Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 2 NCERT Solutions 2026-27

Concept used. This is a sequence answer. We must separate the captain's preparation before the wave from his repair work after the wave.

1. To protect the ship, the captain dropped the storm jib and slowed the boat.
2. He lashed a heavy mooring rope across the stern and double-lashed everything on deck.
3. The crew went through the life-raft drill, attached lifelines and wore oilskins and life jackets.
4. To check flooding, he stretched canvas and waterproof hatch covers over the open starboard holes.
5. He used the working electric pump under the chartroom floor when the hand pumps blocked and the main electric pump failed.

Concept used. Mental condition means the inner state of the characters. We infer it from their words, actions and the worsening weather.

1. On January 4, the voyagers were exhausted after thirty-six hours of pumping.
2. They felt brief relief when the water level came under control and they ate after nearly two days.
3. Their hope soon weakened because the weather became violent again.
4. On January 5, the situation was desperate. Jon asked if they were going to die.
5. Yet the children showed courage by saying they were not afraid if the family stayed together.

Concept used. A narrative shift is a change in focus, pace or mood. This story moves through preparation, crisis and rescue.

1. The first section moves from the dream voyage to the giant wave, smashed hull, emergency repairs and Sue's hidden injury.
2. A suitable subtitle is The Dream Voyage Meets the Giant Wave.
3. The second section covers the long struggle after January 3: damage assessment, pumping, hope of Ile Amsterdam, renewed storm and the children's courage.
4. A suitable subtitle is Holding On After the Wave.
5. The third section shows final navigation, suspense, discovery of Ile Amsterdam, landing and reflection.
6. A suitable subtitle is Landfall After Courage.

Concept used. This is a comparison answer. We compare how adults and children respond to the same danger.

1. The adults react through action. The captain repairs, steers, pumps and calculates.
2. Mary helps at the wheel during crucial hours. Larry and Herb keep pumping.
3. The children react with quiet courage. Sue hides her injuries so others do not worry.
4. Jon says he is not afraid of dying if the family remains together.
5. The adults show practical bravery, while the children show emotional bravery.

Concept used. Optimism means holding on to hope while still facing facts. In this story it appears through work, calculation and family trust.

1. The captain never denies danger, but he keeps looking for the next useful step.
2. He repairs the hull, finds another pump, calculates their position and steers toward Ile Amsterdam.
3. Mary, Larry and Herb continue their work in terrible conditions.
4. Sue's card and Jon's faith remind the captain why survival matters.
5. Their optimism is active: it makes them keep working when surrender seems easier.

Concept used. This is a reflective answer. It should draw lessons from the episode without becoming too general.

1. We learn that panic wastes precious time, while calm action can save lives.
2. Teamwork matters because no single person can handle every task in a crisis.
3. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is continuing to act while afraid.
4. Family love and responsibility can give people extra strength.
5. Hazardous experiences also teach respect for nature and for careful preparation.

Concept used. This answer asks for human motivation. Give reasons and connect them to the captain's dream.

1. Some people want to test their skills against difficult conditions.
2. Some are inspired by earlier explorers, as the captain was inspired by Captain James Cook.
3. Adventure offers freedom, discovery and a sense of achievement.
4. People may also want to understand nature by meeting it directly.
5. They accept risk because the experience gives meaning that ordinary safety cannot provide.

Concept used. This is a language-awareness answer. It asks students to notice how one idea may have many local words.

1. The answer depends on the student's language.
2. In Hindi, possible words include aandhi, toofan, chakravaat and jhanjha.
3. Other Indian languages may have different words for rainstorm, windstorm or cyclone.
4. The important point is to list words that truly refer to stormy weather.

Concept used. Vessel vocabulary names different kinds of water transport. The answer should give local words for boats or ships.

1. In Hindi, possible terms include naav for boat and jahaaz for ship.
2. Kashti is another common word for boat in many contexts.
3. A student may add words from their region for ferry, canoe or fishing boat.
4. The answer should show that languages often classify vessels by size, use or shape.

Concept used. This is an etymology question. Etymology means the origin and history of a word.

1. The word catamaran comes from Tamil.
2. It is linked to the Tamil word kattumaram.
3. The parts mean tied wood or logs tied together.
4. This origin fits the older form of a raft-like vessel.

Concept used. This is a cultural-response question. It asks students to connect work songs with emotion.

1. Boatmen's songs often express rhythm, effort and togetherness.
2. They may express longing for home, love, devotion or hope for safe travel.
3. Some songs also carry sadness because rivers and seas can separate people.
4. A student may mention a local song if they know one.

Concept used. These are homonyms or words with different senses. We must give common non-ship uses.

1. Knot can mean a tied loop, as in a knot in a rope or shoelace.
2. Stern can mean strict or serious, as in a stern teacher.
3. Boom can mean a loud sound or a period of sudden growth, as in an economic boom.
4. Hatch can mean to emerge from an egg.
5. Anchor can mean a person or thing that gives support, or a news presenter.

Concept used. A compound word joins parts to make a new meaning. Here, each word has ship as the second part.

1. An airship is a large aircraft kept in the air by gas, often shaped like a long balloon.
2. A flagship is the chief ship in a fleet. It can also mean the best or main product of a company.
3. A lightship is a ship fitted with a light, used like a lighthouse to warn or guide other vessels.

Concept used. A phrasal verb must be read in its sentence. The nearby words decide the correct meaning.

1. The third paragraph says the family took on two crewmen, Larry Vigil and Herb Seigler.
2. Here, take on refers to bringing people into the voyage as helpers.
3. It does not mean to fight an opponent or to assume a quality.
4. The correct dictionary meaning is to employ or engage someone.

Concept used. Labelling needs position words. A yacht is read from front to back and from deck to sail.

1. Bow is the front part of the yacht, marked by the left-pointing arrow at the front of the hull.
2. Stern is the rear part, marked near the back of the hull.
3. Cabin is the covered room or shelter on the deck.
4. Cockpit is the open sitting or control area near the stern.
5. Mast is the tall upright pole that holds the sails.
6. Mainsail is the large sail attached to the mast.
7. Boom is the horizontal pole at the lower edge of the mainsail.
8. Rudder is the steering blade at the back, below the stern.

Concept used. This is a fact-table reading answer. We collect details from the table and write them in complete sentences.

1. Ile Amsterdam is located in the South Indian Ocean.
2. It lies between the southernmost parts of Australia and South Africa.
3. The textbook gives its latitude and longitude as 37 92 S, 77 67 E.
4. Its sovereignty belongs to France, and it is part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands.
5. Its population is 35, listed as meteorological station staff.
6. Its land area is given as 86 square kilometres.

Concept used. Map location uses ocean, nearby continents and coordinates. We use all three clues to avoid guessing.

1. Look in the southern Indian Ocean.
2. Find the broad ocean space between South Africa and Australia.
3. Use the given latitude and longitude from the textbook table as a guide.
4. Mark Ile Amsterdam as a small island in that remote ocean region.
5. It is much closer to open sea than to a large mainland city.