Feedback
1
✅ The correct answer is B.
For many years, Jack measures success through promotions, salary increases, recognition and a busy schedule. However, after Michael’s phone call and his own reflections, he starts to realise that achievement alone does not necessarily create happiness or meaning.
🔴 A is too extreme because the story does not reject financial stability. Jack still values work, security and ambition.
🔴 C is not the central issue. The story is not mainly about sacrifice, but about whether external achievements can fully satisfy a person.
🟢 B) That achievement automatically leads to fulfilment.
2
✅ The correct answer is A.
Chasing goals means actively trying to achieve goals, often with a strong sense of ambition or pressure. At the beginning of the story, Jack has spent most of his adult life chasing goals connected to work, money and recognition.
🔴 Exchanging updates means sharing recent news with someone.
🔴 Slowing down means reducing speed or becoming less busy.
🟢 A) chasing goals
3
✅ The correct answer is A.
Michael’s experience makes Jack think more deeply about priorities. Michael says he spent years worrying about things that did not matter very much, and this idea stays with Jack. It does not lead to one dramatic decision, but it begins an internal reassessment.
🔴 B is incorrect because Jack does not quit his job.
🔴 C is too absolute. The story does not claim that success always damages health.
🟢 A) It forces Jack to reconsider what deserves his attention and energy.
4
✅ The correct answer is C.
After the fact means after something has already happened. Jack’s response suggests mild scepticism: he understands Michael’s point, but he thinks such wisdom may be easier after a major event has forced someone to reflect.
🔴 A is not the meaning of the phrase.
🔴 B is too strong because Jack does not fully reject Michael’s idea; in fact, the conversation stays with him.
🟢 C) Jack suggests that it is easier to understand what matters after a serious experience has already happened.
5
✅ The correct answer is B.
Objectively means based on facts rather than personal feelings. When the text says Jack’s life was objectively good, it means that from the outside, his life seemed successful: he had a stable career, good friends and a comfortable home.
🔴 Selective means careful about choosing.
🔴 Conventional means traditional or usual.
🟢 B) objectively
6
✅ The correct answer is C.
Leaving his phone at home is not about rejecting work or technology forever. It creates a moment of disconnection from constant pressure. At first, Jack feels uncomfortable, but then he begins noticing the waves, clouds and small details around him. This shows a shift towards presence and awareness.
🔴 A is too extreme because he does not abandon his responsibilities.
🔴 B is too broad because the story is not about technology as a problem in itself.
🟢 C) His first real attempt to slow down and become present.
7
✅ The correct answer is A.
Jack does not reject work, ambition or achievement. He tells Emma that work still matters. However, he no longer believes it is the most important thing. His values become more balanced, with relationships, meaning and personal growth becoming central.
🔴 B is too extreme because ambition is still presented as valuable.
🔴 C is too narrow because the story focuses on deeper priorities, not simply having fewer tasks.
🟢 A) He still values work, but no longer sees it as the centre of a meaningful life.
8
✅ The correct answer is C.
At the reunion, Jack notices that the happiest people are not necessarily the most successful or wealthiest by traditional standards. What they share is less visible: strong relationships, purpose and a connection to something larger than themselves. This confirms the lesson he has been slowly learning.
🔴 A is incorrect because Jack does not compare himself negatively.
🔴 B is the opposite of what the scene suggests.
🟢 C) It confirms that happiness is not necessarily connected to traditional measures of success.
9
✅ The correct answer is A.
Less conventional paths means life or career choices that are less traditional or less typical. At the reunion, some classmates work in predictable professions, while others have followed less conventional paths.
🔴 Personal recognition means being noticed or praised by others.
🔴 Constant financial stress means ongoing worry about money.
🟢 A) less conventional paths
10
✅ The correct answer is B.
The story does not say that success, ambition or achievement are worthless. It says they are not enough by themselves. Jack’s final certainty comes from understanding that the people we share life with matter most. Meaning comes from connection, purpose, growth and relationships, not only from external achievements.
🔴 A is incorrect because the story questions the importance of recognition as a measure of success.
🔴 C is too extreme because Jack does not stop valuing goals; he simply changes what he sees as most important.
🟢 B) A meaningful life depends less on achievement alone and more on connection, purpose and shared experience.
Photosynthesis vs Cellular Respiration - Practice Quiz