Question 6(Multiple Choice Worth 2 points) (01.05, 01.06 HC)

Read the story Hayden and Henry Go to Fenwick Island:

When Hayden and Henry Holbrook were just 10 months old, their parents enrolled them in swimming lessons at the local pool. By the time they were 10 years old, both boys were excellent swimmers. Hayden was best at the backstroke, Henry at the forward crawl. They were identical twins but they were complete opposites in almost every way. While Hayden liked swimming at the pool where the water was warm and familiar, Henry preferred to swim outdoors. He loved to swim in the pond in their backyard or at the lake where they went to camp each summer. Henry liked to try new things and had recently enrolled in a sea swim race in Delaware, about 3 hours from the boys' home in Elizabethtown, PA.

Hayden and Henry had never been to the ocean before. They had travelled a lot in the Midwest, where their grandparents lived, and to upstate New York in the summertime, but they had never been to the coast. Hayden had learned a lot about the New England coast during his shipwreck phase, when he watched loads of documentaries and read every book in the library on the topic.

"The race is in May, right? According to my research, the temperature of the ocean at the time of year is a chilly 50 degrees," Hayden informed his brother. Henry couldn't be deterred. "Water's water. It's all the same," Henry replied to Hayden's doubts.

Henry trained hard. He swam every morning before school at the community pool since the pond was still frozen over. He knew the ocean would be different, but he was determined to take part in the race. Henry thought he even had a good chance of winning in his age category.

Soon, spring sprung in New England, and the Holbrooks set out for the sea race weekend on Fenwick Island. That evening, the whole family sat on the beach and watched the sunset as the waves rolled in. Hayden regaled everyone with stories of pirate buccaneers and long-lost shipwrecks, but Henry was unusually quiet. When they had walked along the boardwalk earlier, he had seen a sign warning swimmers about the possibility of jellyfish in the water. Henry never had to worry about jellyfish in the pool, pond, or lake. Perhaps water wasn't just water. One of the boys' favorite movies had a scene where the bad guy tried to flee the scene of a crime on a speedboat, only to fall off and get stung repeatedly by jellyfish. Every time they watched it, the brothers laughed and laughed. Henry wasn't laughing now. He couldn't stop thinking about how much it would hurt if he got stung by a jellyfish during the race. He wasn't sure if he wanted to compete anymore.

Hayden soon noticed the look of worry on his brother's face. As they strolled back toward their hotel in the pink twilight, Hayden asked his brother what was on his mind.

"Jellyfish," Henry responded.

Hayden laughed, "Yeah, I was thinking of that scene, too, when we walked past the boat rental place earlier. It cracks me up every time."

"I won't be laughing if I get stung during the race tomorrow," Henry said sharply. Then, looking at his brother, he said more softly, "I'm scared of them. I think I'm going to pull out of the race."

Hayden was surprised to hear his twin say this. Henry had always been the confident one, always up for taking risks. Giving up just wasn't his style. It upset Hayden to see his brother looking so down and upset, and he knew he had to do something to comfort his brother as Henry had done for him so many times before. Like bolts of lightning, facts that Hayden had read about jellyfish began to zigzag through his mind. 'Of course!' he thought.

"Henry, remember how I said that the average water temperature in the Atlantic would be around 50 degrees just now?"

"That's not helpful, Hayden," Henry sighed. "I'm prepared for the cold, just not the possibility of pain."

"No, no, that's not my point," Hayden continued excitedly, "Jellyfish prefer warm waters! It's far too cold for them to be out and about in the ocean right now. The probability that you'll see a jellyfish tomorrow, let alone be stung, is very low," he finished triumphantly.

A smile spread across Henry's face. "That's brilliant news, Hayden! Thanks so much. I can always count on you and your random knowledge to save the day!" he laughed, throwing his arm around his brother's shoulder.

Henry slept like a log that night. The next day, he dove head first into the ocean and swam with all his heart. Just as he had hoped, Henry won his race. When he took the podium to collect his medal, no one was cheering louder than Hayden. He was so happy for his brother and that his words had been so helpful.

Based on the theme in the story, how do you think Hayden would respond to an obstacle if he had to face it himself?

He would avoid what was making him fearful.
He would face his fear without knowing about it.
He would learn more about the obstacle to overcome it.
He would run away from what was making him fearful.