger. The peace and quiet suggests that
something bad is going to happen.
3 MayDay calls
They are radio telephonic calls which are given by aircraft for ships stuck in a disastrous
situation. They are dressed in distress calls made to secure from other ships nearby.
4 A tousled head
it refers to hair in for the disarranged share of the author's son. His here was all messed up and
uncombed.
Understanding the text
Q1 list the steps taken by the captain
A to protect the shape when rough weather began
B to check the flooding of water in the ship.
A and in order to protect the shape from rough weather, the captain decided to slow it down. So
he dropped the storm jib and put a heavy moving rope in a loop across the Stern. Then they
double fast and everything and go through their life raft drill is, attached life lines and don't all
skins and life jackets.
B ansto check the flooding of water in the ship, the captain made some repairs and stretched
waterproof oilskins in the openings. Is secured waterproof hatch covers across the tapping
holes which diverted the water to the side. When the two hand pumps were lost overboard and
the electric pump short-circuited, he found another electric pump and connected it to an out pipe
and managed to pump out the water.
Q2 describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4th and 5th January
Ans On 4th January the mental condition of the voyages was vacillating between hope and
despair. After 36 hours of continuous pumping they could pump much of the water out. But they
had to keep pace with the water still coming in. However their respite was only short-lived. The
storm started building up and the situation again became worse.
The narrator went to comfort the children full stock zone and asked innocently if they were going
to die but added that he did not die as long as the family members were together. This
statement of the narrator child boosted his morals. He became resolute to fight the sea. Those
were critical moments for all of them. Mary and the narrator sat together holding each other's
hands. They were scared and felt that their end was very near.
Q3 What lesson do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face to face with
death?
Ans Such experiences teach us that courage ,perseverance and tolerance can achieve what
seems to be insurmountable odds. They teach us how to react in the most difficult situations.
They make us learn to never lose hope and find reason to stay positive and optimistic in the
face of adversity. We learn to try our best to stay calm and composed. We also understand the
importance of unity and teamwork and how to utilise our common sense, still and efforts to
about any catastrophe. for we learnt to be very careful and cautious in our actions when facing
such hazardous experiences.
Short questions
Q1 where did the narrator want to go? Why?
Ans the narrator and his family loved adventures. The narrator wanted to duplicate the round
the world voyage made by the famous explorer captain James Cook 200 years ago. So he said
to sell in wavewalker a boat specially designed and made for the purpose. Perhaps the dangers
and adventure involved in the voice and their desire to accomplish something unique beckoned
them to undertake the journey.
Q2; describe the boat wavewalker
Ans The narrator wanted to duplicate '' the round the world" was made by "Captain James Cook
``200 years ago. In order to undertake this journey they got a boat built professionally. The boat
named wavewalker was a 2330 ton wooden halhd sailboat. They had spent months fitting it out
and testing it in the roughest weather they could find.
Q 3 why did they take on two crewmen with them at Cape Town?
Ans before heading East from Cape Town took on crewmen who were experienced sea men.
They wear Larry Vigil an American and Herb Seigler a Swiss. The narrator took this step
because he knew that they would require help to tackle one of the world's Rafi sees The South
Indian Ocean.
Q4 what troubles did they face after completing the first leg of their journey?
Ans the first leg of their journey passed pleasantly as they sailed towards the West coast of
Africa to Cape Town. But the trouble started when they left Cape Town.
The second day out of Cape Town they began to encounter strong girls. Girls didn't worry the
narrator but the size of the waves was very alarming. There arose as high as the main mast.
The howling of the wind and the spray was painful to the ears.
Q 5 what was the result of the tremendous explosion?
Ans the giant wave hit the boat and a tremendous explosion shook the Deck. A torrent of green
and white water broke over the ship. The narrator's head smashed against the wheel and he
was flying overboard. He was almost dead and the whole ship was reduced to a wreck. Others
were also hurt in the process. Then the frantic efforts to save the boat and everybody's life
begin.
Q6 What were the first indications of the impending disaster that ultimately struck them on
January 2nd?
Ans The first indication of the impending disaster came at about 6 p.m. on January 2nd. An
ominous silence prevents or around. The wind drops. The sky immediately grew dark. There
came a growing Roar. A huge vertical wave almost twice the height of the other waves, came
roaring towards the ship. These were the indications of the coming of disaster.
Q 7 how did the narrator hurt himself on January 2nd?
Ans the narrator hurt himself very badly on January 2nd when a tremendous wave hit their boat
and he was initially thrown overboard before being tossed back by the wave to hit the boon of
the boat. Subsequent waves caused him around the Deck like a rag doll, cracking his left ribs
and breaking his teeth.
Q 8 What are MayDay calls? Why was the ship getting no replies on its MayDay calls?
Ans MayDay calls are distress signals sent through the radio by ships facing troubles in the sea.
They are made to help from other ships passing nearby. The boat wavewalker was not getting
replies to its MayDay calls because the boat had reached a remote area of the sea where no
other ships went.
Q 9 what happened on the morning of 3rd January?
Ans by the morning of 3rd January korma they had managed to pump out the water out of the
boat to a reasonable level and the situation was under control but they suspected a huge leak
somewhere and found that nearly all the boats main ribs frames were damaged down to its
bottom. The narrator knew that Wavewalker would not be able to hold together long enough to
reach Australia. So the narrator made some calculations and found two small islands a few
hundred kilometres to the east. They hope to reach one of them.
Q 10 why did the narrator and his wife Mary feel that 'the end was very near'? What situations
made them feel so?
Ans the situations which made them feel that the end was very near was at 4 p.m. on 4th
January. Black clouds began building up behind their boat within an hour the wind increased to
40 knots and the waves were getting higher. The weather continued to deteriorate throughout
the night and by dawn on 5th January the motion of the boat brought more and more water in
through the broken plants. That they felt that the boat would sink and they would all die.
Q 11 why did Jonathan call the narrator the best daddy and the best captain in the world?
Ans Jonathan called the narrator the best daddy and the best captain in the world because they
had reached the I'll lend in Amsterdam. His son was expressing his relief and gratitude towards
his father due to the narrator's devotion to save them all from death as well as his seafaring
skills. He was the' best daddy 'because of his devotion towards them help them survive the
storm with his efforts to keep the boat afloat. He was' the best captain' because he had correctly
enabled them to stare at the island so that they survived.
Value based questions
Q 1 The hurdles of life can be challenged if we have confidence to make optimum use of our
potential.
Q 2 highlights the tremendous courage and bearing shown by the two children during the
struggle to keep the boat from sinking. What values do you learn from them?
Q 3 What is the moral of the story that you get from the chapter" We are not afraid to Die if We
can All Be together "Elaborate.