Class 12th Flamingo CBSE Solution
Think As You Read Pg-27- What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
- What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown…
- How did this experience affect him?
Think As You Read Pg-29- Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
- How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?
- How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Understanding The Text- How does Douglas make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he almost…
- How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
- Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his conquering…
Talking About The Text- “All we have to fear is fear itself”. Have you ever had a fear that you have now overcome?…
- Find and narrate other stories about conquest of fear and what people have said about…
Thinking About LanguageWriting- Doing well in any activity, for example a sport, music, dance or painting, riding a…
- Write a short letter to someone you know about your having learnt to do something new.…
Things To Do
- What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
- What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown…
- How did this experience affect him?
- Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
- How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?
- How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
- How does Douglas make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he almost…
- How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
- Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his conquering…
- “All we have to fear is fear itself”. Have you ever had a fear that you have now overcome?…
- Find and narrate other stories about conquest of fear and what people have said about…
- Doing well in any activity, for example a sport, music, dance or painting, riding a…
- Write a short letter to someone you know about your having learnt to do something new.…
Think As You Read Pg-27
Question 1.What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
Answer:William Douglas had a “misadventure” when He was learning to swim in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool. He went to the pool when no one else was there. But, He was timid about going in there alone so He was waiting for others to join in. A well-built boy threw him into the pool. At first, Douglas was frightened but he was confident. He tried his best to come out but his efforts made little difference. He was suffocating. He felt that the water was pulling him under. His legs and arms wouldn’t move. He tried to call for help but He couldn’t. He fainted at the end despite of all the efforts that He made.
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:William Douglas faced a series of emotions and fears when he was thrown into the pool. Douglas was confident that he would come out of the pool despite being frightened. He planned to make a big jump the moment his feet would touch the bottom and come to the surface and paddle to the edge of the pool. The pool was only 9 feet but Douglas felt it to be 90 feet deep.
When his feet hit the bottom, he tried to jump with all his strength but the effort made little difference. He started looking for rope, ladder and water wings. He could find nothing but only yellowish water all around him. He was suffocating. He tried to yell but no sound came out. His eyes and nose came out of the water but not his mouth.
Douglas flailed at the surface of water. His legs became rigid and paralysed. He had started on the long journey back to the bottom of the pool. His lungs and legs were throbbing. He was getting dizzy. His legs and arms couldn’t move. He was trembling with fright. He wanted to call for help but he couldn’t.
Question 3.How did this experience affect him?
Answer:This experience had a huge impact on Douglas. He never went back to the pool. He feared water. He avoided it whenever he could. Whenever, he tried to get close to water the terror that had seized him in the pool would come back.
It ruined his fishing trips and deprived him of the joys of canoeing, boating and swimming.
What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
Answer:
William Douglas had a “misadventure” when He was learning to swim in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool. He went to the pool when no one else was there. But, He was timid about going in there alone so He was waiting for others to join in. A well-built boy threw him into the pool. At first, Douglas was frightened but he was confident. He tried his best to come out but his efforts made little difference. He was suffocating. He felt that the water was pulling him under. His legs and arms wouldn’t move. He tried to call for help but He couldn’t. He fainted at the end despite of all the efforts that He made.
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:
William Douglas faced a series of emotions and fears when he was thrown into the pool. Douglas was confident that he would come out of the pool despite being frightened. He planned to make a big jump the moment his feet would touch the bottom and come to the surface and paddle to the edge of the pool. The pool was only 9 feet but Douglas felt it to be 90 feet deep.
When his feet hit the bottom, he tried to jump with all his strength but the effort made little difference. He started looking for rope, ladder and water wings. He could find nothing but only yellowish water all around him. He was suffocating. He tried to yell but no sound came out. His eyes and nose came out of the water but not his mouth.
Douglas flailed at the surface of water. His legs became rigid and paralysed. He had started on the long journey back to the bottom of the pool. His lungs and legs were throbbing. He was getting dizzy. His legs and arms couldn’t move. He was trembling with fright. He wanted to call for help but he couldn’t.
Question 3.
How did this experience affect him?
Answer:
This experience had a huge impact on Douglas. He never went back to the pool. He feared water. He avoided it whenever he could. Whenever, he tried to get close to water the terror that had seized him in the pool would come back.
It ruined his fishing trips and deprived him of the joys of canoeing, boating and swimming.
Think As You Read Pg-29
Question 1.Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Answer:Douglas was determined to get over his fear of water because the haunting fear deprived him of the joys of fishing, boating, canoeing and swimming.
Question 2.How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?
Answer:The instructor gave him proper training for swimming. He had put a belt around Douglas .The rope attached to the belt went through went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held on to the belt and made Douglas practice for hours, every day. Sometimes, the instructor relaxed his hold on the rope, the terror of drowning would seize Douglas. It took him months to overcome the fear of water. The instructor taught him to put his face under water and exhale and to raise his nose to inhale. It helped him shed the panic that gripped him under water.
