Deep Water -By William Douglas | UP Board English 12 | Chapter 3 |

 


Deep Water

Short Answer Type Question

Q.1. Where was the pool and what opportunity did it offer?
Ans:
The pool was at the Y. M. C. A. in Yakima and it used to offer the opportunity to learn swimming.
Q.2. What terror did Douglas have in his heart? How?
Ans:
Douglas had a terror for water In his heart. When he was about three or four years old, at California beach, the waves knocked him down and swept over him. so, he became fearful of water.
 
Q.3. How deep was the pool? What was there inside the water?
Ans:
The pool was nine feet deep. There was nothing inside the water except the yellow dirty tinge.
 
Q.4. What happened to the legs of Douglas inside the pool? How did he try to overcome that situation?
Ans:
Inside the pool, the legs of the narrator didn't move. His legs were paralysed and hung like dead weight. To overcome that situation, he looked for ropes, ladders, water wings but nothing he caught, only water.
 
Q.5. What terror seized Douglas? What was its effect on him?
Ans:
An absolute rigid terror of water seized Douglas. Once at California beach and other at the pool, both the incidents terrorized Douglas with the extreme level. He was so affected from it that he was scared from water for a long time but later due to his will- power, he won his fear of water.
 
Q.6. What did Douglas do inside the water to save his life?
Ans:
Douglas made a big jump inside the water to come on the surface and to save his life. He tried to lie flat on it, and to paddle to the edge of the pool but he failed.
 
Q.7. How did all efforts cease? What happened then?
Ans:
When Douglas tried all his ways to save his life and His all strategies failed. Finally he ceased all his efforts and decided to relax as blackness swept over his brain then his legs felt limp, fear and terror wiped out and then there was no panic.
 
Q.8. What was Douglas's condition after getting escaped from the pool?
Ans:
After getting escaped from the pool, he was weak and trembling, he shook and cried when he laid on his bed, he couldn't eat that night and for days a haunting fear remained in his heart. And after that day, he never went back to the pool.
 
Q9. What did Douglas come to know after few years later? What did he want then?
Ans:
Douglas came to know about the waters of the Cascades after a few years later. He wanted to get into them.
 
Q.10. What did the instructor do to train Douglas
Ans:
The instructor put a belt, attached a rope to the belt, helding the end of the rope and we went back and forth across the pond for hours. He taught Douglas to put his face underwater and exhale and to raise his nose and inhale and to kick in water for many weeks. And after seven months, the instructor declared him as a swimmer.
 
Q.11. What did the author think when he was drowning in deep water?
Ans:
Douglas was terrified. He knew that he was going drown as he didn't know to swim. So he thought of a strategy to save himself but could not execute so He panicked and felt suffocated by the water. .
 
Q 12. What was childhood incident that Douglas afraid of water?
Ans:
At the age of ten or eleven, A misadventure at the YMCA pool wherein Douglas was thrown into the deeper end of the pool by a big boy that made Douglas afraid of water.  
 
Q.13. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Ans:
Douglas was determined to get over his fear of water because it ruined his fishing trips and deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating and swimming.
 
Q.14. How did the instructor 'build a swimmer' out of Douglas?
Ans:
The instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas piece by piece. Then he perfected each piece and put them into an integrated whole.
 
Q.15. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Ans:
To ensure, that he had conquered the old terror, Douglas went to Lake Wentworth, dived off and swam two miles across the lake. He tried every stroke. Next he went to the Conrad creek and dived into the lake and swam across to the other shore and back.
 
Q.16. What was the first lesson of Douglas's training?
Ans:
The instructor taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale, and to raise his nose and inhale. He repeated the exercise hundred of times. This was the first lesson of Douglas's training?
 
Q.17. What was the second lesson of Douglas's training?
Ans:
The instructor held Douglas at the side of the pool and had him kick with his legs. At first his legs refused to work. But they gradually relaxed; and finally he could command them.
 
Q.18. How did the instructor begin Douglas's training in swimming?
Or What did the instructor do to train Douglas?
Ans:
The instructor put a belt round Douglas. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held on to the end of the rope, and they went back and forth across the pool.
 
