Aforeign language by t. herlinger mark sat hunched at the back table in the hot and stuffy cafeteria finishing his sandwich while talking to his little brother on his cell. however, he signed off right away when he spotted aj and toby coming toward him, each carrying the latest-edition of the iphone. mark quickly stuffed his phone deep in his pocket and greeted his friends. he was just about to ask aj if he was going to the soccer game that night when both he and toby began jabbering about the new “apps” they had downloaded onto their phones. “man, it’s amazing. all i have to do it hit a button and all my photos organize themselves,” toby was saying. aj chimed in, not to be outdone. “but look at this gps i upgraded to! you just touch the screen and it shows you a live picture! ” mark put his head down on the table and then sat up and wiped the sweat from his brow, wishing he could disappear. at some point, they’d stop yammering and there would just be dead air because mark did not have anything cool to add. he fingered the old dinosaur of a phone in his pocket. his folks had said that the new phones had monthly plans that were way too expensive and that his phone was all he needed. they did not know what it was like trying to hold your own with your friends when they all had fancier gadgets. it was like they spoke some foreign language. the moment of dead air came, just as mark had predicted, and aj was the first to speak. “hey, mark, did you talk to your folks about maybe letting you get an iphone? ” mark exploded. “okay, listen,” he seethed. “i’ve got this stupid old, ratty phone that no one’s even heard of.” he took out the phone and practically threw it at aj, who jumped. “it doesn’t have ‘apps,’ it can’t wash your dishes or clean your room, it’s just a phone! i’m never gonna have a different one unless i wake up tomorrow and discover i have superhuman powers, so just lay off! ” “okay, geez, i was just asking,” aj answered, and then it was as if the three boys were holding their breaths until mark grabbed his lunch sack and made for the exit. he was in desperate need of some air. which of these is a theme in this passage? a. temptation can be the source of a person's downfall. b. emotional strength is more important than physical strength. c. betrayal is a bitter pill to swallow. d. one can feel alone when among others.