CBSE Class 12 English Deep Water Notes Set C

Deep Water — William Douglas

About the Author

William Orville Douglas (1898 – 1980) was an American jurist and politician who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Douglas was confirmed at the age of 40, as one of the youngest justices appointed to the Supreme Court. His term, lasting 36 years and 209 days (1939 – 1975), is the longest term in the history of the Supreme Court.

Theme

The author, William Douglas, talks about his fear of water and how he finally overcame it. He narrates an autobiographical incident that occurred when he was ten or eleven years old and almost drowned in the Y.M.C.A swimming pool. As a result, he developed a fear of water, which he was able to conquer after several years, by sheer determination.

Message

The story ‘‘Deep Waters’’ tells us how the writer overcame his fear of water and learned swimming through sheer determination and will power. He had developed a terror of water since childhood. William Douglas was able to overcome his fear by sheer determination. The message conveyed by this story is that it is not death but the fear of death that creates terror in our mind, so that fear needs to be shaken off. Also, any fears can be conquered if we try hard enough.

Justification of Title

This extract is appropriately entitled ‘‘Deep Water’’. The author recounts his fear of swimming following an incident in which he had been swept away by a wave. Another incident which further aggravated his fear was when a bully pushed him into the deep side of a swimming pool and he nearly drowned. But slowly, he overcame his fear through determination and strong will. He learnt swimming from an instructor. He swam in different pools and lakes to overcome his fear. The title also signifies that the author’s fear was a deep rooted one.

Summary

‘‘Deep Water’’ tells us how the writer overcame his fear of water and learned swimming. He had developed a fear of water during childhood. When he was three or four years old, the writer had gone to California with his father. One day on the beach, the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was terrified but his father laughed as he knew that the author was not in any real danger. This experience created for him an aversion to water and bred a permanent fear of water. Another, more serious, incident occurred when the writer was trying to learn swimming in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool. One day, while he was waiting for the other boys, a bully boy of eighteen suddenly played a dangerous prank and pushed him into the water. The writer was terribly frightened. He went down nine feet into the water. His lungs were full of unreleased air. When he reached the bottom, he jumped upward with all his strength. He came up, but very slowly. He tried to catch hold of something, but grasped only at water. The writer then tried to shout but no sound came out. He went down again. His lungs ached, head throbbed and he grew dizzy. He felt paralyzed with fear. Only the movement of his heart told him that he was alive. Again he tried to jump up. But this time, his limbs would not move at all. He looked for ropes, ladders and water wings, but all in vain. Then he went down again, the third time; this time all efforts and fear ceased. He was moving towards peaceful death. The writer was at peace. When he came to consciousness, he found himself lying on the side of the pool with the other boy nearby and the coach remonstrating with him for nearly causing him to drown. As a result of the near death experience, the terror that the writer had experienced in the pool never left him. It haunted him for years. It spoilt many of his expeditions of canoeing, swimming and fishing. It spoilt his pleasures in Maine lakes, new Hampshire, Deschutes, Columbia and Bumping Lake, etc.

Yet, the writer was determined to conquer his fear. He took the help of a swimming instructor to learn swimming. The instructor taught him various actions necessary in swimming. He trained Douglas how to breathe while swimming. He practiced this for several weeks. He had to kick with his legs for a few weeks on the side of the pool. At last, he combined all these actions and made Douglas swim. Thus, he learned swimming; yet the terror continued. Whenever he was in water, his terror returned and the author tried to face the new challenge. When the terror came, he confronted it by asking it sarcastically, what could it really do to him? He plunged into the water as if to defy the fear. Once he took courage, the terror vanished. He faced the challenge deliberately in various places like the Warm Lake. This is how he at last conquered his fear of water.

CHAPTER IN A NUTSHELL

William Douglas talks about his fear of water and thereafter, how he finally overcame it. The autobiographical element in the lesson is used to support his discussion of fear.

Author’s Aversion to Water

• 1. started when he was three or four years old.
• 2. visited a beach in California with his father/stood with his father in the surf.
• 3. the waves knocked him down and swept over him.
• 4. he was buried in water/breath was gone/frightened.
• 5. father laughed
• 6. there was terror in his heart at the overpowering force of the waves.