Q.19. How did Douglas start swimming in the Y.M.C.A. pool?
Ans:
Douglas got a pair of water wings and went into the pool. He paddled with his new water wings. He watched the other boys and tried to learn by aping them.
 
Q.20. When did the writer join the Y.M.C.A. pool and why?
Ans:
He was ten or eleven years old when he joined the Y.M.C.A. pool. It offered an opportunity to learn to swim.
 
Q.21. What is the "misadventure" that William Douglas speaks about?
Ans:
Douglas goes to the swimming pool when no one else is there. He sits there waiting for someone to come. A stoutly built boy comes there and throws him into deep water. This is the misadventure he speaks about in which he narrowly escapes death.
 
Q.22. 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:
When Douglas was thrown into the pool, he landed in a sitting position. He swallowed water, and went at once to the bottom. He was frightened but he was not out of his wits. On the way down Douglas planned that when his feet hit the bottom, he would make a big jump, come to the surface, lie flat on water and paddle to the edge of the pool.
 
Q.23. How deep was the pool? What was there inside the water?
Ans:
Douglas went down to the bottom of nine feet deep water for the first time. Nine feet seemed to him lie more than ninety feet. He grew panicky. Before, he could touch the bottom, his lungs were about to burst, He felt paralysed. He was buried in the water. His breath was gone and terror overpowered his heart.
 
 
 
 
Q.24. What did Roosevelt say about the fear of death?
Ans:
Roosevelt said, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” Because he had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can produce.
 
Q.25. What was the childhood incident that made Douglas afraid of water?
Ans:
When Douglas was three or four years old, his father took him to the beach in california. While he was standing in the surf, a strong wave knocked him down and he was buried in water. His breath was gone and he was much frightened though his father was holding him. Thus he developed an aversion to water.
 

Long Answer Type Questions


Q.1. What was the fear of Douglas? How did it come in the life of Douglas?
Ans:
In the life of Douglas, there happened an incident once when he was a child of three or four years old. At California beach, he was hanging to his father when the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He buried into the water but nothing serious happened as water returned to the sea immediately. But Douglas was extremely scared from theoverpowering force of the water. Secondly, at the pool, Douglas was waiting for others and a big bruiser of a boy came there and threw Douglas into the pool just for fun. At that time, Douglas didn't know swimming and nearly drowned. Hardly somebody saved his life and he could escape.
So, in Douglas's life, the greatest fear was from water, though, later, by his will power and continuous efforts, Douglas won over his fear of water and became an expert swimmer.
 
Q.2. What incident did Douglas face at the pool? What was its effect on his life?

Ans:
Douglas wanted to learn swimming at Y.M.C.A. pool and for this purpose, he went to the pool and waited for others. After some minutes, a big bruiser of a boy came there, probably eighteen years old, and threw Douglas into the pool just for fun. But Douglas was unaware of swimming ming till that time. He went to the bottom of the pool and during the way, made a strategy to hit and jump and swim to the edge. But everytime, his efforts failed. No one was there to save his life, he screamed but no difference seemed. Finally, he surrendered, and became drowsy and unconscious. Then hardly, someone saved his life from drowning.
That incident affected his life for a long time. He never went back to pool, never went for fishing and cannoeing and then later by inner inspiration, he learned swimming and for clearing residual doubts, struggled a lot of various risky locations and then he became an expert swimmer.
 
Q.3. Describe Douglas's struggle at the pool? What strategy did he make to save his life? (2022 EJ) Or How did Douglas struggle at the pool? What strategy did he adopt to save his life?
Ans:

At the pool, the incident took place when Douglas was waiting for others, a big bruiser of a boy came there and threw Douglas into the pool just for fun. At the same time, Douglas's struggle started. He went to the bottom directly and on the way down, he planned: When his feet hit the bottom, he would make a big jump, come to the surface, lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the pool. But it seemed a long way down, those nine feet were more like ninety and before he touched bottom his lungs were ready to burst. He summoned all his strength, hit the bottom but he came up slowly. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but water only. He grew panicky. He wanted to catch a rope but there was only water. He was suffocating. He tried to yell but no sound came out. His legs hung as dead weights, paralysed and rigid. His lungs ached, head throbbed. He was getting dizzy. Again he tried the way, he thought and planned but failed. The terror had seized him completely. He was shrieking under water but his screams in his throat frozen. Nothing positive happened. Again he applied his strategy but his arms couldn't move, his legs couldn't move. He cried for help but no one came there. And finally, he started to be drowsy and became unconscious. He crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell. But fortunately, somebody came and saved his life.
 
