Deep Water Question Answer 12th English

Ch- 3 DEEP WATER by William Douglas

Q1. What is the “misadventure ” that William Douglas speaks about?

Ans. Douglas had experienced the fear of water twice. Once at the age of three or four and then at the age of eleven years.

William O. Douglas had just learnt swimming. One day, an eighteen year old big bruiser picked him up and tossed him into the nine feet deep end of the Y.M.C.A. pool. He hit the water surface in a sitting position. He swallowed water and went at once to the bottom. He nearly died in this misadventure.

Q2. What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown into the pool? What plans did he make to come to the surface?

Ans.Douglas had experienced the fear of water twice. Once at the age of three or four and then at the age of eleven years at YMCA pool.

Douglas was frightened when he was thrown into the pool. However, he was not frightened out of his wits. While sinking down he made a plan. He would make a big jump when his feet hit the bottom. He would come to the surface like a cork, lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the pool.

Q3. How did this experience affect him?

Ans. Douglas had experienced the fear of water twice. Once at the age of three or four and then at the age of eleven years.

His experience of drowning at the YMCA pool had a very deep impact on Douglas. He became extremely terrorised and fearful of death.He never went back to the pool.

He shook and cried when he lay on his bed. He couldn’t eat that night. For many days, there was a haunting fear in his heart. He never went back to the pool. He feared water and avoided all water sports like boating, swimming, fishing whenever he could.

Q4. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?

Ans. His fear of water ruined his fishing trips. Whenever he went, the haunting fear of water followed

him.It deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating, and swimming. Douglas used every way he knew to overcome this fear, he had developed ’since childhood. He decided to get an instructor and learn swimming to get over his fear of water.

Q5. How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?

Ans. The instructor put a belt around him.A rope attached to the belt went through a pully.The instructor held on to the end of the rope.Thus they went back to the pool to learn,hour after hour, day after day, week after week.It took Douglas three months to reduce the fear of water.The instructor taught him to put his face underwater and exhale and to raise his nose and inhale.He repeated the exercise hundred

times.Then Douglas had to kick with his legs for many weeks till these relaxed. After seven months the instructor told him to swim the length of the pool.

Q6. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?

Ans. Douglas still felt terror-stricken when he was alone in the pool. To make sure that he had conquered the fear of water he went to Lake Wentworth in Hampshire.There he dived in and swam two miles across the Lake.

Only once when he was in the middle of water,his fear returned but he challenged his fear and confronted it and swam on.

Thus, he made sure that he had conquered the old terror.

Q7. Describe the author’s childhood experience when he was three or four years old?

Answer:

The author had an aversion to the water when he was three or four years old. His father took him to a beach in California. His father and he was standing together in the surf. Suddenly the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in the water. Father laughed.His breath was gone. This caused a terror in his mind of water.Since that time,he got an aversion of water.

Question 8.

Describe the appearance of the big boy who tossed the author into the pool?

Answer:

The boy who tossed the author was about eighteen years old. He was a kind of bruiser. He had thick hair on his chest. He was a beautiful physical specimen, with legs and arms that showed rippling muscles.

Question 9.

When did the author decide to learn swimming? Why did he join YMCA pool?

Answer:

The author decided to learn swimming at the age of ten or eleven years. There was a pool at the YMCA that offered that opportunity. The YMCA pool was quite safe. It was only two or three feet deep at the shallow end; and while it was nine feet deep at the other, the drop was gradual.

Question 10.

Why did Douglas’ mother recommend that he should learn swimming at the YMCA pool?

Answer:

The author wanted to learn swimming when he was ten or eleven years old. The river Yakima was dangerous. The author’s mother continually warned him against it and kept on telling him the incidents of drowning in it. But the YMCA pool was quite safe. Therefore she recommended YMCA pool to learn swimming.

Question 11.

What did Douglas feel and do when he was pushed into the swimming water?

Answer:

When Douglas was tossed into the water he was frightened but not much. He thought that when he reached the bottom he would make a big jump. Then he would, come to the surface like a cork. It seemed a long way down. He reached the bottom very slow. It appeared to him that those nine feet were like ninety feet, He felt that his lungs would burst.He became paralyzed. He came up very slowly. He grew panicky. He thought he would not survive.

Q12.What does the author mean by "All we have to fear is fear itself?"

Ans.- William Douglas remembers the words said by Roosevelt that there is terror only in the fear of death. 'All we have to fear is fear itself' means we actually fear in our heart. If we are determined we can overcome the fear.Deep Water. Explain the meaning . In this lesson Roosevelt says “All we have to fear is fear itself.” Douglas has experienced both the sensation of dying and terror that fear of it can produce. ... In reality all our terrors and fears are psychological . Terror is the product of our imagination.It cane be removed with our strong will power and determination, devotion and dedication.

MCQ Types

. Q1- Y.M.C.A stands for?

Ans.Young Men's Christian Association

Q2- Where is Yakima located?

Ans.In Washington

Q3- Why did he develop a fear of water?

Ans. Because of knocking down by waves at a beach

Q4- What is the theme of the story Deep Water?

Ans.Victory in facing the fear.

Q5- Deep water is an excerpt from which book?

Ans.Of Men and Mountains

Q6- What does Deep Water signify?