G.D.

GOENKA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

SUBJECT: ENGLISH
KNOWLEDGE BASED CORE(301)
QUESTIONS:
HORNBILL PROSE 2 WE’RE NOT AFRAID TO DIE…
1. What was the narrator’s purpose of making the voyage from Plymouth, in 1976?
2. Describe the narrator’s boat in the chapter ‘We’re Not Afraid to Die …If We Can All
Be Together’.
3. Who were Larry and Herb?
4. Briefly summarize the main events of the story. What challenges do the characters
face, and how do they overcome them?.
5. Read the following passages given below and answer the questions that
follow :

(A) In July 1976, my wife Mary, son Jonathan, 6, daughter Suzanne, 7, and I set sail
from Plymouth, England, to duplicate the round-the-world voyage made 200 years
earlier by Captain James Cook. For the longest time, Mary and I—a 37-year-old
businessman—had dreamt of sailing in the wake of the famous explorer, and for the
past 16 years we had spent all our leisure time honing our seafaring skills in British
waters. Our boat Wavewalker, a 23 metre, 30 ton wooden-hulled beauty, had been
professionally built, and we had spent months fitting it out and testing it in the roughest
weather we could find. (Page 13)
Questions :
(i) Who had set sail arid from where ?
(ii) What had Captain James Cook done about 200 years back ?
(iii) What had the narrator been doing for the last 16 years during his leisure time ?
(iv) How does the author describe ‘Wavewalker’ ?
(v) Use these words in your own sentences :
(a) explorer (b) duplicate

(B) At dawn on January 2, the waves were gigantic. We were sailing with only a small
storm jib and were still making eight knots. As the ship rose to the top of each wave we
could see endless enormous sea rolling towards us, and the screaming of the wind and
spray was painful to the ears. To slow the boat down, we dropped the storm jib and
lashed heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stem. Then we double-lashed
everything, went through our life-raft drill, attached lifelines, donned oilskins and life
jackets—and waited. (Page 14)
Questions :
(i) What had happened on 2nd January ?
(ii) With what were they sailing ?
(iii) How did they feel about the screaming of the wind ?
(iv) What did they do to slow the boat down ?
(v) Give the opposites of: (a) gigantic (b) dropped

UNDERSTANDING BASED QUESTIONS:

6. Describe the shifts in the narration of the events as indicated in the three sections of
the text. Give a suitable to each section.
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7. What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face to
face with death?

8. Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the
risks involved?
9.Read the following passages given below and answer the questions that
follow:
(A)Larry and Herb were pumping like madmen. Broken timbers hung at crazy angles,
the whole starboard side bulged inwards; clothes, crockery, charts, tins and toys
slashed about in deep water. I half-swam, half-crawled into the children’s cabin. ‘Are
you all right?’ I asked. “Yes,’ they answered from an upper bunk.’ ‘But my head hurts a
bit,’ said Sue, pointing to a big bump above her eyes. I had no time to worry about
bumped heads. (Page 15)
Questions:
(i) What happened to the starboard side ?
(ii) What were Larry and Herb doing?
(iii) How did the narrator reach the children’s cabin?
(iv) What had happened to Sue?
(v) Find words in the passage which mean: (a) the right-hand side of a ship
(b) thump swelling

(B)On January 4, after 36 hours of continuous pumping, they reached the last few
centimeters of water. Now, we had only to keep pace with the water still coming in. We
could not set any sail on the main mast. Pressure on the rigging would simply pull the
damaged section of the hull apart, so we hoisted the storm jib and headed for where I
thought the two islands were. Mary found some corned beef and cracker biscuits, and
we ate our first meal in almost two days. But our respite was short-lived. At 4 p.m.
black clouds began building up behind us; within the hour the wind was back to 40
knots and the seas were getting higher. (Page 16)
Questions:
(i) Where did they reach after 36 hours of continuous pumping?
(ii) What had they to do with the water which was still coming in?
(iii) Why could they not set any sail on the main mast?
(iv) Why was their respite for a short while?
(v) Use the following words in your own sentences: (a) hoisted (b) rigging

10. Read the following passages given below and answer the questions that
follow:
When I went in to comfort the children, Jon asked, “Daddy,
are we going to die?” I tried to assure him that we could make it.
“But, Daddy,” he went on, “we aren’t afraid of dying if we can all
be together — you and Mummy, Sue and I.”
I could find no words with which to respond, but I left the
children’s cabin determined to fight the sea with everything I
had. To protect the weakened starboard side, I decided to heave
to — with the undamaged port hull facing the oncoming waves,
using an improvised sea anchor of heavy nylon rope and two 22
GDGIS, SURAT. ENGLISH, CLASS - XI PAGE 2 of 1
litre plastic barrels of paraffin.

