by Tiwari Academy
Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 2 Important Questions We’re Not Afraid to Die and If We Can All Be Together by Gordon Cook and Alan East for CBSE and State board academic session 2024-25. The Extra Questions answers given here are taken from the reading skills of class 11 English practice section.
How did the narrator succeed in searching the small island?
By the way, the narrator was now tired of doing all the efforts. The boat was heavily damaged and the crew members were working to clear the water. They had lost their main compass which could show them right direction and narrator was working with his spare compass which was not able to give correct information. Looking at the wind direction, he made some calculations, according to which he decided that if the boat is turned at 185 degrees, then perhaps an island will be found in 3 hours. His information and calculations proved to be correct and they got an island exactly after 4 hours.
Apart from the family, who else was in the boat and why?
Apart from narrator’s family, there were two professional crew members American Larry Vigil and Swiss Herb Seigler who were taken from Cape Town when the first leg of this boat was successfully finished. It was the narrator’s decision to take them along because they were very good rescue instructors and it was long journey with some rough seas in their journey.
Who consoled the narrator who had given up hope?
The children of the narrator supported him very much when he had given up hope that now he would be able to survive. His 7-year-old daughter says she is fine, despite her two major injuries. She says this and hides her injury so that her father can focus on the rescue work. His 6 years old son Jonathan says that if they are all together then he is not afraid to die either. His words act as a tonic for his father and fill him with energy that too at a time when he had given up hope of being alive. On January 6, when the situation was a bit under control, his daughter Suzanne gifts him handmade card to her father which works to boost his self-confidence.
What was the name of the boat and how was it made?
Name of the boat was “Wavewalker”. It was 23 metres, 30 tonnes wooden boat which was made by professionals. It was made very sturdy and its quality tests were done so that it can easily overcome even the fiercest storms. The narrator and his wife, who had years of experience, had been keeping an eye on the details of the boat for several months. After being completely satisfied, they took the decision of this journey.
Do you believe the steps taken by the narrator were correct to save boat and family?
Narrator saved everyone’s life by taking right decisions at right time. He gave Mary the wheel at the right time and engaged himself in repairing the boat. He used his brain and engaged the crew members to take out the water from the chartroom with the help of pump. He used his experience and knowledge to read the map and instructed to rotate the boat at 185 degrees which proved to be correct in the end. His experience of 16 years came in handy to save everyone’s life.
Where did the narrator plan to go with his family?
The narrator was about to embark on a journey with his family that James Cook took nearly 200 years ago. The narrator was a 37-year-old businessman. His wife’s name was Mary. They had two children, Jonathan and Suzanne who were to accompany him on this historic journey. It was to start with Plymouth England. They were going to travel 1,05,000 km in this 3 yr journey for which all the preparations were made.
What are the steps taken to get the water out of the ship?
Unfortunately, their manual hand pumps stopped working as debris got stuck in them and the electric pump got short-circuit. Just then the narrator remembered that he had two spare pumps kept in the chartroom which are in good condition. He brought them and handed over to Herb & Larry to extract water from boat. Both the crew members started the work without any delay and remained engaged throughout the night.
How did the New Year welcome narrator’s family?
They started their journey from Plymouth England and everything went according to their plan when on 2nd Jan 1977 they encountered heavy waves coming their side. Around 6 o’clock in the evening, there was an abrupt silence and thick clouds covered the sea. The narrator was just thinking about these clouds that he realized this is not a cloud, but a very high wave. That high wave collided with boat and filled it with water and the head of the narrator hit the wheel with which he was guiding the boat. The narrator’s head began to bleed and her daughter, Suzanne, also got injured. Because of this tide, his boat was almost about to capsize. They faced lot of difficulties in the first week of New Year.
