Letter to my Younger Self- David Robinson

What are the main topics discussed in the letter regarding David's future?

• Career in the NBA and the Navy

• Career in the NFL and the Army

• Career in the MLB and the Air Force

• Career in the NHL and the Marines

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Main ideas and supporting details

How did David's grandfather and father influence his character and work ethic?

• By teaching him valuable life lessons

• By providing financial support

• By pressuring him to succeed at all costs

• By discouraging him from pursuing his passions

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Main ideas and supporting details

What is the main purpose of the letter from David Robinson to his younger self?

• To warn about a swim test at the U.S. Naval Academy

• To discuss the importance of physical fitness

• To share memories of the past

• To provide advice on academic studies

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Main ideas and supporting details

What is the main theme highlighted in the passage?

• Perseverance and trust in God

• Friendship and loyalty

• Adventure and exploration

• Love and romance

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Main ideas and supporting details

What are the key elements emphasized in the letter regarding creating a positive impact in the community?

• Preparation, integrity, and financial power

• Creativity, innovation, and teamwork

• Competition, profit, and efficiency

• Risk-taking, independence, and adaptability

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Main ideas and supporting details

What is most likely the author’s reason for using shorter sentences and repetition in the following passage?

You, David Robinson, have flunked your introductory swim test.

Your swim test. In the Navy.

• To highlight the fact that he was enlisted in the Navy instead of some other military branch

• To emphasize the significance of and weight associated with failing an important military test

• To reflect his speechless anger and self-hatred

• To simply vary the syntax length in order to provide a more engaging reading experience

Answer explanation

The author slows down and underlines the severity of this event, both reflecting on and reminding himself that his failure was decisive, causing him, at the time, great dishonor and disappointment.

What does the passage mainly reveal about the author’s state of mind the night after his swim test?

Tomorrow night, when you lie down in your bedroom after this embarrassment and you stare at the ceiling for hours, you’ll have another thought. This one is very important.

What have I gotten myself into? Why am I doing this?

• Discouraged by his failure, David questions his commitment to join the Navy.

• David believes he is physically incapable of serving as a sailor in the Navy.

• David is confused as to what his responsibilities will be as a new cadet.

• Angered by his swim test performance, David asks himself whether or not he wishes to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps.

Answer explanation

David is wavering in his resolve “after this embarrassment,” wondering if he made the right choice to enlist.

What is most closely the meaning of obvious as it is used in the following passage?

What have I gotten myself into? Why am I doing this?

I want you to think long and hard about this particular question.

We both know the obvious answer: You chose the Naval Academy because of your father and grandfather, who both served in the military.

• | verb | to reveal or uncover (something hidden)

• | adjective | morally right or ethical

• | adjective| easily understood or apparent

• | noun | serious thought or meditation

Answer explanation

The reason behind David’s decision to enlist is clear and already known by both younger and older David; this “answer” is quickly and easily understood as his major motivation.

Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage below (paragraphs 34–35)?

Your father is very demanding of you (actually, a lot like a coach you’re going to have in the future by the name of Larry Brown, but that’s a story for another time.) But the reason he’s so demanding is because he’s preparing you for the real world. He’s not just giving you the tools to excel in school and eventually choose where you’ll go to college, he’s also showing you how to succeed in your life after basketball.

He’s doing what your grandfather did for him.

• David Robinson doesn’t think playing for Larry Brown was a positive experience.

• Basketball is more important to David than anything else.

• David chose to go straight to the NBA after graduating from high school.

• Teenage David didn’t always appreciate the value of his father’s toughness.

Answer explanation

The fact that he is explaining to his 18-year-old self the value of his father’s tough love suggests that he has a better appreciation of it now than before.

The author of this letter would most likely agree that_____________.

• he has experienced both successes and failures in his life

• his whole life has been one big success after another

• he should never have joined the Navy, because he wasn’t a good enough swimmer

• he didn’t deserve the money he earned at such a young age

Answer explanation

David reflects on both success and failure in the course of this letter.