We are not afraid to die

Read the extract given below and answer

“There before heading east, . . . as our mast.”

1. Which port did the ship leave just before the narrated incident?

Ans. The ship had left Cape Town just before the narrated incident

2. Who were the two crewmen hired? Why were they hired?

Ans. American Larry Vigill and Swiss Herb Seigler were the two crewmen. They were hired to
tackle the southern Indian Ocean

3. What was the narrator worried about?

Ans. The narrator was worried about the size of the waves.

4. Why was the narrator alarmed?

Ans. The narrator's peaceful morning was disrupted by two sudden strong flashes of light. The
sudden flares startled the narrator because he did not know what caused them and suddenly
the old stone lantern before him was up in flames.

5. What did the narrator see when his head popped out of the water?

Ans. After the narrator felt he was losing consciousness, his head suddenly popped out of the
water. A few meters away, he saw Wavewalker, nearly overturned. Then, a wave threw it
upright.

40-50 words

1. Why did the narrator and his wife take in two crewmen with them at Cape Town?

Ans. Before heading East from Cape Town. they took on two crewmen who were experienced
seamen. They were Larry Vigil, an American and Herb Seigler, a Swiss. The narrator took this
step because he knew that they would require help to tackle one of the world's roughest seas -
the southern Indian Ocean.

2. What troubles did they face after completing the first leg of their journey?

Ans. His ribs cracked and blood started coming out of his broken teeth. All the members tried to
pump out the water but to no avail as the pump got blocked due to the debris. They took the
help of second electric pump which was under the chatterbox. They all were injured severely
after this incident.

3. “I didn’t want to worry you when you were trying to save us all.” What does this show about the
speaker.

Ans. This suggests that she become very courageous. The speaker of those strains is the little
girl, Sue. She is simply 7 years old. After the significant wave hit the ship, she become
 additionally hurt. Her head become swollen whilst the narrator noticed her withinside the cabin.
However, she by no means stated the deep reduce in her arm as she didn’t want to worry him
any further.

4. Why did the narrator and his wife Mary feel that “the end was very near”? What situation made
them feel so?

Ans. On the evening of 5 January 1977, Mary and 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.

5. Why did the narrator call Ile Amsterdam the most beautiful island in the world?

Ans. The author called Amsterdam's island "the most beautiful island in the world." It was
because, after all of their ordeals at sea, the island represented a ray of hope for them. It was a
modest volcanic rock outcropping with sparse flora. They anchored and rebuilt their ship there.

120-150 words

1. Highlight the tremendous courage and forbearance shown by the two children during the
struggle to keep the boat from sinking. What values do you learn from them?

Ans. In the story we see that the narrator and his family faced some problems due to the bad
weather condition and tumult sea. They all were badly injured. However, they were not afraid.
The children showed great courage. They tried to cheer up the depressing atmosphere by
making card. Sue drew some cartoons on it and said that she had drawn the picture of some
funny persons which would make them laugh. Inside the card she wrote a message. She thanked
her parents and wrote that she loved them. She hoped for the best to come and that, they had
to make for it somehow. The care and love that was expressed in the card by their seven years
old daughter in spite of all her pains moved her parents. John’s behavior was even more
praiseworthy. He showed immense courage by saying that they were not afraid to die if they are
all together. It was a great example of unity and trust that they had on each other. The small
children showed courage so that their parents don’t get more upset. I learn the values of
supporting each other in hard times.

Discovering Tut
40-50 words

1. Why is 5th January 2005 a significant date in Tutankhamun's saga?

Ans. It is and significant date because, on the is day, the most popular mummy of the great kind
named Tutankhamen has actually undergone the CT scan. This kind of event is considered to be
very essential because the mummy of King Tut was first of every mummy in Egypt for
undergoing the CT scan.
 2. Who pointed out that the mummy was in a bad condition? Why? Who was held responsible for
it?

Ans. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, bent over the
mummy and watched it carefully. He discovered that the mummy was in a very bad condition
because Howard Carter cut the body into many pieces, as it was stuck to the bottom of the
coffin due to the ritual resins becoming hardened. So, Zahi Hawass held Howard Carter
responsible for the bad condition of the mummy.

3. Why did the artifacts cause a sensation at the time of discovery?

Ans. The artefacts discovered cause a sensation at the time of discovery because they were all
made of pure gold. Their brilliance was eternal and never fading. This eternal brilliance of the
artefacts was meant to guarantee the king’s resurrection.

4. What changes did King Tut bring out during his reign?

Ans. King Tut was named Tutankhaten at the time of his birth. On succeeding his father to the
Egyptian throne after Akhenaten, King Tut brought about a restoration of the old customs. First,
he changed his name to Tutankhamun in reverence of the old god Amun. Then he oversaw the
restoration and reopening of old temples, shrines and idols.

5. Why did King Tut mummy had to go under a CT scan?

Ans. Tut's mummy was scanned after several years because after his death his dynasty came to
an end. Thus, a CT scan was done on his mummy in order to get the new clues about his life and
death. He as the last heir of the powerful family who ruled Egypt and its empire for centuries.

12-150 words

1. Do you feel the lesson is able to mirror the element of mystery that is associated with the
Egyptian pyramids and the mummies inside them. Give reasons.

Ans. Yes, the lesson mirrors the element of mystery associated with the Egyptians pyramids and the
mummies inside them. It tells us about the tourists thought about whether the curse of the pharaoh
does really fall upon those who disturb him. It also tells us about the guard who was nervous during the
CT scan and joked about the curse of the pharaoh when the fans stopped working. It tells about how
Zahi Hawass was nervous and did not sleep for days before the CT scan was to take place. It tells us
about the time when some of the workmen working for Howard Carter died unexpectedly, everyone
thought it to be the curse of the pharaoh.

The laburnum top

Ans. After the goldfinch arrives on the tree, the silent and still Laburnum tree suddenly starts
trembling and moving. The whole tree comes to life as the chicks of the goldfinch make a lot of
noise as they chitter and trill on seeing their mother.

2. To what is the movement of the goldfinch compared? What is the basis of the comparison?

Ans. The goldfinch's movement is compared to that of a lizard. The basis of the comparison is
the sleek, abrupt and alert movements of a lizard. The same kinds of movements are observed
when the goldfinch arrives on the laburnum tree.

3. Explain the line, 'And the laburnum subsides to empty’.

Ans. ‘And the Laburnum subsides to empty' is the last line of the poem. It describes that when
the goldfinch abandons the Laburnum tree, it falls lonely and silent once again.

120-150 words

1. The arrival of the goldfinch on the laburnum top brings about a change in the poem. How do you
interpret this change? Is change good or bad in life?

Ans. At the start of the poem, the top of the Laburnum tree in the poem is silent and still. There
is hardly any activity on it as the sunlight falls on it on a September afternoon. However, with
the arrival of the goldfinch, it suddenly becomes a place of feverish activity. The silence of the
place is broken by the twittering and chirruping of the chicks and the goldfinch. I think that the
change brought about by the arrival of the goldfinch on the Laburnum top is good, as it breaks
the monotony. The tree becomes alive and lively with the movement of the goldfinch and the
twittering and chirruping of the chicks. Change can be good or bad in life depending on a
situation. However, the fact is that change is the only constant in life. So, even if a change is bad,
we have to accept it and move on in life.