DEEP WATER

Textual Question
Q1. What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
Or
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?
Answer – William Douglas, the narrator recounts a terrifying childhood
experience when he came face to face with death. When he was 10 or 11 years
old, he was tossed into a 9 feet deep swimming pool at YMCA by a bigger boy
just for the sake of “fooling” or for fun. Although he was a beginner, Douglas
did not lose heart and planned to push himself with all his force. He thought
once he comes to the surface, he would peddle to the age of the pool.
Unfortunately, this strategy did not work. He could not pop out of the water like
a cork. His legs failed to support him. Terror gripped him with water all around
him, did not know what to do. His lungs get ready to burst out and the pounding
heart throbbing head made things worse. He could not scream and was frozen
with fear. It seemed that the water around him was still and no amount of effort
helped him. Suddenly, he felt there were tender arms around him and he was
rescued.
Q2. How did this experience affect him?
Answer – After being rescued Douglas had lost consciousness and found
himself beside the pool lying on his stomach and vomiting. This misadventure
left him week and trembling. He shook seriously and cried at night. He could
not eat anything and for days a haunting fear was knocking in his heart. The
slightest exertion trouble him very much, making him weak from the bottom of
his heart.
Q3. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Answer – After some years Douglas desperately wanted to get rid of his
paralysing fear because any activity, bathing or in the water would bring back
the icy horror of the pool. It was a terrible handicapped that had seized his mind
completely. His legs would become paralysed thinking of the swimming pool
incident. He wanted to overcome it because the terrified fear had removed his
fishing trips and deprived him of the joy of boating and swimming.
Q4. How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?
Answer – Douglas agonising fear was ruining his life. He could not enjoy even
the day-to-day activities related to water sports. Finally, he decided to get an
instructor and learn to swim. The instructor understood the magnitude and
severity of the terror that gripped him. For 3 months Douglas repeatedly made
to go back and forth across the pool. Then Douglas was taught to put his face
underwater and exhale and to raise his nose and inhale. Later, for mixed
together, he was made to kick with his legs at the side of pool. Then the
instructor built a swimmer bit by bit and put each bit together into an integrated
whole. Finally, he told the narrator to swim with the narrator managed to do
quite successfully.
Q5. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Answer – After the instructor completed his training, Douglas wanted to cross
check if he had really conquered his old terror. So, he tried swimming all alone
in the pool. Only a slight trace of terror would return which he managed to
tackle well. Still not satisfied, Douglas went to Lake Wentworth and swam there
practicing all the strokes. Only once he felt that the old terror return. When he
put his face under the water. Douglas did not want the slightest traces of fear to
remain. So, he went west and camped besides the warm lake. He dived into the
lake and only when he swam across to the others shore and back, he shouted
with joy. Finally he was sure that he had defeated his old ally-the phobia of
water bodies.
Q6. How does Douglas make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped
him as he almost drowned? Describe the details that have made the description
vivid.
Answer – Douglas mention each and every details nicely. Although panicky, he
had his strategy in place – popping up like a cork and then paddling to the edge
of the pool. Unfortunately, His attempt was gone wrong and terror seized him.
He also tried to grab a rope but his hands clutched only at water. He tried to yell
but no sound came out. His body parts were not supporting him because his legs
were paralysed, lungs ached and head throbbed. His voice was frozen. The only
signs he had were his beating heart and pounding head. Douglas tried to strike
back by jumping hard. This did not make a difference as there was water all
around. He attempted to come out of water a third time, but in vain. He sucked
for air and got water. Finally, he stopped making efforts and fainted into
oblivion. All the above details of his gripping. The clarity with which he
explains is amazing and makes the reader visualise his dismal condition aptly.
Q7. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Answer – The fear that gripped Douglas after the near drowning accident in the
pool, strike him many times. Finally, one, October he decided to engage an
instructor and learn the art of swimming. He practiced 5 days week, an hour
each day. The instructor understood the magnitude of the problem and devised
noble method by which Douglas waist was attached to a group that went
through a pulley. the instructor held on the rope as the narrator swam back and
forth across the floor. Douglas could feel confident for this. However, he grew
panicky every time the instructor loosened his grip or when he kept his face
underwater. The instructor also taught Douglas to exhale under water and inhale
by raising his nose from water. He made him kick with his legs so that the
narrator could command them. From October to April, Douglas perfected his
swimming. To get rid of his childhood fear, he subjected himself to rigorous
test. After that he used to practice in the pool till July. Still, he was not satisfied
and went to Lake Wentworth. liquid filled old traces of air coming back but he
dropped them away by sheer grit and determination. To be double sure, he dived
into the warm lake. His Joy knew no bounds because he had conquered his fear
ultimately.
Q8. Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and
his conquering of it? What larger meaning does he draw from this experience?
