Deep Water NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Notice these words and expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
(i) treacherous
(ii) subdued my pride
(iii) misadventure
(iv) bob to the surface like a cork
(v) flailed at the surface
(vi) curtain of life fell
(vii) fishing for landlocked salmon
(viii) back and forth across the pool (Page 23)
Answer:
(i) treacherous : dangerous.The Yakima River was treacherous.
(ii) subdued my pride : the author brought his pride under control or suppressed it.
(iii) misadventure : here means a mishap, bad luck or a small accident.
(iv) bob to the surface like a cork : it means that the author moved quickly up and down in the
water and came on the surface of water like a cork.
(v) flailed at the surface : it means that the author moved his arms and legs around without
control at the surface of water.
(vi) curtain of life fell: it here means that the author was afraid that his life is coming to an
end or he was approaching his possible death.
(vii) fishing for landlocked salmon : It means fishing for salmon fish almost or completely
surrounded by land.
(viii) back and forth across the pool .It means moving across the pool from one place to
another and back again repeatedly.

Deep Water Think as you read (Page 27)

Question 1.
What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about ?
Answer:
The author William Douglas was sitting on the side of the pool. As there was no one else
there, he was waiting for others to come so that he could start swimming. Then an eighteen-
year-old well-built boy picked him up and tossed him into the deep end of the pool.

Question 2.
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 was thrown into the deep waters of the pool by a big boy. He was
frightened but not frightened enough to stop thinking. All the time, despite having fear of
drowning, he kept himself mentally alert. He planned that 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.
His strategy helped him save his life.

Question 3.
How did this experience affect him ?
Answer:
This experience of the author about to face death, made him bold and strong. This experience
wiped out fear and wiped out terror from the author’s mind. He felt that there was no more
panic and it was all quiet and peaceful. He felt that there was nothing to be afraid of.

Deep Water Think as you read (Page 29)

Question 1.
Why was Douglas determined to get over the fear of water ?
Answer:
Douglas felt handicapped because he was afraid of water. That is why he was determined to
get over the fear of water and decided to get an instructor and learn to swim. That was the
only way he could get over the fear of water.

Question 2.
How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas ?
Answer:
First of all, the instructor put a belt around Douglas. A rope attached to the belt went through
a pulley that ran on overhead cable. The instructor held on to the end of the rope, and they
went back and forth hour after hour, day after day, week after week. Then the instructor
taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale, and to raise his nose and inhale.
Douglas repeated the exercise hundreds of times.

Next, the instructor held Douglas at the side of the pool and had him kick with his legs. He
did just that for weeks altogether. Finally, Douglas was able to command his legs, which
firstly refused to work. This is how, piece by piece, the instructor built a swimmer out of
Douglas. When the instructor had perfected each piece, he put them together into an integral
whole.

Question 3.
How did. Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror ?
Answer:
To make sure that he has conquered the old terror of water, Douglas tried to swim alone when
nobody was around. So, 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. He swam the crawl,
breast stroke, side stroke, and back stroke. Only once the terror returned, but he overcame it
successfully for ever in his life.

Deep Water Understanding the text

Question 1.
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:
Once William Douglas went to the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool when no one else was there. He
was fearful about swimming in the pool alone. So he sat on the side of the pool to wait for
others. He had not been there long when a big boy, probably eighteen-year-old, picked him
up and threw him into the deep end of the pool.
He went at once to the bottom. He was frightened, but not yet frightened out of his wits. So,
on the way down he planned that 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.

Douglas did this until he could possibly hit the bottom and try to paddle to the edge. But he
went down, down, endlessly. He was gripped with a sense of panic as he tells us : “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.” He was shrieking
under water. He was paralysed under water — stiff, rigid with fear. Even the screams in his
heart were frozen. Only his heart, and the pounding in his head, said that he was still alive.
This is how Douglas makes clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he
almost drowned.

