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We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea Trivia Quiz

A quiz on the most grown-up adventure for Arthur Ransome's Swallows.

A multiple-choice quiz by SBH. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
SBH

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
159,790

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
274

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Where have John, Susan, Titty, Roger, Mother and Bridget arrived at the beginning of the book to meet Daddy on his way home from sea? Hint

Ipswich

Pin Mill

Norwich

Dover

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Question 2 of 10

2. What is the name of the cutter in which the four older Walker children make the Channel crossing? Hint

Imp

Goblin

Sprite

Gremlin

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Question 3 of 10

3. What's the name of the skipper who invites the Swallows to sail with him for a couple of days? Hint

John Bewdley

Jem Bowring

Jack Brimley

Jim Brading

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Question 4 of 10

4. What colour are the sails of the ship in which the Swallows cross the Channel? Hint

Brown

Red

White

Black

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which of the following are not among the reasons why the Swallows drift out to sea? Hint

Frayed painter

Fog

Rising tide

Lost anchor

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Question 6 of 10

6. It's a very good thing that Titty happened to ask which was the right flag to signal a pilot. By the way, which letter was it? Hint

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which of the following was not used by the Swallows to warn other vessels that they were adrift (and then under sail) in the fog? Hint

Frying-pan

Bull roarer

Penny whistle

Ship's bell

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which of the following is not one of the reasons John decides to keep heading away from England even after the fog lifts? Hint

He wants to keep out of the main shipping channel

He's uncertain he can navigate home while tacking

Susan is badly seasick

There's a fierce storm blowing towards Holland

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Question 9 of 10

9. What do they name the kitten that they rescue? Hint

Captain Cook

Sinbad

Lord Nelson

Columbus

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Question 10 of 10

10. Why was the ship's captain so long delayed? Hint

He was prevented from returning by the fog, then by the storm

He got into a dust-up at the local pub

He was run down by a motor-bus

A trawler ran his dinghy down in the fog while he was ashore

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Where have John, Susan, Titty, Roger, Mother and Bridget arrived at the beginning of the book to meet Daddy on his way home from sea?

Answer: Pin Mill

Their father would be arriving in Harwich, an important embarkation point for vessels leaving England to cross the Channel, but the family was staying at Pin Mill.

2. What is the name of the cutter in which the four older Walker children make the Channel crossing?

Answer: Goblin

They meet her captain when they help him moor to a buoy in the harbour. ("The Imp" is her dinghy.)

3. What's the name of the skipper who invites the Swallows to sail with him for a couple of days?

Answer: Jim Brading

Just finished at Rugby College, Jim is sailing for the summer before taking a scholarship at Oxford.

4. What colour are the sails of the ship in which the Swallows cross the Channel?

Answer: Red

"The Goblin" has three sails: mainsail, staysail and jib.

5. Which of the following are not among the reasons why the Swallows drift out to sea?

Answer: Frayed painter

Jim goes ashore at low tide and is delayed. John is ashamed at himself for failing to let out more anchor chain to compensate for rising tide, but he and Susan lose the main anchor when they try to do so. Then they're unable to successfully get the kedge anchor to hold them before they're swept into water too deep to anchor in. (The fog doesn't help.)

6. It's a very good thing that Titty happened to ask which was the right flag to signal a pilot. By the way, which letter was it?

Answer: S

It's a dark blue square with a white border, although Mr. Ransome notes that "In the new code the signal for a pilot is G, with upright stripes of blue and yellow."

7. Which of the following was not used by the Swallows to warn other vessels that they were adrift (and then under sail) in the fog?

Answer: Ship's bell

Luckily, the Swallows are pretty sure of the nautical regulations about what kind of sounds they should be making once they find themselves at sea.

8. Which of the following is not one of the reasons John decides to keep heading away from England even after the fog lifts?

Answer: He wants to keep out of the main shipping channel

He tries once to turn back against the wind, but Susan can't bear it. "Head sea," Daddy later agrees. "Beastly."

9. What do they name the kitten that they rescue?

Answer: Sinbad

Roger's doubtful about the name, but Titty points out that he's a shipwrecked sailor.

10. Why was the ship's captain so long delayed?

Answer: He was run down by a motor-bus

Jim was in such a hurry that he ran out of one bus and headlong into the front of another. "Tough skull he must have got. Hurt the motor-bus a bit, I should think," Daddy remarks.

Source: Author SBH

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor minch before going online.
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