Final answer:
The story contrasts Alice with an internal locus of control, who believes she can influence her results through effort, and Zack with an external locus of control, who attributes his results to external factors and feels they are beyond his control.
Step-by-step explanation:
Story of Alice and Zack: Locus of Control
Once in a small college town, there were two students named Alice and Zack each with a strikingly different view of their control over life's events. Alice, an internal locus of control individual, believed that she could influence her grades through hard work and dedication. When she received a B on her calculus exam, instead of blaming her teacher or the difficulty of the test, she reflected on her study habits and resolved to practice even more for the next exam.
In contrast, Zack, who demonstrated an external locus of control, perceived the world as a game of chance. When he received a low grade on the same exam, he immediately complained about the unfair test questions and poor teaching methods. He shrugged it off, believing that studying wouldn't change his fate and decided to just cope with whatever grades he'd end up receiving.
Their stories exemplify the two extremes of locus of control, highlighting how these beliefs can shape a person's response to the same situation. Alice's internal locus allowed her to take ownership and improve, while Zack's external locus led him to feel helpless and demotivated.