Easily access NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 3 “Deep Water” Q&A. Explore the chapter’s themes and character developments with well-explained answers. These solutions are essential for comprehensive exam preparation, providing insights into the story’s nuances and literary elements. Enhance your understanding of “Deep Water” through expertly curated solutions, gaining valuable skills for critical analysis and interpretation.
NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter- 3 Deep Water Questions and Answers
THINK AS YOU READ ➤➤➤ page no – 27
1 . What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
Answer: At Yakima’s Y.M.C.A water-pool, a young William Douglas, around ten or eleven years old, faced a perilous misadventure. While trying to learn swimming with water wings, a bigger boy unexpectedly hurled him into the deep water. Despite struggling to reach the surface and the pool’s edge, Douglas couldn’t escape exhaustion and lost consciousness. Fortunately, someone rescued him, but the haunting experience stayed with him for days.
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: When thrown into the pool, Douglas initially retained his composure and devised a plan to escape the deep waters. Despite multiple attempts, his efforts proved futile, and overwhelming terror engulfed him. The fear was beyond comprehension, difficult to control, leaving him shaken and trembling. In a desperate final attempt, he called for help, even for his mother, but no aid came. As hope dwindled, he confronted the possibility of death, slipping into a state of oblivion, as if the curtain of life had fallen. Only those who’ve faced such near-death situations can truly grasp the profound intensity of that experience.
3. How did this experience affect him?
Answer: The incident left Douglas deeply unnerved, weak, and trembling. He wept and couldn’t eat that night. For days, he grappled with haunting fear, experiencing unease and physical discomfort, such as unsteady legs and stomach pain, even with the slightest exertion.
THINK AS YOU READ ➤➤➤ page no – 29
1. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Answer: Douglas, convinced by Roosevelt’s famous quote, “All we have to fear is the fear itself,” was determined to conquer his fear of water. Despite being afraid of water, he was motivated to overcome this fear.
2. How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?
Answer: The instructor empathetically grasped Douglas’s fear and skillfully molded him into a swimmer, step by step. Initially, a belt secured Douglas, connected to a pulley on an overhead cable, with the instructor holding the rope. This routine persisted for five days a week, one hour each day. As three months passed, Douglas gained confidence. Later, the instructor supported him by the poolside, where he gradually mastered kicking. With patience and careful guidance, the instructor pieced together a proficient swimmer out of Douglas.
3. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old-terror?
Answer: Despite the instructor’s efforts, the author remained fearful of being alone in the pool. Nonetheless, he mustered courage and continued swimming along the pool’s length. Yet, swimming in the pool alone didn’t suffice. He ventured to various lakes and islands, testing himself further. Only when he emulated Doug Corpron’s feat of diving into Warm Lake, swimming across to the other shore, and returning, did he find true satisfaction. This triumphant achievement marked the conquest of his old terror, and he joyfully celebrated his victory.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT ➤➤➤
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: Douglas vividly describes the overwhelming panic that engulfed him as he faced near-drowning. Initially, he tried to plan his escape while sinking, but his efforts failed repeatedly. Soon, sheer terror took hold, and even his screams were silenced underwater. A moment of darkness washed over him, erasing fear as he drifted towards oblivion. Thankfully, someone rescued him, and it took hours for him to regain his composure and walk home unsteadily. The haunting memory of the incident lingered in his heart for many days due to the gripping intensity of the panic he experienced.
2. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Answer: Initially, Douglas attempted to conquer his fear of water alone, but when unsuccessful, he sought the guidance of a methodical instructor. Together, they focused on building his comfort in the water and overcoming specific fears step by step. Gradually, he mastered swimming and his fear diminished significantly within about six months.
Taking a step further, Douglas challenged himself by swimming alone in the pool and diving in Lake Wentworth, employing the strokes he had learned. Ultimately, during a daring diving expedition in Warm Lake, he achieved the remarkable feat of completely conquering his deep-rooted fear.
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: Douglas reflects on his early life and emphasizes the profound impact of fear, labeling it as an exceedingly perilous emotion. Overcoming his water-related fears demanded substantial effort over an extended period, leading him to affirm the correctness of his actions. He discerns a broader significance from this experience, asserting that true appreciation for his emotions can only be grasped by those who have confronted sheer terror and triumphed over it. For him, terror solely resides within the fear of death. Consequently, he believes that our greatest fear should be fear itself. Having encountered both the sensation of dying and the dread stemming from it, his will to live grew immensely in strength.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT ➤➤➤ page no – 30
1. “All we have to fear is fear itself’. Have you ever had a fear that you have now overcome? Share your experience with others in the class.
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 courage and optimism that helped the family survive under the direst stress.
Answer: Please attempt yourself.
THINK ABOUT LANGUAGE ➤➤➤ page no- 30
1. If someone else had narrated Douglas’s experience, how would it have differed from this account? Which style of narration would you consider to be more effective? Why?
Answer: Please attempt yourself.
WRITING ➤➤➤
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 anexperience. 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: Do yourself.
2. Write a short letter to someone you know about you having learnt to do something new.
Answer: Do yourself.
THINGS TO DO ➤➤➤
Are there any water sports in India? Find out about the areas or places which are known or water sports events?
Answer: Do yourself.
| ➤ ABOUT THE UNIT |
THEME
A real-life personal account of experiencing fear and the steps taken to overcome it.
SUB-THEME
Psychological analysis of fear.
COMPREHENSION
• Understanding another person’s experience.
• Relating subjectively to the discussion on far.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
• Sharing personal experiences.
• Sharing accounts of acts of courage.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
Focus on first person narrative style.
WRITING
• First person narration of personal experience.
• Letter-writing on personal learning achievement.
THINGS TO DO
Gathering information on water sports.