WATER

3. DEEP
About the Author William Douglas

William O. Douglas (16 October 1sg8 _ 19

v:_,,;111a Washing ton. He was an Arn . January 1980) was b .
orn m Mai M'
1,uu ' encan ju ·
supreme Court of the United States H nst and politician H ne, mnesota and was raised.
. . . e was nominat d . e served as an As . m
h e at the age of 40 b . soc1ate Justice of the
and was t h e younges t Justice appointe d t O t e court d , k·
YPresident pran
upreme Cour t · an served fo r the longest t Im D. Roosevelt
·m the history of the
S erm

therne
'Deep Water' deals with the childhoo d f ·
. f t . hi ear of Douglas A .
aversion o wa er m m and he suffered from h .. misadventure at the YMCA
rnust never be treated lightly If they a ydrophob The story focuses on th f
1a. hpool developed an
· re not tack.led th h e act t at childhood fears
Douglas ana1yses his fear and finally deterrrunes
. ' en t ey make deep inroads into one ,s psychology.
to overcome it.

summary
'Deep Water' is an excerpt from OfMen and mountain
u . .
s wntten by w·1r O .
. . f h I
.It 1s an autobiographical
descnpt10n o ow the author develops the f ear of water and the iamft •Douglas h .
. he fmally overcame it. He
narrates t hat his aversion to water started h en h e was three 'or £ rea er, ow Id .
• • . w our years o and his father took him to
the beach m Cahform a. There he was knocke d d own by the waves a ct l b · .
was ten or eleven years old, he joined th y M n was a m?st uned down m water.
When he
was
sitting on the side of the pool all alone a bi b _e · .C.A. p~ol to le_arn to swim. One day, when he
end of the pool. He went at once to the 'botto~ rmser of ~ boy picked hllil up and threw him into the
deep
He decided to hit the bottom and k . . . He was fnghtened, but thought of a strategy to save his life.
t th d f h 1 . ta e a big Jump to come to the surface and lie flat on it and then paddle
o e e ge o t e poo . But 1t seemed his way down was very long.
came
Before he touched the bottom, his lungs were about to burst. Though he tried to take a big jump, he
dizzy.
up ~ery slowly: As a result, he went down for a second time. His lungs ached and he started feeling
he
He Jumped, his feet touched the bottom but it made no difference. When he went down a third time,
was
sucked a lot of water while trying to breathe air. Then all his efforts stopped and he had a blackout. He
overpowered by fear and even~al ly fainted.
water
After this incident , his fear of water worsene d and he did not go swimming or fishing or to any other
r
sport for many years. Finally one October, he decided to overcome his fear of water. He hired an instructo
The
to learn to swim. He started practisin g swimmirtg. Bit by bit he shed part of the panic that seized him.
day
instructor tied a belt around his waist and connecte d it to a pulley with a rope. The author practised
own.
after day till he began to get back his confidence. He was able to swim the length of the pool on his
Though the instructo r was satisfied , the author felt that on many occasions his old fear of water would return.
So, he continue d relentles sly to swim in different waterbodies till he was confident that he had overcome
his fear.
,
Finall t t t 'f h h d lost the last vestiges of fear, Douglas went up to the Tieton to Conrad Meadows
y,Co esdlC e kaT . t Meade Glacier and camped in high .meadow by the side of Warm Lake.
ree ra11 o , . .
UP th e onra of death his will to live grew most mtensely. This made lum fearless and
. d h t
As h e h ad expenen ce t e error ,
confident.
TEXTUAL QU ESTIONS
Think-as-you -read Quc st ions , . ·pt•al,s uhout'!
1
I. What is tlw ·mismh·t•nharr' that '''. illian.• _no•;~ 11
.-:1~1;wr ,11 11tc .igc (lf IL'lt ~ir ~kw 11 w.is pirkl·d up "'Ill
., . . ,•• . tit . incidcn11n wllllh · . . . . TltL' au1lu1r d1d11 I kthlW ltuw lo l-Win .
.\ns. 1lw 'I\\IS,h1\'L'l\tll11.: • 1s • 1.: l I) H)l l)I. "~, ("' \ h)' a 1,ru1sLI . 1,111(1
l . ,,, . . , .
11mm n intl) lhl' sw1mt1 1111 b l
was ahllut ll' dnm'n. .. cxa>t•rit•ncrd whrn Ill' was thrown int 0
1.,s
..
· ,,-., 'hat Doug · Litt
• Of ('11 )IIS 1111( I t'- ''
1 1

., What wt•rr tht• snars t•mo • llll' surf:u:r"!

,ool', What 1,tan did hr makr to come to · . l . • . . • initi·tlly he was shrn:ked and fri11h1,.
l · . . t ·r hy ., 111~ ll u1s1.: 1. • . .. i:- -- ncd
\ When Dnut!,las was thrnwn lllll) 1hc w,1 I.: , •••• which he was silling. I k was lcrrtlted and Pan·.·
: ns. . . ti , s·1me pl>stu11.: in l. . II re.
1k went del'p into thl.! water 1n 11.: · · . J 1. 1 ·d IL) make a )tg ,111mp 1c 111omc111 his r,~ct
. . ., .. or m111d .an P. . ,1111 I,; • 111
,. 1 ·ork l3ul unlnrlunatdy a 11s three alien,
. .
stricken. Dul he kepi Ins IH'1.:s1.:tlLt.: 1 1
1-..i.: • c · Pl\
• .· , ) the surlacc
touched the hn11om and to spi mg 1L • •..
1 .... 1 full of stark tcrrn r, he became unconsl'io
failed and at the end he fdt suffocated and p,11,1 ys1.:l . u~.

