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Deep Water
Think-as-you-read Questions
Question 1.
What is the ‘misadventure’ that William Douglas speaks about?
Answer:
The ‘misadventure’ is the incident in which the author at the age of ten or eleven was picked up and thrown into the swimming pool of Y.M.C.A. by a bruiser. The author didn’t know how to swim and was about to drown.
Question 2.
What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown into the pool? What plan did he make to come to the surface?
Answer:
When Douglas was thrown into the water by a big bruiser, initially he was shocked and frightened. He went deep into the water in the same posture in which he was sitting. He was terrified and panic- stricken. But he kept his presence of mind and planned to make a big jump the moment his feet touched the bottom and to spring to the surface like a cork. But unfortunately all his three attempts failed and at the end he felt suffocated and paralysed. Full of stark terror, he became unconscious.
Question 3.
How did this experience affect Douglas?
Answer:
After the Y.M.C.A. misadventure, Douglas developed a fear of water. This experience became a handicap for him. Whenever he tried to enter water, the terror which seized him in the pool would come back. He could not enjoy any water sports such as canoeing, boating, rafting and swimming. This experience left a haunting fear of water in his heart.
Question 4.
Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Answer:
Douglas wanted to live his life to the fullest. This fear was a hindrance to his enjoying the pleasures
of life. This fear ruined all his fishing trips. He could not enjoy any water sport like canoeing, fishing, swimming, etc. So he was determined to get over his fear of water.
Question 5.
How did the instructor build a swimmer out of William Douglas?
OR
How did the instructor turn Douglas into a swimmer?
Answer:
The instructor built a swimmer out of William Douglas bit by bit. The instructor used to tie a belt round his waist and attach it to a pulley with a rope. Every day Douglas practised using this device by putting his head under water and kicking his legs by the side of the pool. Over a period of three months, by imparting strategically planned intense practice, the instructor was able to build a swimmer out of William Douglas.
Question 6.
How did Douglas make sure that he had conquered the old terror?
Answer:
Douglas felt that when he was alone in the pool, tiny vestiges of old fear would return. To make sure that he had got rid of his fear of water, he went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, dived off a dock at Triggs Islands and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. After this, he became confident that he had conquered his long standing fear, of water.
Deep Water Understanding the Text
Question 7.
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:
When Douglas was flung into the pool by a bruiser, he almost drowned. He was terrified but did not lose hope. While going down the water, he planned to save himself. He decided that when his feet hit the bottom, he would make a big jump and come to the surface and then lie down and paddle to the edge of the pool. But this plan didn’t work for him. As a result, he went down again. This time also Douglas tried, but in vain. Now panic seized him. He realised that he was going to drown. His limbs were paralysed, his lungs filled with water and ached. The mass of yellow water filled him with stark terror and he started fainting.
Question 8.
How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Answer:
Douglas was haunted by the fear of water for many years. In order to overcome his fear, he decided to hire an instructor and started practising swimming regularly. The instructor very innovatively devised a method to teach him swimming. Douglas used to wear a belt around his waist and a rope was attached to it which went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. So it pulled him out whenever he felt panicky while swimming. After three months of rigorous practice, he started to feel relaxed.
Douglas also paddled his legs in water by the side of the pool. Initially, Douglas felt paralysed and his legs didn’t move but gradually he overcame his nervousness. The instructor told him that his job was done and Douglas had become a complete swimmer. But in order to be confident Douglas swam in different lakes. Finally, when he swam in Warm Lake, he realised that he had overcome his fear of water.
Question 9.
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. It was like an encounter with death for him. He could feel the terror that he was going through when he was about to drown in the pool. This fear haunted him for years and finally his zest for overcoming this fear strengthened him. Rigorous practice, courage, willpower and determination conquered the inherent fear of his heart and he gained confidence. Through this experience, Douglas was able to understand the fact that clinging to the past fears only spoils our present. In life, fear is the greatest enemy of man, which holds him back from taking initiatives. Douglas understood that in spite of the fact that in life, situations are risky, at times, one must have courage to face them boldly.
