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Living English By Sooraj Dandotiya, Question: 1 What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?, Answer: When William Douglas was about ten or eleven years old he decided to learn swimming. One day an eighteen year old bruiser boy picked him up and tossed him into nine feet deep water at YMCA pool. He went into the water because he didn’t know swimming well. He nearly died in this misadventure., Question: 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 Douglas was thrown into the pool he was frightened he experienced series of emotions and fears he planned to make a big jump to come out to the surface like a cork his hands and legs were not moving. I see horror grabbed his heart., Question: 3 How did this experience affect him?, Answer: This incident had affected Douglas deeply it revived his aversion to water he could not eat that night. For many days there was a haunting fear in his heart. He never went back to the pool after this incident. He avoided water for a long time., Question: 4 Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?, Answer: The fear of water stayed with him as the years rolled by whenever he tried to enjoy swimming, fishing, boating and canoeing, this fear of water ruined his fishing trips so he decided to get over fear of water finally he had an instructor and learn swimming to get over this fear of water., Question: 5 How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas ?, Answer: The instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas by hard work, practice and determination. He put a belt around him. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable he had to go back and forth across the pool. Then he taught how to exhale and inhale thus piece by piece the instructor built a swimmer in seven months., Question: 6 How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror ?, Answer: After learning swimming from an instructor William was not sure that he conquered the old terror. He still felt terror stricken when he was alone in the pool so he went to lake Wentworth in New Hampshire and dived of a dock at Triggs Island. He swam for two miles. Thus he made sure that he had conquered the old terror., Question: 7 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: William Douglas began to learn swimming at the YMCS pool. One day he was sitting alone at the pool and waiting for others to come. Then a big bruiser boy came and through William into the deep water of the pool he landed at the bottom in a sitting position he was frightened. On the way down, he planned to make a jump and come to the surface. Those nine feet were like ninety feet for him he gathered his strength and jumped but he could see nothing but water. He grew panicky. His legs were paralysed. He cried but his voice did not come out from water his lungs ached and heart throbbed he called for help but none came to help him he tried for the third time but all his efforts went useless he felt that death was near the curtain of the life fell and he laid unconscious., Question: 8 How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?, Answer: After the misadventure at the YMCA pool Douglas was frightened to go into the water the fear of water ruined his fishing trips, the joy of canoeing, boating and swimming so William decided to appoint an instructor and learn to swim. He practiced a lot the instructor put a belt around him and he attached a rope to the belt. The rope went through a pulley that rain on the overhead cable .Thus the instructor helped William and after seven months the instructor was able to build a swimmer out of Douglas. But there was a little bit fear in his mind when he was alone in the pool. One day William went to lake wentworth and dived of at Triggs island. He swam two miles across the lake. Finally he was able to conquer his fear of water., Question: 9 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 had to bed experience during his childhood. When he was three or four year old his father took him to California beach for surfacing where the waves knocked him down and swept over him he was terror stricken. The other incident occurred when he was about eleven years old. A muscle was came and throw him into the deep water it was a very bad experience and he escaped skin of the teeth he felt he was about to die., These experiences had a deeper meaning for Douglas because he had experienced the fear of death he was terror stricken from water but he conquered his fear by practice hard work and strong will power this lesson gives us massage that all we have to fear his fear itself., Question: Are there any water sports in India? Find out about the areas or places which are known for water sports., 124, Gulmohar apartment, Sector B, Chadigarh, 1st june 2021, Dear John,, I am writing this letter in good health and I hope you will be in good health there. You will be pleased to know that I have learnt skating during lockdown time It is wonderful feeling to skate and it fills me with confidence and joy. Initially I was very afraid of wearing my skates I felt that I could never learn skating but my cousin who is a national player of skating , he taught me to skate after two weeks my fear vanished away and now I am very happy to learn this wonderful art., Convey my kind regard to uncle and aunty and luck to children., Hope to see you soon, Your affectionately, ishan, *** Read the following extracts carefully and answer:-, From the beginning, however, I had an aversion to the water when I was in it. This started when I was three or four years old and father took me to the beach in California. He and I stood together in the surf. I hung on to him, yet the waves knocked me down and swept over me. I was buried in water. My breath was gone. I was frightened. Father laughed, but there was terror in my heart at the overpowering force of the waves., Questions:-, What aversion did the narrator suffer from the beginning?, When did this aversion start?, What happened at the beach?, What was the effect of the incident on the narrator?, I had not been there long when I came a big brushier of a boy, probably eighteen years old. He had thick hair on his chest. He was a beautiful physical specimen, with legs and arms that showed rippling muscles. He yelled, “Hi, Skinny! How’d you like to be ducked”?, Questions:-, Had the narrator been there long in the pool when the big boy came to him?, What was the age of the big boy?, What kind of physical specimen did he present?, What did he say to the narrator?, I struck at the water as I went down, expending my strength as one in a nightmare fights an irresistible force. I had lost all my breath. My lungs ached, my head throbbed. I was getting dizzy. But I remembered the strategy- I would spring from the bottom of the pool and come like a cork to the surface. I would lie flat on the water, strike out with my arms, and thrash with my legs. Then I would get to the edge of the pool and be safe., Questions:-, How was the narrator expending his strength?, What was his physical condition at that time?, What strategy did he remember?, How would he be safe?, Then all effort ceased. I relaxed. Even my legs felt limps; and a blackness swept over my brain. It wiped out fear; it wiped out terror. There was no more panic. It was quiet and peaceful. Nothing to be afraid of. This is nice… to be drowsy…. To go to sleep…. No need to jump… too tired to jump… it’s nice to be carried gently…. To float along in space…. Tender arms around me…. tender arms like Mother’s….. now I must go to sleep…., Question:-, What swept over the narrator’s brain?, What wiped out fear and terror?, Was there any panic now?, How did he feel at that time?, A few years later when I came to know the waters of the Cascades, I wanted to get into them. And whenever I did- whether I was wading the Tieton or Bumping River or bathing in Warm Lake of the Goat Rocks- the terror that has seized me in the pool would come back. It would take possession of me completely. My legs would become paralysed. Icy horror would grab my heart., Questions:-, What did the narrator want to get into?, What would come back to him?, What would take possession of him completely?, What would grab his heart?