~ 11 ow<1·uI tius
.,. . . ex1. >rricncr ·,,ffrrt Dougl:1s'! , . fc ·ir or water. ·r·111s .
. cxpenrncc bl!c-1111
. • .1d , tur, Douglas l 1eve1opt:l1 •1 • . . . • ea
Ans. Attl.!r the Y.M.C.A. n11s, vi.:n t:.' , . . l 'r the terror which seized h1111 m the pool woul 1
. f I . WI1 , 1 , ·r h .. tneu to enll:1 w.1 t: , . .. {
ham.heap or 11111. 1.:1 1.:vt: . c . , . ·t . such as canoeing, boattng, ralt111g and swimniiiw
come back. I k could not cnJ 0 Yany W,llt.:r sp~i s . c,•

This experience ldt a haunting fear of water 111 lus heart.

-'· Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water'! . . . . IDdl11 201!1
. 1· I . , 1·r~ t the fullest This fi::ar was a h111drancc to his enJoymg the pleasures
Ans. Douglas wanted to 1ve us t 1; 0 · . .. . ·t I·I k ~ . · •· .
of lit~. This fear ruined all his fishing trips. He could not enJ~Y any wata spoi t: c,moeing, l1sh111g,

swimming. etc. So he was determined to get over his fear ot water.

5. How did the instructor build a swimmer out of William Douglas'? l/\ll lt1llia :!ll l~ (C'). lklh120131
Or
How did the instructor turn Douglas into a swimmer? IDdhi 20191
Ans. 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.
6. How did Douglas make sure that he had conquered the old terror?
Ans. 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.
Understanding the Text
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.
Ans. When Douglas. was flung into the pool by a bruiser, he almost drowned. He was terrified but did not
l~se hope. While going down the water, he planned to save himself. He decided that when his feel
hit th e bottom, he would make a big jump and come to the surface and then lie down and paddle to
 Li ter atu re 201
f h"
che edge of the po ol. Bu t th is pl an di dn ·t wo rk or im. As a result h went down again. This time
. ' e
tn.e d , b u t _·m va m. No w pa ni c se ize d him He
·
1 to drown. His
also Do ug as
th wa ter an d a~ he d realised tha t he was going
lun ~s ~l led wi filled him with
limbs were pa ral ys ed , hi s · Th e mass of yellow water
fa mt mg .
stark ter ro r an d he sta rte d
r of water?
s. How did Douglas oYercome hi s fea •
Do ug las wa s ha un ted by th e fe ar of wa ter fo r ma ny years. In or de r t0 overcome his fear, he decided
,.,
.=5
•
- .
to hire an ms tru cto r an d
.
sta rte d pr ac tis in ob swimn un g regularly Th e inst ru et or very mn .
ov
.
atively
· .
a me th od to tea ch hi m sw im nti no D ou g1as us ed to we ar a belt a d h.
is waist and a rope
de,ised b· ro un
we nt th ro uo0 h a pu lle y th a ra n on an overhead cable · s0 1·t pull ed h"1m out
t
was att ac he d to it wh ich . feel
ni ck y wh ile sw im mi no Af t hr rig orous practice , he started to
whenever he fel t pa b · er t ee mo nth s of
relaxed.
1 I · ·. II D and
o pa dd led his leg s in wa ter by th e side of th e po o · rutia Y, ouglas felt paralyst ed his job
Douglas als 't b ne ss. Th e instructor told him tha
hi 1 ct·1d ov erc am e his ne rvo us
. s egs n mo ve ut gr ad ua lly he e sw im me r Bu t
l
·n or d er t o be conf"id en t D oug as swam
ha d be co me a co mp let . 1
r
wa
. .
s do ne an d Do ug las .
W arm La ke , he rea lis ed that he had overcome his fea
m dif fer en t lak es . Fm all
y, wh en he sw am in
of water. of it?
ch ild ho od ex pe rie nc e of terror and his conquering
an ad ul t, recount a
9. Why does Do ug las , as rience?
es be draw from th is expe
What larger me an in g do nc e of terror. It was like an enco
unter with
ild ho od ex pe rie
t, re co un ts his ch gh when he was about to dro
wn in
.-\.ns. Douglas, as an ad ul r th at he wa s go ing thr ou
fee l th e ter ro gthened
de ath fo r him. H e co ul d an d fin all y his ze st for overcoming this fear stren
ted hi m fo r ye ars fear of his
the po ol. Th is fe ar ha un er an d de ter mi na tio n conquered the inherent
co ur ag e, wi llp ow d the fact
him. Ri go ro us pr ac tic e, h thi s ex pe rie nc e, Do uglas was able to understan
ide nc e. Th ro ug y of man,
he ar t an d he ga in ed co nf s ou r pr es en t. In life , fear is the greatest enem
fe ar s on ly sp oil t tha t in
tha t cli ng ing to th e pa st tiv es. Do ug las un de rst ood that in spite of the fac
m tak ing ini tia
which ho ld s hi m ba ck fro ha ve courage to face them boldl
y.
at tim es , on e mu st
life, sit ua tio ns ar e risky,

