Q 1: What was Douglas' first experience of water?

Ans.1: When he was 3-4 years old, Douglas went to a beach in California. The waves knocked him down. He was buried in water for a while and was very frightened. This gave birth to his fear of water.

Q 2: What was the result of Douglas's experience at the beach in California?

Ans.2: As a result of this experience Douglas developed a terror of water in his heart.

Q 3: What was Douglas' first attempt to overcome his fear?

Ans.3: When Douglas was 10 or 11 years old he went to YMCA pool. In order to get confidence he paddled with his new water wings, watched the other boys and tried to learn by aping them.

Q 4: What is the misadventure that Douglas speaks about?

Ans.4: One day Douglas reached the pool when no one else was there. He sat at the edge of the pool to wait for others. Suddenly a big bruiser of a boy picked him up and threw him into the deep end of the pool. Douglas nearly drowned.

Q5: How did the experiences at the pool affect him?

Ans.5: For days together a haunting fear sat in his heart, the slightest exertion upset him, making his knees wobbly and he felt sick. He never went back to the pool and developed a fear of water.

Q6: What was the series of emotion that Douglas went through when he went down?

Ans.6: Initially, inspite of being frightened when he could not come to the surface of water accordingly to his plan, he panicked and screamed. Then he was seized with a terror which made him stiff and rigid.

Q7: What strategy did Douglas have in his mind when he was thrown into the pool?

Ans.7: Douglas planned that when his feet would hit the bottom of the pool he would make a big jump with all his strength, come to surface of water, lie flat on it and then paddle to the edge of the pool.

Q8: Why couldn't Douglas execute his plan?

Ans.8: Douglas couldn't execute his plan although he jumped with all his strength. He couldn't reach the surface of water, only a part of his face could come out of water each time.

Q9: What was Douglas' experience when he started going down the third time?

Ans.9: Douglas had nearly fainted by then. He suddenly felt relaxed, blackness swept over him. He felt at peace and thought that it was nice to be drowsy, to be carried gently as if his mother's tender arms were around him and then he crossed into oblivion.

Q10: Why was Douglas determined to overcome his fear?

Ans.10: Douglas had developed a very intense fear of water. It became his handicap as he could not go on any fishing trips. It also deprived him of the joy and excitement of canoeing, boating and swimming.

Q11: How did the instructor build a swimmer out of Douglas?

Ans.11: The instructor taught him the technique of swimming by making practice for one hour each day, five days a week. Using a pulley and a rope, he moved Douglas across the pool many times a day. He taught him to exhale and inhale in water and finally how to move his legs.

Q12: How did Douglas conquer his old terror?

Ans.12: Douglas took training from an instructor for about seven months and gained confidence as a swimmer. After that he decided to test himself and went to different lakes in the country to swim by himself. He used this strategy to overcome his terror of water.

Q13: What did Douglas learn from the experience of conquering his fear?

Ans.13: Douglas learnt that there is terror only in the fear of death. He also realized that he must not allow any fear to take charge of his life. He learnt that will power & determination to succeed could help him overcome his fear and change his life.

Ques.1: Draw a character sketch of William Douglas

Ans: >Douglas was a positive thinker. He knew that his fear was affecting his life and he thought he could conquer it.

>Douglas very honestly confesses his fear which shows that he was a brave man. His admission of his terrorised state after being rescued from the pool reflects his honesty.

>He was a very hard working man. Once he has decided to overcome his fear he worked day and night to achieve his aim. 

>He was a very determined man with a very strong will power. HIs determination to get rid of his fear with an exceptionally strong will power made it possible for him to achieve his goal.

> Douglas was a strategic thinker and planner. Even when he was pushed in the water unexpectedly, he very clearly planned his strategy as to how he would save his life

Ques.2: 'I had both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can produce'. Describe what Douglas refers to?

Ans.2: >Douglas had a very close encounter with death when he nearly drowned in YMCA pool.

>He was pushed into the deep end of the pool by a bull when he hadn’t learnt to swim very well.

>Inspite of his strategic planning and efforts to come upto the surface of the water, Douglas couldn't do so and kept going down towards the bottom of the pool.

> Finally he panicked and thought that he was going to drown that was the time when he experienced the terror that fear of dying can produce. After swallowing some water, he started losing consciousness. Blackness swept over him. He felt himself floating along in spell and he experienced the sensation of dying.

>Douglas felt that these two experiences (terror of death, sensation of dying) strengthened his resolve to live immensely. He probably valued life much more after his experience at the pool.