Question
The Project
1 Jason leaned his head on the backseat of the family car as he watched the sea of headlights whisk by on the freeway. He let out a contented sigh. He stared at the back of his father’s head and knew that his dad was proud of him. They were on their way to the ocean for Spring Break, and he would arrive on its shores triumphant, but just a few short days ago, he hadn’t been so certain. His thoughts drifted back to the beginning of the week and all that had transpired.
2 On that Monday afternoon, Jason tossed his backpack onto the kitchen floor where it landed with a loud “thunk.” He winced at the noise until he remembered that his phone was in his back pocket and not in the front pocket of the pack. He rubbed his shoulders. The trudge up the hill to his house had seemed longer than usual because of the weight of books, notebooks, and additional materials he would need to finish—or to begin—the projects that all of his teachers had assigned. Spring Break was so close that he could almost touch it, but in preparation for the upcoming standardized tests, every one of Jason’s teachers had assigned a huge project in order “to help the students review for the rigorous assessments.” With a heavy sigh, Jason made his way to the refrigerator to pour a glass of milk and to make a sandwich before he began his tasks.
3 Fortified, Jason began pulling notebook after notebook from his pack. Where to start? The social studies project on the decades of the 1900s? He’d chosen the Roaring ‘20s and was almost done. Yup, that was where he would begin his marathon of homework. As he worked, however, his mind floated away to thoughts of the upcoming vacation. His father had chosen Tybee Island as their destination as a new wind power project was beginning off its shores. His father worked in the green energy field, and the offshore research station would be the start of analyzing the harnessing of the offshore winds to reduce Georgia’s reliance on water-generated power. He would be working during their entire vacation, but Jason would be playing in the water, exploring the light house, and enjoying the seafood served in the neighboring restaurants. He could almost feel the sand beneath his feet and smell the sharp tang of the ocean’s breeze in his nostrils. He shook his head—he had to focus or Spring Break would be a nightmare of angry words from his parents because he hadn’t upheld his end of the bargain by completing his work. Jason returned to the glow of his computer screen.
4 By dinner, his social studies project was complete. He was more than prepared for his presentation to the class, and he knew just a few hours at the keyboard would complete his argumentative essay for Language Arts. That would also be finished before the end of the night. Tomorrow would see the completion of his math packet—just a few more word problems and a constructed response would easily fall to an afternoon’s worth of work. But Science…Jason sighed. He just couldn’t decide where to begin for that project. They had studied so much during the year: chemistry, the periodic table, waves, energy, Newton’s Laws of Motion, simple machines. How could he decide? Nothing stood out, and although there was a sea of potential projects surrounding him, there was a drought of concrete possibilities. At dinner, his family chattered happily about their upcoming vacation, but Jason focused only on the meal and the ideas swirling in his head. As they cleared the table, Jason’s father looked at him questioningly. “Don’t worry,” he replied to the unasked question, “I just have a lot of work due this week. It’ll get done before vacation.” His father just smiled at him and ruffled his hair.
5 Things seemed brighter the next day. Jason turned in his argumentative essay and listened to his classmates begin their debates. In Social Studies, his teacher gave each student the presentation date. Jason was already prepared for Thursday. During math class, his teacher gave the students an additional thirty minutes to complete their packet, and Jason almost finished. In Science, however, Jason’s heart sank. His classmates chatted away about the balloon-powered cars that they were building, or the roller coaster that had almost taken shape, or the simple machine that could toss a marble thirty meters. Jason lowered his head and glared at his notebook. What could he possibly come up with in a few short days? He felt adrift at sea with no sight of land on the horizon.
6 Dinner found Jason glowering yet again at his dinner plate. Finally his dad took him into the kitchen to discuss the problem. Several questions were sent his way, none of which he could answer. Why couldn’t he come up with a project? Which of the curriculum had been the most interesting? What help did he need? Jason had no answers, and he just pushed his father away as he seemed to apply more and more pressure—although Jason knew his father was just trying to help. With a sigh, his father turned toward the sink and began washing dishes.
7 “What do you want to do while on vacation?” he asked.