Deep Water – Solved Question Bank
Reference-to-Context Questions
Read the extracts given below.
Question 1.
The Yakima River was treacherous. Mother continually warned, against it, and kept fresh in my mind the details of each drowning in the river. But the Y.M.C.A. pool was 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. I got a pair of water wings and went to the pool.
Answer the following.
(a) Mother warned the author about the __________ river.
(b) The pool was safe because it was not very deep. (True/False)
(c) The author ignored each drawning in the river. (True/False)
(d) Find a word from the extract that is the opposite of ‘deep’.
Answer:
(a) treacherous/Yakima
(b) True
(c) False
(d) Shallow
Question 2.
From the beginning, however, I had an aversion to the water when I was in it. This started when I was three or four years old and father took me to the beach in California. He and I stood together in the surf. I hung on to him, yet the waves knocked me down and swept over me. I was buried in water. My breath was gone.
Answer the foliowing.
(a) The author hated water as his mother did not let him go near water. (True/False)
(b) The author was __________ as he nearly drowned in water.
(c) Gradually the narrator practised __________ .
(d) Find a word from the extract that means ‘a strong feeling of not liking something’.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) scared
(c) swimming
(d) aversion
Question 3.
It seemed a long way down. Those nine feet were more like ninety, and before I touched bottom my lungs were ready to burst. But when my feet hit the bottom I summoned all my strength and made what I thought was a great spring upwards. I imagined I would bob to the surface like a cork. Instead, I came up slowly. I opened my eyes and saw nothing but water — water that had a dirty yellow tinge to it.
Answer the following.
(a) The narrator was going down the __________ .
(b) The author was trying to come to the __________ .
(c) He used a spring board to come out of the pool. (True/False)
(d) From the passage pick a word similar in meaning to ‘gathered’
Answer:
(a) swimming pool
(b) surface
(c) False
(d) summoned
Question 4.
And then sheer, stark terror seized me, terror that knows no understanding, terror that knows no control, terror that no one can understand who has not experienced it. I was shrieking under water. I was paralysed under water—stiff, rigid with fear. Even the screams in my throat were frozen. Only my heart, and the pounding in my head, said that I was alive.
Answer the following.
(a) The author was unable to __________ out of the pool.
(b) He got __________ as he was experiencing death.
(c) Terror cannot be understood by someone who has not felt it. (True/False)
(d) From the passage give a word or phrase which has the same or nearly the same meaning as ‘yelling’.
Answer:
(a) swim
(b) terrorized
(c) True
(d) shrieking
Question 5.
Then all effort ceased. I relaxed. Even my legs felt limp; and a blackness swept over my brain. It wiped out fear; it wiped out terror. There was no more panic. It was quiet and peaceful. Nothing to be afraid of. This is nice… to be drowsy… to go to sleep… no need to jump… too tired to jump… it’s nice to be carried gently… to float along in space… tender arms around me… tender arms like Mother’s… now I must go to sleep. .
Answer the following.
(a) The narrator had __________ experience.
(b) He was getting __________ and did not remember anything.
(c) He was reminded of his mother. (True/False)
(d) From the passage pick up the opposite of ‘disturbed’
Answer:
(a) death
(b) unconscious
(c) True
(d) relaxed
Question 6.
A few years later when I came to know the waters of the Cascades, I wanted to get into them. And whenever I did—whether I was wading the Tieton or Bumping River or bathing in Warm Lake of the Goat Rocks—the terror that had seized me in the pool would come back. It would take possession of me completely. My legs would become paralysed. Icy horror would grab my heart.
Answer the following.
(a) The writer wanted to lead a wholesome life. (True/False)
(b) The narrator could not __________ his fear.
(c) The narrator was filled with __________ whenever he came close to water.
(d) Give one word for the phrase ‘walking with your feet in water’.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) overcome
(c) horror
(d) wade
Question 7.
