Reflecting on our motivations helps us understand ourselves by allowing us to delve deeper into our values, beliefs, and intentions. By questioning why we want to do certain things, we can uncover our true desires and priorities. For example, in Octavia's case, she questioned whether she was volunteering out of genuine passion to make a difference or simply for the sake of boasting about her good deeds. This reflection helped her understand her conflicting feelings and motivations, leading her to reassess her actions and make better choices.
Moreover, reflecting on our motivations can also help us make more intentional decisions that align with our values and goals. By understanding the reasons behind our actions, we can ensure that we are acting in a way that is true to ourselves and our beliefs. In Octavia's case, she realized that despite her internal conflicts, the end result of helping adults learn to read was the most important thing. This realization allowed her to focus on the positive impact she could make rather than getting caught up in her own conflicting motivations. Ultimately, reflecting on our motivations can lead to self-awareness, better decision-making, and a deeper understanding of ourselves.
Read the passage and answer the questions.
The Grime by ReadWorks
Octavia normally would have been embarrassed to rattle off her accomplishments to a total stranger. She’d had to do this enough times, in job interviews usually, so she was used to the squirming discomfort that comes with saying: I graduated with these honors at this university with this GPA and did this and that and, yes, what a rewarding experience, I learned so much, and on and on.
She had done this enough times to know that her discomfort came from the fact that she sort of liked to boast. She knew she shouldn't like it! So she was stuck in the middle. Or, rather, not in the middle, but slapped back and forth, from smug satisfaction to self-disgust and back again, like a tennis ball over a net.
Here, though, it was completely different. Sitting in a stuffy, windowless office across from a man without a tie. Octavia wearing casual clothes herself. The atmosphere relaxed. Nothing at stake. She had come to help people. The rest didn't matter.
The man across from her was in his fifties, probably. He had a bristly graying mustache and the air of a man resigned to good humor, as though he had given every style a fair try, and settled finally on shrugging shoulders and a half smile.
Octavia could tell he was impressed with her. Why shouldn't he be? Because, let's face it, she was perfectly qualified. Great school, great grades, great experience, young, energetic, up on the latest methods. In two words, a catch.
The man across from her leaned back in his chair, resting one arm on the chair's armrest, and his chin in his palm. His knuckles were buried in his mustache. He had a daily calendar on his desk, the “funny” kind. Every day was matched with a joke. Octavia imagined that ripping off the next sheet in the morning to find a new joke might be the bright spot of someone’s morning.
Octavia got her biggest kicks not from talking about her schooling or her grades, but from talking about why she wanted to volunteer to teach illiterate adults to read. She explained to Paul—that was the mustached program director's name—how she had never volunteered before, how she wasn't even the type to volunteer, how if you had asked her just two months ago whether she would ever commit twenty hours a week just to pre-volunteer training, she would have bet her bottom dollar: nope.
“So,” he asked her, “what changed?”
“That's the thing!” Octavia's eyes lit up. She was leaning over Paul's desk now, bursting with enthusiasm. She felt alive. “It just…popped up. I mean, I don't know, I was just clicking around Wikipedia the other day, like I do practically every day, and I was on, like, Belgium, and then horse-hair paintbrushes, and then experimental stringed instruments, and then, somehow, adult illiteracy. And I started reading, and it was just—I don't know, out of nowhere I wanted to be a part of this, to volunteer, to help and see for myself. I don't think I'm a tourist, you know? I'm not here to experience the grime and then go home and tell my friends about it over sushi. It's not like that. I just…think I can help, and feel compelled to.”
Everything Octavia said was true. But in bed that night, her words ran in a loop in her mind, over and again.
Octavia's worst qualities were at war with her best. On the one side were pride and arrogance. On the other were enthusiasm and passion. She wondered: was she attempting to volunteer just for the show of it, or did she truly care about making a difference? Would she try to learn, as well as teach?
Octavia didn’t know. It was too difficult to separate one motivation from the next. They were tangled up with each other, and she wasn’t sure where one ended and the other began. She lay in bed and struggled with what had gone on in the office. She replayed the words she’d spoken, as if someone else had said them. She thought not “Is this who I am?” but “Is this how I want to be?”
What Octavia came to understand was that her identity was complex: her character wasn’t simple, wasn’t driven by any one thing. She was made up of parts. Some of those parts wanted to learn. Some parts wanted to teach. Some were arrogant, and some were humble.
She realized that the one thing she could be certain of was this: no matter her intentions, the end result would be the same. She would help adults learn to read, and wasn’t that most important? The consequence? She had just begun to wonder if a selfish intention had the power to taint a worthwhile outcome when sleep came.
