Class 12 English Flamingo – Chapter 3: Deep Water – Questions and Answers
Q1. What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
Ans: William O. Douglas had just learnt swimming. One day, an eighteen-year-old boy tossed him into the deep end of the YMCA pool. He went straight to the bottom and almost drowned. This was the misadventure he refers to.
Q2. 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?
Ans: Douglas was scared but not completely out of his senses. He planned to push himself up when his feet hit the bottom and float to the surface like a cork. However, panic and fear overpowered him as he swallowed water and went deeper.
Q3. How did this experience affect him?
Ans: The near-drowning incident left Douglas shaken and traumatized. He could not eat and cried often. A deep fear of water settled in him. He avoided water for many years and felt weak and sick whenever he came near it.
Q4. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Ans: Douglas loved water sports but his fear kept him away from fishing, canoeing, and swimming. He didn’t want this fear to control his life. So he decided to fight it by learning swimming with the help of a professional instructor.
Q5. How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?
Ans: The instructor trained Douglas step by step. He used a belt-rope method and made him practice breathing, floating, and kicking. Slowly, Douglas learned to swim and control his fear. The process took several months but made him a swimmer.
Q6. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Ans: Even after training, Douglas felt a bit afraid. So he tested himself by swimming across Lake Wentworth and Warm Lake. When he completed both swims confidently, he knew he had defeated his fear completely.
Q7. 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: Douglas uses powerful descriptions to express his panic — "those nine feet seemed like ninety", "my lungs were ready to burst", "no sound came out". These lines make the reader feel his fear and helplessness vividly.
Q8. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Ans: He hired a professional instructor. The instructor trained him regularly for several months using safe methods. Douglas also tested himself in lakes to confirm he was free from fear. This persistence helped him completely overcome his terror of water.
Q9. 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?
Ans: Douglas shares this childhood experience to show how he conquered his fear through courage and willpower. The larger message is: fear itself is dangerous, not death. With strong determination, one can defeat even deep-rooted fears and grow as a person.
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