But the jump made no difference. The water was still around me. I looked for ropes, ladders, water wings. Nothing but water. A mass of yellow water held me. Stark terror took an even deeper hold on me, like a great charge of electricity. I shook and trembled with fright. My arms wouldn’t move. I tried to call for help, to call for mother. Nothing happened.
Answer the following.
(a) The narrator was trying to __________ out of water.
(b) Electric shock struck him when he was in the pool. (True/False)
(c) No body heard his cries, and sometime happened. (True/False)
(d) From the passage give a word or phrase which has the same or nearly the same meaning as ‘absolute’.
Answer:
(a) get
(b) False
(c) False
(d) Stark
Question 8.
I used every way I knew to overcome this fear, but it held me firmly in its grip. Finally, one October, I decided to get an instructor and learn to swim. I went to a pool and practiced five days a week, an hour each day. The instructor put a belt around me. A rope attached to a belt went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable.
Answer the following.
(a) He went to the same pool where the accident happened. (True/False)
(b) He needed an instructor to get over his phobia. (True/False)
(c) He was attached to a __________ to assist him in swimming.
(d) He was __________ to get over his fear.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) True
(c) pulley
(d) determined
Question 9.
On each trip across the pool a bit of the panic seized me. Each time the instructor relaxed his hold on the rope and I went under, some of the old terror returned and my legs froze. It was three months before the tension began to slack. Then he taught me to put my face under water and exhale, and to raise my nose and inhale. I repeated the exercise hundreds of times. Bit by bit I shed part of the panic that seized me when my head went under water.
Answer the following.
(a) These lines reflect the narrator’s __________ .
(b) The instructor finally succeeded in relieving the narrator of his __________ .
(c) The narrator was working hard as swimming is a good exercise. (True/False)
(d) From the passage give a word or phrase which has the same or nearly the same meaning as ‘controlled’.
Answer:
(a) perseverance
(b) tension
(c) False
(d) seized
Question 10.
Next he held me at the side of the pool and had me kick with my legs. For weeks I did just that. At first my legs refused to work. But they gradually relaxed; and finally I could command them.
Answer the following.
(a) The narrator had a problem with his legs and so he was exercising regularly. (True/False)
(b) He was held to the side of the pool by the __________ .
(c) ‘They’ here refers to his __________ .
(d) From the passage give a word or phrase which has the same or nearly the same meaning as the ‘order’.
Answer:
(a) False
(h) instructor
(c) legs
(d) command
Question 11.
But I was not finished. I still wondered if I would he terror-stricken when I was alone in the pool. I tried it. I swam the length up and down. Tiny vestiges of the old terror would return. But now I could frown and say to the terror, “Trying to scare me, eh? Well, here’s to you! Look!”
Answer the following.
(a) ‘I was not finished’ means __________ .
(b) He frowned to his __________ .
(c) He was not scared of that bully. (True/False)
(d) From the passage give a word or phrase which has the same or nearly the same meaning as ‘remnant’.
Answer:
(a) not over yet
(b) old terror
(c) False
(d) vestige
Question 12.
The experience had a deep meaning for me, as only those who have known stark terror and conquered it can appreciate. In death there is peace. There is terror only in the fear of death, as Roosevelt knew when he said, “ All we have to fear is fear itself. ”
Answer the following.
(a) Experience the narrator mentions is __________
(b) __________ faced stark terror and conquered it.
(c) Fear became a __________ force for the author.
(d) The narrator won over his fear of death by conquering it. (True/False)
Answer:
(a) near drowning
(b) The narrator
(c) driving
(d) True
Deep Water Short Questions and Answers
Question 1.
How did William Douglas’ aversion to water begin?
OR
Which two incidents in Douglas’ early life made him scared of water?
Answer:
Douglas had a very bad experience at the age of three or four years. His father took him to the beach in California and there he was knocked down by huge waves and was almost buried under water. This left a scary impact on his mind. Second, when he was ten or eleven years old, a bruiser threw him into the Y.M.C.A. pool. This time he narrowly escaped death. He was saved from getting drowned but an aversion to water overpowered him. As a result, he became scared of water and couldn’t enjoy swimming, canoeing fishing or any other water sport.
