Samantha's Quest by S. Rolph Samantha's fascination with robots began when she was seven, when her parents gave her a Lego set for Christmas. She loved to draw weird creatures and then figure out how to make them come alive. Now that she was starting high school, Samantha was excited to join the school's robotics team. Each year, the team designed a robot to complete specific tasks in national competitions. This year, the robot had to grab a basketball and throw it into the opposing team's hoop. Many people wanted to join the robotics team, including two of Samantha's friends, so the team captains had organized tryouts. One Saturday morning, Samantha's mom drove her to the school.

"Are you nervous?" her mom asked.

"A little," Samantha replied. "I really want to make the team, but the other students are so smart and they have more experience than me."

"You're going to do a great job — you're more capable than you think you are," her mom said, giving Samantha an encouraging smile. The car pulled into the high school parking lot and Samantha hopped out. She waved to her friend May, who was also trying out for the robotics team, and they walked inside together.

Tryouts were held in the gym. Each applicant had to solve three robot design problems, with a time limit of twenty minutes per question. The five students with the strongest, most effective solutions would advance to the next question. The first problem asked the applicant to design a mechanism with which the robot could catch and carry a basketball. Samantha thought for a few minutes, and then she sketched a large metal clamp that could grasp the ball, lift it slightly off the ground, and carry it in front of the robot. Underneath the sketch, she wrote a short description of how the clamp would work.

After the team captains had read through the applicants' responses, Samantha was one of the top five students, so she continued on to the next question. The second challenge was harder: how would the robot move? Samantha considered using wheels, treads, or legs. Treads were fast, but harder to maneuver than wheels. Legs could easily overcome obstacles, but they moved relatively slowly and were extremely difficult to build. Wheels were a good balance of maneuverability and speed, so Samantha designed a system of six wheels with which the robot could turn, go forward, or reverse. The judges took longer to choose the winners this time, but Samantha advanced again. If she could successfully answer one more question, she would be on the robotics team.

For the last challenge, Samantha had to design a device that could toss the basketball into the net. This time, Samantha knew exactly what to write. Using a powerful spring and two moveable plastic arms, Samantha sketched a system with which the robot could aim and throw the basketball. She turned in her response and crossed her fingers, waiting for the final scores. When the judges returned, they had big smiles and a schedule for the year's competitions. Samantha had made the team! She ran back to her mom, who was waiting in the lobby, and shouted, "I did it!"

"I knew you would," her mom beamed after giving Samantha an enormous hug. "Now, let's celebrate with some rocky road and mint chocolate chip!"

Which is a theme of the passage?

Group of answer choices

A time limit makes any challenge more difficult.

Overcoming your fears can lead to success.

It can take many years to accomplish a goal.

Parents can make a difference in their child's life.