NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter 2 – We’re Not Afraid to Die…if We Can All Be Togethe
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Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the text.
Q. Honing our seafaring skills
Ans. A 37-year-old businessman and his wife had a dream of sailing round the world for which they were sharpening their skills of travelling by the sea for the past 16 years.
Q. Ominous silence
Ans. On January 2, at about 6 p.m., came the first indication of the upcoming disaster with a silence that suggested that something ominous was going to happen.
Q. Mayday calls
Ans. The sea voyage of the narrator met with a disaster and their radio distress signals which were used for asking help were getting no replies.
Q. Pinpricks in the vast ocean
Ans. After getting hit by the wave, the narrator’s only hope was to reach any of the two small islands anyhow, which seemed like small dots in the vast ocean.
Q. A tousled head
Ans. When the Wavewalker was out of danger, the narrator’s son, Jonathan, with untidy hair as if it has been rubbed came near his bunk and hugged him.
Understanding the Text :
Q. List out the steps taken by the captain :
(i) to protect the ship when rough weather began.
Ans. They slowed down the boat to protect it from rough weather and dropped the storm jib and lashed a heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stern. Then they double-lashed everything and went through their life-raft drill, attached lifelines, donned oilskins and life jackets.
(ii) to check the flooding of the water in the ship.
Ans. The captain stretched the canvas and secured waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes to check the flooding in the boat.
Q. Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4th and 5th January.
Ans. On 4th and 5th January, the condition of the voyagers got worse as weather conditions were becoming unfavorable. After 36 hours of continuous pumping, they were physically and mentally exhausted. They were unable to get near to one of the two islands as the boat was badly damaged. They ate their first meal in almost two days. The fear of death occupied their minds. The captain’s little son comforted him by saying that it wouldn’t matter if they all died provided they all were together. His daughter also showed a lot of courage despite her injuries. She even drew caricatures of her parents with the words, “Here are some funny people. Did they make you laugh? I laughed a lot as well.”
Q. Describe the shifts in the narration of the events as indicated in the three sections of the text. Give a subtitle to each section.
Ans. The narrative is divided into three sections which can be given subtitles as “Beginning of the Disastrous Journey”, “Struggle to Survive”, “Victory over the Waves”.
The first section explains the beginning of the author’s round-the-world sea voyage which was their long cherished dream. It was undertaken 200 years ago by Captain Cook. The journey was pleasant till Cape Town but their excitement soon turned into worry when the weather started showing signs of change. Huge waves, as high as their main mast brought the horror in the story. There was panic and despair on everyone’s expressions.
The second section depicts the voyagers’ struggle for survival. Here again, there is an element of negativity. The water was almost pumped out and their only hope rested on the two small islands but in the evening when clouds began to form, their hope was lost. So, again the feelings of fear, worry, death and desperation prevailed in the next section of the story. But all the members showed courage and reflected a sense of responsibility. Even the children remained calm and proved their bravery. Seeing them, the father was now determined to fight the sea.
The third and the last section showed the author to be very tired, he fell asleep after directing Larry to steer a course of 185 degrees. When he woke up, he was relaxed to see the outline of Ile Amsterdam. It brings a great relief and joy on their faces. Sue and Jon hugged their father as a thanksgiving gratefulness. The crew was welcomed by the inhabitants of the French scientific base.
Talking about the Text :
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
Q. What difference did you notice between the reactions of the adults and the children when faced with danger?
Ans. During their voyage, the captain and his family members had seen death from very close quarters. The adults were aware of the danger so they didn’t loose courage and with strong determination made efforts to save the ship from the raging storm and tried harder to get out of the catastrophic situation.
But the children were not aware of the real situation; still they knew that something horrible was going to happen. The captain’s daughter didn’t tell him about her injuries as she didn’t want to bother him at that time of distress. She even gave him a thanksgiving card. His son Jon comforted him by saying that he was not afraid to die as long as they were together. Both the kids illustrated equal courage and sense of emotive responsibility at the time of crisis.
Q. How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?
Ans. The story inspires the readers not to loose hope and face any kind of circumstances with courage. The voyagers of Wavewalker exhibited such courage and did not even once lose hope. The ship was hit by a giant wave, smashing the captain’s head into the wheel overthrowing him. But he again gathered his courage to fight against all the odds in order to save his family. Even children, along with crew members faced the horrifying situation bravely. The story conveys the message that if we do not panic in times of distress and remain optimistic, we can overcome any difficulty.
Q. What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face-to-face with death?
Ans. Life is a vicious circle where one has to be ready for any type of situation. One may face death-like situation at any time and when we read such type of ordeals, we feel motivated. It teaches us to stay calm and keep on struggling for survival in the face of death. Thus, one who does not hope to win has already lost.
Q. Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks involved?
Ans. It is human nature to explore the unknown which compels them to undertake such adventurous expeditions. Thrill and adventure have always attracted man since ages. Some people love to explore oceans, thick forests, and mountains while others find expedition to space or moon more interesting. Mountaineers like Tenzing Norgay (Sherpa Tenzing), Edmund Hillary, are good examples of such adventurous people. The challenges, curiosity to know more, sense of achievement and inquisitive nature of man has always forced him to go for such expeditions even if it involves high risk.
Thinking about Language :
Q. We have come across words like ‘gale’ and ‘storm’ in the account. Here are two more words for ‘storm’: typhoon, cyclone. How many words does your language have for ‘storm’?
Ans. There may be numerous words for storm in different languages. In English, we have tempest, force, rage and hail.
Q. Here are the terms for different kinds of vessels: yacht, boat, canoe, ship, steamer, schooner. Think of similar terms in your language.
Ans. Dugout, kayak, craft, container and submarine.
Q. ‘Catamaran’ is a kind of a boat. Do you know which Indian language this word is derived from? Check the dictionary.
Ans. ‘Catamaran’ is a boat with twin parallel hulls. This word is derived from Tamil which means ‘tied wood’.
Q. Have you heard any boatmen’s songs ? What kind of emotions do these songs usually express?
Ans. Do it yourself.
Working with Words :
I. 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 ?
knot
stern
boom
hatch
anchor
Ans.
- knot : nautical mile per hour.
- stern : the rearmost part of a ship or boat.
- boom : a spar at right angles to the side of a vessel at anchor to which small boats can be attached.
- hatch : an entrance equipped with a hatch; especially a passage way between decks of a ship.
- anchor : a heavy device that is attached to a boat or a ship by a rope or chain and that is thrown into the water to hold the boat or the ship in place.
The other meaning of the words :
- knot : to make tangled.
- stern : serious and unrelenting.
- boom : a long, deep, resonating sound.
- hatch : to come out of an egg.
- anchor : something that provides safety and security.
2. The following three compound words end in ‘-ship’. What does each of them mean ?
airship, flagship, lightship
Ans. (i) airship : large power driven aircraft filled with a gas which is lighter than air.
(ii) flagship : the ship in a fleet which carries the commanding admiral.
(iii) lightship : anchored ship with a beacon light serving the purpose of a lighthouse.
3. The following are the meanings listed in the dictionary against the phrase ‘take on’. In which meaning is it used in the third paragraph of the account :
take on sth : to begin to have a particular quality or appearance; to assume sth. take sb on : to employ sb; to engage sb. to accept sb as one’s opponent in a game, contest or conflict.
take sb/sth on : to decide to do sth; to take sth/sb on board. to allow sth/sb to enter e.g., a bus, a plane or a ship;
Ans. In the third paragraph of the account, phrase ‘take on’ is used in the line “There before heading east, we took on two crewmen-”. It is used in the following sense : Take sb on : to employ sb; to engage sb.