Question 2.
How did Douglas’s experience at Y.M.C.A. pool affect him?
OR
How did the incident at Y.M.C.A. pool affect Douglas later in life?
Answer:
This incident spoiled the confidence of Douglas. He became hydrophobic and always avoided water. The moment he entered water, his limbs would become paralysed and a terror would grab him. This fear ruined his fishing trips. He could not enjoy any water sports like canoeing, fishing, swimming, etc. due to this fear of water.
Question 3.
How did Douglas’ misadventure at the Y.M.C.A. pool affect his later life?
Answer:
Douglas’ misadventure at the Y.M.C.A. pool developed an aversion of water in him. He suffered from hydrophobia and could not swim. As a result, he was devoid of pleasures of swimming, rafting, fishing, canoeing and other water sports. This made him feel incomplete.
Question 4.
What factors led Douglas to decide in favour of Y.M.C.A. pool?
Answer:
When Douglas was three years old, he was swept over by sea waves at the California beach. Since then he developed an aversion to water. But he wanted to learn to swim. So he decided to learn to swim at a safer place. The Y.M.C.A. pool was the safest pool with two or three feet deep at the shallow end and nine feet at the deep side. It was very safe even for the beginners. Thus Douglas decided to learn to swim at the Y.M.C.A. pool.
Question 5.
Douglas’s mother (ironically) thought that YMCA pool was safe for learning to swim. What are your views?
Answer:
Swimming in the pool is always predictable because it is not so deep as the river. It may be two or three feet deep at the shallow end. So, the question of drowning does not arise in a shallow swimming pool like the YMCA pool. Thus, it was quite safe to learn swimming in the YMCA pool, as Douglas’ mother thought.
Question 6.
What was Douglas’ initial reaction on being thrown into the pool?
Answer:
When Douglas was thrown into the pool, he was frightened. He knew that he was going to drown as he didn’t know how to swim. But even then he was not out of his wits. On his way down the pool, he planned that when he 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.
Question 7.
What sort of terror seized Douglas as he went down the water for a second time? How could he feel that he was still alive?
Answer:
When Douglas went down for a second time, panic seized him. His lungs ached, his head throbbed and he was terrified. He was shrieking and was paralysed under water. But he could realise that he was alive as he shook and trembled with fright. He didn’t give up and tried for a third time to save himself.
Question 8.
What was the immediate effect of Douglas’ experience of nearly drowning in the pool? And what was the long-term effect?
Answer:
The immediate effect was both physical and mental. Douglas was sick and could not eat that night and was weak at the knees. It took him many days to recover. The long-term effect was that he developed hydrophobia, i.e. a fear of water, and, as a result, he dreaded going near water to enjoy any water sport and fishing.
Question 9.
What shocking experience did Douglas have at YMCA pool?
Answer:
Douglas had a shocking experience at the YMCA pool that affected him badly. As he was sitting on the side of the pool, a big bully of a boy, eighteen years of age, picked him up and threw him into the pool at the deep end thinking he knew swimming.
Question 10.
Why did Douglas fail to come to the surface of the pool as he hoped to?
Answer:
Douglas had decided to hit the surface by making a big jump but it was not as simple as he had imagined. After repeated attempts, he was seized by terror and let himself slip into oblivion.
Question 11.
How did Douglas’ introduction to YMCA pool revive his childhood fear of water?
Answer:
Douglas’ introduction to YMCA pool revived his childhood fear of water; The experience he had as a child of three or four had left an indelible imprint in his mind, when he was thrown into water thus, the YMCA swimming poor evoked the same childish fear.
Question 12.
How did Douglas develop an aversion to water at the age of three or four?
Answer:
When Douglas was three or four years old, his father took him to a beach in California. His father and he stood together in the surf. Douglas hung on to him, yet the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried under water. As a result, Douglas developed an aversion to water.
