People who fail to develop personal discipline are often tempted to cheat to keep up. H. Jackson Brown believes, '_____ without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.'

• A. talent
• B. ambition
• C. effort
• D. integrity

Answer: (A)

Discipline is what channels natural ability into steady, ethical progress. The statement relies on a well-known saying: talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates—there’s a lot of movement, but no clear direction. So the missing word is talent, because it completes that famous pairing and shows that ability alone won’t lead to reliable progress without discipline to guide it. In sport ethics terms, this helps explain why simply being capable isn’t enough to prevent cheating—discipline gives direction and keeps effort aligned with the right standards. The other options don’t fit the familiar expression or the intended contrast between ability and structured effort.