Class 11 English · Original EZT practice
We are Not Afraid to Die... if We Can All Be Together (Class 11 English Chapter 2): summary and analysis
A family of four sets out to sail around the world - and in the Southern Indian Ocean, one enormous wave turns the dream into a fight to stay afloat. Gordon Cook and Alan East's true story is a lesson in calm under pressure. Below: the story in plain words, its themes, then original EZT practice questions with answers. (Note: this is original practice, not a textbook exercise key.)
6 original worked examples, 6 fresh self-check questions, with explained answers. These are not copied textbook exercises, an official chapter index or a full answer key. No affiliation with NCERT is claimed.
Official sources for topic and edition context, checked 17 October 2026:
1. The dream and the crew
In July 1976, the narrator - a 37-year-old businessman - set sail from Plymouth, England, with his wife Mary, six-year-old son Jonathan and seven-year-old daughter Suzanne. Their aim was to duplicate the round-the-world voyage made by Captain James Cook 200 years earlier, after 16 years of building and honing skills on Wavewalker, a 23-metre, 30-ton wooden-hulled boat.
2. The first legs and the warning signs
The first leg down the west coast of Africa passed pleasantly. At Cape Town they took on two crewmen - American Larry Vigil and Swiss Herb Seigler - for the rough Southern Indian Ocean. Strong winds and high waves began on the second day out of Cape Town, and by December 25 they were 3500 kilometres east of Cape Town.
3. January 2: the wave
At dawn on January 2, the waves became gigantic. That evening a tremendous explosion rocked the boat as a huge wave smashed into it. The narrator was thrown overboard and flung back against the boat; Wavewalker nearly capsized, and water poured in everywhere.
4. The fight to survive
Larry and Herb pumped while the narrator stretched canvas and fastened hatch covers over the holes. Suzanne had a severe head bump, yet she and Jonathan stayed calm. By the morning of January 3 the pumps had the water under control, 15 hours after the wave hit, and the narrator plotted a course toward Ile Amsterdam.
5. The words behind the title
On January 4, after 36 hours of continuous pumping, the leaks were nearly stopped and the family ate corned beef and crackers. The weather worsened again by January 5. That evening Jonathan asked if they were going to die, then said they were not afraid of dying if they could all be together.
6. Ile Amsterdam
By the morning of January 6 the wind eased, the narrator sighted the island, and Wavewalker anchored off Ile Amsterdam - a bleak piece of volcanic rock with a tiny French scientific base. The 28 inhabitants cheered and helped the battered family ashore.
7. Themes and takeaways
The story prizes courage under pressure: nobody panics, and each person does a job. Family unity gives the title its force. Preparation matters too - 16 years of dreaming and practice made survival possible. Finally, the narrator shows leadership by deciding and acting when giving up would be easier.
Choose, solve, check, then try a fresh question.
Before calculating, read the method prompt and name the condition that makes it useful. Write your own attempt. Open the steps only when you need them, and use the check to catch a wrong sign, unit or interpretation. Finish with the fresh question before reading its answer.
Identify the family on Wavewalker
Choose the method: Separate the four family members from the two later crewmen.
EZT practice question
Who made up the family on Wavewalker?
Show the worked solution
- Start with the narrator and Mary.
- Add their two children and their ages.
Answer: The narrator, his wife Mary, son Jonathan aged 6 and daughter Suzanne aged 7.
Check: Larry Vigil and Herb Seigler joined later at Cape Town as crewmen.
Watch for this: Do not count Larry and Herb as family members.
Now try it yourself
How many people were on Wavewalker after Cape Town?
Check your answer
Six people.
Four family members plus Larry and Herb.
Explain why Larry and Herb joined
Choose the method: Link their hiring place with the sea ahead.
EZT practice question
Why were Larry Vigil and Herb Seigler hired?
Show the worked solution
- They joined at Cape Town.
- The next leg crossed the notoriously rough Southern Indian Ocean.
Answer: They were hired to help the family handle the rough seas of the Southern Indian Ocean.