Question 13.
How did Douglas hope to come out when he was thrown into YMCA pool?
Answer:
When Douglas was thrown into the YMCA pool, he landed in a sitting position in water. He gulped lot of water. Frightened, as he was sinking, he planned to hit the bottom, make a big jump and come out to the surface.
Question 14.
When Douglas realised that he was sinking, how did he plan to save himself?
Answer:
When Douglas was thrown into the deep water of the pool, he was terrified. He knew that he was going to drown as he didn’t know to swim. So he thought of a strategy to save himself. He decided that as his feet hit the bottom of the pool, he would make a big jump and come to the surface. Then he would swim to the edge of the pool.
Question 15.
Why did Douglas go to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire? How did he make his terror flee?
OR
How did Douglas make sure that he had conquered the old terror.
Answer:
After getting training from the instructor, Douglas, in pursuit of complete elimination of fear of water, decided to go to various waterbodies. Finally, he decided to go to go to Lake Wentworth to test himself for fear. He swam there without fear, which made him confident to believe that he had chased away all residual fears and terrors.
Question 16.
How did Douglas remove his residual doubts about his fear of water?
OR
“The instructor was finished. But I was not finished.” What does this refer to? Explain briefly.
Answer:
The instructor worked with Douglas for seven months. Through rigorous training, the instructor made him get rid of his fear of water. But still some vestiges of fear used to haunt Douglas whenever he was alone in water. So he decided to go to the various waterbodies to overcome his fear of water and become confident.
Question 17.
What happened to Douglas when he failed in his attempt to come onto the surface of water a third time?
Answer:
When Douglas was thrown into the pool, he tried his best to save himself. He planned a strategy to come onto the surface of water. He tried twice but failed. As Douglas went down a third time, he sucked water as he tried to breathe air. Then all his efforts stopped. He had a blackout. Everything became quiet and calm.
Question 18.
Why did Douglas want to overcome his fear of water?
Answer:
Douglas wanted to overcome his fear of water because this fear had become his handicap. The moment he entered water, his limbs would become paralysed and terror would grab him. This fear ruined all his fishing trips. He could not do canoeing, boating and swimming. So in order to enjoy his life completely, he decided to overcome his fear of water.
Question 19.
Why could Douglas not come up in his first attempt?
Answer:
Douglas couldn’t come up in his first attempt, though he tried his best. His strategy didn’t work. His strategy was that when his feet hit the bottom, he would make a big jump, come onto the surface, lie flat on it and paddle to the edge. But by the time he reached the bottom, he felt as if his lungs were about to burst and he became helpless.
Question 20.
How did Douglas get rid of all the residual fear of water that he had?
Answer:
The instructor had built a swimmer out of Douglas, but still same vestiges of fear used to haunt him whenever he was alone in water. In order to get rid of all the residual fear, Douglas swam across various waterbodies. He went up to the Tieton to Conrad Meadows, up the Conrad Creek Trail to Meade Glacier and, finally, camped at Warm Lake.
Question 21.
Explain how Douglas felt when he was thrown into the pool. What plan did he make to come to the surface?
Answer:
When Douglas was thrown into the pool, he got frightened and a sense of panic gripped him. But still he was not out of his wits. He thought of a strategy to save himself. He decided that as his feet hit the bottom of the pool, he would make a big jump and come to the surface. He would lie flat on it and paddle to the edge of the pool.
Deep Water Long Questions and Answers
Question 1.
How did Douglas develop an aversion to water?
OR
‘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:
When Douglas was three or four years old, his father took him to the California beach. The waves of the sea knocked him down and almost buried him in water. He was terrified and unable to breathe. Since then he developed an aversion to water. Later on, when he was ten or eleven years old, one day while sitting on the side of the swimming pool, he was flung into the pool by a bruiser.