SOLVED QUESTION BANK

Qu es tio ns
Re fe re nc e- to -C on te xt . . sh
.
m my mm
.
d
. rne d against Lt, an d ke pt fre
tra cts giv en below Mo the r co nti nu all y wa
Read the ex us. It was only two or three fee.
t
. Ri r wa s tre.ach.erothe river. Bu t the Y.M. CA . po ol was safe.
1. Th e Ya k ·ts I got a pa,r
zma ve drowning m
ea ch wa
·
s nin e fee t deep at the other, the drop was gradual.
th e d etai 1
0 ,E
d, d while it
ow en an
deep at the sh all
to the pool.
of wa ter wi ng s an d we nt
An sw er th e followeding. _ _ _river.
the author about the _ _
/I' 1 )
(True •a sc
rn ep.
(a ) M ot he r wa s sa fe because it was no.t very de. (Trul•/Falsc)
I . river.
(b) The po o wa·gnored each drawnmg m the
(c) Th e au
th or • the opposite of 'deep'. h 11
d from the extract that is (d) S a ow
J\ Fi nd a wo
r (b) True (c) False
(a , he ro us /Y ak im a
,_____ A
__.~ n s. (a} tre ac
 English Core- J2 . . , .. . .
202 709etltt:1r wttt®
. hell J was 1'fus .\la1ted when 1 w
lll ti.
. 11 10 the wate, w I stood together i Qs
! I ad all aver.wv beach in Calif . · JJe and
r the ornta. h . d . n the ,\'4rf
2 Fro111 the bc•gi1111i11g, howeve1; ,r me I was une m water. My breQl/•
· Id df. tiler took me to
. /oWll a11d ,\-wept ove · · ·
three vrfouryem:\' o an a , • knockelI 111e t
1
I hung 011 to him, yet II re waves
,vas gone.
Answer the following. . t t him go near water.
er dad no Ie
. I •. moth
.
(Tru~/F·,i~~,
.
(a) The author hated water as us as he nearly drowne•d in water
(h) The author was _ _ _ __
(c) Gradually the narrator pra ctis ed-'a ---- · feelin g of not liking some thing '.
t ti . t mean s stron g
from the extrac ia ( ) swimming (d) aversion
(ti) Find a word
(a) false (b) scared_ . ~ore like ninety, and before I touched bouorn..,
Ans.
Tf1ose mne feet we,e bn
· h and made wh.,,y
d fl my strengt
long way down. . f m J summ one a at
3. It seemed a I ,n myfeet hit t1e oIIO ., ,
B I l Id bob to the surface 1t,ce a cor,c. Instea d Jc
lungs were ready to burst.. u w ie.·ds J· imagmec 1 wou
. . , an,e
b t , water that had a dtrty yellow tinge to it
f thought was a great sprmg upwa, · nothing ut wa e, - ·
up slowly. I opened my eyes anc l saw · . ·
Answer the following.
th
(a) The narrator was going down e - - - - -
th -
(b) The author was trying to come to e - - - - (True/False)
t Of the pool • ,
(c) He used a spring board to come ou
. .1 • aning to 'gath ered (d)
(d) From the passage pick a word s1m1 ar m me False summoned
(c) .
Ans. (a) swimming pool (b) surface knows no control,
. . d nle, terror that knows no. understand. mg,
. . serze . terror that
.
4. And then shee,; star k te1101 ed
. 1 fio has not experienced tt. I was shnek mg unde, water. I was paraly~
te1Tor that no one can un derstam w heart, and the
., ·
ngz 'd ·,h fiear.• Even, the screams in my throat were frozen. Only my
w1 der water -sttif!, Wl

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
.
not felt it. (True/False)
(c) Terror cannot be understood by some one who has
(d) From the passage give a word or phras e which has
the same or nearl y the same meaning as
'yelling'.
(b) terrorized (c) True (d) shrieking
Ans. (a) swim
5. Then all effort ceased. I relaxed. Even my legs felt limp; and
a blackness swept over my brain. It wiped
and peaceful. Nothing to be afraid
out fear; it wiped out tenm: There was no more panic. It was quiet
... too tired to jump... it's nice to be
of This is nice... to be drowsy ... to go to sleep... no need to jump
tender arms like Mother's... now I
carried gently... to float along in space... tender arms around me...
must go to sleep.
Answer the following.
(a) The narrator had a near _ _ _ _ _ exper ience
.

(b) He was getting _ _ _ _ _ and did not reme mber anyth ing.
(c) He was reminded of his mother. (True/False)

(d) From the passage pick up the oppo site of 'distu

rbed'
Ans. (a) dea th (b) unconscious (c) True (d) relaxed
 A fieW years later when I came to k Literature 203
6, d"d I now the w t
whenever I l -w -,ether I was wading ti Ti a ers of the Cascad I
Goat Rocks-the te1Tor that had seiz d ie . teton or Bumping R "es, wanted to get into them. And
e me 111 ti1 iver or bath· 111· 1.u
me completey. I MY legs would beconie e poof would com b k mg rrarm Lake of the
para1ysed J, I10 e ac ·. It would t k •
Answer the following. · cy n-or would g,·ab my hea11. a e possessron of
~·
(a) The writer wanted to lead a wh 0 1esome life
(b) The narrator could not · (True/False)
- - - - - his fea~
(c) The narrator was filled with
. d fi ----- .
whenever he came close to water.
(d) G1ve one wor or the phrase 'walki
True (b) ng with your feet in water' .
Ans, (a) overcome ·
But the jump made no difference. The wat . (c) horror (d) wade
1. . b er was still around I
Nothmg ut water. A mass of yellow waterh eld me. Stark t me. lookedforropes, /adders, wa te,. wmgs. •
I ,F l . .
great c wrge O; e ectnczty. I shook and trembled with . error took an even deeper hold on me, like a
help, to call for mother. Nothing happened. fright. My anns wouldn't move. I aied to call for
Answer the following.
(a) The narrator was trying to
. - - - - - out of water.
. the pool.
(b) Electric shock struck him when he wa s m
(True/False)
(c) No body heard his cries, and sometime happened.
(d) From the passage give a word or phrase wh. h h th (True/False)
'absolute'. IC as e same or nearly the same meaning as