Q.4. What did Douglas decide to overcome his fear of water? How long it took to Douglas to become a swimmer?
Ans:
Douglas was a person who unfortunately faced an unwanted and unexpected situation in his childhood days. Two incidents of his childhood with the water made him scared of water. And for a long time, he stayed far from the water. Later, by the inner Inspiration and attraction towards water, compelled him to go close to the water again. And to overcome his fear of water, he learnt swimming under the supervision of a coach. But still he had some residual doubts. And for clearing those residual doubts, he went to many lakes, docks and Islands. At different locations, he swam miles of distance, crossed whole lakes up and down, went to meadows and glaciers and gained a lot of confidence and experience. Sometimes when he was in the mid of water, the old terror returned, but he put his face urider and laughed and said, "Well, Mr. Terror, what do you think you can do to me?" The terror fled and he swam on.
Thus, with long and dedicated efforts, Douglas become an expert swimmer. It took about eleven to twelve months to became a confident swimmer.
 
Q.5. How did the incident at the YMCA pool affect Douglas?
Ans:
The near drowning experience had a very deep impact on Douglas. It left a haunting in his heart. He was extremely sacred of water and avoided going near it whenever he could. The fear deprived him of the joys of boating and fishing and destroyed his social life. This incident affected his life for a long time.
 
Q.6. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Or
How did Douglas succeed in overcoming his fear of water?                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Ans:
Douglas, was terrorized by the water two times. Once when he went to California beach with his father, the waves knocked him down and he was buried in water. Second when he decided to learn swimming, he went to a pool, waited and a big bruiser of à boy threw him into the pool just for fun and hardly, Douglas was saved. So, Douglas had a great fear of water in his heart. But later, again his conscience pressurized him to get rid of the fear of water. And for that he approached to a trainer and learnt swimming continuously for three months and the trainer certified him as a swimmer. But still the residual doubts were left. He went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, dived off a dock at Triggs Island and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. Once terror returned in the middle of the lake, but he laughed and scolded the terror and swam on. Then Douglas hurried west, went up the Tieton to Conrad Meadows, up the Conrad Creek Trail to Meade Glacier, and camped in the high meadow by the side of Warm Lake. The next morning, he stripped dived into the lake, and swam across to the other shore and back-just as Doug Corpron used to do. I shouted with joy, and Gilbert Peak returned the echo. He had conqueredmy fear of water.
 
Q7. What handicap stayed with Douglas for a long time? What did he do to resolve it from the life?
Ans:
A handicap of water phobia stayed with Douglas for a long time. Due to childhood incident at California beach and fatal incident at Y. M. C. A. pool, he was in great fear of water.
To resolve this fear from his life, he learnt swimming by an instructor for seven months. But being unsatisfied, he went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, dived off a dock at Triggs Island and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. Doing such a lot, he had residual doubts. At his first opportunity he hurried west, went up the Tieton to Conrad Meadows, up the Conrad Creek Trail to Meade Glacier, and camped in the high meadow by the side of Warm Lake. The next morning, he stripped, dived into the lake, and swam across to the other share and back. And finally, he shouted with joy, and Gilbert peak returned the echo. Thus, he conquered his fear of water.
 
Q.8. When did Douglas decide to learn swimming?
Ans:
Douglas was ten or eleven years old. At that stage he decided to learn swimming. He knew that there was a good swimming pool at Y.M.C.A. campus in the city of Yakima. This swimming pool was perfect in all circumstances, so Douglas got an opportunity to fulfil his desire. Her mother had warned him against the deep water of the river. Y.M.C.A. was not a river and so the young Douglas decided to join the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool.
 
