We're Not Afraid to Die (Hornbill) — Important Questions
24 questions
With answersCBSE format
SUMMARY: "We're Not Afraid to Die... if We Can All Be Together" is a story by Gordon Cook and Alan East about a family's adventurous sea voyage and their struggle for survival against a fierce storm. KEY TOPICS: sea voyage, survival, family, storm, resilience, courage, teamwork, adversity, narrative style, personal experience
Who are the authors of 'We're Not Afraid to Die... if We Can All Be Together'?
AGordon Cook and Alan East
BKhushwant Singh
CRobert Frost
DAnne Frank
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Correct answer: Option 1 — Gordon Cook and Alan East
Q21 Mark
What was the name of the boat in which the family was sailing?
AThe Wavewalker
BThe Storm Chaser
CThe Sea Spirit
DThe Ocean Pearl
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Correct answer: Option 1 — The Wavewalker
Q31 Mark
Which ocean did the family encounter the dangerous storm in?
AAtlantic Ocean
BPacific Ocean
CIndian Ocean (southern)
DArctic Ocean
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Correct answer: Option 3 — Indian Ocean (southern)
Q41 Mark
What did Jonathan say that gives the story its title?
AWe will not give up
BWe're not afraid to die if we can all be together
CMum is taking care of us
DDaddy is the captain
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Correct answer: Option 2 — We're not afraid to die if we can all be together
Q51 Mark
What island did the family finally reach safely?
AMaldives
BÎle Amsterdam
CMauritius
DSri Lanka
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Correct answer: Option 2 — Île Amsterdam
Short Answer Questions5 questions
Q63 Marks
Describe the family that set out on the voyage and the route they planned.
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The family consisted of the narrator Gordon Cook a 37-year-old businessman his wife Mary their seven-year-old son Jonathan and their six-year-old daughter Suzanne. They had set off in July 1976 from Plymouth England planning to follow Captain James Cook's round-the-world voyage of 200 years earlier. They sailed via the Cape of Good Hope across the southern Indian Ocean intending to reach Australia and then home through the Pacific.
Q73 Marks
Describe what happened when the dangerous storm struck the boat on 2 January.
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On the morning of 2 January the wave-rider Wavewalker was struck by an enormous wave - 'a dark line of inky black' that 'lay solid' across the ocean. The wave smashed into the boat from the windward side flooding the cabins shattering windows tearing off the wind vane sweeping away the sails and instruments and leaving the family clinging desperately as water flooded the boat. The narrator was thrown overboard but managed to grab the gunwale.
Q83 Marks
How did the narrator and his family react to Suzanne's head injury and Jonathan's response in the storm?
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Suzanne was thrown across the cabin and her head was deeply gashed and her arms badly bruised. The mother quickly applied bandages and stopped the bleeding. Jonathan despite being only seven looked up at his father in the middle of the chaos and said 'We aren't afraid of dying if we can all be together - you and Mummy and Sue and I.' The line moved the narrator deeply and gave him fresh determination to fight through the storm and save his family.
Q93 Marks
What pumping system did the narrator manage to fix and how did it help the boat survive?
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The narrator found that the main electric water pump on the boat had been disabled by short-circuited wires. He worked through the night reconnecting the electric pump and re-establishing pumping action which began clearing the flooded interior. The improvised hand pumps were also helping. As long as the pumps held the boat could remain afloat. Without this work the Wavewalker would have sunk.
Q103 Marks
How did the narrator finally manage to find the small island Île Amsterdam?
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Without working radio or proper navigation equipment the narrator had to rely on dead reckoning - taking sun sights with the small spare sextant and hand-calculating the boat's position. After two days of careful calculation he turned the boat through 165 degrees on the morning of 5 January and steered for the supposed location of Île Amsterdam - a tiny French island in the southern Indian Ocean. By a stroke of luck and skill they sighted the island that evening and were welcomed by the small community living there.
Long Answer Questions4 questions
Q116 Marks
Describe in detail the qualities of leadership and resourcefulness shown by the narrator throughout the storm.
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The narrator emerges as a remarkable leader through the crisis. PRACTICAL SKILLS - Despite being thrown overboard he held on to the boat and immediately set to work. He stretched canvas and waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes; he reconnected the electric water pumps when the original ones failed; he rigged up an improvised navigation system using a small spare sextant when all electronic equipment was destroyed. CALMNESS UNDER PRESSURE - Even when the boat seemed lost and his children were terrified he never panicked. He spoke to his children with steady reassurance. He concentrated on the next concrete task rather than the impossible scale of the disaster. RESPONSIBILITY - He continued to work the pumps and check on his injured daughter through the second night without sleep. He set Mary at the helm and gave each crew member a clear job. NAVIGATIONAL JUDGEMENT - With no GPS and a damaged sextant he calculated their position dead reckoning and gambled correctly on a 165-degree turn that brought them to a tiny island in vast empty ocean. EMOTIONAL STEADINESS - He drew strength from Jonathan's words and from Mary's quiet courage and turned that strength back into action. The story becomes not just a survival narrative but a study of how a family's love when channelled through one steady hand can prevail against the worst the sea can throw.
Q126 Marks
'The story brings out the extraordinary courage of children in the face of disaster.' Discuss with reference to Suzanne and Jonathan.
