What does the phrase, "you had to carry a bucket mean."?

First of all, it is very important to comment about the phrase.

In english it is called idiom which is defined as an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual  meaning of its constituent elements. (Source: dictionary).

In this case the meaning of phrase " you had to carry a bucket".

It suggests that the person could not to do some activity and he/she knew it.  

answer: the correct answer is b. an essay that connects the writer's experience with a topic of significance and of reader interest.

explanation: the key words are here "personal experience" since personal essays give insights about peoples' experiences in life and introduce us in their unique world that can be or not to related to our lives but interests us because we are human beings and share the same condition universally.  

answer: common sense was the pamphlet that thomas paine used to convince reluctant americans to abandon the goal of reconciling with britain and to accept that independence was the only option to preserve their liberty.