Question
Maya Lin was an architecture student at Yale University when she completed a special
class assignment-a monument to veterans of the Vietnam War. The assignment was
inspired by the October 1980 announcement of a national design competition for such a
memorial to be built in Washington, D.C. Lin's professor gave her design only a B but
encouraged her to enter it into the competition. More than 1,400 entries were submitted
and judged anonymously. Most of the other entrants were trained architects, whereas Lin
hadn't yet completed her degree in architecture. Yet Lin's design took first place, earning
her $20,000 in prize money. She later wrote, "From the very beginning I often wondered,
if it had not been an anonymous entry . . . but rather an entry by Maya Lin, would I have
been selected?"
What is the main idea of the passage?
Maya Lin received a B for her design for a memorial to Vietnam veterans, but
she was encouraged to enter it in a national competition.
Maya Lin was just a student, but her design won a national competition for
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Answer
Maya Lin won a national competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with her design, despite being an architecture student without a degree.