Check: Larry was American and Herb was Swiss.
Watch for this: They were not part of the original Plymouth departure.
Now try it yourself
Where did Larry and Herb come aboard?
Check your answer
At Cape Town.
The family took them on before heading east.
Retell the moment the wave struck
Choose the method: Keep the narrator, the boat and the water in that order.
EZT practice question
What happened to the narrator when the wave struck?
Show the worked solution
- The wave smashed into Wavewalker.
- The narrator was swept overboard, thrown back onto the boat and injured.
Answer: He was swept overboard and then thrown back onto the boat, badly shaken and injured, while Wavewalker nearly capsized.
Check: The boat took in water and Mary warned that they were sinking.
Watch for this: He did not remain safely at the wheel; he was thrown into the sea and back.
Now try it yourself
What injuries does the narrator mention after the wave?
Check your answer
Cracked ribs and a mouth full of blood and broken teeth.
The waves tossed him against the boat and deck.
Read Suzanne's response
Choose the method: Name the injury first, then judge her behaviour.
EZT practice question
What injuries did Suzanne suffer, and how did she behave?
Show the worked solution
- Her head took a severe bump and swelled alarmingly.
- She stayed quiet and later made the family a card.
Answer: Suzanne suffered a severe head bump that swelled alarmingly, but she bore it quietly and even made a card to lift her parents' spirits.
Check: She did not want to worry the adults while they were trying to save everyone.
Watch for this: Do not treat her silence as absence of injury; the text later calls it serious.
Now try it yourself
What did Suzanne write the card to do?
Check your answer
Thank her parents and encourage hope.
She wanted to lift their spirits during the crisis.
Identify who speaks the title words
Choose the method: Match the quotation to the child and listener.
EZT practice question
Who speaks the title words, and to whom?
Show the worked solution
- The question comes during the crisis on January 5.
- Jonathan is speaking to his father.
Answer: Jonathan, the six-year-old son, says the words to his father.
Check: His point is that the family can face even death together.
Watch for this: Suzanne shows courage too, but Jonathan speaks the title line.
Now try it yourself
How do the words affect the narrator?
Check your answer
They renew his determination to fight the sea.
He leaves the cabin resolved to save the family.
Explain how the story ends
Choose the method: Use the date, place and reception to complete the resolution.
EZT practice question
How does the story end?
Show the worked solution
- On January 6, the narrator sights Ile Amsterdam.
- The base community welcomes the family ashore.
Answer: Wavewalker reaches Ile Amsterdam on January 6, where the small scientific base helps the family ashore - survival through seamanship, teamwork and nerve.
Check: The island is a French scientific base with 28 inhabitants.
Watch for this: The boat does not complete the round-the-world voyage; the family survives and reaches safety.
Now try it yourself
What does the narrator call Ile Amsterdam?
Check your answer
A bleak piece of volcanic rock - and the most beautiful island in the world.
Its harsh appearance does not matter because it means safety.
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- Describe the condition of Wavewalker after the wave struck.
- How did the two children help the adults?
- What qualities of the narrator does the story reveal?
- Explain the significance of the title.
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Questions about this practice page
- What is the story of We are Not Afraid to Die about?
- A family of four and two crewmen nearly lose Wavewalker to a giant wave in the Southern Indian Ocean in January 1977, then survive through pumping, repairs and determination to reach Ile Amsterdam.
- What does the title mean?
- It quotes six-year-old Jonathan: the family could face even death as long as they faced it together. His words renew his father's will to save the boat.
- Who are Larry Vigil and Herb Seigler?
- The American and Swiss crewmen hired at Cape Town for the roughest leg of the voyage, who pumped the flooded boat tirelessly during the crisis.
- What is Wavewalker?
- The family's 23-metre, 30-ton wooden-hulled boat, built and prepared over years to duplicate Captain Cook's round-the-world voyage.
- Are these the NCERT exercise questions for We are Not Afraid to Die... if We Can All Be Together?
- No. EZT pages are original practice on this chapter - use them to prepare for the textbook exercises, not as a substitute for your book.