What general theme is evident in both stories?

Questions below are about the following two short stories: Story 1 The Talent Show (1) The first notes floated from the piano. Megan smiled, warm and excited beneath the glaring stage lights. This was her moment. She had practiced. She had prepared. She was ready. As the introduction ended, Megan opened her mouth and began to sing. (2) The song flowed along, and Megan relaxed, scanning the faces of the audience. But somewhere in the middle of the second verse, her mind suddenly went blank. The music went on, but the words were gone. Megan's smile faded. She stood silently with her mouth... Show more

Questions below are about the following two short stories:

Story 1

The Talent Show

(1) The first notes floated from the piano. Megan smiled, warm and excited beneath the glaring stage lights. This was her moment. She had practiced. She had prepared. She was ready. As the introduction ended, Megan opened her mouth and began to sing. (2) The song flowed along, and Megan relaxed, scanning the faces of the audience. But somewhere in the middle of the second verse, her mind suddenly went blank. The music went on, but the words were gone. Megan's smile faded. She stood silently with her mouth hanging open. When the music finally trickled to a stop, Megan ran from the stage. (3) In a cramped dressing room backstage, Megan buried her face in her hands. She had wanted so much to win this talent show. Tears seeped between her fingers. Her confidence and pride and excitement had been replaced by utter disappointment. She felt a hand on her shoulder and lifted her damp face. (4) 'Ella and Kaylee are here,' Megan's mom said, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. (5) Ella and Kaylee, Megan's two best friends, pulled folding chairs over to face Megan. She looked at them forlornly. (6) 'I'm a total failure,' she moaned. (7) Ella and Kaylee exchanged glances. Kaylee reached out and squeezed Megan's hand. (8) 'What are you talking about?' Kaylee said. 'That first verse was some of your best singing ever.' (9) 'Thanks,' Megan said. 'But the problem is that the first verse is all I sang. Then I totally bombed. I can't believe I forgot the words after all that practice.' (10) 'You didn't totally bomb,' Ella said. 'You just forgot the words. That happens to everybody. Besides, don't the pros say you should leave your audience wanting more?' (11) 'I guess so,' Megan admitted. (12) 'Well, trust me,' Ella said. 'I guarantee they wanted more—like the rest of the song! You probably did, too.' (13) Megan smiled a little. 'So, you guys don't think I'm a total dork for forgetting the words?' (14) 'Of course not,' Kaylee said. 'Forgetting the words doesn't make you a dork. It just makes you human. And you're still the most talented person I know.' (15) Ella nodded in agreement. Megan pulled Ella and Kaylee into a quick hug. Then she wiped her eyes and managed a genuine smile. (16) 'I'm so lucky to have best friends like you two,' Megan said. 'It's nice to know that you'll be my friends forever, no matter what!'

 

Story 2

The Tournament

(1) Looking for a hole in the defense, Scott dribbled the ball, shifting it from hand to hand. A trickle of sweat ran down his back. No one was open. There were only seconds left on the clock, and Scott knew he had a difficult decision to make. (2) The other team was leading by two points, and Scott was just outside the three-point line. If he could make the shot, the Eagles would be state champions again. But if he missed … Scott didn't want to think about that. He knew what he had to do. (3) It was a classic jump shot. The ball left his hands and sailed toward the basket in a perfect arc. The crowd, the other players, the whole stadium seemed frozen in time. All eyes were on the ball as it struck the rim and bounced off. The buzzer blared. The game was over. Scott had missed, and the Eagles had lost. (4) Scott stood like a statue on the court as people surged around him. Elated family members swarmed the winning team. Teammates hugged and slapped each other on the back. Even Scott's own teammates joined in the celebration. (5) Suddenly, Scott felt himself being hoisted unsteadily onto the shoulders of his friends. Over the loudspeaker, the announcer proclaimed that Scott had been named the most valuable player of the championship game. Everyone cheered, and the Eagles took a victory lap with Scott on their shoulders. Finally, Scott's friends put him back on solid ground. (6) Scott was bewildered. He was the one who missed the most important shot of the game. How could anyone call him the most valuable player? He didn't feel very valuable at the moment. Scott approached Coach Travis. (7) 'Coach,' Scott said, 'there must be some mistake. I can't be the most valuable player.' (8) 'There's no mistake,' Coach Travis said. 'You had points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. I'd say that makes you a very valuable player.' (9) 'But I missed that last shot,' Scott said. 'We lost the game because of me.' (10) 'I don't know about that,' said Coach Travis. 'Everybody misses a shot from time to time. Don't be so hard on yourself. It's all about perspective.' (11) 'What do you mean?' Scott asked. (12) 'Well,' Coach Travis answered, 'you could say you are the reason we lost the game because you missed that last shot. On the other hand, you could say you are the reason we almost won because of your awesome performance throughout the game. How you look at it is up to you.' (13) Scott's teammates came running over and surrounded Coach Travis. They jostled one another playfully, talking and laughing. (14) 'Hey, Coach,' one player called out, 'how about treating your team to pizza?' (15) 'I don't know,' said Coach Travis. 'Do you think you deserve pizza?' (16) Scott piped up. 'Of course we do! After all, we almost won the game.' (17) Coach Travis smiled. 'You're right, Scott. We did almost win. Okay. Pizza for everyone!'

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