Short & Long Answer - We are Not Afraid to Die...if We Can All Be Together | English Class 11 PDF Download

Short Answer Type Questions 

Q1: What did the narrator plan to do? What preparations did he make for it?
Ans: The narrator had a daring plan to embark on a round-the-world sea voyage, following the same route that Captain James Cook took two centuries ago. To prepare for this epic adventure, he and his wife dedicated all of their leisure time for the past 16 years to refine their skills related to travel at sea. They worked tirelessly to improve their knowledge and expertise, leaving no stone unturned in their quest for perfection.

Q2: Give a brief description of the narrator’s boat. How had the narrator equipped and tested it?
Ans: The narrator's vessel, affectionately dubbed 'Wave-walker', was a magnificent wooden ship measuring an impressive 23 meters and weighing a sturdy 30 tons. Built with professional expertise, it exuded an undeniable allure. In preparation for the journey ahead, the narrator and their team spent several months fitting and testing the ship in the most severe weather conditions they could find. They left no stone unturned in ensuring that the vessel was well-equipped and capable of weathering any challenges that lay ahead.

Q3: How long did the narrator plan his voyage to last?
Ans: The narrator had planned his round-the-world journey to cover 105,000 kilometers in three years.

Q4: When and with whom did the narrator begin his voyage?
Ans: The narrator began his sea voyage in July 1976. He had his wife Mary, six-year-old son Jonathan and seven-year-old daughter Suzanne with him. They set sail from Plymouth, England.

Q5: Whom did the narrator employ and why? When did he do so?
Ans: The narrator employed two crewmen—American Larry Vigil and Swiss Herb Seigler in order to help them tackle the southern Indian Ocean which is known as one of the roughest seas of the world. He engaged them before leaving Cape Town.

Q6: What happened on their second day out of Cape Town? What worried the narrator and why?
Ans: On their second day out of Cape Town, they began to face strong storms. These storms blew continuously for the next few weeks. He was worried about the waves. Their size was alarming. This rose up to 15 metres i.e., as high as their main mast.

Q7: How did they celebrate the Christmas holidays?
Ans: They were 3,500 kilometers east of Cape Town on 25 December. The weather was very bad. Still, they had a wonderful holiday—complete with a Christmas tree. New Year’s Day saw no improvement in the weather.

Q8:How did the weather change on January 2? How did they feel?
Ans: The weather changed for the worse on January 2. Now the waves were gigantic. As the ship rose to the top of each wave, they saw endless enormous seas rolling towards them. The screaming of the wind and spray was painful to the ears.

Q9: What efforts were made to face the rough weather?
Ans: In order to face the rough weather, the speed of the ship was slowed down. They dropped the storm jib. They lashed heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stem. Then they fastened together everything and went through their life-raft drill. They attached lifelines, and put on waterproof clothes and life jackets.

Q10: What sort of wave hit the ship? How did the narrator react?
Ans: It was a mighty and huge wave. It appeared perfectly vertical. It was almost twice the height of the other waves. It had a very unpleasant breaking crest. The narrator had never seen such an enormous wave, so he was filled with horror.

Q11: What was the impact of the torrent on the narrator and Wave walker?
Ans: A tremendous explosion shook the deck. The narrator’s head struck the wheel and he flew overboard and was sinking below the waves. Unexpectedly his head came out of the water. The wave walker was almost capsizing. Her masts were almost horizontal.

Q12: How did the narrator manage to survive the attacks of subsequent waves?
Ans: One of the waves threw the ship upright. The narrator was able to reach its main
boom. Subsequent waves tossed him around the deck like a rag doll. His left rib cracked. His mouth was filled with blood and broken teeth. Somehow, he found the wheel, lined up the stem for the next wave and remained firm.

Q13: How did the narrator, and the other members react to the presence of water in the ship?
Ans: The narrator could not leave the wheel to examine the damaged parts. Mary shouted that the decks were broken and they were sinking. Larry and Herb were pumping out water like madmen. Sue had a big bump over her eyes but the children said that they were all right.

Q14: “I had no time to worry about bumped heads,” says the narrator. What problems do you think deserved his immediate attention?
Ans: The starboard side had been struck open. They were taking in more water with every wave breaking over them. If he did not make some repairs urgently, they would sink. The narrator managed to cover the gaping holes with canvas and waterproof hatch covers.