Answer – Douglas, as an adult, recounts his childhood experience of terror and
his ability to conquer his fear which portray that nothing is impossible, when a
person wants to set things possible. Determination is the only thing that required
to overcome any hurdle in life. He faced this thing practically when a big bully
tossed him into the deep end of the YMCA pool. Through training from an
instructor finally made him a swimmer.
Q9. “All we have to fear is fear itself”. Have you ever had a fear that you have
now overcome? Share your experience with your partner.
Answer – Fear is just a state of mind. If we dread things they become difficult
and unattainable and the moment we get determined to overcome from a
particular fear every hurdle resolves. Almost everyone has fear through which
day live. We depend upon us whether we I want to face it or not. Like Douglas
who had the fear for deep water, I had the fear from height. Whenever I used to
get on some height, I used to feel that I will fall and die. Tall buildings and hill
stations where something I used to keep myself away from. My fear had lost all
the limits when one day I used to climb a ladder to pull something down and I
felt as this was the end of the world for me. So, my family have decided a trip to
Darjeeling, so that I could experience the beauty of height. Things have a
different perception when looked from above. There, my parents made me
climb a particular mountain. As I kept climbing up my fears soared, but when I
finally reached the top and looked below things started looking beautiful as
never before. From that point I overcome my greatest fear and feel myself to be
a better and relaxed person.
Short Answer Type Questions: 3 Marks (30-40 Words)
Question 1: Why did Douglas fail to come to the surface of the pool as he hope
to?
Answer: When Douglas was drowning in the swimming pool, he tried to come
to the surface of the pool but failed because he was overcome with fear and
could not move his limbs. He felt that he would die.
Question 2: How did Douglas’ introduction to the YMCA pool revive his
childhood fear of water?
Answer: Douglas’ introduction to YMCA pool revived his childhood fear of
water as, when he had not yet learnt swimming, he was thrown into the pool’s
deep end by a bully and sank to the bottom despite his best efforts.
Question 3: What shocking experience did Douglas have at YMCA pool?
Answer: One day when Douglas started going to the YMCA pool for learning
swimming, a big bully threw Douglas into the deep-end of the pool when no
one was around. Douglas had a shocking experience as he almost drowned that
day.
Question 4: What deep meaning did his experience at the YMCA swimming
pool have for Douglas?
Answer: The experience at the YMCA pool had a deep meaning for Douglas. As
he had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that the fear of it
can produce, he learnt the will to live in great intensity.
Question 5: How did his experience at the YMCA swimming pool affect
Douglas?
Answer: Douglas’ experience at the YMCA pool left a haunting fear of water in
his heart. He started avoiding going near water for many years. It prevented him
from fishing, canoeing, boating and swimming, besides ruining his social life.
Question 6: ‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’ When did Douglas learn this
lesson?
Answer: Douglas learnt this lesson after he had conquered his fear of water
completely. He went to Lake Wentworth, dived into the warm lake, and swam
across the other shore and back. He shouted with joy at finally having
conquered his fear.
Question 7: Why did Douglas’ mother recommend that he should learn
swimming at the YMCA pool?
Answer: According to Douglas, the Yakima River was quite deep and there were
several cases of drowning reported there. His mother told him that the YMCA
pool was only two or three feet deep at the shallow end. Though its depth was
about nine feet the deeper end, yet the drop was gradual.
Question 8: What lesson did Douglas learn when he got rid of his fear of water?
Answer: After getting rid of his fear of water, Douglas realised that what one
has to fear is fear itself and if he is able to overcome fear, he can achieve
anything he wants.
Question 9: How did Douglas remove his residual doubts about his fear of
water?
Answer: After the instructor had trained Douglas in the art of swimming,
Douglas felt parts of the fear now and then. So, he went to Lake Wentworth and
swam across to the other shore and back. This way he conquered his fear.
Question 10: Which two incidents in Douglas’ early life made him scared of
water?
Answer: Once Douglas’ father took him to a beach in California where he was
knocked down by strong waves and got breathless. Secondly, a boy tossed
Douglas into the deep end of the YMCA pool. He tried hard to come out of it
but fell unconscious after some time.
Question 11: What did Douglas feel and do when he was pushed into the
swimming pool?
Answer: When Douglas was thrown into the pool, he was frightened did not
lose heart and planned to push himself up with all his force. He thought that
once he came to the surface, he would paddle to the edge of the pool. Thrice, he
tried to come to the surface, but unfortunately his strategy did not work.
Question 12: How did his swimming instructor ‘build a swimmer’ out of
Douglas?
Answer: The instructor adopted a systematic method to turn Douglas into a
swimmer. He first made Douglas shed his initial fear of water by making him
cross a pool suspended by a rope attached to a pulley. Then he taught him to
breathe while swimming, and finally he taught him the leg movements and
other strokes.
