We’re Not Afraid to Die... If We Can All be Together
When and how did they encounter their first troubles during the long voyage?
Everything went on well till they sailed down the west coast of Africa and reached Cape Town. The trouble started on the second day out of Cape Town. They began to encounter strong gales. They blew continuously for the next few weeks. Gales didn’t worry them. But the size of the waves was alarming—up to 15 metres. They rose as high as up to the main mast. They expected the weather to improve on the New Year’s Day. The weather changed but for the worse.
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What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face-to-face with death?
Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks involved?
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 |
The following three compound words end in-ship. What does each of them mean?
airship |
flagship |
lightship |
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
Given on the next page is a picture of a yacht. Label the parts of the yacht using the terms given in the box.
bow |
cabin |
rudder |
cockpit |
stern |
boom |
mainsail |
mast |
Here is some information downloaded from the Internet on lle Amsterdam. You can view images of the isle if you go online.
Location |
South Indian Ocean, between southernmost parts of Australia and South Africa |
Latitude and longitude |
37 92 S, 77 67 E |
Sovereignty |
France |
Political status notes |
Part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
Population |
35 |
Census notes |
Meteorological station staff |
Land area in square kilometres |
86 |
Locate lle Amsterdam on the world map. Ans. For self-attempt.
Whom did the narrator and his family want to duplicate and why?
Describe the boat and the plan of the journey.
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