Question 2.
How did Douglas overcome his fear of water ?
Answer:
William Douglas for a long period remained fearful of water. This handicap deprived him of
the joy of canoeing, boating, and swimming. He used every way he knew to overcome his
fear of water, but it overpowered him. Finally, one October, he decided to get an instructor
and learn to swim.

He went to a pool and practised five days a week, an hour each day. The instructor first put a
belt around Douglas. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley that ran on an
overhead cable. The instructor held on to the end of the rope, and they went back and forth.
Then the instructor taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale, and to raise his
nose and inhale. Then he taught Douglas how to kick in water with his legs. This is how
Douglas learnt swimming step by step.

However to ensure that he has conquered his fear of water, Douglas went to Lake Wentworth
in New Hampshire and dived off a dock at Triggs Island. He swam two miles across the lake
to Stamp Act Island. He swam the crawl, breast stroke, side stroke, and back stroke.

Only once the terror returned to some extent when he was in the middle of the lake. But he
overcame it. Yet to clear his doubt, he went up the Tietan to Canrad Meadows, and camped in
the high meadov 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 as he had conquered his fear of
water.

Question 3.
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:
As ah adult, Douglas recalls a childhood experience of water terror. He wants to analyse the
root cause of this fear, which started when he was three or four years old. Then his father
took him to the beach in California. His father and Douglas stood together amidst the waves
between the rocks and the shore.

He hung on to his father, yet the waves knocked him down and pushed him suddenly. He was
buried in water. His breath was gone. He was frightened. Though his father laughed, but there
was strong fear in his heart at the overpowering force of the waves. Thus, from the beginning,
however, Douglas had an aversion to the water when he was in it.

The significance of Douglas’s recount of this childhood experience is that it was the basis on
which he made his firm mind to overcome this fear. He draws a larger meaning from this
experience that there is terror only in the fear of death. All one has to fear is fear itself.
William Douglas had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can
produce. He was feeling the will to live somehow grew in intensity.

Deep Water Talking about the text

Question 1.
“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:
It is a fact that all we need to fear is fear itself. The only way to conquer fear is to constantly
do the things of which we are afraid. We should not stop doing such things until we
completely overcome the fear of those things. I too had cricket phobia till last year. It all
started when I was in fourth standard. I was playing cricket with my friends in the ground of
our colony one Sunday afternoon.

I was batting when the cricket ball hit me on my head. I fell unconscious on the ground. It
was only after a fortnight that I recovered completely. I stopped playing cricket afterwards.
On the insistence and encouragement of my friends I started playing cricket again last year. I
batted while wearing a helmet. I was afraid while trying to catch the ball also while fielding.
But during my spare time, I played cricket only. In this way, gradually, I was able to
overcome my fear of playing cricket.

Question 2.
Find and narrate other stories about conquest of fear and what people have said about
courage. For example, you can recall Nelson Mandela’s struggle ‘ for freedom, his
perseverance to achieve his mission, to liberate the oppressed and the oppressor as depicted
in his autobiography. The story We’re Not Afraid To Die, which you have read in Class XI,
is an apt example of how courage and optimism helped a family survive under the direst
stress.
Answer:
The history of human beings is full of stories of courage and conquest of fear. Mahatma
Gandhi and Nelson Mandela fought courageously and struggled strenously to see, their
countries free from British empire and to attain independence.

Nelson Mandela remained in jail for a very long time without having any fear of oppression.
Maharani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi fought bravely with the Mughal empire and sacrificed her
life, Bhagat Singh, Chandershekhar Azad, Sukhdev and Rajgurh kissed death willingly and
happily for the sake of freedom of their nation. All these people and many many more had
conquered fear with courage.