Ans, (a) get (b) False (c) False (d) Stark

8. / used way I· knew to overcome this fear' but it h e/d me ft ,mlY m · Fm
· gnp.
· Lis · ally, one October. I
"d devery
t t
t · dfi d ' k '
dec1J ed o ge · instructor and leam to swim. I went to a pool and prac tee ve ays a wee an hour
h an
eac 1 ay. T, e tnSfructor put a belt around me. A rope attached to a belt went through a pulley' that ran
011 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.
Ans. (a) False (b) True (c) pulley (d) determined
9. On each trip across the pool a bit of the panic seized me. Each time the insa-uctor relaxed his hold 011
the rope and I went under, some of the old te,ror 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 exerdse 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 or phrase which bas the same or nearly the same meaning as
(d) From t h e passage give a wor
'controlled'. (d) seized
(c) False
Ans. (a) perseverance (b) tension
204 ?11<2etltci wid.® English Core-lZ . . my legs. For weeks I did Just ti
- 7 d 111e lack wi 111 1c,1 /J
,· le of the po
of and ha
d· and
ft
ma
/ly I could command them. · 1ftr11
10 Next he !,e/d me at tI ,e su . /ually re/axe '
· ·k But they g,ac.
my legs refused to wo, ·
. was exercising regularly.
Answer the followmg. . • . legs and so 1ie
roblelll with 1us
(a) The narrator had a P by the, _ _ _ _ _.
·de of the pooI
(b) He was held to the sa
I· ·· . me or nearly the same mea .
(c) 'They' here refers to us,____ which hast1ie sa nang as th
. word or phrase t
(d) Fl·om the passage gave a
(d) command
'order'. (c) legs
. >
Ans. (a ) Rc1 1se
( b) instructor or-stricken when I was alone in the Poof .
. . would be te11<
11 . · 1tried
. , 1
11. But I was 1101 ft ms11ec ·
I still wo11de1ed l I Id terror would 1eturn. But now J could~
11' y vestiges oft ie o A 111 1row11
it. I swam the le11gth up a11d down. m h'l Well here's to you! Loo'·
. to scare me, e . '
and say to the te1ro1; "T,,ymg
Answer the following.
(a) 'I was not finished' means - - - - -

(b) He frowned to his - - - - - mue/F

th t bully. a1~e,
(c) He was not scared Of a · h" h has the same or nearly the same meanin
. d or phrase w 1c g as
(d) From the passage gave a wor
'remnant'. (d) vestige
(b) old terror (c) False
Ans. (a) not over yet l those who have known stark terror and conquered .
d · g for me as on Y 11
12. The experience had a eep me~mn Th:re is terror only in the fear of death, as Roosevelt knew when
can appreciate. In death there zs peace.
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)

(a ) near d rowning (b) The narrator (c) driving (d) True

An s.