Question 3.How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Answer:Douglas was not done even after his swimming classes finished. He wanted to make sure if He has overcome his fear. He dived and tried his swimming skills in different lakes.
Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Answer:
Douglas was determined to get over his fear of water because the haunting fear deprived him of the joys of fishing, boating, canoeing and swimming.
Question 2.
How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?
Answer:
The instructor gave him proper training for swimming. He had put a belt around Douglas .The rope attached to the belt went through went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held on to the belt and made Douglas practice for hours, every day. Sometimes, the instructor relaxed his hold on the rope, the terror of drowning would seize Douglas. It took him months to overcome the fear of water. The instructor taught him to put his face under water and exhale and to raise his nose to inhale. It helped him shed the panic that gripped him under water.
Question 3.
How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Answer:
Douglas was not done even after his swimming classes finished. He wanted to make sure if He has overcome his fear. He dived and tried his swimming skills in different lakes.
Understanding The Text
Question 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 makes clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he almost drowned. He had a ‘misadventure’ when He was learning to swim at the Y.M.C.A. pool. He was thrown into the pool by a well-built boy. Douglas was confident that He would come out of the pool despite being frightened. He planned to make a big jump the moment his feet would touch the bottom and come to the surface and paddle to the edge of the pool. The pool was only 9 feet but Douglas felt it to be 90 feet deep. When his feet hit the bottom, he tried to jump with all his strength but the effort made little difference. He started looking for rope, ladder and water wings. He could find nothing but only yellowish water all around him. He was suffocating. He tried to yell but no sound came out. His eyes and nose came out of the water but not his mouth. Douglas flailed at the surface of water. His legs became rigid and paralysed. He had started on the long journey back to the bottom of the pool. His lungs and legs were throbbing. He was getting dizzy. His legs and arms couldn’t move. He was trembling with fright. He wanted to call for help but he couldn’t.
Question 2.How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Answer:Douglas was determined to overcome his fear of water as his fear was depriving him of all the joys of boating, fishing and canoeing. He took swimming classes for months. The instructor made him practice a lot. He learnt various swimming skills. He practised for hours, every day.
A little bit of his fear decreased after taking those swimming classes. Douglas wasn’t finished with the swimming classes. He went to different lakes to try his swimming skills. He swam from one shore to another without any help.
Question 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 as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his conquering it because the experience had a deep meaning for him. He had been through a stark terror and conquered it. The larger meaning that he had drawn from his experience is that there is terror only in the fear of death as Roosevelt had once said “all we have to fear is the fear itself”. Douglas had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that it can produce, the will to live had grown in intensity.
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 makes clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he almost drowned. He had a ‘misadventure’ when He was learning to swim at the Y.M.C.A. pool. He was thrown into the pool by a well-built boy. Douglas was confident that He would come out of the pool despite being frightened. He planned to make a big jump the moment his feet would touch the bottom and come to the surface and paddle to the edge of the pool. The pool was only 9 feet but Douglas felt it to be 90 feet deep. When his feet hit the bottom, he tried to jump with all his strength but the effort made little difference. He started looking for rope, ladder and water wings. He could find nothing but only yellowish water all around him. He was suffocating. He tried to yell but no sound came out. His eyes and nose came out of the water but not his mouth. Douglas flailed at the surface of water. His legs became rigid and paralysed. He had started on the long journey back to the bottom of the pool. His lungs and legs were throbbing. He was getting dizzy. His legs and arms couldn’t move. He was trembling with fright. He wanted to call for help but he couldn’t.
Question 2.
How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Answer:
Douglas was determined to overcome his fear of water as his fear was depriving him of all the joys of boating, fishing and canoeing. He took swimming classes for months. The instructor made him practice a lot. He learnt various swimming skills. He practised for hours, every day.
A little bit of his fear decreased after taking those swimming classes. Douglas wasn’t finished with the swimming classes. He went to different lakes to try his swimming skills. He swam from one shore to another without any help.
Question 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 as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his conquering it because the experience had a deep meaning for him. He had been through a stark terror and conquered it. The larger meaning that he had drawn from his experience is that there is terror only in the fear of death as Roosevelt had once said “all we have to fear is the fear itself”. Douglas had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that it can produce, the will to live had grown in intensity.
Talking About The Text
Question 1.“All we have to fear is fear itself”. Have you ever had a fear that you have now overcome? Share your experience with your partner.
Answer:I had a fear of talking or speaking in front of other people. It’s something that people call as “stage fear”. The idea of answering to the teacher’s questions in the classroom made me nervous. Participation in extracurricular activities reduced drastically. A teacher noticed my behaviour. She talked to me about the fear that I had. She encouraged me to answer questions in class. She encouraged me to give presentations as any student of the class had to give presentation each week regarding all the topics she taught in the class that week. My classmates appreciated my efforts for the presentation. And week by week, my stage fear vanished. Although, the same sort of nervousness comes when it comes to speaking in public but, once, I start speaking the nervousness vanishes.
