Question

like an eagle
k. reiter

1. his palms were sweaty, and his heart was beating like a drum. he slowly walked up to the edge of the platform attached to the royal gorge suspension bridge. he dared to peek at the river below. through only one eye, he slowly glanced below and saw the rushing water of the arkansas river nearly 1,000 feet below. his legs shook like leaves on a tree. his eyes grew wide with fear and anticipation. this was the day that luke had waited many months for. he was finally going to bungee jump! but, as he looked down at what lay below, he wasnt sure he could do it.
2. “you got this!” he heard braxton yell from behind him on the bridge. braxton was luke’s best friend and had tagged along to encourage luke to follow through with the jump.
3. “i’m not so sure,” luke hollered back, his voice trembling.
4. luke had been adventurous from the time he was born. nothing was off limits. he would build tall towers of pillows and then race to plunge right in the middle of them. he would leap from one piece of furniture to the next. he loved the feeling he got when he accomplished something that others feared. but, standing on that platform, looking down, he felt small and unsure of himself. the instructor interrupted his thoughts.

which two themes are found in the passage?
a overcome your fears.
b don’t sweat the small stuff.
c you can do anything that you put your mind to.
d it’s better to play it safe than take risks.
e time is more valuable than money.

Explanation:

1. For theme A: The passage shows Luke facing his fear of bungee jumping (palms sweaty, fear initially) and moving towards the jump, indicating overcoming fears.
2. For theme C: Luke has been waiting to bungee jump, builds towers of pillows (taking on challenges), and the text implies he believes in his ability to accomplish what he sets his mind to (like the furniture leap and the jump), so "You can do anything that you put your mind to" fits.
3. Theme B: The passage's focus is on big fears (bungee jumping) and achievement, not "small stuff" like the option suggests, so B is out.
4. Theme D: Luke takes risks (bungee jump, building pillow towers), so "play it safe" is opposite, D is out.
5. Theme E: No mention of time vs money, E is out.

Answer:

A. Overcome your fears, C. You can do anything that you put your mind to