Question 1
What does the phrase "Octavia rattled off her accomplishments" in paragraph 1 suggest about Octavia's feelings?(1 point)
Responses
Octavia felt nervous about sharing her accomplishments
Octavia felt nervous about sharing her accomplishments
Octavia felt proud and eager to share her accomplishment
Octavia felt proud and eager to share her accomplishment
Octavia felt indifferent and uninterested in sharing her accomplishments
Octavia felt indifferent and uninterested in sharing her accomplishments
Octavia felt embarrassed and hesitant to share her accomplishments
Octavia felt embarrassed and hesitant to share her accomplishments
Question 2
Why does Octavia feel uncomfortable boasting about her accomplishments?(1 point)
Responses
Octavia enjoys bragging about herself
Octavia enjoys bragging about herself
Octavia is not qualified for the job she is interviewing for
Octavia is not qualified for the job she is interviewing for
Octavia realizes that boasting is not socially acceptable
Octavia realizes that boasting is not socially acceptable
Octavia dislikes sharing personal information with strangers
Octavia dislikes sharing personal information with strangers
Question 3
What is Octavia's conflict in the story?(1 point)
Responses
She fights with Paul.
She fights with Paul.
She is unable to sleep because she is questioning the motivation of her actions.
She is unable to sleep because she is questioning the motivation of her actions.
She cannot communicate clearly.
She cannot communicate clearly.
She has to walk through bad weather.
She has to walk through bad weather.
Question 4
What can be inferred about Paul, the program director, from the description provided?(1 point)
Responses
Paul is a strict and serious individual
Paul is a strict and serious individual
Paul is a laid-back and easygoing individual
Paul is a laid-back and easygoing individual
Paul is an inexperienced and unknowledgeable individual
Paul is an inexperienced and unknowledgeable individual
Paul is an intimidating and unapproachable individual
Paul is an intimidating and unapproachable individual
Question 5
When does Octavia's enthusiasm for volunteering become evident?(1 point)
Responses
When she talks about her schooling and grades
When she talks about her schooling and grades
When she explains her sudden interest in volunteering
When she explains her sudden interest in volunteering
When she jokes about the daily calendar on Paul's desk
When she jokes about the daily calendar on Paul's desk
When she discusses her previous experience with volunteering
When she discusses her previous experience with volunteering
Question 6
What primarily drives Octavia's motivation to volunteer?(1 point)
Responses
A desire to experience different cultures
A desire to experience different cultures
A sense of obligation towards community service
A sense of obligation towards community service
A genuine passion to make a difference
A genuine passion to make a difference
A need for personal recognition and praise
A need for personal recognition and praise
Question 7
According to Octavia, what is the most important thing regardless of her intentions?(1 point)
Responses
To maintain a humble attitude
To maintain a humble attitude
To have a clear sense of identity
To have a clear sense of identity
To achieve a worthwhile outcome
To achieve a worthwhile outcome
To avoid selfish intentions
To avoid selfish intentions
Question 8
What does the phrase "rattle off" mean in paragraph 1?(1 point)
Responses
Speak quickly and without thinking
Speak quickly and without thinking
Share confidently and enthusiastically
Share confidently and enthusiastically
Bore with a long list of accomplishments
Bore with a long list of accomplishments
Organize accomplishments in a logical manner
Organize accomplishments in a logical manner
Question 9
What does Octavia mean when she says, "I'm not here to experience the grime and then go home and tell my friends about it over sushi"?(1 point)
Responses
Octavia doesn't enjoy eating sushi
Octavia doesn't enjoy eating sushi
Octavia wants to keep her volunteering experiences to herself
Octavia wants to keep her volunteering experiences to herself
Octavia is committed to actively contributing and making a genuine impact
Octavia is committed to actively contributing and making a genuine impact
Octavia prefers sharing her experiences through social media rather than in person
Octavia prefers sharing her experiences through social media rather than in person
Question 10
How would you describe Octavia's attitude towards volunteering based on the passage?(1 point)
Responses
Passive
Passive
Anxious
Anxious
Enthusiastic
Enthusiastic
Indifferent
Indifferent
Question 11
What does the phrase "tangled up" in paragraph 11 suggest about Octavia's motivations?(1 point)
Responses
Octavia is confused and uncertain about her motivations
Octavia is confused and uncertain about her motivations
Octavia's motivations are clear and straightforward
Octavia's motivations are clear and straightforward
Octavia's motivations are selfish and insincere
Octavia's motivations are selfish and insincere
Octavia's motivations are driven by external factors
Octavia's motivations are driven by external factors
Question 12
When Octavia mentions her "worst qualities" in paragraph 12, what qualities is she referring to?(1 point)
Responses
Pride and arrogance
Pride and arrogance
Enthusiasm and passion
Enthusiasm and passion
Humility and self-doubt
Humility and self-doubt
Compassion and empathy
Compassion and empathy
Question 13
What does Octavia mean when she says, "Is this how I want to be?"(1 point)
Responses
Octavia is contemplating her future career choices
Octavia is contemplating her future career choices
Octavia is questioning her own identity and values
Octavia is questioning her own identity and values
Octavia is considering changing her volunteering commitment
Octavia is considering changing her volunteering commitment
Octavia is wondering if she should pursue a different hobby
Octavia is wondering if she should pursue a different hobby
Question 14
Octavia experiences an internal conflict between pride and arrogance on one side, and enthusiasm and passion on the other. She navigates through this conflict by reflecting on her motivations. How does reflecting on our motivations and why we want to do things help us understand ourselves and make better choices? Use personal experiences and evidence from the text to support your discussion. This should be 2 paragraphs of 5-7 sentences each
1 answer
1 answer