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The two children Suzanne (six) and Jonathan (seven) display extraordinary courage that surprises and moves the adult crew. JONATHAN - Despite being only seven years old he shows remarkable composure during the worst of the storm. After Suzanne is hurt and the family huddles together waiting for the next giant wave Jonathan looks up at his father with quiet steady eyes and says 'We aren't afraid of dying if we can all be together - you and Mummy and Sue and I.' This single line - delivered with the simplicity that only a child can manage - captures the philosophical heart of the story. It reframes their fear: it is not death they dread but separation. The line gives the narrator fresh determination to save them all. SUZANNE - Despite a deep gash on her head and severe bruises Suzanne never complains. When her mother is treating her she simply asks not to be told the seriousness of her wound; she fears it would worry the others. She tells her father he is the 'best daddy in the whole world'. She accepts the discomfort and danger with the grace of an adult. Together the children show that courage is not the absence of fear; it is the choice to focus on what matters - love family and the small acts of kindness one can still offer - even when the world seems to be ending. Their behaviour also shows how children pick up the calm of their parents - the family's bond was the real lifeboat that carried them through.
Q136 Marks
Describe in detail what happened on 2 January when the giant wave struck the Wavewalker.
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On the morning of 2 January 1977 - the family's first day in dangerously rough seas south of Cape Town - the storm reached its peak. The narrator was below deck checking the bilges and the children were sleeping. As he climbed back up he saw the storm peak in a way he would never forget. A solid wall of water - 'a dark line of inky black' - rose to twice the height of the masts and bore down on them. The narrator just had time to shout to his crew to brace themselves before the wave struck. The Wavewalker was thrown over almost on her side; the mast was nearly horizontal. The narrator was thrown overboard but luckily caught the gunwale and pulled himself back up. The wave passed over the boat and slammed back down. Below decks the picture was catastrophic - water poured through the broken windows the cabin was waist deep with seawater food was floating sleeping bags were soaked navigation instruments were destroyed and the children were thrown across the cabin. Suzanne suffered a deep cut on her head; both children were terrified and clung to their parents. The narrator immediately stretched canvas and a waterproof hatch cover over the broken windows and set to work fixing the pumps. Outside the wind continued to scream and the seas remained mountainous. The single moment of the wave's impact tested the family's courage seamanship and bond more than the entire 13000 miles they had already sailed.
Q146 Marks
How does the story explore the theme of family bonds and shared courage in the face of nature's fury?
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The story shows how a strong family bond can transform a moment of terror into a moment of meaning. SHARED RESPONSIBILITY - From the start every family member has a role: the father navigates and repairs the boat; the mother nurses the wounded and steers when needed; even the children stay calm and offer encouragement. None of them are passive; the family functions like a tiny crew. SHARED COURAGE - When Jonathan says 'We aren't afraid of dying if we can all be together' he transforms the meaning of survival. They are no longer fighting against death; they are fighting against being separated. This reframing gives every member fresh strength. PARENTAL RESILIENCE - The narrator and Mary refuse to show their own fear so as not to break the children's morale. Their composure becomes a model for the children to imitate. CHILDLIKE WISDOM - The children's straightforward acceptance gives the parents emotional ballast. Suzanne calling her father 'the best daddy in the whole world' even with a cut on her head shows that the children's love is unconditional. SHARED CELEBRATION - When the family finally reaches Île Amsterdam the joy is shared in equal measure. The narrative voice is never just about one survivor; it is always 'we'. The story ultimately argues that families bound by love can summon courage that none of them could have summoned alone. The sea threatens to separate them; it ends up bringing them closer than ever before.
Assertion–Reason Questions5 questions
Q151 Mark
Assertion (A): Jonathan's words 'We aren't afraid of dying if we can all be together' moved the narrator deeply.
Reason (R): The line reframed the family's fear from death itself to the prospect of being separated giving them fresh resolve.
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Correct answer: Option 1 —
Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Q161 Mark
Assertion (A): The narrator was able to find the small Île Amsterdam without working radio or GPS.
Reason (R): He used dead reckoning - sun sights from a spare sextant and careful manual calculations - to plot a 165-degree course correction.
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Correct answer: Option 1 —
Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Q171 Mark
Assertion (A): The Wavewalker was nearly destroyed by a single enormous wave on 2 January.
Reason (R): The wave smashed cabin windows flooded the interior tore off the wind vane and sails and disabled the electronic equipment.
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Correct answer: Option 1 —
Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Q181 Mark
Assertion (A): Mary contributed to the family's survival as much as the narrator did.
Reason (R): She nursed Suzanne's head wound steered the boat when needed and kept the children calm through the worst of the storm.
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Correct answer: Option 1 —
Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Q191 Mark
Assertion (A): The narrator's leadership combined practical skills and emotional steadiness.
Reason (R): He repaired the pumps stretched canvas over broken windows and reassured the children all in the same hours.
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Correct answer: Option 1 —
Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
Statement-Based Questions5 questions
Q201 Mark
Statement 1: The story is by Gordon Cook and Alan East.
Statement 2: The family sailed from Plymouth in 1976 to retrace Captain James Cook's round-the-world voyage.
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Correct answer: Option 1 —
Both statements are true.
Q211 Mark
Statement 1: The storm in the southern Indian Ocean nearly destroyed the Wavewalker.
Statement 2: A single wave - 'a dark line of inky black' - smashed cabin windows and flooded the boat.
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Correct answer: Option 1 —
Both statements are true.
Q221 Mark
Statement 1: Jonathan was seven years old at the time of the voyage.
Statement 2: His simple statement that they were not afraid of dying if they could be together gave the story its title.
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Correct answer: Option 1 —
Both statements are true.
Q231 Mark
Statement 1: The narrator handled navigation repairs and pumping; Mary nursed the children and steered.
Statement 2: Even the children Jonathan and Suzanne contributed by staying calm and offering encouragement.
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Correct answer: Option 1 —
Both statements are true.
Q241 Mark
Statement 1: The family sighted Île Amsterdam on the evening of 5 January 1977.
Statement 2: The small island community welcomed them and helped them recover before the journey home.
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Correct answer: Option 1 —
Both statements are true.
