The theme highlighted in the mentioned excerpt would be perseverance.
The excerpt tells of Rainsford's courageous act of braving the sea to go to the direction of the shots despite of the harsh conditions at the sea. This is evidenced by the phrase "he fought the sea".
The term "doggedly" also describes a persistent pursuit which was what Rainsford showed. He showed perseverance in his actions.
B. They show that Katherine Johnson approached the study of mathematics with energy and enthusiasm.
Explanation:
The words "immersed" and "inquisitive" are used as adjectives to describe the way Katherine feels when she is at the college studying in the math program.
