Question

angela began having trouble sleeping at night. she dreamed of failing the final exam not because she didnt know the material, but because she froze and forgot her speech. every classmates presentation she watched meant she was one step closer to having to present herself. when the day arrived, angela couldnt eat breakfast, and she had to get through math and history before science. she couldnt concentrate at all. her heart pounded as mr. marx called her name. she gathered her notecards with shaking hands and slowly walked to the front of the room. \tadpoles,\ she began, \are frogs or toads at the beginning of their life cycle.\ whew, she thought. the first sentence came out. then, something happened that she did not expect at all. she relaxed. once she began, the words flowed out. she could see mr. marx start to smile and nod encouragingly. after weeks of dreading this moment, she couldnt believe how quickly the presentation passed. \so,\ she said brightly, after her presentation concluded. \does anyone have any questions about tadpoles?\ which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story? waiting to do something can be worse than actually doing it. knowing the truth about something can be freeing. thoroughly preparing for a challenge can make it seem less scary.

Explanation:

Angela worried about her presentation for weeks, but when she actually did it, it was over quickly and went well. This shows that waiting and dreading (the anticipation) was worse than the actual act. The other options don't fit as well. There's no indication of "knowing the truth" in a freeing - sense (like uncovering a secret) and no focus on preparation making it less scary (more on the contrast between anticipation and action).

Answer:

Waiting to do something can be worse than actually doing it.