Question

from sand castles
sand seems light until one starts scooping large amounts from the ground with shells and transporting it around a big space. walking here, digging down, walking there, smoothing out. once engaged by the details, i usually forgot about the physical work, until the next day when my arms and middle would be sore from scooping and leaning. i forgot about food, and i got sunburned because i ignored the sun. i used the ocean only to wash down my sand - covered body. there was always the urgency of a sand castle to finish or protect from the dangers at the beach: the wind, the encroaching water.
the hostile elements gave sand - castle building its urgency. unlike legos or tinkertoys, castles could not be put aside and worked on hours later without consequence. an awesome tide could sweep in and destroy even a structure built high on the beach. a more mundane and predictable threat came from little kids. many times i left a castle for only a moment, to rinse sand off in the ocean or to apply sun lotion on my burning neck, and would return to find only footprints where a perfect moat and turret had been. most often, there would be a crying child and an apologetic parent. it didnt matter. i did what i had to do: rebuild.
to build a sand castle requires improvisational skill and a negotiation with the limitations of the sand. in this sense, too, sand castles were a collaboration with nature. sand dries out, making little details on small structures difficult to maintain. the solution was to make small details only on large structures. eventually i hit at the edge of structures. the solution was to build a protective wall that wrapped around the structure and could hold off the
this question has two parts. answer part a, and then answer part b.
part a
how does paragraph 2 develop the idea that building sand castles requires persistence and toughness?

1. it contrasts the authors feelings about sand castles with the way other people at the beach view him and his castles.
2. it lists the steps that the author takes when building sand castles and explains why each step in the process is important.
3. it explains some ways sand castles may be ruined then describes the authors measured response to these situations.
4. it details a series of challenges the author faces when building sand castles and how the challenges have shaped his techniques.

part b

Explanation:

In paragraph 2, the author mentions various challenges like the hostile elements (beach urgency, wind, encroaching water), the threat from little kids, and the crying child situation. These are all difficulties faced during sand - castle building. The author then shows how they deal with these (using the ocean to wash, ignoring the sun, etc.), which demonstrates persistence (not giving up despite challenges) and toughness (handling the difficult situations).

Answer:

1. It details a series of challenges the author faces when building sand castles and how the challenges have shaped his techniques.