We are not afraid to die if ..........

We are not afraid to die if ..........

Q.1. What preparations did the writer and his family make for their voyage?

Ans. They spent sixteen years gaining experience of sea journey in the ocean. Then one day the whole family set out on the long and difficult journey. Apart from the writer and his wife, Mary, their two children – six years old son, Jonathan, seven years old daughter, Suzanne - also took part in the journey.

Q.2. Describe the ship used by the narrator and his family for the voyage.

Ans. They named their ship ‘Wavewalker'. It is a 23 metre, 30 ton beautiful wooden ship. They had spent months fitting it with necessary things and testing it out in the rough weather.

Q.3. How did the first leg of their journey pass? Whom did they take as helpers after that?

Ans. They had planned a journey of 105,000 kilometres. The first leg of this journey passed pleasantly. After that they headed east. They took two persons as helpers. They were: Larry Vigil, an American and Herb Seigler, a Swiss.

Q.4. How did the weather worsen on 2nd January?

Ans. On 2nd January, the waves were very big. At about six p.m., the sky grew dark. The writer found a big cloud at a distance. Then he realized with horror that it was not a cloud, but a very big wave which was coming towards them.

Q.5. What happened after an explosion shook the ship?

Ans. The weather became very bad. Then a big explosion shook the deck. A strong torrent of water came over the ship. The writer's head smashed into the wheel. He was tossed overboard and felt himself sinking.

Q.6. How did the waves injure the narrator?

Ans. The waves tossed him round the deck like a doll. His left ribs cracked. His mouth was filled blood and broken teeth. There was water everywhere on the ship. He felt there was water in the lower part the ship. But he could not leave the wheel in order to investigate.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

Q Write a summary of the lesson ‘We’re Not afraid to Die-if We Can All Be Together’.

Ans. The story ‘We’re Not afraid to Die-if We Can All Be Together’ by Gordon Cook is a story of extreme courage patience. In July 197 6, the narrator, his wife Mary, son Jonathan and daughter Suzanne set sail from Plymouth, England to duplicate the round-the world voyage made 200 years earlier by Captain James Cook. They took the voyage in their professionally built ship named ‘Wavewalker’. They also hired two experienced sailors – Larry Vigil, an American and Herb Seigler, a Swiss, to tackle one of the world’s roughest seas – the Southern Indian Ocean.

The first leg of their journey was planned for 3 years , 105000 kilometre journey. On their second day they encountered strong winds. The situation continued till next few weeks. On January 2nd, the situation got worse. The huge waves were there to haunt them. Then they prepared themselves with lift raft drills, life jackets etc and double lashed everything.

Suddenly at 6 pm, a tremendous explosion shook the Wavewalker and the author was thrown overboard. Somehow he found the wheel. Larry and Herb started pumping out water like madmen. The narrator managed to cover canvas across the gaps to prevent water from entering the ship. Then their hand pumps stopped working and electric pumps short-circuited. Fortunately, the narrator found a spare electric pump under the chartroom that worked. Finally, they reached lie Amsterdam, a volcanic island where they were welcomed by 28 inhabitants. The bravery and determination of all the characters are noteworthy in the story.