Short Answer-type Questions

1. How did William Douglas' aversion to water begin? [Delhi 2013 (C)]

Or
Which two incidents in Douglas' early life made him scared of water? [Delhi 2014 (Cl]
Ans. 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.
 Lit era ture 205
J{oW did Dou gla s's exp erie nce at
y :\I C
1 .. . .,\. Pool afTect hirn?
,,.
, 'd ent at Y.:\1.C.A P Or
J{oW did t h e mc1
. . . oo1 afTect Dou I later •in life'>
iled the con fide nce fD g as
T his inci den t spo OUo la H ' IIIO h l
his Ii
O
b . ~ s. e bec ame hvd r h b. . ·d d
The mo me nt he ent ere d wa ter, - op O 1c and ah ·
. . m s \\ oul d b ecornc paral)·scd . d · a) s a, 0 1 c "' atcr.
fear ruin ed his fish ing trip s. He cou ld
oy an
· rts like .a terr or wou ld _gra. h h.im. Th 1' ~
. not enj any wat er spo .
etc. due to this fea r of wat er. canoeing. fo,hmg, ~,\immine.
- ~
. , . at the Y:\i l
ffoW did Dou gla s m1s adY entu re
.. .C. ,\ pool ft \ II J ~,
3, ure at the y M CA · a ect his late r life? 1 I n i., - 11n ,c ii
D oug las' mis adv ent . . poo l dev el . . ff ,
ope d an aversion of water in 1m. He su l:red
. . . h •
_.\nS not swi m A
from hyd rop hob ia and cou ld d .
· d h · s a resu lt he wa s evo 1d of plea sures of s,,imm1·ng . raf1·In!!.
an ot e r wa ter spo rts Th· '
ct •
fishing, can oei ng . is ma e him f eeI .mcomplete. ..
led Do ugl as to dec ide in f
Wbat factors avour of Y.M.C.A. 001.,
4. P · IAll lnd1.1 : 011. 0 .:1111 : ,IIJt C JI
s was thr ee yea rs old he wa
_us, When Dou gla '
wat er B
s swe pt over by sea waves at the California beach Since
t h
then he dev elo ped an ave rsio n to
he decided t~ learn
at a saf er pla ce. The Y.M .C A p. 00~ e whanted to learn to swim. Soh
to swim st pool ' ~/th
d • fee t at the dee· p ·side Itwas t e safe 1 two or t ree feet deep at the
shallow end an nm e inners. Thus Douglas
ided to lea rn to swi m at the Y.M .C.A. ~ool~vas very safe even for the beg
dec
ugh t tha t YMCA
5. Douglas's mo the r (iro nic ally ) tho poo1was safe for learning to s~im . What
are J,·our
?
• s.
~~ (For~1~n : 0171
· · h e poo l ·IS a lways pre dic tab le bec aus e it is not so dee th • b -
· t P as e nve r. 1t may e two or
Ans. Swunnung m ll s not ari·se · h · ·
'"' d t th h end . So, the que stio n of drowning doe s a 11 ow sw1 mm mg
three 1eet eep a e s a ow . ma ·
lik h YM CA 1 . swi mming in the YM CA ool, as Dou glas
poo · Thu s, It was qm te safe to lear n P
pool et e
mother tho ugh t.
n on being thrown into the pool?
6. What was Dou gla s' init ial rea ctio n as
thro wn into the poo l, he was frig htened. He knew that he was going to drow
Ans. When Do ugl as was n the pool.
w how to swi m. Bu t eve n the n he was not out of his wits. On his way dow
he didn't kno ace, lie flat on
d tha t wh en he hit the bot tom , he wou ld make a big jum p, come to the surf
he pla nne
it and pad dle to the edg e of the poo l. ld he feel
or seiz ed Dou gla s as he wen t dow n the water for a second time? How cou
7. What sor t of terr
that he was stil l alive? d
dow n for a sec ond tim e, pan ic seiz ed him. His lungs ached, his head throbbe
Ans. When Do ugl as we nt lysed und er water. But he could realise
that he
ifie d. He was shr iek ing and was para
and he was terr d time to save
as he sho ok and trem ble d wit h frig ht. He didn't give up and tried for a thir
was alive
himself.
l? And what
imm edi ate effe ct of Dou glas ' exp erience of nearly drowning in the poo
8. What was the .
was the lon g-te rm effe ct? that mgh t
effe ct was bot h phy sica l and men tal. Douglas was sick and could not eat he
Ans. The imm edi ate days to recover The longgoin -term effect was that
k hi h · dre ade d g nea r water to enjoy
kne es. It too m man y lt
and was wea k at the
wat er, and, as a resu , e
developed hyd rop hob ia, i.e. a fea r of . "'
any wat er spo rt and fish ing . 10~ 11u - 0171
}?
s have at YM C A poo · on
9 Wh ene
·
nce
1 Dou gla
d"d CA th t affected him badly. As he was sitting
at sho cki ng exp 1 w him into
at th e ~ poo a f age picked him up and thre
•
Ans Douglas had a sho cki ng exp erie nce a boy, eigh~een_ years O '
the side of the poo l, a big bully of
knew swtmIDing.
the poo l at the dee p end thin kin g he
 . I'1 I1 ('1 ,11.· 12
206 7";"rin ,...r,«- I ·. Ilg '
rfun• 0f
• ht' I"'"1 U,'I ht• ho11"" 1fo't
· I ·
I Al
I\ I l11,1,
., 111 1/,
l' to lhl' /Ill I, ·11111p l,111 I W:1', Ill) ii ~ ~'"'Ph:
HI. \\ h., · ,11,1 l)1111J,:l11/j foll to "".111 I . ~11i1m·c hy 11i:1ki11g ii .'''~;, and le t t,i111~cll !slip l1110 ,,1,livt lit: 111,;
\ l>nu •I,~ had ,krickd to 1111 I ,c . ·1s sd1.l'd hy ll:rl ' , ' >n .
. "'· . ~, . r . . tr d ·1t11.·111p1-., hew, . . I I is dalldlwod kur of wal er! IAII I
1ma~~111l'll.t\ll' l llpl.i ' ' t<'Al'ooln•vvt• • · , . . . . . . . •111,., 11,1,
11. llow ,11,1 1)1111J,:l11i-' lnlroclut'llon to\ 1\1 • ' ·d his d1ildhood fc;ir ol w,ll cr. J lie cxpc, l l:fH:c lit: I I
('/\ 1,11111 11.viv1.: • • I ·s 111 ; 11 d wlic11 111.: wa<; tlm,w, •
11111,, 11, 1,1
1
.\11,. t >nm•l ,,· i1111111h1l'lhlll Ill YM . , h:lihlc i111pn11t 111 11 ' ' 11
·,s ., ~:l;ild uf thll'l' Pr 1,111r had ldl a11k11ul 111, s·1111c d1ildish fea r. , •.,
' . • ·
th11-. tlw YI\ICt\ ~wi111111111~ poor l:
•VI l l' l C'' f '/
. . 11 t the ugc of three or our lh11,-,.,
· . • •Ion to wnll'• • • , ' 1111i1 1
I~- 11,m ,li,1 UtmJ.:lns tl,·H•loa, nn nvu s I I I i' s 1··,thcr rook him lo a hcac;1I 1/1 L 1l1for11ia. I Ii, r~11 I
\n,. Wlw11 1>n11~las was tllll'C or four yc,··,rs o ., •. i . g' 011 to him, ycl IIll! w.tvcs . . , knm;·kcu I11111
. d,,wn. ., •··r
1 1111
·11HI h1.• !'-lo,id hl~l·lhcr in rhc surf. l)oug 1.,s 1/\ , ., result Douglas dcvdopcd an avcn,ion ll> vr 1~11,J
· . .· . I under water. s ' · ' , , ;i er.
~w1.·pt owr lum. I k was 1Hll lCl . ti rown into YMCA pool? lh,,,. ,,
at when he wns • -•,:n 21,,,
IJ. llow did J>oi1.:l11s hope to come m hndcd in a sitting position in water He 1
'
.11110 11 • y MCA poo1, 1JC ' . . 1
gu Ptd
.\n~. Wh1.·n D,n11.!las was thrown ic ltJCd lo hil the bottom, make a b1gjump <1nd
. I I . . sinkill'' 1ic p 1ar (;{'IIJe
lot of water. Fri!,!hlenc, , as 1c w,,s · r-1
out to the surface. . .,
. k' , how did he plnn to save himself. l!Jdhi 21
.... Whm J>ou.:lns n·nliSl'd thnt he WllS SIii IIIJ,t, I . . l. ·r ·d JJ' k .
JI',,
.
ti , uccp water of the pool, ic was crn JC • c new that he¼·\
An~ Wh1.·n D,m!,!las was thr~>w1.1 mlo le . . he thou ,ht of a strategy to save himself. He dee· ii
!,!Oing to drown as he th<ln t know to swmi. So g . . d t h idcd
that as his ket hi; the bottom of the pool, he would make a big Jump an come O t c surface. Then
he \\oul<l swim to the edge of the pool.
IS. Why did Douglas go to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire? How did he make his terror flee?