Q15: What problems did the narrator face during the night of January 2, 1977?
Ans: The hand pumps started to block up with the debris floating around the cabins. The electric pump short-circuited. The water level rose threateningly. The two spare hand pumps had been wrenched overboard. The waves had also carried away the forestay sail, the jib, the dinghies, and the main anchor from the deck.

Q16: How did the narrator react to the problems? What does it reveal?
Ans: The narrator did not lose his calm or courage in the face of problems. He thought calmly. Then he remembered that they had another electric pump under the chart room floor. He found it in working order. They were not getting any reply to their distress radio signals. He was not surprised as they were in a remote comer of the world.

Q17: “I didn’t want to worry you when you were trying to save us all,” said Sue. What has happened to her?
Ans: Sue’s head had a bump. It had swollen alarmingly. She had two enormous black eyes. She also had a deep cut on her arm. She did not bother her daddy about her injuries as he was busy in more important task.

Q18: Why do you think the narrator searched for an island so eagerly?
Ans: The wave that hit Wavewalker caused extensive damage. Nearly all the boat’s mainframes had been smashed down to the keel. A whole section of the starboard hull was being held up by a few cupboard partitions. Wavewalker could not hold together long enough for them to reach Australia. So he searched for an island to repair the boat.

Q19: Why could they not set any sail on the main mast on 4 January?
Ans: The hull of the ship had been damaged badly. Pressure on the ropes supporting the masts and sails would simply pull the damaged section of the hull apart. So they hoisted the storm jib and headed towards the islands.

Q20: How did little Jonathan react to the desperate situation they found themselves in on 5 January?
Ans: Jonathan asked his daddy if they were going to die. The narrator tried to assure him that they would overcome the situation. Then little Jon declared bravely that he was not afraid of death provided they could all be together.

Q21: How did the narrator respond to little Jon’s words? What do his actions reveal about his character?
Ans: He could not find proper words to respond. However, he felt inspired to fight the sea with everything he had. He decided to stop the ship and protect the weakened starboard side. He did so with an improvised anchor of heavy nylon ropes and two 22 litre plastic barrels of paraffin. This shows his resourcefulness and determination.

Q22: When do you think, Mary and the narrator feel the end was near? Why did they feel so?
Ans: On the evening of 5 January 1977, Mary and the narrator felt that the end was very near. They sat together holding hands. The movement of the ship brought in more and more water through the broken planks.

Q23: “Optimism and courage help to tide over difficulties”. How did the narrator succeed in searching the small island?
Ans: The narrator was searching for a 65-kilometer wide island in an ocean of 150,000 kilometers. He worked optimistically on wind speeds, changes of course, drift, and current. He calculated their position with the help of a sextant also.

Q24: How did Sue try to enliven the gloomy atmosphere?
Ans: Sue forgot her swollen head and blackened eyes and prepared a funny card. On the front it had caricatures of Mary and the narrator. She called them funny people who had made her laugh. There was a message also. It expressed her love, thanks and good wishes.

Q25: The narrator says, “I told him with a conviction I did not feel.” What led him to believe so?
Ans: The narrator had lost his main compass. He was using a spare one. It had not been corrected for magnetic variation. He had to make allowance for this as well as for the influence of the westerly currents. Though he checked and rechecked his calculations, he was not sure. He depended on luck as well.

Q26: What gloomy thoughts occurred to the narrator? What pleasant surprise was in store for him?
Ans: The narrator thought that they might have missed the island. They couldn’t hope to beat back into the westerly winds with the sail they had been left with. When Jonathan called him the best daddy in the world and the best captain and asked for a hug, he refused to do. When Sue remarked that he had found the island, he felt surprised.

Q27: What did Sue tell her Daddy about the island? What did he notice himself?
Ans: Sue told her Daddy that the island was as big as a battleship and it was out there in front of them. The narrator gazed at its complete outline. It was a bare piece of volcano rock with little vegetation.

Q28: Why do you think, did the narrator call lie Amsterdam ‘the most beautiful island in the world’?
Ans: Ile Amsterdam was a very small island made of volcanic rock. It had little vegetation and only 28 inhabitants. However, the island provided them safety from the huge waves of the sea as well as the opportunity to repair the damaged ship.

Q29: What did the narrator think of while landing at lie Amsterdam? Why?
Ans: He thought of his companions. Larry and Herb had remained cheerful and optimistic under the most serious tension. His wife Mary had stayed at the wheel during the crucial hours. His daughter Suzanne did not bother him about her head injury. His son Jonathan was not afraid to die.