Maharana Pratap, another hero of Indian history, waged tireless war against Mughal
supermacy. He fought many heroic battles against the Mughal army. All through the
changing fortunes of the war Udaipur, Maharana’s seat of government, held its head high and
refused to acknowledge supermacy of Akbar.
Udaipur remained unconquered. The story “We’re Not Afraid To Die” is the story of courage
and optimism about the voyage of the author alongwith his family on their boat.
‘Wavewalker’. They faced the alarmingly high sea waves that broke over the ship, injured
him and his daughter Sue. But none of them lost courage. His small ^ children also showed
exemplary courage and conviction. Despite extremely odd circumstances, they were able to
save themselves.

Deep Water Thinking about language

Question 1.
If someone else had narrated Douglas’s experience, how would it have differed from this
account ? Write out a sample paragraph or paragraphs from this text from the point of view of
a third person or observer, to find out which style of narration would you consider to be more
effective ? Why ?
Answer:
Had somebody else narrated Douglas’s experience, it would have been in indirect form of
narration and not in autobiographical or direct form of narration, used by Douglas. Douglas
has narrated his experience in T form. If somebody else would have narrated about his
experience, he would have mostly used ‘he’ instead of ‘I’.

If one’s experiences about his or her own life are to be told, I would definitely like to read
these in the autobiographical form. This is because then it will be the first hand account of the
author’s own experiences, which are likely to be more authentic, true and realistic. Moreover,
one can express one’s own feelings more accurately and sincerely as compared to the feelings
and experiences narrated by somebody else.

Deep Water Writing

Question 1.
Doing well in any activity, for example a sport, music, dance or painting, riding a motorcycle
or a car, involves a great deal of struggle. Most of us are very nervous to begin with until
gradually we overcome our fears and perform well. Write an essay of about five paragraphs
recounting such an experience. Try to recollect minute details of what caused the fear, your
feelings, the encouragement you got from others or the criticism.You could begin with the
last sentence of the essay you have just read—“At last I felt released—free to walk the trails
and climb the peaks and to brush aside fear.”
Answer:
“At last I felt released free to walk the trails and climb into peaks and to brush aside fear.” Of
course, it turned out to be a terrible experience in the beginning, but in the end it was a
thrilling joyous experience. Learning to drive a car was such an experience for me. On my
persistent requests, my uncle agreed to help me learn how to drive a car. One day, we went to
outskirts of the city where there was very less traffic.

First of all, my uncle told me about the major components of the car like clutch, brake and
steering wheel etc. Then he told me how to start a car. Everytime I tried to start the car, I
failed. As soon as I would start it, it would i nnatically stop. After an hour of practice when
still I was not able to start, my uncle encraged me by saying that in the beginning it takes time
to learn.
Next day, I managed to start the car as I was determined to learn driving it. My practice was
going on in an encouraging manner and under the assistance of my uncle, I had a full round
of the circular road. Now every day I would accompany my uncle or rather eagerly awaited
for him so that I would continue with my practice. On that day, I saw a truck at some
distance. I got confused and instead of applying brakes, I pressed the cluch. It would have
surely been a fatal accident had my uncle not promptly pressed the brake with full force. The
truck driver also did the same. And luckily we had a narrow escape.

But this mishappening had a terrible effect on my mind. I was extremely fond of learning
how to drive a car. But now I shuddered even while sitting in a car. My uncle tried his best to
convince me that it happened because I got confused. He persuaded me to continue my
driving lessons and practical. But somehow I could not muster enough courage to do so. I
was absolutely scared of learning to drive a car.

Then after about six months, one of my fast friends and his father encouraged me to restart
learning to drive a car. He advised me to join some good driving school. With reluctance, I
agreed to join a driving school. The instructor of the driving school, who was guiding me,
proved too good. Step by step, he guided me brilliantly. He put much more emphasis on
practice than on theory.

He taught me that the skillful jobs like driving could only be learn while driving to the
maximum extent. He taught me that one could learn driving while practising to the maximum
extent without any fear but while taking all the precautions. In this way I was able to
overcome my fear of driving a car. Now I feel immense joy when my driving skill is
appreciated.