1.What does Jon’s question “Daddy, are we going to die?” reveal about his
understanding of the situation?

A) He is completely unaware of the danger.

B) He understands the gravity of the situation.
C) He thinks they are perfectly safe.
D) He is trying to reassure his father.

2.Why does the narrator choose to use the undamaged port hull to face the oncoming
waves?

A) It is the strongest part of the boat.

B) It is the most stable position for the boat.
C) It protects the weakened starboard side.
D) It allows for better steering control.
3. The use of heavy nylon rope and plastic barrels suggests the narrator's...

A) Creativity and resourcefulness in a crisis.

B) Lack of proper equipment.
C) Desperation and panic.
D) Indifference to the situation.
4.What literary technique is used when the narrator describes his determination to fight
the sea?

A) Hyperbole
B) Personification
C) Metaphor
D) Alliteration

STAND ALONE MCQS-

11.What figure of speech is present in the phrase: "The waves danced wildly against
the boat"?

A) Simile
B) Metaphor
C) Personification
D) Hyperbole
12. What literary technique is used to create a sense of immediacy and tension in the
narrative?

A) Flashback
B) Foreshadowing
C) Present tense narration
D) Stream of consciousness

13.Which of the following best describes the tone of the narrative during the height of
the storm?

A) Optimistic
GDGIS, SURAT. ENGLISH, CLASS - XI PAGE 3 of 1
B) Pessimistic
C) Desperate
D) Calm
14. How does the use of descriptive language in the story affect the reader's
experience?

A) It provides factual information

B) It creates vivid imagery and emotional intensity
C) It offers technical details about sailing
D) It simplifies the narrative for younger readers
15.The tone of the author when Jon says, “we aren’t afraid of dying if we can all be
together” is:
A) Optimistic
B) Sarcastic
C) Determined
D) Resigned
16.Pick the pair of TRUE statements based on the extract.
The narrator finds no words to respond to Jon.
Jon is terrified of dying.
The narrator decides to heave-to with the damaged hull facing the waves.
An improvised sea anchor is made using heavy nylon rope and plastic barrels.
A) 1 and 2
B) 1 and 4
C) 2 and 3
D) 3 and 4
17.In which of the following options can the underlined words NOT be replaced with
‘determined’?
A) He was resolute in his decision to protect his family.
B) She was unwavering in her support for the team.
C) They were reluctant to make any promises.
D) The company was steadfast in its commitment to quality.

18.The phrase “fight the sea with everything I had” suggests the narrator's:

GDGIS, SURAT. ENGLISH, CLASS - XI PAGE 4 of 1

 A) Desperation
B) Confidence
C) Helplessness
D) Tenacity
19.Pick the pair of FALSE statements based on the extract.
The narrator was able to find words to comfort Jon.
Jon expressed a desire to be with his family, even in death.
The narrator used a sea anchor made of metal barrels.
The port hull of the boat was undamaged.
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 4
C) 1 and 3
D) 3 and 4
20.The construction of the improvised sea anchor shows the narrator’s:
A) Lack of experience
B) Inventiveness and resourcefulness
C) Fear of the storm
D) Disinterest in safety procedures
COMPETENCY BASED QUESTIONS:
1. The story ‘We’re Not Afraid to Die’ has a lesson ‘optimism helps to endure direst
stress’. Do you agree? Why/Why not?
2. Write a diary entry from the perspective of one of the characters. Reflect on their
thoughts and feelings during a critical moment in the story.
3. Helen Keller, blind and deaf American writer and social reformer, said, “Life is either a
daring adventure or nothing.” ‘We’re Not Afraid to Die’ is a story of adventure. Write an
article in about 100-120 words on the topic ‘Adventure makes life worth living’.
4.. In the words of the captain of Wavewalker, the crew was ‘cheerful and optimistic under
direst stress,’ and was able to bring the ship out of crisis. James Branch Cabell, the
American novelist and essayist, says, “The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of
worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.”

Write an article in about 100 words showing how optimism is infinitely preferable to
pessimism.
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