‘Misadventure’ at the YMCA

• 1. the author was sitting on the side of the pool.
• 2. a big bruiser of a boy tossed him the deep end of the pool.
• 3. the author landed in a sitting position, swallowed water, and went at once to the bottom.
• 4. the author was frightened.
• 5. planned that he would jump and come to the surface/paddle to the edge of the pool.

(i) Its impact:

• (a) he was weak and trembling
• (b) shook and cried when he lay on his bed/couldn’t eat that night.
• (c) for days a haunting fear remained in his heart.
• (d) slightest exertion upset him and made him wobbly in the knees and sick in the stomach.
• (e) never went back to the pool.

(ii) Subsequent:

• (a) the fear remained-in a river or pool legs would become paralyzed.
• (b) icy horror would grab his heart.
• (c) deprived Douglas of enjoying water sport ruined his fishing trips/deprived him of the joy.
• (d) in canoes on Maine lakes fishing for landlocked salmons.
• (e) bass fishing in New Hampshire, trout fishing on the Deshutes and Metolius in Oregon, fishing for salmon on the Columbia, at Bumping Lake in the Cascades-fear of water followed him.

(iii) Conquering his fear:

• (a) engaged an instructor to learn swimming.
• (b) instructor made him practice five days a week, an hour everyday
• (c) put a belt around him.
• (d) a rope attached to the belt went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable
• (e) instructor held on to the end of the rope.
• (f) author went back and forth several times each day.
• (g) took three months to learn
• (h) instructor taught him to put his face under water and exhale
• (i) to raise his nose and inhale
• (j) instructor made him kick with his legs
• (k) thus piece by piece he finally learnt how to swim
  • • though the author had learnt to swim, he still felt that the old fear would grip him again.
  • • went to lake Wentworth-swam two miles across the lake.
  • • swam the crawl, breast stroke, side stroke and back stroke.
  • • the old sensation returned in miniature.
  • • then went up the Tieton to Conrad Meadows, up the Conrad Creek Trail to Meade Glacier, and camped by the Warm Lake.
  • • swam across to the other shore and back
  • • he had finally conquered his fear.

(iv) Draws a larger meaning from this experience:

• (a) in death there is peace
• (b) there is terror only in the fear of death/as Roosevelt said “All we have to fear is fear itself”
• (c) since the narrator had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can produce; the will to live grew in him.

Question. Who is the author of Deep Water?
(a) William Shakespeare
(b) William George Bernard Shaw
(c) William Wordsworth
(d) William Douglas
Answer: D

Question. In which subject has the author graduated?
(a) English and History
(b) English and Science
(c) Science and Social studies
(d) English and Economics
Answer: D

Question. For how many years had the author taught in high school in Yakima?
(a) 2 years
(b) 4 years
(c) 3 years
(d) 5 years
Answer: A

Question. After the author was fed up with teaching , he decided to opt for which career?
(a) Medical
(b) Gardening
(c) Engineering
(d) A legal caree
Answer: D

Question. What is the story Deep Water speaking about?
(a) Fear of water and the way to overcome it
(b) Fear of people
(c) Fear of dogs
(d) Fear of swimming
Answer: A

Question. How did the author's fear vanish?
(a) With courage, guidance and determination
(b) With care
(c) With mother's words
(d) With guidance
Answer: A

Question. Y.M.C.A stands for?
(a) Young Men's Christian Authority
(b) Young Men's Christopher Association
(c) Young Men's Christian Army
(d) Young Men's Christian Associa
Answer: D

Question. Where is Yakima located?
(a) In Newzealand
(b) In California
(c) In Washington
(d) None of these
Answer: C

Question. Where did the writer go when he was 3 or 4 years old in the story?
(a) Washington
(b) New Zealand
(c) California
(d) Canada
Answer: C

Question. Why did he develop a fear of water?
(a) Because of knocking down by waves at a beach
(b) Because of a young boy
(c) Because of instructor
(d) Because of his mother
Answer: A

Question. What is haunting the author?
(a) Terrible experience in the pool
(b) Ghosts
(c) His mother's words
(d) A push by a young boy
Answer: A

Question. How did the author learn swimming?
(a) With the help of a rope
(b) With the help of a friend
(c) With the help of his mother
(d) With the help of a swimming instructor
Answer: D

Question. What did William O Doughlas desire for?
(a) Visit to California
(b) To be a judge
(c) To learn swimming
(d) To be with his mother
Answer: C