Question 2.
Write a short letter to someone you know about your having learnt to do something new.
Answer:
52, J.N. Colony
New Delhi-110 054.
August 25, 20xx My dear Ramesh,
Perhaps it will be a surprise to you to know that I have learnt something new, that is, playing
the game of chess. But you will be more surprised to know that I am now champion of chess
in my state. When you come to know about it and especially if you happen to know about it
while watching T.V., I would like to explain you that it is my recent passion.
Ramesh! I break the news to you first of all! Your friend who never played chess till you
know him, is now a state champion! For that, my dear friend, you should rejoice because I
started playing chess when you went to Udaipur after the transfer of your father. It is not only
a new thing to know for you, but it is also a new achievement for me, because whatever I did,
the credit for it goes to you.
Yours sincerely,
Piyush Malhotra.

Deep Water Things to do

Are there any water sports in India ? Find out about the areas or places which are known for
water sports.
Answer:
For self-attempt. You may find about the water sports in various states like Haryana’s wet
and wild and in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and many others. You may seek the help of
your teacher in this respect.

Deep Water Extra Questions and Answers

Deep Water Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1:
Why did Douglas’ mother recommend that he should learn swimming at the YMCA
swimming pool?
Or
Why did Douglas prefer to go to the YMCA swimming pool to learn swimming?
Or
What factors made Douglas decide in favor of the YMCA pool?
Answer:
Douglas mother recommended that he should learn swimming at the YMCA swimming pool
because it was safe, being only two or three feet deep at the shallow end with a gradual drop
to nine feet at the other end. In contrast, the Yakima river was quite deep and several cases of
drowning in it had been reported.

Question 2:
How did Douglas remove his residual doubts about his fear of water? (Deep water)
Answer:
Douglas removed his residual doubts by swimming across Warm Lake to the opposite shore
and back. He says, “I shouted with joy, and Gilbert Peak returned the echo. I had conquered
my fear of water.”

Question 3:
How did Douglas’ experience at the YMCA pool affect him?
Or
How did the incident at the YMCA pool affect Douglas?
Answer:
Douglas’ experience at the YMCA pool left a haunting fear of water in his heart. He started
avoiding venturing near water and this fear remained with him for many years. It prevented
him from fishing, boating and swimming, besides ruining his social life.

Question 4:
Which two incidents in Douglas’ early life made him scared Of water?
Answer:
The first incident occurred when he was three or four years old at a beach in California. A
strong wave knocked Douglas down and he was buried in water.
The next incident occurred at the YMCA pool when he was ten or eleven. A big bully of a
boy tossed him into the deep end of the pool. He went down to the bottom and almost
drowned in the pool.

Question 5:
How did the instructor turn Douglas into a Swimmer?
Answer:
The instructor adopted a systematic method to turn Douglas into a swimmer. He first made
him shed off his initial fear of water by making him cross a pool suspended by a rope
attached to a pulley. Then he taught Douglas to breathe while swimming, and finally the leg
movements and other strokes.

Question 6:
What did Douglas feel and do when he was pushed into the swimming pool?
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:
When Douglas was thrown into the pool, he Was very much scared but he did not lose his
mind. He planned that he would make a big jump when his feet would touch the bottom.
Thus, he would come to the surface. Unfortunately, the plan failed. Douglas then grew
panicky and started suffocating. He felt that he would die, and became unconscious.

Question 7:
How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Or
What efforts did Douglas make to get over his fear of water?
Answer:
After the instructor had trained Douglas in the art of swimming, Douglas swam on Lake
Wentworth. Once when the terror returned, he challenged it, and did not let it overcome him.
Finally, Douglas swam on the Warm Lake and the fear didn’t return to haunt him ever.

Question 8:
What did Douglas experience when he went down to the bottom of the pool for the first time?
Answer:
As Douglas went down to the bottom of the pool for the first time, he felt the way down the
pool to be very long and his lungs were, ready to burst. He summoned all his strength and
jumped up, but could not reach the surface and began to sink again.

