CBSE Class 12 English Core Flamingo Book Chapter 3 Deep Water Question Answers from previous years question papers (2019-2024)
Deep Water Previous Year Questions with Answers – Question Answers from Previous years Board Exam Question papers provide valuable insights into how chapters are typically presented in exams. They are essential for preparing for the CBSE Board Exams, serving as a valuable resource.They can reveal the types of questions commonly asked and highlight the key concepts that require more attention. In this post, we have shared Previous Year Questions for Class 12 English Core Chapter 3, Deep Water”.
Questions which came in 2024 Board Exam
Q1. Read the following extracts and answer the questions :
My introduction to the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears. But in a little while I gathered confidence. I paddled with my new water wings, watching the other boys and trying to learn by aping them. I did this two or three times on different days. (Deep Water)
(i) Identify the phrase from the given extract that bears evidence to the fact that the narrator’s association with ‘childish fears’ was not a recent one.
Ans. “Revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears.”
(ii) How does the writer try to learn it? Mention any two ways.
Ans. The writer tries to learn by paddling with water wings and watching and imitating the other boys.
(iii) What did the Y.M.C.A. pool bring back to Douglas?
(A) Unpleasant memories
(B) Memory of a boat
(C) Meeting a bruiser of a boy
(D) Memory of his visit to the Yakima River
Ans. (A) Unpleasant memories
(iv) The two emotions of Douglas mentioned in the given extract are ______ and __________.
Ans. confidence and fear
(v) Why did Douglas ape the other boys?
Ans. Douglas aped the other boys to learn how to swim by observing and mimicking their techniques.
(vi) The writing style of the extract is autobiographical because ___________ .
Ans. It recounts the personal experiences and emotions of the narrator, providing a first person perspective on overcoming fear.
Q2. “I was frightened, but not yet frightened out of my wits.” Says Douglas. Which qualities of the speaker are highlighted in the above statement? [40-50 Words]
Ans. The statement highlights Douglas’s courage and determination. Despite being scared, he remains composed and fights to overcome his fear, demonstrating resilience and the will to face challenges.
Q3. “Father laughed, but there was terror in my heart.” What does the above statement speak of the father? [40-50 Words]
Ans. The father’s laughter shows his ignorance of the danger his son is experiencing. He sees the situation as a joke, while the son is genuinely terrified, indicating a lack of understanding and empathy from the father.
Q4. The persistent determination of both Raj Kumar Shukla in “Indigo” and Douglas in “Deep Water” reflects a strong will to overcome challenges and achieve one’s goal. Elaborate with reference to the texts. [120-150 Words]
Ans. In the story titled Indigo, we see the poor peasant named Raj Kumar Shukla who is determined to take along Gandhiji to Champaran, who he believes will get them justice. His persistence forces Gandhiji to accompany him which larks the start of Gandhiji’s involvement in India’s freedom struggle. Thus, we see Raj Kumar Shukla’s immense contribution in India’s freedom struggle.
In the other story titled Deep Water, we get to know of William Douglas’s childhood fear of water. He had a great desire to swim in water bodies which led him to overcome the fear. He gives us an important message that fear only lies in one’s mind and with determination and persistence, he was able to overcome this fear.
Thus, both the characters give the message that determination can help us achieve the unachieveable.
Q5. “Well I’ll be a manager then – yes, of course – to begin with.” (Going Places)
Sophie (Going Places) lives in a world of fantasy. Douglas (Deep Water) faces reality and realises the importance of learning how to swim. Analyse based on the two texts the importance of doing things rather than mere dreaming.
Write an article on how the youth of today must inculcate an attitude of doing rather than dreaming.
You may begin –
The youth today must …… [120-150 Words]
Ans. The youth today must realize the importance of actions. Let us not undermine the importance of planning but execution is irreplaceable. At times, we end up overthinking due to which we get sluggish and miss the opportunity to act. In the story Going Places we see the character of Sophie. She is a dreamer and ends up daydreaming. Sophie just talks about her fantasies which are unreal and irrelevant in her real life. Thus, the fantasies only help her weave a dreamy world which is quiet opposed to her grim reality. On the opposite, the character of William Douglas shows us to be practical. William wants to fulfil his wish of swimming in natural waters and so, he decides to overcome the fear. He is determined and gets rid of the fear. Thus, we see how action-oriented approach leads him to success and achievement of goals.
Questions from the Chapter in 2023 Board Exams
Q1. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
The next I remember I was lying on my stomach beside the pool, vomiting. The chap that threw me in was saying, “But I was only fooling.” Someone said, “The kid nearly died. Be all right now. Let’s carry him to the locker room.”
Several hours later, I walked home. I was weak and trembling. I shook and cried when I lay on my bed. I couldn’t eat that night. For days a haunting fear was in my heart. The slightest exertion upset me, making me wobbly in the knees and sick to my stomach.
I never went back to the pool. I feared water. I avoided it whenever I could.
