NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 2: We're Not Afraid to Die... if We Can All Be Together

Chapter at a glance

Understanding the Text

Question U1

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) To protect the ship when rough weather began:

1. They dropped the storm jib to slow the boat down.
2. They lashed a heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stern.
3. They double-lashed everything, went through the life-raft drill, attached lifelines, and put on oilskins and life jackets.

(ii) To check the flooding:

1. Larry and Herb pumped water continuously.
2. The captain stretched canvas and secured waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes so that most water was deflected over the side.
3. When the hand pumps blocked and the electric pump short-circuited, he found another electric pump under the chartroom floor and connected it to an out-pipe.
4. Later, to protect the weakened starboard side, he decided to heave-to with the undamaged port side facing the waves, using an improvised sea anchor of nylon rope and two paraffin barrels.

1. Dropped the storm jib, trailed a mooring rope from the stern, double-lashed everything, did the life-raft drill, wore lifelines, oilskins and life jackets. (ii) Continuous pumping, canvas and hatch covers over holes, a spare electric pump, and heaving-to with the port side to the waves.

Question U2

Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January.

Answer

• 4 January: after 36 hours of continuous pumping, they reached the last few centimetres of water. They felt relief and some hope; they hoisted the storm jib, headed for the islands and ate their first meal in almost two days. But the respite was short-lived — by evening the weather worsened again.
• 5 January: the situation was desperate. The captain felt helpless when Jonathan asked whether they were going to die, though the boy said they were not afraid if they could all be together; this made him determined to fight on. That evening Mary and he sat holding hands, feeling that the end was very near.

On 4 January they felt relieved and hopeful as the water was controlled; on 5 January, with worsening weather, they felt desperate and close to death, though the children’s courage strengthened the captain’s resolve.

Question U3

Describe the shifts in the narration of the events as indicated in the three sections of the text. Give a subtitle to each section.

Answer

1. Section 1 (start of the voyage to the night of the disaster): the dream voyage, the first leg to Cape Town, the gales, preparations, the giant wave, damage, repairs and pumping through the night, and Sue’s brave silence about her injuries. Subtitle: “The Killer Wave” / “Disaster Strikes”.
2. Section 2 (3 to 6 January): the struggle to keep afloat — the damaged hull, the plan to reach Ile Amsterdam, the brief respite and renewed storm, the children’s courage and the family’s despair, Sue’s card. Subtitle: “The Struggle for Survival” / “Hope and Despair”.
3. Section 3 (6 January onwards): the captain’s careful calculations, his doubt and sleep, the children’s announcement of the island, and the safe landing, with tributes to everyone. Subtitle: “Land Ahoy!” / “The Most Beautiful Island in the World”.

The narration shifts from adventure and disaster to struggle and emotion to relief and gratitude.

Section 1: the voyage and the killer wave (“Disaster Strikes”); Section 2: the struggle to stay afloat and the children’s courage (“Hope and Despair”); Section 3: navigation and reaching the island (“Land Ahoy!”).

Talking about the Text

Question T1

What difference did you notice between the reaction of the adults and the children when faced with danger?

Answer

• The adults worked hard but were often anxious and despairing: Mary screamed “We’re sinking!”, and on 5 January the parents felt the end was near. The captain doubted his own calculations.
• The children were remarkably calm, brave and optimistic. Sue hid her serious injuries so as not to worry her parents and made a cheerful card; Jonathan said they were not afraid to die if they could all be together and praised his father as the best captain. The children even spotted the island.

Thus the children showed more composure and faith than the adults, and their courage inspired the adults.

The adults were anxious and at times despairing, while the children stayed calm, brave and hopeful, hiding pain and encouraging their parents.

Question T2

How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?

Answer

• Larry and Herb remained cheerful and optimistic while pumping for hours.
• Sue’s card (“let’s hope for the best”) and Jonathan’s words gave the parents strength to keep fighting.
• The captain, though doubtful, kept working on calculations and repairs.
• Optimism kept the crew from giving up; it gave them the energy to pump, steer and navigate until they reached safety.

The story shows that a positive attitude keeps people going in extreme danger and helps them find solutions.

The crew’s cheerfulness and the children’s hopeful words kept everyone working and fighting instead of giving up, showing that optimism sustains people through extreme stress.

Question T3

What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face-to-face with death?

Answer

1. Courage and presence of mind can save lives even in hopeless situations.
2. Never give up; keep trying till the end.
3. Teamwork and cooperation are essential.
4. Family love and togetherness give strength.
5. Careful preparation and skill matter (they had trained for years and prepared the boat).
6. We learn to value life and the people we love, and to remain humble before nature.

Courage, presence of mind, perseverance, teamwork, preparation and family love help us survive, and such experiences teach us to value life.

Question T4

Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks involved?

Answer

People undertake adventures:

• for the thrill and excitement of facing challenges;
• to test their courage, skill and endurance;
• out of curiosity to explore new places;
• to fulfil a dream or follow in the footsteps of heroes (as the narrator wanted to repeat Captain Cook’s voyage);
• for a sense of achievement, fame or scientific discovery.

Such people believe that facing risk makes life meaningful.

