CBSE Class 12 English Deep Water VBQs Set 02

My breath was gone. I was frightened. Father laughed, but there was terror in my heart at the overpowering force of the waves. My introduction to the Y.M.CA. 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 and was just beginning to feel at ease in the water when the misadventure happened. 

Question. Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below.
Statement 1: The author’s father laughed to mock his son’s inability to swim.
Statement 2: The author wanted to swim just to prove to his father that he can swim.
(a) Statement 1 is true but Statement 2 is false.
(b) Statement 1 is false but Statement 2 is true.
(c) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred.
(d) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 can be inferred.
Answer: (c) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred.

Question. “My introduction to the Y.M.CA. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears.” It can be inferred that this was a clear case of:
(a) suppression
(b) oppression
(c) depression
(d) repression
Answer: (d) repression

Question. The misadventure that took place right after the author felt comfortable was that:
(a) the author slipped and fell into the swimming pool.
(b) a bully tossed him into the pool for the sake of fun.
(c) his coach forgot to teach him how to handle deep water.
(d) his father couldn’t help him from drowning into the water.
Answer: (b) a bully tossed him into the pool for the sake of fun.

Then all effort ceased. I relaxed. Even my legs felt limp; 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... I crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell.

Question. Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below.
Statement 1: The author tried his best to jump out of water.
Statement 2: After a while, the author was not anxious in water.
(a) If Statement 1 is the cause, Statement 2 is the effect.
(b) If Statement 1 is the effect, Statement 2 is the cause.
(c) Both the statements are the effects of a common cause.
(d) Both the statements are the effects of independent causes.
Answer: (a) If Statement 1 is the cause, Statement 2 is the effect.

Question. The ‘curtain (of life) fell’ corresponds to an aspect of:
(a) Geometry
(b) History
(c) Sports
(d) Drama
Answer: (d) Drama

Question. The purpose of using “…” in the above passage is to:
(a) show omission
(b) indicate pauses
(c) shorten a dialogue
(d) replace an idea
Answer: (b) indicate pauses

Question. Which option indicates that the poet lost consciousness?
(a) ‘It was quiet and peaceful.’
(b) ‘I crossed to oblivion.’
(c) ‘Tender arms like Mother’s.’
(d) ‘It wiped out fear.’
Answer: (b) ‘I crossed to oblivion.’

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 had seized me in the pool would come back.

Question. Who is narrating the incident?
(a) Douglas
(b) instructor
(c) the big boy
(d) Douglas’ mother
Answer: (a) Douglas

Question. Identify the literary device used in ‘the terror that had seized me in the pool would come back’.
(a) metaphor
(b) foreshadowing
(c) flashback
(d) allegory
Answer: (c) flashback

Question. Which terror is he talking about?
(a) drowning in the pool
(b) seized by the big boy
(c) pushed by someone in the water
(d) mocked by the other trainees
Answer: (a) drowning in the pool

Question. In which of the following the speaker went for swimming?
(a) Tieton River
(b) Water of Cascades
(c) Bumping River
(d) All of the options
Answer: (d) All of the options

Tiny vestiges of the old terror would return. But now I could frown and say to that terror, “Trying to scare me, eh? Well, here’s to you ! Look !”

Question. Who is the speaker of the above lines?
(a) Douglas
(b) Douglas’ trainer
(c) Douglas’ mother
(d) the big boy
Answer: (a) Douglas

Question. Which of the following word cannot be used in place of ‘vestige’?
(a) fragments
(b) signs
(c) non-indication
(d) traces
Answer: (c) non-indication

Question. What does the last line show about the speaker’s attitude?
(a) his confidence
(b) his negligence
(c) his rudeness
(d) his arrogance
Answer: (a) his confidence

Question. What did he do after saying ‘Look!’?
(a) he stopped swimming
(b) he went down again in the pool
(c) he fought with the boy who bullied him
(d) he took up another hobby
Answer: (b) he went down again in the pool

Question. Who is the author of the story ‘Deep Water’?
(a) William Shakespeare
(b) William George Bernard Shaw
(c) William Wordsworth
(d) William Douglas
Answer: (d) William Douglas

Question. In which subject has the author graduated?
(a) English and History
(b) English and Science
(c) Science and Social studies
(d) English and Economics
Answer: (d) English and Economics

