On the Friday before his sculpture project was due, Jack had still been sure he'd think of something to make. He had meant to come up with a
subject last week, but he'd had basketball practice most days. Then
there were the chores he had to do around the house. When Ms.
Henslow, the art teacher, had asked Jack how his project was coming
along, he had said that everything was fine. Now it was Monday
morning, and he had nothing but an unformed lump of clay and Ms.
Henslow's disapproving glare.

The statement which best explains how Jack's motivation leads to a conflict is:

A. Jack's preference for activities other than his sculpture project causes him to disappoint his art teacher.

Explanation:

According to the passage, Jack had a couple of excuses to not do his art work. First, the basketball practices, then the chores. Let's say Jack did not have a choice concerning the practices, after all playing a sport may be a big deal in his student life. He might, for instance, hope for a sports scholarship when he goes to college. However, we cannot say Jack did not have a choice concerning his chores. He could very well have spoken to his parents and told them he had an important art project to work on. It is very likely that they would have allowed him to go work on it instead of do chores. Why didn't he say anything then?

We can assume that Jack would rather do other things than work on the art project. If that weren't the case, he would have tried harder to find the time for it. Now, his teacher is disappointed, and Jack will certainly be in trouble. With that in mind, we can choose letter A as the best option:

A. Jack's preference for activities other than his sculpture project causes him to disappoint his art teacher.

nominative