(i) With reference to the extract, Douglas was vomiting because
(a) he had got severe food poisoning.
(b) he had just been rescued from nearly drowning in the pool.
(c) he was frightened when he saw the big man.
(d) he had gone for a swim on an empty stomach.
Ans. (b) he had just been rescued from nearly drowning in the pool.
(ii) Rewrite the sentence by replacing the underlined phrase with its inference.
For days a haunting fear was in my heart.
Ans. For days a recurring fear was in my heart.
(iii) On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below :
- The boy did not know how to swim.
Il. The boy took a long time to recover from his fear.
(a) I can be inferred from the extract but II cannot.
(b) I cannot be inferred from the extract but II can.
(c) I is true but II is false.
(d) Both I and II are true.
Ans. (d) Both I and II are true.
(iv) Identify the textual clue that allows the reader to infer that the chap threw the boy into the pool just for fun (clue : a phrase)
Ans. But I was only fooling
(v) Complete the sentence with an appropriate explanation as per the extract.
The slightest exertion upset the boy because ________.
Ans. The slightest exertion upset the boy because he had swallowed a lot of water and the fear had caused a lot of exertion.
(vi) Replace the underlined word with its synonym from the extract.
The boy felt unsteady in the knees.
Ans. wobbly
Q2. What handicap did Doughlas suffer from? How did he overcome that? [40-50 Words]
Ans. Douglas suffered from a handicap that was the fear of water. He had immense desire of swimming in natural waters but could not fulfil it due to the fear. He realized that he had to be determined to overcome the fear. Once he got determined, he hired a swimming instructor and learnt swimming. The fear would return at times but he would face it and see it vanish. Thus, with determination and perseverance, William overtook the fear.
Q3. Why did Douglas decide to go to the YMCA pool to learn swimming? [40-50
Words]
Ans. Douglas decided to go to the YMCA pool to learn swimming because it was considered safe, and he wanted to overcome his fear of water that had developed due to a traumatic experience in his childhood. The pool had instructors and was shallow at the edges, making it an ideal place to learn.
Q4. What were Douglas’s initial thoughts when he was pushed into the pool? [40-50 Words]
Ans. Douglas felt like he was going a long way down when he was pushed into the pool. Even before he got to the bottom, his lungs were about to burst. He used all of his strength to try to jump up to the surface, but he couldn’t quite make it and started to sink again.
Questions that appeared in 2020 Board Exams
Q1. Read the extracts given below and briefly answer the questions that follow each.
This went on until July. But I was still not satisfied. I was not sure that all the terror had left. So I 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. I swam the crawl, breast stroke, side stroke, and back stroke. Only once did the terror return. When I was in the middle of the lake, I put my face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. The old sensation returned in miniature.
(i) Name the chapter and its writer.
Ans. Deep Water is the title of the chapter, and William Douglas is the author.
(ii) Why was the writer still not satisfied?
Ans. The writer was nevertheless unsatisfied since he still felt a sliver of worry now and then.
- He had a near-death experience that left a lasting impression on his psyche.
- As a result, he was motivated to overcome his phobia, and even after the trainer had completed his training, he was unsatisfied.
(iii) What did ‘he’ do to satisfy himself?
Ans. To satisfy himself, he did the following:
- After the trainer had done training him, he went swimming alone.
- He travelled to New Hampshire’s Lake Wentworth.
- Eventually, he overcame his fear by swimming across Warm Lake.
(iv) Which ‘old sensation’ did he experience?
Ans. He felt like he was drowning when he had the “old sensation.”
- He went to a California beach with his father when he was a toddler and was pushed down by heavy surf. He was terrified as a result of the encounter.
- When he was around ten or eleven years old, he was likewise thrown into the YMCA pool by a gang of youngsters. He was terrified because he couldn’t get to the surface.
- He was terrified of water after these two experiences.
Q2. Explain Roosevelt’s observation, ‘‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’’ [30-40 words]
Ans. He observed that fear only exists in the mind while actually, there is nothing to be afraid of.
Q3. How did William Douglas’s fear of water start? [30-40 words]
Ans. When he was three or four years of age, his father took him to a beach in California. They stood in the surf and William stuck onto his dad. Still, he got knocked down and was swept over by the water. This created terror in him.
Q4. How did the swimming instructor build a swimmer out of Douglas? [120-150 words]
Ans. The instructor worked hard to build a swimmer out of Douglas. He recognised Douglas’ deathly fear of water and practiced with him five days a week for an hour each day. He devised a novel method of teaching him to swim. He fastened a rope to Douglas’ belt, which passed through a pulley that ran over an overhead cable. He made Douglas move back and forth in the pool while holding the end of the rope in his hand, without causing him much fear. Douglas was taught how to exhale underwater and inhale by raising his nose.