Question. For how many years had the author taught in high school in Yakima?
(a) 2 years
(b) 4 years
(c) 3 years
(d) 5 years
Answer: (a) 2 years

Question. After the author was fed up with teaching, he decided to opt for which career?
(a) Medical
(b) Gardening
(c) Engineering
(d) A legal career
Answer: (d) A legal career

Question. Deep water is an excerpt from which book?
(a) Fear of water
(b) Of Men and Mountains
(c) How to Swim
(d) Fearless
Answer: (b) Of Men and Mountains

Question. What is the theme of the story ‘Deep Water’?
(a) Victory in facing the fear
(b) Being fearful
(c) To learn swimming
(d) All of the options
Answer: (a) Victory in facing the fear

Question. What does ‘Deep Water’ signify?
(a) Beauty
(b) Depth of Sea
(c) Depth of Ocean
(d) Fear
Answer: (d) Fear

Question. What does the story ‘Deep Water’ talks about?
(a) Fear of water and the way to overcome it
(b) Fear of people
(c) Fear of dogs
(d) Fear of swimming
Answer: (a) Fear of water and the way to overcome it

Question. What does Y.M.C.A stands for?
(a) Young Men’s Christian Authority
(b) Young Men’s Christian Association
(c) Young Men’s Christian Army
(d) Young Men’s Christopher Association
Answer: (b) Young Men’s Christian Association

Question. His mother warned him against swimming in the Yakima River because it had:
(a) strong currents
(b) it was meant only for boating
(c) many people had drowned there
(d) it had no lifeguards around
Answer: (c) many people had drowned there

Question. Where did the writer go when he was 3 or 4 years old in the story?
(a) Washington
(b) New Zealand
(c) California
(d) Canada
Answer: (c) California

Question. Why did he develop a fear of water?
(a) Because of knocking down by waves at a beach
(b) Because of a young boy
(c) Because of instructor
(d) Because of drowning at a young age
Answer: (a) Because of knocking down by waves at a beach

Question. What haunts the author in the lesson ‘Deep Water’?
(a) Terrible experience in the pool
(b) Ghosts
(c) His mother’s words
(d) A push by a young boy
Answer: (a) Terrible experience in the pool

Question. Why did Douglas hate to walk with bare legs?
(a) because of ugly looking legs
(b) because of fat legs
(c) because of skin colour
(d) because of skinny legs
Answer: (d) because of skinny legs

Question. Who threw Douglas into the swimming pool?
(a) A young boy
(b) Instructor
(c) Instructor
(d) Watchman
Answer: (a) A young boy

Question. At first, why was the writer not much frightened when he was thrown into the pool?
(a) Because he was sleeping
(b) Because he was intoxicated
(c) Because he thought that the lifeguard would come to his rescue
(d) Because of confidence
Answer: (d) Because of confidence

Question. What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown into the pool?
(a) Fear
(b) Confidence
(c) Happy
(d) Mixed feelings of confidence and fear
Answer: (d) Mixed feelings of confidence and fear

Question. How many times did Douglas try to come to the surface of the pool?
(a) Twice
(b) Once
(c) Five times
(d) Thrice
Answer: (d) Thrice

Question. “I crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell”. What does oblivion mean?
(a) spavilion
(b) changing room
(c) unconsciousness
(d) death
Answer: (c) unconsciousness

Question. When he regained consciousness, he:
(a) laughed at his experience
(b) had 104° F fever
(c) shook and cried and didn’t eat anything
(d) told his mother about his misadventure
Answer: (c) shook and cried and didn’t eat anything

Question. What was the impact of the pool incident on Douglas?
(a) Learned swimming
(b) Became confident
(c) Became overconfident
(d) Hydrophobia was revived
Answer: (d) Hydrophobia was revived

Question. What lesson did Douglas learn from his experience of drowning and then learning to swim?
(a) Learnt swimming
(b) Love for swimming
(c) Swimming is not difficult
(d) Face the fear
Answer: (d) Face the fear

Question. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
(a) because he wanted to swim in the waters of the Cascade
(b) because his friend had challenged him
(c) because he had a bet on it
(d) because he wanted to win a medal
Answer: (a) because he wanted to swim in the waters of the Cascade

Question. How did the instructor make Douglas a good swimmer?
(a) Planning
(b) With the help of ropes
(c) By pushing him into the pool
(d) With the help of ropes and belts
Answer: (d) With the help of ropes and belts