Q.9. How did Douglas find Y.M.C.A. swimming pool safe to swim?
Ans:
Douglas was interested in learning swimming. But his mother told him that Yakima River was treacherous and she continually warned him against river's flow. Many a time people had drowned in that river. But Douglas was told that to learn swimming the Y.M.C.A. pool was perfectly safe. The water of the pool was safe as it was not running water as that of the river. The pool's water was only two or three feet deep at the shallow end. This way Douglas found this swimming pool safe, he got a pair of water wings and went to the pool to start his swimming practice.
 
Q.10. What did Douglas decide to overcome his fear of water?
Or
What handicap stayed with Douglas for a long time? What did he do to resolve it from the life? 

Ans:
The handicap of being afraid of water' stayed with Douglas for a long time. But he made a firm decision to overcome it. The instructor trained Douglas in swimming from October to April and built a swimmer out of him. He still wondered if he would be terror-stricken when he was alone in the pool. He was not satisfied until July that all the terror had left. Then he did the following to overcome his fear of water: (i) He went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire. He dived off a dock and swam two miles across the lake. He swam the crawl, breast stroke, side stroke, and back stroke. When he was in the middle of the lake, he put his face under water, the old sensation returned for a while. But it fled and he swam on. (ii) Yet he had residual doubts. At his first opportunity he camped in the high meadow by the side of Warm Lake. The next morning he dived into the lake, and swam across to the other shore and back. He shouted with joy, he had conquered his fear of water.
Thus be overcame his fear of water.
 
Q.11. Describe the incident at Y.M.C.A. pool.
Ans:
The incident which nearly killed Douglas occurred when he was ten or eleven years old. To get rid of his fear of water, he decided to learn swimming at the YMCA pool. One morning, when he was alone at the pool, waiting for others, a big bully of a boy tossed him into the deep end of the pool. Though he had planned a strategy to save himself, his plan failed. He went down to the bottom and became panicky. Thrice he struggled hard to come to the surface, but failed each time. He was almost drowned in the pool. He lost his consciousness and felt that he would die. Though he was ultimately saved this misadventure developed in him a strong aversion to water.
 
Q.12. "Our determination helps us to achieve success". Explain.
Ans:

To get rid of his fear of water, Douglas was determined. For this, he engaged an instructor who would perfect him in swimming. The instructor first helped him overcome his fear, and then gave him many exercises besides teaching him to exhale and inhale in water. The practice went on for months together, during which his fear came back to haunt him, but his desire was firm and he made persistent efforts. It was only through sheer determination and meticulousness that Douglas could not only flout his terror, but also become an expert swimmer. He swam across and back lakes to ensure that his fear of water did not return. He had now completely lost his fear. His desire, determination and diligence succeeded in banishing his fear of water.
 
Q.13. How did the instructor "build a swimmer" out of Douglas ?
Ans:
Douglas wanted to learn how to swim. So he took an instructor to teach him swimming. The instructor put a belt round Douglas. A rope was attached to the belt and went through a pully that ran on an overhead cable. The instructor held on the end of the rope. This way he ensured that Douglas would not drown. They went back at forth. Within three months the terror of water started to become less and less. Then he taught Douglas to exhale in water. He also held him on the edge of the pool while Douglas kicked with his legs. This way he repeated each exercise hundreds of times and became a perfect swimmer. Thus the instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas.
 
Q.14. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Or
What did Douglas decide to overcome his fear of water?
Or
How did Douglas succeed in overcoming his fear of water?

Ans:
The fear that developed in the pool stayed with Douglas for years. The fear of water ruined his fishing trips, boating and swimming. It firmly held him in his grip. Finally, he decided to get an instructor and learn to swim. He practised five days a week, an hour each day. The instructor put a belt around him. A rope was attached to the belt. The rope went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. Douglas held one end of the rope, and went back and forth across the pool. After three months tension began to slack. The instructor was able to build a swimmer out of Douglas.
Douglas was still not very sure. Some signs of old fear would return when he was alone in the pool. One day he went to Lake Wentworth and dived off a dock at Triggs Island. He swam two miles across the lake. Finally, he was able to conquer his fear of water.
 