Question 9:
When Douglas realized that he was sinking, how did he plan to save him self?
Answer:
When Douglas realized that he was sinking, he thought that when his feet would hit the
bottom, he would make a big jump, come to the surface and lie flat on it. Then he would
easily paddle to the edge of the pool.

Question 10:
What sort of terror seized Douglas as he went down in the water with a yellow glow? How
could he feel that he was still alive?
Answer:
When Douglas went down in the water with a yellow glow for the second time, a sheer, stark
terror seized him. It was beyond control or understanding. Douglas was paralysed with fear
and could not move his limbs. Only his throbbing heart and the pounding in his head made
him feel that he was still alive.

Question 11:
What Is the ‘misadventure’ that William Douglas speaks about?
Answer:
William Douglas, speaks about the ‘misadventure’ which happened at the YMCA swimming
pool when he was about ten or eleven years old. A big bully threw Douglas into the deep end
of the pool when no one was around. As Douglas realized that he was drowning, he made
several attempts to save himself, but all in vain. Finally, he felt that he would die and became
unconscious. When he gained consciousness, he was lying outside the pool. Apparently,
somebody had rescued him.

Question 12:
How did this experience affect him?
Or
What did Douglas learn from his experience of almost drowning?
Answer:
The near drowning experience had a very deep impact on Douglas. It left a haunting fear
lurking in his heart. He was extremely scared of water and avoided going near it wheneve

Question 13:
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:
The tormenting phobia of water was with him since the incident at the YMCA pool. Douglas
as an adult recounted the horrific experience, as it had completely changed his life. He felt
that the sensation of dying somehow intensified his zest for life.
The fight against the terror taught him a very important lesson that ‘All we have to fear is fear
itself.’ His final shedding off of his fear proves that nothing is impossible for one with a firm
will and determination.

Question 14:
How did Douglas get rescued when he was thrown in the pool?
Answer:
The narrator does not mention this. When he regained consciousness, he was vomiting while
lying on his stomach beside the pool. Apparently, he had been rescued by someone.

Question 15:
Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Answer:
Douglas regretted being deprived of enjoying water-based activities and shorts like canoeing,
boating, fishing and swimming. His ardent wish to enjoy such activities and regain his lost
confidence while staying in water were the reasons for his determination to get over his fear
of water.

Deep Water Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1:
What happened at the YMCA swimming pool which instilled fear of water in Douglas’
mind?
Answer:
When Douglas was learning swimming at the YMCA pool at the age of ten or eleven, one
day while sitting beside the pool waiting for other people to come, a muscular bully picked
him up and threw him into the deep end of the pool. As Douglas realized that he may drown,
he made three attempts to come up to the water surface, but failed and fell unconscious.
Ultimately he was rescued by someone, but this episode in his life reinforced the fear of
water in Douglas’ mind which he had first felt when, at the age of three or four, he had been
completely swamped by a huge wave at the seaside in California. His father held on to him at
that time to save him from drowning, but at the YMCA pool there was nobody.

Question 2:
How did Douglas’ experience at the YMCA pool affect him? How did he get over this effect?
Answer:
The experience at the YMCA pool reinforced the fear of – water in Douglas’ mind which he
had first felt when, at the age of three or four, he had been completely swamped by a huge
wave at the seaside in California.The experience at the pool left a haunting fear of water in
his heart. He started avoiding water whenever he could, which affected his normal activities
as well as his social life.

After a few years of suffering like this, Douglas decided to get an instructor and learn to
swim. The instructor systematically taught him how to swim, starting from the basics and
taking all the required safety measures, which gave Douglas confidence. After six months of
training, Douglas swam across a number of lakes independently, thus breaking free from his
fear.

Question 3:
Describe the efforts made by Douglas to overcome his fear of water.
Answer:
After a few years of unsuccessfully trying various methods to overcome his fear of water,
Douglas decided to .get an instructor and learn to swim. The instructor systematically taught
him how to swim, starting from the basics and taking all the required safety measures, which
gave Douglas confidence.