For thrill, testing their skills and courage, curiosity, fulfilling dreams like following Captain Cook, and the sense of achievement.

Thinking about Language

Question L1

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’?

Answer

Sample answer (Hindi): aandhi (dust storm), toofan (storm), chakravaat (cyclone), jhanjhavaat (gale/stormy wind), bavandar (whirlwind). Other Indian languages also have several words, e.g. in Bengali jhor and kalbaishakhi (nor’wester).

Hindi has words such as aandhi, toofan, chakravaat, jhanjhavaat and bavandar for different kinds of storms.

Question L2

Here are the terms for different kinds of vessels: yacht, boat, canoe, ship, steamer, schooner. Think of similar terms in your language.

Answer

Sample answer (Hindi): naav/nauka (boat), jahaaz (ship), dongi (canoe/small boat), bajra (large houseboat), kishti (boat), shikara (Kashmiri boat), vallam (Malayalam boat), kattumaram (Tamil raft-boat).

Naav/nauka, jahaaz, dongi, kishti, bajra and shikara (and regional words like vallam and kattumaram).

Question L3

‘Catamaran’ is a kind of a boat. Do you know which Indian language this word is derived from? Check the dictionary.

Answer

‘Catamaran’ comes from the Tamil word kattumaram, meaning “tied wood” (kattu = tie, maram = wood/tree) — a raft made of logs tied together.

From Tamil kattumaram, “tied logs”.

Question L4

Have you heard any boatmen’s songs? What kind of emotions do these songs usually express?

Answer

Yes — e.g. the Bhatiyali songs of boatmen in Bengal, and boat songs (vanchipattu) of Kerala, and Hindi film songs based on them. These songs usually express longing and loneliness, love for the river and nature, devotion to God, the hardships of the boatman’s life, and joy and rhythm that help in rowing together.

Boatmen’s songs (e.g. Bhatiyali, vanchipattu) express longing, love of nature, devotion, hardship and the rhythm and joy of rowing.

Working with Words

Question W1

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

Answer

knot (tie in a rope), stern (strict), boom (sudden growth/loud noise), hatch (come out of an egg/plan secretly), anchor (TV presenter/support).

Question W2

The following three compound words end in -ship. What does each of them mean? airship, flagship, lightship

Answer

• Airship: a large aircraft without wings, kept in the air by gas lighter than air and driven by engines (a dirigible/blimp).
• Flagship: the main ship of a fleet that carries the commander (admiral); also the most important product or member of a group (e.g. a company’s flagship store).
• Lightship: a ship anchored at a fixed place that carries a bright light to warn and guide other ships, like a floating lighthouse.

Airship: lighter-than-air powered aircraft; flagship: the commander’s ship or best product; lightship: anchored ship with a warning light.

Question W3

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 allow sth/sb to enter e.g. a bus, plane or ship; to take sth/sb on board

Answer

The sentence is: “There, before heading east, we took on two crewmen — American Larry Vigil and Swiss Herb Seigler…” Here take on means to employ/engage someone (and also to take them on board the ship).

In the sense “to employ or engage someone” (taking crewmen on board).

Things to Do

Question D1

Label the parts of the yacht using the terms given in the box: bow, cabin, rudder, cockpit, stern, boom, mainsail, mast.

Answer

Since the picture is in the textbook, here is where each part is found on a yacht:

Bow (front), stern (rear), mast (vertical pole), mainsail (sail behind mast), boom (horizontal pole under sail), cabin (enclosed deck room), cockpit (steering area near stern), rudder (underwater steering blade).

Question D2

Here is some information downloaded from the Internet on Ile Amsterdam. (Location: South Indian Ocean, between southernmost parts of Australia and South Africa; latitude and longitude 37°92′S, 77°67′E; sovereignty: France; part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands; population 35 (meteorological station staff); land area 86 sq km.) You can view images of the isle if you go online.

Answer

From the information: Ile Amsterdam is a small, remote volcanic island in the southern Indian Ocean, midway between South Africa and Australia. It belongs to France as part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. It has no permanent population — only about 35 staff of a scientific/meteorological station live there — and its land area is just 86 sq km. Images show steep volcanic cliffs, grassland and little vegetation, matching the narrator’s description of “a bleak piece of volcanic rock” which seemed to the family “the most beautiful island in the world”.

A tiny, remote French volcanic island in the southern Indian Ocean (86 sq km) with only about 35 research-station staff — the island where Wavewalker found safety.

Question D3

Locate Ile Amsterdam on the world map.

Answer

On a world map, find the southern Indian Ocean roughly halfway between the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope) and south-western Australia. Ile Amsterdam lies at about 37.8°S, 77.6°E, south-east of Madagascar and north of the Kerguelen Islands, close to its neighbour Ile Saint-Paul.

At about 37.8°S, 77.6°E in the southern Indian Ocean, midway between South Africa and Australia, near Ile Saint-Paul.

Topic checklist

• Sequence of events of the voyage
• The great wave and the struggle to survive
• Character of the captain, Mary, Sue and Jonathan
• Themes: courage, optimism, family togetherness
• Ship terms, compound words and phrasal verbs

Total questions answered: 17 of 17