IAII India 2fll2j

Or
How did Douglas make sure that he had conquered the old terror. IAII India 2ou1
Ans. After getting training from the instructor, Douglas, in pursuit of complete elimination of fear of
water, dt:cidcd to go to various waterbodies. Finally, he decided to go to go to Lake Wentwonb to
test himself for fear. He swam there without fear, which made him confident to believe that he bad 1

chased away all residual fears and terrors.

16. How did Douglas remove his residual doubts about his fear of water? !Delhi 201~
Or
..The instructor was finished. But I was not finished." What does this refer to? Explain brieOy.
IHOTSI
Ans.
The ins_tructor _worke_d with Douglas for seven months. Through rigorous training, the instructor
made ham get_ nd of his fear of water. But still some vestiges of fear used to haunt Douglas whenem
hedwbas alone m wfiadter. So he decided to go to the various waterbodies to overcome his fear of wat~r
an ecome con I ent.
17. What happened to Douglas when he failed i b' .
time? n •s attempt to come onto the surface of water a third
Ans. When Douglas was thrown into the ool h t . .
come onto lhe surface of water H pt . d' c . ned his best to save himself. He planned a strategy 10
· c. .ncThtwice but f· ·1 d A
sucked water as he tried to breath · time,_
· h(
. . ai e • s Douglas went down a third
became quiet and calm. c air. en all his efforts stopped. He had a blackout. Everyth10~
 Lit era tur e 207
wa nt to ove rco me his fea
S WbY did Do ugl as r of water?.
e h' f
l · pouglas wa nte d to ov erc om is ear of .
b Water beca
,.\OS· oment he ent ere ct wa.ter, his lim s Would b ' use this fea h become his handic ·, The
J1l 11 h. f h. t ecome paralysed . r ad
ld not
ruined a is is mg np s. He couove do canoeing boat· and terr or would grab him T<h~·.
. is
f ..
car
tely , he dec ide d to swi m . ' .
his life comple rcome his f ' mg and
ter. mm g. So m ord er tc enj oy
. h' ear of Wa
WhY could Do ugl as not com e up in as first att
t9, pouolas cou Id n ' t com e up in his fi t ' empt?
his fee t hitrsthattbempt, tho ugh he tri d h' .
,.\OS· strat;gy was tha t wh en o h
e Ott m, e Would ma e 1s bes
k b'
t H' strategy did
: is n't work. His
· ct dle to the edg e B
pad e,
lie flat on it an
am e he t~ by the tim e he reac hee~ t~! J:mp, come onto t~e surfacgs
were abo ut to bu rst and he bec P ess. ottom, he felt as 1f his lun
J{ow did Do ugl as get rid of all the re 'dual fear of
. si
20, lt a sw im me r ou t f water that he had?
The ins tru cto r had bm .
alo ne in wa ter . In o do Do ugl as, but still same vestige s Offear used to haunt him
i\OS• whenever he wa s to get rid 0 f aII the residual fe D
t b d . . He we nt up to thr er T' ar, oug1as swamTra across
various wa er o 1es e 1et on to Co nr dM the Conra d Cre ek il to
d GI · d f ll ped at Wa rm L k a eadows, up
Mea e ac1er an ' ma Y, cam a e.
th .
how Do ug las fel t wh en he was rown anto the pool Wb t .
1• Explain? · a pla n dad he make to come to the
2
surface· !All Indi a 2014 (C)]
ow n int o the poo l he t fr'
i\nS, When Do ugl as wa s thr ic gripped him But
t ou t of his wit s. He tho ugh t fgo ightened and a senIfse Hof pan .
still he was no o a stra tegy to save himse . e decided that as his feet
f h uld ma ke a bio0 ·um a nd
bit the bo tto m o t e poo l, he wo l. J P come to the surface. He would lie
flat on
e of the poo
it and pad dle to the edg

