Liora had always felt like she was drifting. Not lost—but not grounded either. While her classmates moved toward careers, passions, or goals, she circled ideas without ever landing. She told herself she was being thoughtful, but part of her wondered if she was just afraid to commit.
One afternoon, she stayed after physics class to ask her teacher about a term she didn’t fully understand: *gravitational assist*. 'It’s when a spacecraft uses the gravity of a planet to change its speed or direction,' her teacher explained. 'Instead of fighting gravity, it uses it. It slingshots forward by leaning into the pull.'
The words echoed in her for days. Not just the science—but the idea behind it. Could uncertainty itself be a kind of gravity? Could questions, doubts, and even failures help her change direction—not by resisting, but by listening to what they were pulling her toward?
That week, she wrote down every thought that tugged at her—not polished dreams, but small, steady pulls: the joy of helping someone understand, the calm she felt while organizing problems on paper, the curiosity she couldn’t quiet when someone talked about systems, patterns, or design.
Slowly, Liora started making choices—not big leaps, but shifts. She volunteered as a peer tutor. She joined a robotics team. She signed up for a summer program in applied engineering. These weren’t answers, but they were motion. The more she leaned in, the more momentum she found.
Liora didn’t suddenly discover her destiny. But she no longer felt like she was drifting. She had learned what gravity couldn’t teach her in formulas: sometimes, you don’t escape orbit by pulling away. Sometimes, you change your path by listening to what draws you in—and using it to move forward.
Q1: What does the concept of 'gravitational assist' symbolize in the story?
Q2: Why does Liora feel like she is 'drifting' at the beginning of the story?
Q3: How does Liora’s perspective change by the end of the story?
Q4: What role does science play in the story?
Q5: What does the story suggest about the nature of personal growth?
Q6: What tone best describes the story?
Printable Comprehension Practice
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Q1: What does the concept of 'gravitational assist' symbolize in the story?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: Gravitational assist becomes a metaphor for using emotional or intellectual 'pull'—like questions and curiosity—to guide momentum rather than resist it.
Q2: Why does Liora feel like she is 'drifting' at the beginning of the story?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: Liora’s drifting reflects her internal uncertainty and lack of direction, not a lack of ability.
Q3: How does Liora’s perspective change by the end of the story?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: By recognizing her interests and acting on small pulls, Liora gains momentum and clarity.
Q4: What role does science play in the story?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: Scientific concepts like gravitational assist are reimagined as emotional tools for decision-making.
Q5: What does the story suggest about the nature of personal growth?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: Liora grows not through big leaps, but by gradually following internal signals and making small decisions.
Q6: What tone best describes the story?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The tone is reflective and supportive, using scientific metaphor to motivate and affirm the character’s choices.