Q1. Read the passage given below: Ann Davison, the first woman to sail single-handedly to the Atlantic Ocean, was all set to begin her journey of hopes, aspirations and journey of troubles, when she received a gift pack. It was a Christmas gift from her friends. It contained greeting cards and small gifts that, instead of cheering her, made her feel more lonely. Ann Davison had a passion for aviation and was among the few Americans to become a pilot. Her marriage to Frank Davison had changed her life. They had bought a motorsailer named Reliance. Ann lost her husband in a tragedy with ‘Reliance’. After that she got a job and a boat ‘Felicity Ann’ which created in her the desire to sail across the Atlantic Ocean.
That day, the boat was making only a half knot. So, she ran the engine for a while and this improved her spirits. She decided to run it a little every day, while the ocean was calm. It kept the engine from corroding and the sound was good for her morale. She was waiting for a little wind to blow. But, there was a squall. She gave up trying and instead of getting nervous, she consoled herself by reading poetry in the cabin and discovering memory games. In the afternoon, a little desirable wind blew and she could cover a short distance towards her goal.
The lowering mark of fuel in her boat was alarming her. She knew she would not be able to sail everyday. Squalls had actually filled in her way more than calms. She kept her morale high, calculated miles and days. She knew she was only about seven hundred miles from Barbados. Now, she was experiencing fatigue though the twin staysails were working again and she was slowly heading towards the goal. She suspected that it was due to the deficiency of vitamin, though she had faithfully taken her vitamin tablets. As a consequence, she decided to head for Barbados, the nearest West Indies island, though she had originally planned for Antigua.
This was also due to her mental depression which was another big concern. She struggled a lot to sail to the North-West reefing and changing sails constantly, usually in the middle of the night. Now, there was one more reason for Ann Davison to worry about. She had crossed the estimated sixty-day mark for her voyage. And the store of both food and water was going to be short. She tried heavy ropes to make Felicity Ann steer better. But, the ropes got tangled up as the directions of squalls were changing constantly. She had to pull the ropes into cockpit and untangle them. This exhausted her even more and her eyes were getting so swollen that her eyesight was getting poorer. Finally, on 18th January, weak and dispirited, she made out a faint shape on the horizon, the mountainous outline of Barbados. On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions. (10×1=10)
i) What did Ann Davison receive as a Christmas gift? a. Christmas cake and a small gift b. A letter and a Christmas cake c. Greeting card and a small gift. d. A box of chocolates
ii) Even though Ann Davison single-handedly sailed to the Atlantic ocean, she had a passion for : a. Sailing b. Aviation c. Water sports d. Bike riding
iii) What created a desire in her to sail across the Atlantic Ocean? a. Ann getting a job and a boat ‘Felicity Ann’ b. Ann buying a motorsailer named Reliance c. Ann joining a training group d. Ann starting a new job as a sailor
iv) Which of the following was alarming Ann when she was sailing? a. Lowering mark of fuel b. Leakage of fuel c. The coldness of weather d. The tides in the water
v) Find a word from para 2 which means the same as : Anxious a. Corroding b. Nervous c. Alarming d. Consoled
vi) While waiting for wind to blow, how did Ann console herself? vii) Why do you think the author says, “the sound was good for her morale”? viii) What did Ann Davison do when squall struck and she could not sail any more? ix) Why did Ann Davison decide to head for Barbados although she had originally planned for Antigua? x) What exhausted her even more?
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