Question 13: What happened when a ‘big bruiser of a boy’ tossed Douglas into
the YMCA pool? How did Douglas plan to come out?
Answer: Douglas landed inside the pool in a sitting position, swallowed water
and went at once to the bottom of the YMCA pool. On the way down he
planned that once his feet would hit the bottom, he would make a big jump to
come out.
Question 14: What efforts did Douglas make to get over his fear of water?
Answer: Douglas engaged an instructor to get over his fear of water. 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.
Question 15: Why did Douglas go to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire? How
did he make his terror flee?
Answer: Douglas was not satisfied with his practice so he decided to go to Lake
Wentworth. There he was swimming in the middle of the lake, only once did the
terror return, but he finally overcame it, and it did not return again.
Question 16: Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Answer: The phobia of water hampered Douglas’ joys of enjoying different
water sports like fishing, canoeing, boating and swimming. He did not want to
live with this handicap and so was determined to overcome his fear of water.
Question 17: What did Douglas experience when he went down to the bottom of
the pool for the first time?
Answer: When Douglas was going down to the bottom of the pool for the first
time, those nine feet felt almost like ninety feet to him. His lungs were ready to
burst, but somehow, he summoned all his strength and made desperate efforts
for survival.
Question 18: When Douglas realised that he was sinking, how did he plan to
save himself?
Answer: When Douglas realised that he was sinking he did not lose his wits and
thought to make a big jump when his feet touched the bottom, so that he could
reach the surface and finally paddle to the edge of the pool.
Question 19: What sort of terror seized Douglas as he went down the water with
a yellow glow? How could he feel that he was still alive?
Answer: When Douglas found himself deep down into the water with a yellow
glow, stark terror gripped him and he had no control over it. He felt paralysed,
stiff and rigid with fear. It was only his throbbing heart that made him realise
that he was still alive.
Long Answer Type Questions: 6 Marks (120 – 150 Words)
Question 1: “All we have to fear is fear itself”. Describe Douglas’ experiences
which led to making of the statement.
Answer: Douglas has experienced both the sensation of dying and terror that the
fear of death can cause. Strong will, determination, courage as well as honest
labour won over all his terrors and fears. The will to live brushed aside all his
fears. In reality all our fears are only psychological, and can be easily won over,
if we can control our mind. This realisation makes Douglas resolve to learn
swimming by engaging an instructor. This instructor, piece by piece, built
Douglas into a swimmer. However, his first step was to drive away Douglas’
fear of water, before training him in swimming techniques. When Douglas tried
and swam the length of the pool up and down, small traces of his old terror of
water would return. So, he went to Lake Wentworth, dived at Triggs Island and
swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. Finally, he was certain that
he had conquered his fear of water.
Question 2: “I crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell.” What was the
incident which nearly killed Douglas and developed in him a strong aversion to
water.?
Answer: The incident which nearly killed Douglas occurred when he was ten or
eleven years old. He had decided to learn swimming at the YMCA pool, and
thus get rid of his fear of water. 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 as he went down, his plan did
not work. Thrice he struggled hard to come to the surface, but failed each time.
He was frightened and got almost drowned in the pool, lost his consciousness
and felt that he would die. Though he was ultimately saved, this misadventure
developed in him a strong aversion to water.
Question 3: Desire, determination and diligence lead to success. Explain the
value of these qualities in the light of Douglas’ experience in ‘Deep Water’.
Answer: The terror of water followed Douglas wherever he went. To get rid of
it, he made a strong determination. He decided to overcome his fear through his
will power. He engaged an instructor who would perfect him in swimming. The
instructor first helped him drive away his fear, and then gave him many
exercises besides teaching him how 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 and firm will made him persist in his efforts. It was only through
sheer determination and diligence that Douglas could not only counter his terror,
but also became an expert swimmer. He swam across and back large distances
to ensure that his fear of water did not return. Hence, desire, determination and
diligence succeeded in removing his fear of water.
Question 4: What misadventure did Douglas experience at the YMCA
swimming pool?
Answer: As the timid Douglas sat alone at the side of the YMCA swimming
pool waiting for other people to come, a big boy, probably eighteen years old
came there. He asked Douglas whether he would like to be ducked. Saying this,
he picked up Douglas and tossed him into the deep end of the pool. Douglas
landed inside the pool in a sitting position, swallowed water and went at once to
the bottom of the pool. Though Douglas was extremely frightened he had his
wits intact so on his way down he started to plan. He decided that when his feet
would hit the bottom, he would make a big jump, come to the surface, lie flat on
it and then paddle to the edge of the pool.
Question 5: Describe the efforts made by Douglas to save himself from
drowning in the YMCA swimming pool.