Question. What did the author realize while drowning in the pool?
(a) Terror in fear of death
(b) Swimming was fun
(c) The lifeguard did not come to his rescue
(d) All of these
Answer: A

Question. What is the theme of the story Deep Water?
(a) Victory in facing the fear
(b) Being fearful
(c) To learn swimming
(d) All
Answer: A

Question. Deep water is an excerpt from which book?
(a) Fear of water
(b) Of Men and Mountains
(c) How to Swim
(d) Fearless
Answer: B

Question. What does Deep Water signify?
(a) Beauty
(b) Depth of Sea
(c) Depth of ocean
(d) Fear
Answer: D

Question. Who threw Douglas into the swimming pool?
(a) A young boy
(b) Instructor
(c) Mother
(d) Watchman
Answer: A

Question. What was the fear in Douglas' mind?
(a) To be defeated
(b) To be pushed
(c) Being drowned
(d) None
Answer: C

Question. Douglas visited the beach with his father. What caused a terror in his heart
(a) The sight of the sea waves
(b) The overpowering force of the waves
(c) The colour of the water
(d) All of these
Answer: D

Question. emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown into the
(a) Fear
(b) Confidence
(c) Overconfidence
(d) Mixed feelings of confidence and fear
Answer: D

Question. What plans did he make to come to the surface of the pool?
(a) Triled to jump and push himself up
(b) Shouted
(c) Cried aloud
(d) Shouted "help"
Answer: A

Question. How did this experience affect the author?
(a) Became fearless
(b) Confident
(c) Overconfident
(d) Became hydrophobic
Answer: D

Question. learn from his experience of drowning learning to swim?
(a) Learnt swimming
(b) Love for swimming
(c) Swimming is not difficult
(d) Face the fear
Answer: D

Question. How did the instructor make Douglas a good swimmer?
(a) Planning
(b) With the help of ropes
(c) By pushing him into the pool
(d) With the help of ropes and belts
Answer: D

Question. What plan did Douglas make to learn swimming?
(a) Planned to get an instructor
(b) Planned to swim more
(c) Planned to watch swimmers
(d) Planned to jump
Answer: A

Question. What does Douglas do to save himself in the pool?
(a) Used his mind and pushed himself up
(b) Shouted aloud
(c) Called people
(d) Shouted help help
Answer: A

Question. Why did Douglas fail to come to the surface of the pool as he hoped to?
(a) Because of fear of swimming
(b) Because of fear
(c) Because of inability to move
(d) Because of fear and inability to move
Answer: D

Question. What was the impact of the pool incident?
(a) Developed fear
(b) Became confident
(c) Became overconfident
(d) Hydrophobia was revived
Answer: D

Question. How many times did Douglas try to come to the surface of the pool?
(a) Twice
(b) Once
(c) Five times
(d) Thrice
Answer: D

Question. Why did Douglas hate to walk with bare legs?
(a) Ugly looking legs
(b) Fat legs
(c) Because of skin color
(d) Because of skinny legs
Answer: D

Question. recommend that he should learn swimming at the Y. M.C.A swimming pool?
(a) Because it was local
(b) Because it was safe
(c) Because it was shallow
(d) Because it was shallow and safe
Answer: D

Question. Why did Douglas hire an instructor?
(a) To be confident in swimming
(b) To compete with others
(c) To flaunt
(d) To overcome his fear of water and learn swimming
Answer: D

Question. “I crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell”. What does oblivion mean?
(a) spavilion
(b) changing room
(c) unconsciousness
(d) death
Answer: C

Question. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
(a) because he wanted to swim in the waters of the Cascade
(b) because his friend had challenged him
(c) because he had a bet on it
(d) because he wanted to win a medal
Answer: A

Question. What was stopping Douglas to get into the waters of Cascade?
(a) Memories of Washington
(b) Memories of California
(c) Instructions given by the instructor
(d) Memories full of terror in the pool
Answer: D

Question. How did Douglas make sure that he had conquered the old terror?
(a) By visiting California
(b) By jumping into the waters
(c) By taking a lesson from the instructor
(d) By swimming into the lake Wentworth
Answer: D

Question. covered while swimming across the lake Wentworth?
(a) 4 miles
(b) 3 miles
(c) 5 miles
(d) 2 miles
Answer: D