Long Answer-type Questions

rsi on to water?
zz. How did Do ug las dev elo p an ave !Delhi 201 2]

Or
ed Douglas
the cur tai n of life fell .' Wh at was the incident which nearly kill
'I crossed to obl ivi on, an d on to wa ter ?
(Foreign 2014, 20!5 ]
ave rsi
and developed in him a str ong waves of
or fou r yea rs old , his fat her too k him to the California beach. The
Ans, When Do ugl as wa s thr ee ied him in water. He was terrified and una
ble to breathe.
do wn and alm ost bur
the sea kno cke d him
rsi on to wa ter . La ter on, wh en he was ten or eleven years old, one
Since the n he dev elo ped an ave poo l, he was flung into the pool by a bru
iser.
sid e of the sw imm ing
day while sitt ing on the terrible experience in his att em pt
to
th dea th. He und erw ent the
It was rea lly an en co un ter wi , wh ich suf focated him, an abject fear immobi
lised his
dro wn ed in wa ter
save himself. He alm ost e hyd rophobic. He could not swim and
do any oth er
wa s res cue d, he bec am
limbs. Th ou gh he in contact with ':at er,
lik e can oei ng, fish ing , boa tin g, rafting, etc. Eve1?'1~e he came_ n finally
water activity
aly se him . He spe nt ma ny yea rs of his life und er this fear and the
pangs of pan ic wo uld par
decided to con qu er it. B h[Delhhi 201h21
sel f fro m dro wn ing in the Y.M .C.A. pool?
e him
23. How did Do ug las try to sav ool by a big boy'He he became fearfu l. ut e t oug t
· h · ·
d • dec ide d tha t as he hit the bottom
o t e sw i~ g P
Ans. When Do ugl as wa s flu ng mt sav e him sel ffromh rowrfruneg.of water · Then he
would lie flat and
nn ed a str ate gy to
rationally and pla · · mp to com e to t.t etoo su ac and he
Id k e a b ig JU k long for him to reach the bottom
of the poo l, he wo u ta una
1 1
~e d't0 take a big jump using all his
might, but in vain.
e of the poo l. Bu t unf ort ,
paddle to the edg
en then he trhii~ t. d'd not produce the desired result. Finally
Ev
felt as if his lun gs .wo uld bu rst . t hn iqu e bu t s. ac d10n 1
ec
Once aga in, he tne d the sam e
bs go t nu mb and he famte .
panic sei zed him. Hi s lim
208 769d~e-, ~ ® English Corc-12

, o·n•n·omc I
•r ,,c want to MJCl' l'CII in life. llow di·• I>
u
111
2~. Fear is somcthin~ that \\C must Il•nrn t < •~l:1,
• • I< 11\1 1
get onr his fear of \\ntcr! k • · 'II•
·t •dlow u~ I<> 111.1 c dlo1l\ lo .'.'. u,•,.
,L 1
. I I . . l)' S ' us ll l Il l I,; ., 11 • '-'-l'ClJ \
• V e
Ans. Fear has a tendency to cnpp e am p.,r., · 1..: • •
ouQht to oYercomc fear in onIa to l,c ~ucc · ·•·ssful
.... · · . . .
~ • . , • 1 ";\II we have I<> fear 1~ fear 1l'.'.cl f ''.
Douglas n:alis1.·d the truth of Rnosevdt s ~,•.,11..
m1.:n · .
,1 dcddcJ to hire an 1n~lructor to ll!ar 11 \ Wi 1 .
~
To O\'ercome his kar of water. Douglas ultim,tk Y ,. • . • · ir n1111 ~
• . • • , . 1. • • week, an hour c,1ch d,1y. I le put a heh .
1
·
The instructor start1.·d \\orkmg. with h1111 fivc u,iys' . .. . rlr()uriu
. , , t through an overhead pulley. I he 111'.'.lruct
Douc.bs and attad11.·d a rope to 1t. The rope wcn . or hc1c1
• • • • 1 On each trip acro:,s the pool a l'lll 1
on to the end of the rope and monitored the swmrnung. . . ' c Pilriic
,f ,. the tension rcc.luccd. 1 hen the lll'.'.lruct
gripped D1.)ue,las. It took almost three mont l1s be ore · . . or taught
~ F . enl weeks his instructor taught Dougla \ to kick
him inhalation and exhalation under water. or scv ' ·
with his kc.s. until he was able to command his legs at will.
• - • • . · n er Douglas was able to swi m ' dive , craw . 1 u
So the mstructor was able to make Doug1as ,l swim 1 · a11
do other mm·es in swimming.
Douglas fully realised the truth of Roose,•clt'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? I forci!!n 201-tl
d
Ans. Fear is a paralysing emotion. It restricts all kinds of efforts, creativity aD all kinds of ventures
that one thinks of achieving. But with grit, determination and hardwork, fear can be conquered.
\Villiam 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.
26. Desire, determination and diligence lead to success. Explain the value of these qualities in the light
of Douglas' experience in Deep Water. fAll India 201-t (C)J
Or
Courage and optimism are attributes that can make the impossible possible. Elucidate with
reference to Deep Water. [HOTS!