This exercise was repeated several times, and they swam across the pool week after week. Douglas wa then taught to kick with his legs by the instructor. His legs did not work first, but he was eventually able to control and command them. Finally, his instructor transformed him into a near-perfect swimmer.
Q5. How did Douglas develop a fear of water? [120-150 words]
Ans. Since the age of three or four, when Douglas accompanied his father to the beach in California, he realized his fear of water. He would get frightened by the power of the waves which threw him, swept over him and buried him in the water.
It was just when he had started feeling comfortable in the pool in YMCA that an incident took place. A big boy picked up the author and threw him in the pool at the deep end. He got water in the mouth and sank to the bottom of the pool. He got suffocated due to lack of air, could not scream for help, moved his arms in desperation but all his efforts failed. He sucked water and then suddenly, all the efforts stopped. He felt relaxed, peaceful, fearless and sleepy as he drifted away to death.
Q6. How did Douglas develop an aversion to water? How did he overcome his fear of water? [120-150 words]
Ans. Since the age of three or four, when Douglas accompanied his father to the beach in Californis, he realized his fear of water. He would get frightened by the power of the waves which threw him, swept over him and buried him in the water.
It was just when he had started feeling comfortable in the pool in YMCA that an incident took place. A big boy picked up the author and threw him in the pool at the deep end. He got water in the mouth and sank to the bottom of the pool. He got suffocated due to lack of air, could not scream for help, moved his arms in desperation but all his efforts failed. He sucked water and then suddenly, all the efforts stopped. He felt relaxed, peaceful, fearless and sleepy as he drifted away to death.
His desire to swim in the waters motivated him to learn swimming and get rid of the fear. He hired an instructor who turned Douglas into a fine swimmer.
2019 Exam Question and Answers from the Chapter
Q1. What qualities turned the diffident Douglas into a good swimmer? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. Douglas developed a fear of water but his persistence and hardwork enabled him to overcome this fear. Finally, he learnt swimming and became a good swimmer.
Q2. How did the instructor turn Douglas into a swimmer? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. Piece by piece, the instructor built a good swimmer out of Douglas. He used ropes and belts to teach Douglas and instilled confidence in him by easing and pulling the rope. He made Douglas hold the side of the pool and kick his legs. Once he was fully prepared, the instructor asked Douglas to dive and swim across the length of the pool.
Q3. Why did William Douglas choose Y.M.C.A. pool when he decided to learn to swim? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. William’s mother had warned him that the Yakima river was treacherous. Comparatively, the YMCA pool was safer and so, he decided to go there.
Q4. Which two incidents in the life of William Douglas before he was ten years old created an aversion in his mind to water? [30 – 40 words]
OR
Which two incidents in Douglas’s early life made him scared of water? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. As a boy, Douglas was scared of water a lot. His first experience was on the sea beach when he was with his father and a powerful wave swept over him. Although, the wave receded but it left Douglas terrified. At the second time, when William Douglas was learning swimming in Y.M.C.A. pool, a strong boy threw him into the deep water of the pool. He was saved but the terror stayed with him and he couldn’t go near water for years.
Q5. Douglas has a near-death experience in his childhood which has a negative as well as a positive outcome. Justify the statement with evidences from the text. [120 – 150 words]
Ans. Douglas’ near-death experience in his childhood has negative as well as positive outcomes. His misadventure at the YMCA swimming pool results in him developing an acute fear of water which took complete possession of him whenever he was anywhere near water. It ruined his fishing trips and deprived him of the joys of canoeing, boating and swimming. But once Douglas decided that he had to overcome his fear of water, it gave him a sense of determination. With his perseverance he made sure that he accomplished what he thought could not be possible. It also made him courageous and developed a positive attitude in him that aided him in achieving the goals he had set for himself.
Q6. Childhood fears are deeply entrenched in our mind. Determination, hard work and right training are needed to get rid of them. Comment on the statement in the light of Douglas’ efforts to overcome his fear of water. [120 – 150 words]
Ans. William Douglas’ life is a set example to prove the statement right. As a child of three or four when he was at the beach with his father, he developed a fear of water. The overpowering nature of the waves suffocated him and whenever he thought of going swimming, the fear would return.
Another incident at the age of ten or eleven when he nearly drowned at the YMCA pool developed a strong aversion for water in him. However, the urge to swim was so powerful that finally, William decided to hire an instructor and learn swimming. Thus, Douglas preserved and worked hard to finally become a good swimmer and overcame the fear of water.
Q7. Douglas says, “The instructor was finished, but I was not.” What did the instructor teach Douglas? How did Douglas finish the task begun by the instructor? [120 – 150 words]
Ans. The instructor taught Douglas to swim and his step by step training made him a good swimmer. Once Douglas learnt swimming, he tried swimming in natural waters. At times, the fear would return but now Douglas would laugh at it and it would vanish. Thus, he realised that fear was only in the mind.
Also see:
Deep Water Important Questions, NCERT Solutions, Extra Questions
Deep Water Summary, Explanation