After six months of training, Douglas swam the length of the pool up and down for three
months. But he was still not satisfied. So he swam two miles across Lake Went worth in New
Hampshire. Then he swam across Warm Lake and back. He shouted with joy, and Gilbert
Peak returned the echo. He had conquered his fear of water.

Question 4:
The story ‘Deep Water’ has made you realize that with determination and perseverance one
can accomplish the impossible. Write a paragraph in about 120-150 words on how a positive
attitude and courage will aid you to achieve success in life.
Answer:
The story ‘Deep Water’ is a story of sheer determination and perseverance. It teaches us how,
in spite of all odds, our positive attitude and our courage to fight can help us achieve success
in life. The narrator’s phobia of water or water bodies had gripped him for quite a long period
of his life.

However, once he decides to overcome his fear, he is able to shed it off completely. He
adopts a positive attitude, and determines that he will fight his fear, no matter what. His
training is a long and slow process, but he learns everything patiently and never gives up.
Douglas’s perseverance and courage teach us that a firm will and determination, coupled
with a bold attitude, can help us win over all obstacles, and achieve the impossible.
Question 5:
Answer the following question in 120-150 words.
“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:
MCA pool 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 The incident that nearly killed Douglas occurred at
the Y of water. One morning, when he was alone at the pool, 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 did not work. He went down to
the bottom and got panicky Thrice he struggled hard to come to the surface but failed each
time. He was almost drowned in the pool. This misadventure developed in him a strong
aversion to water.

Question 6:
Douglas fully realized 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:
Roosevelt said, ”All we have to fear is fear itself’.’ Douglas had experienced both the
sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can produce. Strong will, hard determination,
courage and toil as well as honest labor win over all our terrors and fears. The will to live
brushes aside all our fears.

This realization made him resolve to leam swimming by engaging an instructor. This
instructor, piece by piece, built Douglas into a swimmer. Then, he went to Lake Wentworth,
dived at Triggs Island and swam two miles across the lakes to Stamp Act Island. Finally he
had conquered his fear of water.

Question 7:
How did Douglas develop an aversion to water?
Or
‘….there was terror in my heart at the overpowering force of the waves.’When did Douglas
start fearing water? Which experience further strengthened its hold on his mind and
personality?
Answer:
When Douglas was three or four years old, his father took him to the beach in California.
Douglas hung on to his father, yet the waves knocked him down and swept over him. His
father was laughing but there developed a terror in Douglas’ heart at the overpowering force
of the waves.

The incident which further strengthened its hold on his mind and personality occurred when
Douglas decided to learn swimming when he was ten or eleven years old. He went to the
YMCA pool. There a big bully tossed him into the deep end of the pool. He went down to the
bottom of the pool and panicked because all his efforts to come back up failed. Finally he was
rescued by somebody, but he developed an aversion to water.

Question 8:
How did the instructor make Douglas a good swimmer?
Or
How did the swimming instructor ‘build a swimmer’ out of Douglas?
Answer:
Douglas decided to get 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. A rope was attached
to the belt that went through a pulley. The instructor held the rope and pulled Douglas back
and forth, across the pool, making him practice.

The instructor taught him to put his face under the water and exhale, and to raise his nose and
inhale. Slowly and steadily, Douglas was able to shed his fear of water, which was the
greatest obstacle in his desire to swim.

For weeks after this, his instructor made him kick with his legs. Initially his legs were not
responding, but with time they relaxed and he was able to command his legs at his will. In
this way, piece by piece, his instructor made Douglas a good swimmer.

Question 9:
How did Douglas make sure that he conquered his old terror?
Or
What was Douglas’ fear? How did he overcome that fear?
Or
How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Answer:
At the age of three or four, Douglas was engulfed by waves from the sea, which started his
fear of water. Then, when he was ten or eleven years old, Douglas was tossed into a nine feet
deep swimming pool by a bully of a boy. He had a near drowning experience which further
increased his fear.