Question. Where was the lake Wentworth?
(a) In New Hampshire
(b) in Washington
(c) in California
(d) in Washington D.C
Answer: A

Question. not much frightened when he was thrown into the pool?
(a) Because he was sleeping
(b) Because he was intoxicated
(c) Because he thought that the lifeguard would come to his rescue
(d) Because of confidence
Answer: D

Question. William douglas was a friend and adviser of
(a) president kennedy
(b) president cleveland
(c) president roosevelt
(d) president clinton
Answer: C

Question. In the essay william douglas talks about his fear of
(a) fire
(b) lizards
(c) snake
(d) water
Answer: D

Question. The writer decided to learn to wim when he was about
(a) ten or eleven years old
(b) fifteen or sixteen years old
(c) twenty years old
(d) eighteen years old
Answer: A

Question. He decided to learn swimming in the pool at
(a) the local club
(b) his school
(c) Y.M.C.A
(d) country club
Answer: C

Question. against swimming in the Yakima river because It had
(a) strong currents
(b) it was meant only for boating
(c) many people had drowed there
(d) it had no lifeguards around
Answer: C

Question. At the shallow end, the Y.M.C.A pool was
(a) I foot deep
(b) four feet deep
(c) two or three feet deep
(d) five feet deep
Answer: C

Question. The pool's depth at the end was
(a) twenty feet
(b) nine feet
(c) six feet
(d) eight feet
Answer: B

Question. the author hated to walk naked to the pool as he had
(a) skinny arms
(b) bony chest
(c) skinny legs
(d) hairy legs
Answer: C

Question. The incident in childhood had taken place at the beach in
(a) florida
(b) washington
(c) new york
(d) california
Answer: D

Question. The introduction to the Y.M.C.A swimming pool revived for douglas
(a) childhood fear of water
(b) memories of holiday at the beach
(c) memories of father and son companionship
(d) a terrible accident
Answer: A

Question. The lesson deep water is taken from
(a) of men and mountains
(b) stories of stolen children
(c) the lofe of mahatma gandhi
(d) endymion
Answer: A

Question. When did douglas decided to learn swim
(a) 10-11 years old
(b) 5-6 years old
(c) 15-16 years old
(d) 13-14 years old
Answer: A

Question. located
(a) seemapuri
(b) firozabad
(c) yakima
(d) ellensburg
Answer: C

Question. When did douglas got fear to water
(a) 5-6 years
(b) 12-13 years
(c) 8-9 years
(d) 3-4 years
Answer: D

Question. On which month did douglas decided to got an instructor
(a) september
(b) october
(c) november
(d) december
Answer: B

Question. His fear of water
(a) ruined his trips
(b) made him extremely guilty
(c) was not liked by friends
(d) made him weak
Answer: A

Question. With his hard work, Douglas had
(a) conquered his fear of water
(b) conquered Mount Everest
(c) got a good job
(d) got a promotion
Answer: A

Question. After swimming across to the other shore of Warm Lake, Douglas shouted with joy and his voice was returned as an echo by
(a) Gilbert peak
(b) Everest peak
(c) Alps
(d) Blue Mountain
Answer: A

Question. Douglas swam the lake to Stamp Act Island covering a distance of
(a) five miles
(b) seven miles
(c) two miles
(d) one mile
Answer: C

Question. ‘Now you can swim’. These words were spoken by
(a) Douglas’ father
(b) teacher in school
(c) uncle
(d) instructor
Answer: D

Question. Douglas’ tension started slackening after
(a) four months
(b) three months
(c) five months
(d) one month
Answer: B

Question. A rope was attached to
(a) Douglas’ legs
(b) Douglas’ arms
(c) Douglas’ belt
(d) Douglas’ swimming trunks
Answer: C

Question. Every time Douglas attempted to go inside water, his legs would
(a) be shaky
(b) make him run
(c) help him keep afloat
(d) be paralyzed
Answer: D

Question. After the third unsuccessful attempt to spring up, Douglas thought that he was
(a) floating in space
(b) floating in the River Yakima
(c) floating in the air
(d) floating in a rubber-tube
Answer: A

Question. Douglas was seized by
(a) the lifeguard
(b) stark terror
(c) his friend
(d) the boy who had thrown him
Answer: B