How did Douglas make sure that he had conquered the old terror?a)By v...
Douglas had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that the fear of death can cause. Strong will, hard determination, courage and toil as well as honest labour won over all his terrors and fears. The will to live brushed aside all his fears.
In reality all our fears are only psychological, and can be easily won over, if we can control our mind. This realisation makes Douglas resolve to learn swimming by engaging an instructor. This instructor, piece by piece, built Douglas into a swimmer. However, his first step was to drive away Douglas’ fear of water, before training him in swimming techniques. When Douglas tried and swam the length of the pool up and down, small traces of his old terror of water would return. So, he went to Lake Wentworth, dived at Triggs Island and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. Finally, he was certain that he had conquered his fear of water.
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How did Douglas make sure that he had conquered the old terror?a)By v...
Douglas conquered the old terror by swimming into Lake Wentworth. Let's break down the details:
The Old Terror
The "old terror" refers to Douglas' fear of swimming in deep water. He had experienced a traumatic incident in his childhood where he had almost drowned, leading to his fear.
Conquering the Fear
To overcome his fear, Douglas decided to take swimming lessons. The instructor taught him the necessary techniques and encouraged him to practice. However, despite his lessons, Douglas still had reservations about swimming in deep water.
Visiting California
Although visiting California is mentioned as an option in the question, it is not directly related to how Douglas conquered his fear. Therefore, we can eliminate option A.
Jumping into the Waters
Jumping into the waters is not mentioned in the passage as a specific action taken by Douglas. Therefore, we can eliminate option B.
Taking a Lesson from the Instructor
Douglas did take swimming lessons from an instructor, which helped him gain some confidence and skills. However, this alone did not fully conquer his fear. Therefore, we can eliminate option C.
Swimming into Lake Wentworth
The passage states that Douglas decided to confront his fear head-on by swimming into Lake Wentworth, which had deep waters. He describes the experience as a moment of triumph where he faced his fear and overcame it. This act of swimming into Lake Wentworth can be seen as the defining moment where Douglas conquered the old terror.
Therefore, the correct answer is option D, "By swimming into Lake Wentworth."