Question

Write a composition (in approximately 400-450 words) on the following subject.

(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for the orderly and coherent presentation of the matter, use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar.)

You and your classmate were selected to represent your school at an inter school sports competition. However, both of you had stopped talking to each other due to a misunderstanding in the past. Narrate what had caused the misunderstanding and your initial reaction on being part of the same team. Elaborate on the efforts you made to resolve the differences and thereby renewed your friendship.

Answer 1

Bridges Over the Finish Line

The announcement on the school notice board was supposed to be a moment of triumph. “Selected for the Inter-School 4 × 400m Relay: Aryan Sharma and Rohan Mehra.” My heart, which should have leapt with joy, instead sank like a stone. Rohan and I had been inseparable since kindergarten, but for the past six months, we had existed in a state of icy silence.

The misunderstanding had been as trivial as it was destructive. During the selection trials for the regional basketball team, I had overheard a teammate mention that Rohan had told the coach I was “lacking stamina” to secure his own spot. Blinded by hurt, I didn't bother to verify the rumor. I retaliated by ignoring his calls and making snide remarks in the locker room. Rohan, prideful as ever, didn’t offer an explanation, and the wall between us grew taller with every passing week.

My initial reaction to the relay selection was one of pure resentment. How could I run a race that depended entirely on synchronization and trust with someone I couldn’t even look at? During our first practice session, the tension was palpable. Our baton exchanges were clumsy, our timing was off, and the coach’s whistle screamed in frustration. We weren’t a team; we were two rivals forced into a single lane. The silence between us was louder than the cheering crowds of other schools.

However, as the competition neared, the weight of the school’s expectations began to overshadow my ego. I realized that my stubbornness wasn’t just hurting Rohan; it was sabotaging our school’s reputation. One rainy evening, after a particularly disastrous practice, I stayed back on the track. Rohan was there too, tying his laces in the dugout.

Taking a deep breath, I approached him. “Rohan, we can’t win like this,” I said, my voice trembling slightly. To my surprise, he looked up with eyes that held more exhaustion than anger. We finally spoke. I confronted him about the “stamina” comment, and the truth came out: he had actually told the coach I was the fastest sprinter but was playing through a minor ankle strain and needed a specialized training routine. The teammate had twisted his words to sow discord.

The relief was instantaneous. We spent the next hour talking, not as athletes, but as friends who had missed each other. We apologized for the pride that had kept us apart and spent the remaining week practicing our hand-offs until they were seamless.

On the day of the finals, as I felt Rohan’s hand firmly slap the baton into my palm for the final anchor leg, I felt a surge of energy that didn’t come from adrenaline alone. We won the silver medal, but as we stood on the podium, I realized I had won something far more valuable: a renewed friendship built on the lesson that communication is the only way to outrun a misunderstanding.