Question 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 how courage and optimism helped a family survive under the direst stress.
Answer:Student should do by themselves.
“All we have to fear is fear itself”. Have you ever had a fear that you have now overcome? Share your experience with your partner.
Answer:
I had a fear of talking or speaking in front of other people. It’s something that people call as “stage fear”. The idea of answering to the teacher’s questions in the classroom made me nervous. Participation in extracurricular activities reduced drastically. A teacher noticed my behaviour. She talked to me about the fear that I had. She encouraged me to answer questions in class. She encouraged me to give presentations as any student of the class had to give presentation each week regarding all the topics she taught in the class that week. My classmates appreciated my efforts for the presentation. And week by week, my stage fear vanished. Although, the same sort of nervousness comes when it comes to speaking in public but, once, I start speaking the nervousness vanishes.
Question 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 how courage and optimism helped a family survive under the direst stress.
Answer:
Student should do by themselves.
Thinking About Language
Question 1.If someone else had narrated Douglas’s experience, how would it have differed from this account? Write out a sample paragraph or paragraphs from this text from the point of view of a third person or observer, to find out which style of narration would you consider to be more effective? Why?
Answer:A Sample paragraph on Third person narration of Douglas’s experience: From the beginning, however, Douglas had an aversion to the water when he was in it. This started when he was three or four years old and his father took him to the beach in California. He and his father stood together in the surf. He hung on to his father, yet the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in water. His breath was gone. He was frightened. His father laughed, but there was terror in his heart at the overpowering force of the waves.
I think for such accounts the first person narration is better as compared to the third person narration because this makes the story or incident interesting for the listeners or readers.
If someone else had narrated Douglas’s experience, how would it have differed from this account? Write out a sample paragraph or paragraphs from this text from the point of view of a third person or observer, to find out which style of narration would you consider to be more effective? Why?
Answer:
A Sample paragraph on Third person narration of Douglas’s experience: From the beginning, however, Douglas had an aversion to the water when he was in it. This started when he was three or four years old and his father took him to the beach in California. He and his father stood together in the surf. He hung on to his father, yet the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in water. His breath was gone. He was frightened. His father laughed, but there was terror in his heart at the overpowering force of the waves.
I think for such accounts the first person narration is better as compared to the third person narration because this makes the story or incident interesting for the listeners or readers.
Writing
Question 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 an experience. 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:Student should do by themselves.
Question 2.Write a short letter to someone you know about your having learnt to do something new.
Answer:Xyz, Ashok Nagar
Delhi
110055
Date: 11 March, 2018
Dear Ramesh,
How are you? Hope you are doing well. I wanted to tell you that I have learnt driving. My exams were over last month and I wanted to do something productive and useful. I asked my friends if they could teach me but they were busy. Father told me about the driving classes in our locality. They took 2000 for the training but the instructor was good. It took me 15 days to learn driving.
Yours lovingly,
Swati
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 an experience. 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:
Student should do by themselves.
Question 2.
Write a short letter to someone you know about your having learnt to do something new.
Answer:
Xyz, Ashok Nagar
Delhi
110055
Date: 11 March, 2018
Dear Ramesh,
How are you? Hope you are doing well. I wanted to tell you that I have learnt driving. My exams were over last month and I wanted to do something productive and useful. I asked my friends if they could teach me but they were busy. Father told me about the driving classes in our locality. They took 2000 for the training but the instructor was good. It took me 15 days to learn driving.
Yours lovingly,
Swati
Things To Do
Question 1.Are there any water sports in India? Find out about the areas or places which are known for water sports.
Answer:Yes, there are water sports in India. A number of areas or places are known for water sports.
Some of them are as follows:
1. RISHIKESH: IDEAL FOR WHITE WATER RAFTING
2. GOA: BUDDING WATER SPORTS CULTURE
3: DEVPRAYAG, KARNATAKA: GREAT PLACE FOR KAYAKING AND RAFTING
4: ANDAMAN ISLANDS: SCUBA DIVING AND THERE ARE MANY MORE
Are there any water sports in India? Find out about the areas or places which are known for water sports.
Answer:
Yes, there are water sports in India. A number of areas or places are known for water sports.
Some of them are as follows:
1. RISHIKESH: IDEAL FOR WHITE WATER RAFTING
2. GOA: BUDDING WATER SPORTS CULTURE
3: DEVPRAYAG, KARNATAKA: GREAT PLACE FOR KAYAKING AND RAFTING
4: ANDAMAN ISLANDS: SCUBA DIVING AND THERE ARE MANY MORE
