This passage is from the jungle by upton sinclair.

jurgis was like a boy, a boy from the country. he was the sort of man the bosses like to get hold of, the sort they make it a grievance they cannot get hold of. when he was told to go to a certain place, he would go there on the run. when he had nothing to do for the moment, he would stand round fidgeting, dancing, with the overflow of energy that was in him. if he were working in a line of men, the line always moved too slowly for him, and you could pick him out by his impatience and restlessness. that was why he had been picked out on one important occasion; for jurgis had stood outside of brown and company's "central time station" not more than half an hour, the second day of his arrival in chicago, before he had been beckoned by one of the bosses. of this he was very proud, and it made him more disposed than ever to laugh at the pessimists. in vain would they all tell him that there were men in that crowd from which he had been chosen who had stood there a month--yes, many months--and not been chosen yet. "yes," he would say, "but what sort of men? broken-down tramps and good- for-nothings, fellows who have spent all their money drinking, and want to get more for it. do you want me to believe that with these arms"--and he would clench his fists and hold them up in the air, so that you might see the rolling muscles--that with these arms people will ever let me starve? "

"it is plain," they would answer to this, "that you have come from the country, and from very far in the country." and this was the fact, for jurgis had never seen a city, and scarcely even a fair-sized town, until he had set out to make his fortune in the world and earn his right to ona.

what is the best paraphrase of the highlighted words in this reading passage?
a)the men knew jurgis would be a leader in the stockyards.
b)being from the country gave jurgis an insight to the problems in the stockyards.
c)the men admired jurgis for what he knew about animals.
d)jurgis didn't really understand the way of the stockyards.

returning points to main account

explanation:

i have learned a great many things from participating in varsity football. it has changed my entire outlook on and attitude toward life. before my freshman year at [high-school], i was shy, had low self-esteem and turned away from seemingly impossible challenges. football has altered all of these qualities. on the first day of freshman practice, the team warmed up with a game of touch football. the players were split up and the game began. however, during the game, i noticed that i didn't run as hard as i could, nor did i try to evade my defender and get open. the fact of the matter is that i really did not want to be thrown the ball. i didn't want to be the one at fault if i dropped the ball and the play didn't succeed. i did not want the responsibility of the team because i was too afraid of making a mistake. that aspect of my character led the first years of my high school life. i refrained from asking questions in class, afraid they might be considered too stupid or dumb by my classmates. all the while, i went to practice and everyday, i went home physically and mentally exhausted.

yet my apprehension prevailed as i continued to fear getting put in the game in case another player was injured. i was still afraid of making mistakes and getting blamed by screaming coaches and angry teammates. sometimes these fears came true. during my sophomore season, my position at backup guard led me to play in the varsity games on many occasions. on such occasions, i often made mistakes. most of the time the mistakes were not significant; they rarely changed the outcome of a play. yet i received a thorough verbal lashing at practice for the mistakes i had made. these occurrences only compounded my fears of playing. however, i did not always make mistakes. sometimes i made great plays, for which i was congratulated. now, as i dawn on my senior year of football and am faced with two starting positions, i feel like a changed person.

over the years, playing football has taught me what it takes to succeed. from months of tough practices, i have gained a hard work ethic. from my coaches and fellow teammates, i have learned to work well with others in a group, as it is necessary to cooperate with teammates on the playing field. but most important, i have also gained self-confidence. if i fail, it doesn't matter if they mock or ridicule me; i'll just try again and do it better. i realize that it is necessary to risk failure in order to gain success. the coaches have always said before games that nothing is impossible; i know that now. now, i welcome the challenge. whether i succeed or fail is irrelevant; it is only important that i have tried and tested myself.

the topic of this essay is how the applicant has matured and changed since his freshman year. he focuses on football. one of the strengths of this essay is that it is well organized. the applicant clearly put time into the structure and planning of this essay. he uses the platform of football to discuss and demonstrate his personal growth and development through the high school years. what he could have done better was spend more time describing himself after he made improvements. as it is, he only tells us about his newfound confidence and drive. this essay would have been stronger had he actually shown us, perhaps by including a story or describing an event where his confidence made a difference

explanation:

its d because i know

a, overstatement is the answer