Consider the passage and theme. ria was thrilled when her doctor removed her cast. it had only been a month, but the inconvenience of wearing a cast and using crutches had been a constant challenge. she had learned that her high school, while accessible, was not easy to navigate with crutches. the stairs were treacherous, and the elevator was slow, but what bothered ria the most were the entrances. since her high school sat on a hill with a wide, concrete stairway to the front door, all of the ramps were at entrances far off her usual course. fortunately, ria made some new friends venturing to and from the ramps. she noticed that these friends were upbeat and determined, and they had more interesting things to discuss than the minor inconvenience of a ramp. still, when the student council asked for suggestions about a class project, ria submitted a proposal for a front-entrance ramp instead of the high-def scoreboard she had once prioritized. theme one: lessons are often learned through one's struggles. what other theme is addressed in the passage? injuries are a stumbling block to maintaining good health. considering life from a new point of view is enlightening. high school projects allow students to improve their schools. learning to make new friends is an important social skill.

The correct answer is B.

Having to use ramps because of her cast and crutches forced Ria to see her school and its entrances from a different perspective.

If she had not injured herself, she may never have realised how important it was to buid a ramp on the front entrance so that incapacitated students don't have to walk all the way to the other ramps.

(d) alice notices that the glass is melting away. because that aint real

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

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