The crew of a submarine lives in a world without sunrise or sunset. Inside the steel hull, day and night are set by a clock and a watch bill, and sailors rotate through three shifts so that the vessel is never left unattended. Space is the first thing to be sacrificed: bunks are stacked three high, lockers are squeezed under mattresses, and a sailor may share a narrow bed with a colleague who works the opposite shift. Privacy is a rumour, and good humour is therefore treated as seriously as any piece of equipment.
Air and water are manufactured on board. Machines split seawater to produce oxygen, while chemical scrubbers remove the carbon dioxide that the crew breathe out. Because every litre must be accounted for, showers are brief and laundry is rare. Food is stored in every available gap, and fresh vegetables are usually finished within the first fortnight, after which meals come from tins and freezers.
The greatest strain, however, is silence. A submarine survives by not being heard, so the crew speak softly, walk in soft shoes and avoid dropping tools. Contact with families is limited to short, pre-written messages, and some patrols last for months. Those who adapt best, officers say, are not the strongest but the most patient: they keep routines, share small jokes and find comfort in the knowledge that the whole crew depends upon each one of them.
Air and water are manufactured on board. Machines split seawater to produce oxygen, while chemical scrubbers remove the carbon dioxide that the crew breathe out. Because every litre must be accounted for, showers are brief and laundry is rare. Food is stored in every available gap, and fresh vegetables are usually finished within the first fortnight, after which meals come from tins and freezers.
The greatest strain, however, is silence. A submarine survives by not being heard, so the crew speak softly, walk in soft shoes and avoid dropping tools. Contact with families is limited to short, pre-written messages, and some patrols last for months. Those who adapt best, officers say, are not the strongest but the most patient: they keep routines, share small jokes and find comfort in the knowledge that the whole crew depends upon each one of them.
Question 1
Single correct option
According to the passage, why do submarine crews work in three shifts?
- A. Because the hull has no clock
- B. Because sunrise cannot be seen from inside
- C. Because bunks are shared by only three sailors
- D. So that the vessel is never left unattended
Show answer and solution
Answer: (D) So that the vessel is never left unattended
The passage says sailors rotate through three shifts 'so that the vessel is never left unattended'. The other options misread details: the clock and watch bill exist, and the bunks being stacked three high is unrelated to shifts.
Question 2
Single correct option
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way in which space is saved on a submarine?
- A. Bunks stacked three high
- B. Lockers placed under mattresses
- C. Folding walls that turn cabins into storerooms
- D. Sailors sharing beds across shifts
Show answer and solution
Answer: (C) Folding walls that turn cabins into storerooms
Stacked bunks, lockers under mattresses and shared beds are all stated in the first paragraph. Folding walls are never mentioned, so that is the item not found in the passage.
Question 3
Single correct option
The statement 'Privacy is a rumour' most nearly means that
- A. rumours about privacy spread quickly
- B. privacy is hardly ever available to the crew
- C. sailors discuss privacy in gossip
- D. privacy is protected by strict rules
Show answer and solution
Answer: (B) privacy is hardly ever available to the crew
The metaphor says privacy is something people talk of but never experience. In the cramped hull it is almost non-existent. The other choices take 'rumour' literally.
Question 4
Single correct option
What does the passage say about the oxygen supply on board?
- A. It is stored in tins and freezers
- B. It is produced by machines that split seawater
- C. It is absorbed by chemical scrubbers
- D. It is brought in fresh every fortnight
Show answer and solution
Answer: (B) It is produced by machines that split seawater
Paragraph two states that machines split seawater to produce oxygen. Scrubbers remove carbon dioxide, not supply oxygen, and tins and freezers refer to food.
Question 5
Single correct option
According to the officers, the crew members who adapt best are those who are
- A. patient and keep routines
- B. physically the strongest
- C. the most talkative
- D. the most senior
Show answer and solution
Answer: (A) patient and keep routines
The last paragraph says the best adapters 'are not the strongest but the most patient', who keep routines and share small jokes. Strength is explicitly rejected as the key quality.
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