8 “Just relax and not think about school,” Jason replied honestly.
9 “I’m looking forward to seeing the new site and the possibility of new wind turbines being added to our energy grid,” his father mused.
10 Jason’s eyes widened as the fog through which he had been drifting seemed to lift. “That’s it, Dad. That’s it! I need to research the possible impact of wind energy on Georgia’s energy consumption! I’ve been so worried about completing my projects that I forgot why we are going down to Tybee! I know what I can do. I need to go down to your shop and see what I can find. Is that okay?” he blurted.
11 “Of course—my shop is your shop! Do you need my help?” his father asked earnestly.
12 “Nope—I’ve got this,” Jason replied. “I even know what I will use for my hypothesis!” With that, Jason disappeared into the basement. He spent every spare hour there for the next two days. At one point, his father came down to check on him, not offering any advice, but placing a fleece blanket around Jason’s shoulders.
13 “It gets cold down here. Just wanted you to be comfortable,” his dad said quietly. “Looks like you’re tackling this dragon of a project. It’s coming along.”
14 “I have it beaten,” Jason replied with a smile.
15 On Friday, nearly every student in the school was focused on the week of vacation that was just hours ahead. Jason, however, was focused on making his way to his science classroom to drop off his project. He had researched wind power and had created a mini turbine that actually generated electricity. He placed his project on the counter with confidence and authority. He now hoped that his dad would let him explore the new wind platform being built while they were at Tybee. The project, although extremely challenging, had created a path to the perfect vacation with his family and his dad.
Multiple Choice Question
Which of the following helps Jason to determine a topic for his science project?
the students’ discussion about their own projects during his science class
his father’s discussion with Jason about their plans while they are on Tybee Island
his father’s willingness to let Jason use the workshop for several days and his father’s checking on him
a careful review of the topics that Jason has studied in Science over the course of the year and his interest in them
1 Jason leaned his head on the backseat of the family car as he watched the sea of headlights whisk by on the freeway. He let out a contented sigh. He stared at the back of his father’s head and knew that his dad was proud of him. They were on their way to the ocean for Spring Break, and he would arrive on its shores triumphant, but just a few short days ago, he hadn’t been so certain. His thoughts drifted back to the beginning of the week and all that had transpired.
2 On that Monday afternoon, Jason tossed his backpack onto the kitchen floor where it landed with a loud “thunk.” He winced at the noise until he remembered that his phone was in his back pocket and not in the front pocket of the pack. He rubbed his shoulders. The trudge up the hill to his house had seemed longer than usual because of the weight of books, notebooks, and additional materials he would need to finish—or to begin—the projects that all of his teachers had assigned. Spring Break was so close that he could almost touch it, but in preparation for the upcoming standardized tests, every one of Jason’s teachers had assigned a huge project in order “to help the students review for the rigorous assessments.” With a heavy sigh, Jason made his way to the refrigerator to pour a glass of milk and to make a sandwich before he began his tasks.
3 Fortified, Jason began pulling notebook after notebook from his pack. Where to start? The social studies project on the decades of the 1900s? He’d chosen the Roaring ‘20s and was almost done. Yup, that was where he would begin his marathon of homework. As he worked, however, his mind floated away to thoughts of the upcoming vacation. His father had chosen Tybee Island as their destination as a new wind power project was beginning off its shores. His father worked in the green energy field, and the offshore research station would be the start of analyzing the harnessing of the offshore winds to reduce Georgia’s reliance on water-generated power. He would be working during their entire vacation, but Jason would be playing in the water, exploring the light house, and enjoying the seafood served in the neighboring restaurants. He could almost feel the sand beneath his feet and smell the sharp tang of the ocean’s breeze in his nostrils. He shook his head—he had to focus or Spring Break would be a nightmare of angry words from his parents because he hadn’t upheld his end of the bargain by completing his work. Jason returned to the glow of his computer screen.