Answer: When his feet hit the bottom of the pool, Douglas summoned up all his
strength and made a great spring upwards thinking he would bob to the surface
like a cork. But when nothing like that happened, Douglas tried to yell but no
sound came out. Now a great force was pulling him under. He was paralysed
under water, stiff and rigid with fear. Then in the midst of the terror came a
touch of reason that he should remember to jump when he hit the bottom. As
soon as he felt the tiles under him, he reached out his toes towards them and
jumped again with all his strength. Yet again the jump did not make any
difference. The water was still around him. Stark terror took an even deeper
hold on him and he shook and trembled with fright. He could not move his arms
and legs. He tried to call for help but nothing happened.
Finally, he ceased all his efforts and decided to relax as blackness swept over his
brain.
Question 6: How did Douglas’ experience at the YMCA pool affect him and
how did he overcome his fear of water?
Answer: Douglas’ experience at the YMCA pool had a far-reaching effect on
him. He never went back to the pool. He feared water. He tried to avoid it
whenever he could. And whenever he went to a pool, the terror that seized him
in the pool would come back. His legs would become paralysed. Icy horror
would grab his heart. This handicap stayed with Douglas for years. It ruined his
fishing trips. He lost the joy of canoeing, boating, and swimming. William
Douglas used every way to overcome his fear of water but with little success. It
held him firmly in its grip. Finally, one October, he decided to employ an
instructor and learn to swim. He went to a pool and practised five days a week,
an hour each day. Douglas did succeed in his mission. The instructor made him
an expert swimmer.
Question 7: How did Douglas develop an aversion to water?
Answer: Douglas developed an aversion to water in his early childhood. When
he was three or four years old, his father took him to a beach in California. The
waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in water. He was
frightened and perhaps this was the moment his fear of water took root inside
his mind. Further, when Douglas was ten or eleven years old, he decided to
learn to swim and went to the YMCA pool. Here an incident took place that
finally established his aversion to water as a big fear. One day when Douglas
was alone at the pool sitting on the edge and waiting for others to come, a big
boy threw him into the deep end of the pool.
What followed was a nightmarish experience for him. Douglas tried very hard
and applied all his knowledge to come to the surface of the water but to no
avail. Somehow, he was saved. Thus, after this fearful incident, his fear of water
got implanted in his heart and mind permanently.
Question 8: How did the instructor make Douglas a good swimmer?
Answer: To overcome his fear of water, Douglas finally decided to get an
instructor to learn swimming. The instructor started working with him five days
a week, an hour each day. The instructor put a belt around Douglas. A rope was
attached to the overhead cable. The instructor held on to the end of the rope and
along with Douglas went back and forth across the pool, hour after hour, day
after day, week after week. On each trip across the pool a bit of panic seized
Douglas. It took almost three months before the tension reduced.
Then the instructor taught him to put his face under the water and exhale and
raise his nose and inhale. For weeks, his instructor made him kick with his legs.
Until, he was able to command his legs at his will. In this way, piece by piece,
his instructor made Douglas a swimmer. When Douglas perfected each piece,
his instructor put them together into an integrated one. As a result, in nearly six
months Douglas was able to swim, dive, crawl and so on.
Value Based Answer Type Questions: 6 Marks (120 – 150 Words)
Question 1: The story ‘Deep Water’ has made you realise that with
determination and perseverance one can accomplish the impossible. Write a
paragraph in about 100 words on how a positive attitude and courage will aid
you to achieve success in life?
Answer: Determination and perseverance is a combination of attributes and
abilities that drive people to set goals for themselves and then to take the
initiative to achieve these goals. Douglas was able to overcome his fear of water
by the values of positive attitude and courage. Initially he was afraid of water
but his grit and determination made him get an instructor to train him and
overcome his fear. Determination today leads to our success tomorrow. It is that
innate quality in our soul, which comes to surface when we face difficult tasks.
It is a reflection of our values taught to us by society and circumstances and
enables us to overcome all obstacles.
Question 2: Roosevelt said, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” Do you agree?
Why/why not?
Answer: The quote, “All we have to fear is fear itself”, by the American
President, Franklin D Roosevelt, it is absolutely true. It is only the fear of
consequences which prevents us from taking an action and hampers our
progress. William Douglas’ fear of drowning makes him develop an aversion to
water. Hence, he avoids going near water bodies or indulge in water sports.
When he is able to overcome his fear with the help of the instructor, he
succeeds. Likewise, there are numerous incidents around us that show how fear
cripples the mind of an individual and society, and acts as a barrier to growth.
The other lessons in the textbook also support the view. The bangle makers of
Firozabad in ‘Lost Spring’ fear that the police would put them in jail, so they
accept their exploitation, and do not organise themselves into co-operatives. It is
only when we are able to overcome our fear, that we can step ahead and
progress in life.
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