Determined to get rid of his fear, Douglas engaged an instructor under whom he practiced
five days a week, an hour each day. The instructor tied Douglas with a rope suspended from a
pulley to help him overcome his fear. However, every time when the instructor loosened his
grip, Douglas’s fear returned.

It took him three months to overcome it. Next, the instructor taught Douglas to exhale under
water and inhale by raising his nose. He was made to kick with his legs at the side of the pool
to build up stamina.Thus, Douglas spent six months with the instructor i.e., from October to
April. Thereafter, he practiced on his own by swimming across various lakes, finally
overcoming his fear.

Question 10:
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:
Although panicky, Douglas had his strategy in place to come popping up like a cork and then
paddling to the edge of the pool. Unfortunately, his first attempt failed and terror seized him.
He tried to grab a rope but his hands clutched only at water. He was suffocating and tried to
yell, but no sound came out. His legs were paralyzed, his lungs ached and his head throbbed.
He was dizzy and trembled with fright.

The only signs of life in him were his beating heart and pounding head. He attempted to come
out of water a third time, but in vain. He sucked for air and got only water. Finally, he
stopped making efforts and fell unconscious. All the above details of his gripping, near-
drowning experience make us feel that we are experiencing his lurking terror step by step.

Question 11:
Justify the title ‘Deep Water’.
Answer:
This story is appropriately titled ‘Deep Water’. It unfolds with the narrator deciding to learn
swimming aft the YMCA swimming pool. He admitted that he had an aversion to water. This
began when he was three or four years old and his father took him to a California beach. Here
he was knocked down and swept away by the waves.

Yet another incident aggravated his phobia of water bodies. He was tossed by a robust bully
into the deeper end of the swimming pool. He nearly drowned and was terribly frightened.
An ‘icy horror’ took possession of him and his legs became paralysed.

He began to avoid going near water bodies. Finally, he decided that it was time to act tough.
He engaged an instructor who systematically trained him in the art of swimming. Thus, the
‘deep’ aversion and terror he had of water was finally removed.

Question 12:
Explain the statement— ‘The instructor was finished”.
Answer:
The narrator had engaged an instructor who would teach him to swim. He helped Douglas to
get rid of the icy horror of water bodies by attaching a rope to a belt worn by him. Holding
the end of the rope in his hand, he made Douglas go back and forth in the pool. Next, with the
help of breathing techniques and exercises like kicking with his legs, the instructor managed
to build a swimmer of him bit by bit, step by step.

The instructor also helped him in building up stamina, thus improving his confidence. The
instructor was hired in the month of October. By April, he put all he had taught into an
integrated whole. Thus, in a period of about six months, the instructor ‘built a swimmer’ out
of Douglas. It was time for the instructor to go away then, because he had finished with his
training.

Deep Water Extra Questions Value Based Type

Question 1:
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, is absolutely true. It is only the fear of consequences which prevents us from
taking an action, and hampers our progress, not only as an individual, but also as a society.

William. Douglas writes, “In death there is peace. There is terror only in the fear of death.” It
is his fear of drowning which makes him develop an aversion to water, and avoid going near
water bodies, or indulging in water sports. When he is able to overcome his fear with the help
of the instructor, he is able to learn to swim. Likewise, there are numerous incidents around
us that show how fear cripples the mind of an individual and society, and acts as an
impediment to growth.
Question 2:
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.’ He engaged an instructor
who perfected him in swimming. The instructor gave him hundreds of exercises and taught
him to exhale and inhale in water.

The practice went on for three months and Douglas was able to counter his terror. Then after
more exercises, the instructor ordered him to dive. He swam across lakes also to gain
confidence. He had now completely lost his fear of water. His desire, determination and
diligence had succeeded in banishing his fear of water.