It was really an encounter with death. He underwent the terrible experience in his attempt to save himself. He almost drowned in water, which suffocated him, an abject fear immobilised his limbs. Though he was rescued, he became hydrophobic. He could not swim and do any other water activity like canoeing, fishing, boating, rafting, etc. Everytime he came in contact with water, pangs of panic would paralyse him. He spent many years of his life under this fear and then finally decided to conquer it.
Question 2.
How did Douglas try to save himself from drowning in the Y.M.C.A. pool?
Answer:
When Douglas was flung into the swimming pool by a big boy, he became fearful. But he thought rationally and planned a strategy to save himself from drowning. He decided that as he hit the bottom of the pool, he would take a big jump to come to the surface of water. Then he would lie flat and paddle to the edge of the pool. But unfortunately, it took long for him to reach the bottom and he felt as if his lungs would burst. Even then he tried to take a big jump using all his might, but in vain. Once again, he tried the same technique but his action did not produce the desired result. Finally, panic seized him. His limbs got numb and he fainted.
Question 3.
Fear is something that we must learn to overcome if we want to succeed in life. How did Douglas get over his fear of water?
Answer:
Fear has a tendency to cripple and paralyse us. It doesn’t allow us to make efforts to succeed. We ought to overcome fear in order to be successful.
Douglas realised the truth of Roosevelt’s statement, “All we have to fear is fear itself”.
To overcome his fear of water, Douglas ultimately decided to hire an instructor to learn swimming. The instructor started working with him five days a week, an hour each day. He put a belt around Douglas and attached a rope to it. The rope went through an overhead pulley. The instructor held on to the end of the rope and monitored the swimming. On each trip across the pool, a little panic gripped Douglas. It took almost three months before the tension reduced. Then the instructor taught him inhalation and exhalation under water. For several weeks his instructor taught Douglas to kick with his legs, until he was able to command his legs at will.
So the instructor was able to make Douglas a swimmer. Douglas was able to swim, dive, crawl and do other moves in swimming.
Question 4.
Douglas fully realised the truth of Roosevelt’s statement, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” How did this realization help him brush aside his fear and become an expert swimmer?
Answer:
Fear is a paralysing emotion. It restricts all kinds of efforts, creativity and all kinds of ventures that one thinks of achieving. But with grit, determination and hardwork, fear can be conquered. William Douglas proved this. He chased away his fear of water by first psychoanalysing it and then treating it in a systematic manner. After his misadventure at Y.M.C.A. pool, Douglas developed hydrophobia.
In spite of that, he hired a professional trainer and learnt swimming step by step. Due to his strong willpower and rigorous practice, Douglas was made a swimmer by the trainer. But even now Douglas was not satisfied and set a higher benchmark for his perfection and devised various tests and situations to defeat the fear in all forms. Ultimately, Douglas was able to overpower his fear of water and became an expert swimmer.
Question 5.
Desire, determination and diligence lead to success. Explain the value of these qualities in the light of Douglas’ experience in Deep Water.
OR
Courage and optimism are attributes that can make the impossible possible. Elucidate with reference to Deep Water.
Answer:
It is only through courage, desire and determination that man has succeeded in making the impossible possible. The most appropriate example is William Douglas’ pursuit to overcome his fear of water. After the terrible experience of almost drowning at the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool, Douglas developed a fear of water. The moment he entered water, pangs of panic paralysed his lumbs. He spent many years of his life, under this fear.
But finally he decided to overcome this fear and succeeded in his attempts due to his relentless efforts and positive approach. He hired the services of an instructor, who after rigorous training and special technique, built a swimmer out of him. It took Douglas almost seven months to overcome his fear. But, finally, Douglas proved that it was courage, determination, desire, diligence and optimism that made him get rid of fear.
Question 6.
‘This handicap stayed with me as the years rolled by.’ Which handicap is being referred to and what are the events that made Douglas handicapped?
Answer:
The handicap being referred to is the fear of water Douglas had developed due to some unfortunate incidents in his childhood. As a result, he could not enjoy water sports and swimming. When he was three or four years old, his father took him to the beach in California. Douglas was knocked down by sea waves and was almost buried in water. He developed an aversion to water.
