Can't Stop the Questions

Chapter 28: Slim Pickings

In the weeks to follow, it seems like a lot of juniors' attention is devoted to the upcoming, state-sponsored ACT date. Regardless of what extracurricular activities they engage in: baseball, softball, FFA, band, you name it. And upperclassmen on the academic teams are swamped with requests for aid, be it with coursework or for the ACT.

"It seems a little weird that people ask for aid left and right. I knew there just wasn't a whole lot of people who could help, and so much demand for it... Could you do this for me, please?" Pablo asks Audrey before class begins. "To help the football team with the ACT..."

"Nadine told me about how some peeps on the football team deemed you a poor fit. And... her, too. I wonder what makes me different from you two to their eyes" Audrey asks him.

"To be fair, it's only a subgroup of juniors on the football team that deemed us poor fits. Ethan, Finn, Dayton and Valter. However, Heath and Orson are the ones who asked you for help on the ACT, and me, too. And, surprisingly, one of the cornerbacks, fed up with how the outgoing quarterback was of no use, would rather have had Nadine helping him study than the outgoing QB!"

The football team might have its pick of tutors, but the people they can call upon can't always be there for them. Not the least because football players don't always ask for help fast enough, Pablo reflects on why it has come to this. Simply put, footballers must compete with non-football players to get tutoring services, and must make do with online help until then.

"After quiz bowl practice, does that work for you?" Audrey asks Pablo.

"Yes" Pablo then responds to the request placed by the right linebacker.

After quiz bowl practice, Pablo warns his parents as the couple gets to Heath's home. Orson is also there, awaiting the arrival of the pair. After they ring the doorbell:

"Finally! You're our only hope!" Heath sighs of relief.

"I'm Audrey and you probably know me as either a quiz bowler or Pablo's girlfriend. Before we begin, we would like to know what work was done before, on your own or with others!" Audrey starts the session.

"The funny thing is that, if we stick to online help, it might tell us why an answer is incorrect, but it doesn't seem to apply from a question to another" Orson retorts.

"By now, you know that, on the ACT, leaving questions blank is a no-go. However, how you go around eliminating the answer choices depends on the type of question considered. In math, you can plug answers into equations" Pablo tells his other teammates.

"Also, if you realize you always get a certain type of question wrong, you might want to review the material associated with it!" Audrey explains to the duet.

"That's the problem, Audrey; we seem to get things wrong at random!" Heath remarks.

"We seem to need help across the board!" Orson confides in them.

To Audrey's eyes, it shows these two have been using free online tools to study, which often include disjointed sets of questions and solutions to each, but no more than that. No real tracking of one's evolution in studying.

More like they are unable to discern patterns, if any, in their mistakes, and I feel like Heath is making up excuses, Audrey starts thinking about their study habits.

"It pains me to admit it, but sometimes shortcuts are necessary. In math and science sections, if a diagram or chart is available, a clue can often be found in it, which will enable you to eliminate at least one answer" Audrey gives out the first clue that's applicable widely.

"There are times where I felt like I was almost running out of time. Do you have any tips that could help in reading?" Orson asks them.

"What has worked for me is reading the first and last paragraphs, as well as the first and last sentences of each body paragraph" Pablo explains to the two footballers as Orson beams with gratitude. "If necessary, you can always go back to the passage when faced with a details kind of question!"