Q.15. How did the incident at the YMCA pool affect Douglas?
Ans:
The author (William Douglas) had gone to YMCA pool to learn swimming to overcome his childhood fear. However, a mishap happened that further deepened his fear. The narrator was sitting alone on the edge of the pool; a big muscular boy came and threw him into the pool. Douglas did not know swimming; he almost drowned. If the muscular boy had not saved him, Douglas could have drowned.
The drowning Incident at the pool had many short and long-term consequences on Douglas. The short-term consequences such as weakness, trembling, sickness, haunting fear of water, etc.
As time elapsed, these consequences took the shape of more sinister and deeply ingrained fears. Douglas developed a perennial aversion to water; the very sight of a water body such as a lake, river, water fall, etc. made him petrified. When he accompanied his friends to any picnic spot, he would stay on shore, while his friends enjoyed the water sports and recreational activities. Douglas felt terribly scared and bad about it. This humiliation gave birth to a strong desire to overcome his fear of water.
 
Q.16. Describe Douglas's struggle at the pool ? What did he do to save his life?
Or
How did Douglas struggle at the pool? What strategy did he adopt to save his life?

Ans:
Douglas, wanted to learn swimming at Y.M.C.A. pool and for this purpose, he went to the pool and waited for others. After some minutes, a big bruiser of a boy came there, probably eighteen years old, and threw Douglas into the pool just for fun. But Douglas did not know how to swim by that time. He went to the bottom of the pool and during the way, made a strategy to hit and jump and swim to the edge. But everytime, his efforts failed. No one was there to save his life, he screamed but it was for no use. Finally, surrendered, and became drowsy and unconscious. Then hardly, someone saved his life from drowning. That incident affected his life for a long time. He never went back to pool, never went for fishing and cannoeing and then later by inner inspiration, he learned swimming and for clearing residual doubts, struggled a lot of various risky locations and then he became an expert swimmer.
 
Q.17. What handicap stayed with Douglas for a long time? What did he do to resolve it from the life?
Ans:
Fear of water was a handicap Douglas developed during his childhood. It stayed with him as he grew older. It ruined his pursuits of pleasure such as conoeing, boating, swimming and fishing. He used every method he knew to over come this fear. Finally, he determined to get an instructor and learn swimming. The instructor built a swimmer out of him. But to confirm that the terror would not strike him when he was swimming alone, Douglas decided to go to lake wentworth and swam across to the other shore and back.
                                                                                                               

MCQs


1. There was a pool at the ___________ in Yakima that offered exactly the opportunity.
(a) Y.C.M.A.
(b) Y.A.M.C.
(c) Y.M.C.A.
(d) Y.A.C.M.
 
2. From the beginning, Douglas had an to the______________ water. (a) intensity
(b) aversion
(c) intimacy
(d) None
 
3. The water was still, and the tiled bottom was as white and clean as a____________.
(a) snow
(b) bathroom
(c) floor
(d) bathtub
 
4. It seemed a long way down and those nine feet were more like_________.
(a) ninety
(b) nineteen
(c) ninety-nine
(d) None
 
5. Inside the pool, the narrator screamed, but only the___________ heard him.
(a) mother
(b) coach
(c) father
(d) water
 
6. Only his heart, and the pounding in his head, said that he was still
(a) conscious
(b) alive
(c) unconscious
(d) dead
 
7. He started down a ________ time and sucked for air and got water.
(a) third
(b) second
(c) last
(d) first
 
8. A few years later when he came to know the waters of the ___________he wanted to get into them.
(a) waterfalls
(b) rain
(c) pool
(d) cascades
 
9. On_________October, he decided to get an instructor and learn to swim.
(a) two
(b) one
(c) three
(d) nineteen
 
10. In _______ he said, "Now you can swim. Dive off and swim the length of the pool, crawl stroke".
(a) August
(b) July
(c) March
(d) April
 
11. When Douglas was in the middle of the lake, he put his face under and saw nothing but _____________ water.
(a) limitless
(b) bottomless
(c) deep
(d) unlimited
 
12. Roosevelt said, "All we have to fear is __________ itself.
(a) fear
(b) death
(c) water
(d) lake
 



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