Moreover, when he was ten or eleven years old, a bruiser flung him into a swimming pool. At that time he had a terrible experience. He was almost in water, which suffocated him and the fear immobilised his limbs. However, he somehow escaped drowning. Since then he was scared of water and could not enjoy conoeing, swimming, rafting, fishing, etc. This became a handicap for him, as he was deprived of the joy of water sports and swimming.
Question 7.
‘But I was not finished.’ Describe how Douglas gained confidence as a swimmer after the instructor had left him.
Answer:
Douglas was slowly made a swimmer by the instructor. He trained him to overcome his fear of water, swim, move his legs and inhaie and exhale while swimming. In seven months, the instructor made a swimmer out of Douglas. But Douglas was not confident as yet. The vestiges of fear of water still haunted him. So he decided to swim in various pools and lakes to completely overcome his fear. He went to the Tieton to Conrad Meadows, up the Conrad Creek Trail, to Meade Glacier and finally swam in Warm Lake. After this, Douglas was confident that he had completely overcome his fear of water.
Question 8.
Do you think that ‘Deep Water’ is an appropriate title. Give reasons in support of your answer.
Answer:
‘Deep Water’ is the most appropriate title to the story ‘Deep Water’, which literally means ‘in trouble’. The author suffered from hydrophobia and was really afraid of going deep in water. The misadvanture at the Y.M.C.A. pool made his efforts more difficult when a big bruiser threw him into deep water. The author underwent a series of emotions under water. He made a plan to come up to the surface of the water but failed.
He survived somehow. In order to overcome his fear, he hired an instructor and mastered each step of swimming. His grit, determination and rigorous practice enabled him to be an expert swimmer. The title ‘Deep Water’ signifies that the phobia of water was very deep-rooted and was rid of with great difficulty.
Question 9.
Cases of older children bullying younger ones have become alarmingly common, especially in school environment. How would you connect this phenomenon to William Douglas’ experience at the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool? What is the mindset of the modern youth that is reflected through such incidents? Discuss.
Answer:
Bullying at school or at college is common. Senior students making fun and at times physically assaulting and mentally torturing the juniors has become very common nowadays. This is what happened to Douglas at the Y.M.C.A. pool when a big bruiser threw him into the deep water. The youth today believe that by such acts they can show their might. But they fail to understand that the one who exerts his might on the weaker is the weakest. We need to study the reason for bullying others and also the way to fight such bullies and to save ourselves.
The first quality that the youth need to . nurture is confidence in themselves and to be free from any complexes. They need to be honest and accept their weakness or shortcomings bravely. They should never pretend to be oversmart. On the . other hand, they should not allow everyone to order them or unnecessarily overpower them. The present youth must imbibe in themselves the toughness, right approach and willpower to counter these elements. Thus, if the present generation is vigilant, confident and cautious, evils like bullying will soon disappear.
Question 10.
There is terror only in the fear of death’, as Roosevelt knew when he said, ‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’ Coming face to face with fear, instead of suppressing it, helps one to do away with it completely, just like Douglas did in the story ‘Deep Water’. Discuss.
Answer:
Fear is just a state of mind and as Roosevelt has rightly said, ‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’ No doubt, if one wants to live a fulfilled life, one must get rid of all kinds of fears that restrict one’s happiness. But most of us live in the fear of one thing or the other throughout our life. One needs to be strong and determined, like Douglas, to overcome fear. When he was flung into the pool by a bruiser, Douglas did not give up. Though fearful, he showed his determination to save himself by attempting three times to come on to the surface.
In spite of being a hydrophobic, Douglas decided to conquer his fear of water. It was only due to his willpower and perseverance that the instructor could build a swimmer out of him. His persistent efforts and rigorous practice were the key factors. Even • after the instructor told him that he had become a swimmer, Douglas tested himself by swimming in different lakes and finally got satisfaction at Warm Lake. It was his steadiness and tenacity which empowered him to fight and shed away the fear from his mind.
