"Persevering Plants” Which characteristic of the geothermal vents made the survival of nearby plants so
surprising?

explanation:

it's important for any number of settings.   but then i'm a retired teacher and my view may be biased.

it certainly will not weigh as a minus when applying to a college, while poor grades always work against you.

other factors are important like what you do to improve the community.  

its definitely second person : )

explanation:

she is outspoken and direct

a. "to practice" is the best phrase to complete the sentence.

explanation:

during the summer, she likes to practice her soccer skills so that she is ready to play in the fall.

(note that : all the other options "the practicing of", "practice for" and "to do a practice on" are inappropriate as they make the sentence grammatically incorrect.)