Q30: How can you say that Suzanne’s injuries were serious?
Ans: Suzanne’s head had a bump. It was quite swollen. Her blackened eyes narrowed to slits. Her head injury took six minor operations to remove a recurring blood clot between skin and skull. This shows that her injuries were serious.

Long Answer Type Questions

Ans: A mighty wave hit the stem of their ship ‘ Wave Walker’ on the evening of 2nd January. A tremendous explosion shook the deck. A torrent of green and white water broke over the ship. The narrator’s head struck against the wheel. He was swept overboard. He was sinking below the waves and losing his consciousness. He accepted his approaching death. He felt quite peaceful.

Suddenly, his head appeared out of the water. A few meters away, “Wavewalker ’ was turning over in the water. Her masts were almost horizontal. Then a wave hurled her upright. The narrator’s lifeline jerked tautly. He grabbed the guard rails and sailed through the air into Wavewalker’s main boom. Succeeding waves tossed him around the deck like a rag doll. His left rib cracked. His mouth was filled with blood and broken teeth. Somehow, he found the wheel, lined up the stem for the next wave, and held it tightly.

Q2: What damage did ‘Wavewalker’ suffer as a result of bad weather?
Ans: Mighty waves struck ‘Wavewalker’. The decks were smashed. Water was gushing in through holes and openings. The whole starboard side had bulged inwards. Clothes, crockery, charts, tins and toys moved around noisily in deep water.
Their hand pumps got blocked up with the debris floating around the cabins. The electric pump short circuited. Water level rose high. The two spare hand pumps had been wrenched overboard. Waves had also swept off the forestay sail, the jib, the dinghies and the main anchor.
There was a tremendous leak somewhere below the waterline. The boat’s main rib frames were smashed down to the keel. A whole section of the starboard hull was being held up by a few cupboard partitions only. The hull of the ship had been damaged so badly that the pressure of rigging could simply pull the damaged section of the hull apart. Wavewalker was so damaged that she could not hold together long enough to reach Australia.

Q3: What efforts did the narrator make to save the ship and its passengers?
Ans: At first he slowed down the ship. He dropped the storm jib and lashed heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stem. They double-fastened everything. They attached lifelines, put on waterproof clothes and life jackets. After being hit by the first mighty wave, the narrator handed over the wheel to Mary. He stretched canvas and fastened waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes in the starboard side. As the two hand pumps got blocked and the electric pump short-circuited, he found another electric pump and started it.
Then he checked his charts and started searching for an island—like Amsterdam. He got a reading on the sextant. He worked on wind speeds, changes of course, drift, and current. He calculated their position. He checked and rechecked his calculations. They had lost the main compass. He made a discount for magnetic variation in the spare one and also of the influence of the westerly currents. Then he asked Larry to steer a course of 185 degrees. They succeeded in reaching lie Amsterdam island after 4 hours.

Q4: What impression do you form about the narrator on the basis of reading ‘We’re not Afraid to Die….If We can All be Together’?
Ans: The narrator, a 37-year-old businessman was a lover of adventure. He had dreamt of going around the world sea voyage. He and his wife had spent all their leisure hours for 16 years developing and improving their skills in work or travel on sea. This shows his love for perfection and attention to details.
The narrator was practical in his approach. He engaged two crewmen to help them sail through the rough waters of the southern Indian Ocean. He had keen foresight. They made advance preparations to protect the ship and passengers against violent sea storms. He did not lose hope, calm or courage in the face of difficulties. He had his priorities fixed. Repairing the damaged ship was essential. Everything else including injuries could wait. He was resourceful also. He managed to steer the course with the help of whatever had been left with them. His presence of mind helped them to – overcome troubles. He had a level head. He made exact calculations of their positions and that of the island. He fixed the course and speed. His self-confidence and practical knowledge made him a good captain.

Q5. What difference did you notice between the reactions of the adults and the children when faced with danger?

Ans: Adults tend to be more thoughtful and worried in dangerous situations because they have more responsibilities. They understand the seriousness of the situation and often feel a lot of mental pressure and fear. In contrast, children are innocent and have little experience with fear or grief. They don't fully grasp the complexity of the situation and are more likely to accept it calmly.

In the story, the narrator and his wife were extremely worried, thinking they might not survive. The narrator felt a huge amount of stress and fear, as he was responsible for saving his family. On the other hand, the children reacted bravely. Jonathon, the little boy, told his father he wasn't afraid of death. Suzanne, who was only nine, endured the pain of a head injury and even made a card to cheer up her parents.

Overall, the children showed more spontaneity and courage than the adults in the face of danger.