4 By dinner, his social studies project was complete. He was more than prepared for his presentation to the class, and he knew just a few hours at the keyboard would complete his argumentative essay for Language Arts. That would also be finished before the end of the night. Tomorrow would see the completion of his math packet—just a few more word problems and a constructed response would easily fall to an afternoon’s worth of work. But Science…Jason sighed. He just couldn’t decide where to begin for that project. They had studied so much during the year: chemistry, the periodic table, waves, energy, Newton’s Laws of Motion, simple machines. How could he decide? Nothing stood out, and although there was a sea of potential projects surrounding him, there was a drought of concrete possibilities. At dinner, his family chattered happily about their upcoming vacation, but Jason focused only on the meal and the ideas swirling in his head. As they cleared the table, Jason’s father looked at him questioningly. “Don’t worry,” he replied to the unasked question, “I just have a lot of work due this week. It’ll get done before vacation.” His father just smiled at him and ruffled his hair.
5 Things seemed brighter the next day. Jason turned in his argumentative essay and listened to his classmates begin their debates. In Social Studies, his teacher gave each student the presentation date. Jason was already prepared for Thursday. During math class, his teacher gave the students an additional thirty minutes to complete their packet, and Jason almost finished. In Science, however, Jason’s heart sank. His classmates chatted away about the balloon-powered cars that they were building, or the roller coaster that had almost taken shape, or the simple machine that could toss a marble thirty meters. Jason lowered his head and glared at his notebook. What could he possibly come up with in a few short days? He felt adrift at sea with no sight of land on the horizon.
6 Dinner found Jason glowering yet again at his dinner plate. Finally his dad took him into the kitchen to discuss the problem. Several questions were sent his way, none of which he could answer. Why couldn’t he come up with a project? Which of the curriculum had been the most interesting? What help did he need? Jason had no answers, and he just pushed his father away as he seemed to apply more and more pressure—although Jason knew his father was just trying to help. With a sigh, his father turned toward the sink and began washing dishes.
7 “What do you want to do while on vacation?” he asked.
8 “Just relax and not think about school,” Jason replied honestly.
9 “I’m looking forward to seeing the new site and the possibility of new wind turbines being added to our energy grid,” his father mused.
10 Jason’s eyes widened as the fog through which he had been drifting seemed to lift. “That’s it, Dad. That’s it! I need to research the possible impact of wind energy on Georgia’s energy consumption! I’ve been so worried about completing my projects that I forgot why we are going down to Tybee! I know what I can do. I need to go down to your shop and see what I can find. Is that okay?” he blurted.
11 “Of course—my shop is your shop! Do you need my help?” his father asked earnestly.
12 “Nope—I’ve got this,” Jason replied. “I even know what I will use for my hypothesis!” With that, Jason disappeared into the basement. He spent every spare hour there for the next two days. At one point, his father came down to check on him, not offering any advice, but placing a fleece blanket around Jason’s shoulders.
13 “It gets cold down here. Just wanted you to be comfortable,” his dad said quietly. “Looks like you’re tackling this dragon of a project. It’s coming along.”
14 “I have it beaten,” Jason replied with a smile.
15 On Friday, nearly every student in the school was focused on the week of vacation that was just hours ahead. Jason, however, was focused on making his way to his science classroom to drop off his project. He had researched wind power and had created a mini turbine that actually generated electricity. He placed his project on the counter with confidence and authority. He now hoped that his dad would let him explore the new wind platform being built while they were at Tybee. The project, although extremely challenging, had created a path to the perfect vacation with his family and his dad.
Multiple Choice Question
Which of the following helps Jason to determine a topic for his science project?
the students’ discussion about their own projects during his science class
his father’s discussion with Jason about their plans while they are on Tybee Island
his father’s willingness to let Jason use the workshop for several days and his father’s checking on him
a careful review of the topics that Jason has studied in Science over the course of the year and his interest in them
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is:
**his father’s discussion with Jason about their plans while they are on Tybee Island**
This conversation sparks Jason's realization about researching the impact of wind energy on Georgia’s energy consumption, leading him to choose that as his science project topic.
**his father’s discussion with Jason about their plans while they are on Tybee Island**
This conversation sparks Jason's realization about researching the impact of wind energy on Georgia’s energy consumption, leading him to choose that as his science project topic.