ENGLISH Choose From The Given Options. {Unit} [Second Exam] [2 Marks]

At dawn on January 2, the waves were gigantic. We were sailing with only a small storm jib and were still making eight knots. As the ship rose to the top of each wave we could see endless enormous seas rolling towards us, and the screaming of the wind and spray was painful to the ears. To slow the boat down, we dropped the stõrm jib and lashed a heavy mooring rope In a loop across the stern. Then we double-lashed everything, went through our life-raft drill, attached lifelines, donned oilskins and life jackets – and waited.

The first indication of impending disaster came at about 6 p.m. with an ominous silence. The wind dropped, and the sky immediately grew dark. Then came a growing roar, and an enormous cloud towered aft of the ship. With horror, I realised that it was not a cloud, but a wave like no other I had ever seen. It appeared perfectly vertical and almost twice the height of the other waves, with a frightful breaking crest.

Questions:
Q.1. ‘We were sailing with only a small jib’. In this sentence, the word shows ……………….
A. distance.
B. time.
C. a sail.
D. a type of boat.

Q.2. …………… and spray was painful to the ears’ means ………………….
A. the sound rising from the spray was too loud.
B. the water of the spray entered the ears and caused great pain.
C. the spray hit very hard causing pain.
D. None of these three

Unexpectedly, my head popped out of the water. A few metres away, Wavewalker was near capsizing, her masts almost horizontal. Then a wave hurled her upright, my lifeline jerked taut, I grabbed the guard rails and sailed through the air into Wavewalker’s main boom. Subsequent waves tossed me around the deck like a rag doll. My left ribs cracked; my mouth filled with blood and broken teeth. Somehow, I found the wheel, lined up the stern for the next wave and hung on.

Water, Water, Everywhere. I could feel that the ship had water below, but I dared not abandon the wheel to investigate. Suddenly, the front hatch was thrown open and Mary appeared. “We’re sinking!” she screamed. “The decks are smashed; we’re full of water.” “Take the wheel”, I shouted as I scrambled for the hatch.

Questions:
Q.1. When the head of the writer popped out, he saw…………..
A. his ship turning over.
B. a huge water-snake.
C. the masts of his ship were almost horizontal.
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘C’

Q.2. The writer got injured as……………
A. his ship was greatly hurled upright.
B. he struck with the mast.
C. he struck with guard rails.
D. he lost his balance.

Somehow I managed to stretch canvas and secure waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes. Some water continued to stream below, but most of it was now being deflected over the side.

More problems arose when our hand pumps started to block up with the debris floating around the cabins and the electric pump short-circuited. The water level rose threateningly. Back on deck I found that our two spare hand pumps had been wrenched overboard – along with the forestay sail, the jib, the dinghies and the main anchor.

Then I remembered we had another electric pump under the chartroom floor. I connected it to an out-pipe, and was thankful to find that it worked.

Questions:
Q.1. The writer managed to prevent water coming from gaping holes by………………….
A. covering them with his own palms.
B. asking Mary to put something into them.
C. stretching canvas a cross the gaping holes.
D. None of these three

Q.2. More problems occurred when …………………
A. the water coming in could not be prevented at all costs.
B. the hand-pumps started blocking up with the debris.
C. the electric pump short-circuited.
D. Both ‘B’ and ‘C’

l checked and rechecked my calculations. We had lost our main compass and I was using a spare which had not been corrected for magnetic variation. I made an allowance for this and another estimate of the influence of the westerly currents which flow through this part of the Indian Ocean.

About 2 p.m., I went on deck and asked Larry to steer a course of 185 degrees. If we were lucky. I told him with a conviction I did not feel, he could expect to see the island at about 5 p.m.

Then with a heavy heart, I went below, climbed on my bunk and amazingly, dozed off. When I woke it was 6 p.m., and growing dark. I knew we must have missed the island, and with the sail we had left, we couldn’t hope to beat back into the westerly winds.

At that moment, a tousled head appeared by my bunk. “Can I have a hug?” Jonathan asked.
Sue was right behind him.

“Why am I getting a hug now?” I asked.
“Because you are the best daddy in the whole world and the best captain,” My son replied.

Questions:
Q.1. What was not right of the spare compass?
A. It was not checked and rechecked thoroughly.
B. It had not been corrected for magnetic variation.
C. It did not show the exact time.
D. All of these three

Q.2. Here the meaning of the phrase ‘make an allowance for’ is …………….
A. To attract attention
B. To relieve somebody from tension
C. To prepare adequately for someone or something
D. To make excuses