Ans. 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 Ct:ar.
But, finaJly, Douglas proved that it was courage, determination, desire, diligence and optimism that
made him get rid of fear.
 Literature 209
27. 'This handicap stayed with me . th
as e years rolled b 'Wh"
are the even t s th at made Douglas ha d" y. •ch handicap is being referred to and what
. • n &capped?
,.\ns. The handicap being referred to is th f ·
. 'd t . h' l . e ear of water Dou I h d
mc1 en s m 1s c 11ldhood. As a gas a developed due to some unfortunate
h resu It, he could not ·
was t ree or four years old his f th . enJoy water sports and swimming. When he
b , a er took him to th b h . .. .
down Y sea waves and was almost b . d . e eac m California. Douglas was knocked
une m water He d 1 d .
when h e was ten or eleven years old b . · eve ope an avers10n to water. Moreover
. .
a terr1b 1e experience. He was aim t .
, a ru1ser flung him i t
. ° . .
n a sw1mmmg pool. At that time he had
os m water which suff t d h'
'
limbs. However, he somehow escap d d .' oca e 1m and the fear immobilised his
. • . e rownmg. Since the h d
enJOY conoemg swimming rafting f' h' n e was scare of water and could not
' ' , IS mg etc This bee h d' • .
of the joy of water sports and sw· . ' · ame a an 1cap for him, as he was depnved
1mmmg.
28. 'But I was not finished.' Describe how Do I •
had left him. ug as gamed confidence as a swimmer after the instructor

,.\ns. Douglas was slowly made a swimmer b th · st •

. h" 1 . Y e m ructor. He tramed him to overcome his fear of water
swim, move 1s egs and mhale and exh l h'l · · '
. a e w I e sw1mmmg. In seven months the instructor made
a sw1IDrner out of Douglas But Dougl · '
. · as was not confident as yet. The vestiges of fear of water still
haunted him. So he decided to swim in · 1 dl ·
. vanous poo s an akes 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 c~mpletely overcome his fear of
water.

29. Do you think that 'Deep Water' is an appropriate title. Give reasons in support of your answer.
,.\ns. '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.
30. 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
· ·ng pool?. What is the mindset of the modern youth that is reflected through such
• •C.A• SWIIDfill
Y.M
incidents? Discuss.
Ans. Bullying at school or at college is common. Senior students making fun and at times ~h~sically
assaulting and mentally torturing the juniors has become very com~on. nowahda~s. This 1s w;:t
h y Mc A ool when a big bruiser threw him mto t e eep water. e
happened to D~uglas at t e . .ct~ th~ can show their might. But they fail to understand that the
youth today believe that by such a k . y h akest We need to study the reason for bullying others
th
one who exerts his might on e wea er is t ewe · elves The first quality that the youth need to
and also the way to fight such bullies and tob safrve ofrursm any. complexes They need to be honest and
• · · th selves and to e ee O • h
nurture 1s confidence m em Th hould never pretend to be oversmart. On t e
. kn h rtcomings brave1y. ey s . h Th
accept therr wea ess or s O . d them or unnecessanly overpower t em. e
other hand, they should not allow everyone to or her . ht approach and willpower to counter
.b . themselves the toug ness, ng l'k b 11 .
present youth must imb 1 e m . . . .1 t confident and cautious, evils 1 e u ymg
"f the present generation is v1g1 an ,
these elements. Thus, l
will soon disappear.
 2
21 0 7 ~ ~ ® En gli sh Co rc -1
ose velt knew when he sai d, 'AIJ we have to re ar .is
in the fea r of dea th' as Ro . . .
31. There is terror on ly With 't
e wit h fea
'
r, ins tea d of sup pr ess ing it, he lps on e to do away 1
fear itself.' Coming face to fac '. Di scu ss.
in the story 'Deep Water
completely, jus t like Douglas did is fea r itself.' N
mi nd and as Ro ose vel t has rig htly sai d, i'\ll we hav e to fea r
An s. Fe ar is jus t a sta te of t one'o
fill ed life , on e mu st get rid of all kin ds of fea rs tha t restric
do ub t. if on e wa nts to live a ful
_ life. On e need:
us live in the fea r of on e thi ng or the oth er thr ou gh ou t our
hap pin ess . Bu t mo st of l by
e Do ugl as, to ov erc om e fea r. ~h en he ~a s ~u ng mt o the poo
to he_ str on g and det erm ine d, lik sho we d his de ter mi na tio n to sav e himself b
up. Th ou gh fea rfu l, he
a bru ise r, Do ug las did no t give te of bei ng a hy dro ph ob ic, Do ug las
decided :
e on to the sur fac e. In spi 1
att em pti ng thr ee tim es to com sev e~ anc e tha t the ins tru cto r cou ld
only du e to his wi llp ow er an d per
co~ qu er h~s fea r of water. It was rig oro us pra cti ce we re the key
factors. Even
. Hi s per sis ten t eff ort s an d
bu ild a sw im me r ou t of him im me r, Do ug las tes ted him sel f by swi
mm·
aft er the ins tru cto r told him tha
t
t
sat
he
isf
had
act ion
bec om
at Wa
e a
rm
sw
La ke. It wa s his ste ad ine ss an d
tenacity wh;:i
in dif fer ent lakes an d fin ally go
we red him to fig ht and she d away the fea r fro m his mi nd .
em po