‘Catamaran’ is a kind of a boat. Do you know which Indian language this word is derived from? Check the dictionary.

How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?

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?

The following three compound words end in-ship. What does each of them mean?

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.

Here is some information downloaded from the Internet on lle Amsterdam. You can view images of the isle if you go online.

Locate lle Amsterdam on the world map. Ans. For self-attempt.

Whom did the narrator and his family want to duplicate and why?