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What makes a hero? Are heroes only those who have achieved what they want to achieve or did they arise from some 'special' circumstances?
A hero is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. He is one who is willing to sacrifice himself for the country.
Heroes are not only those who have achieved what they want to achieve, but rather, those who arise from adversities. In Jan 1942, he provided Chinese labour to British governments to man essential services and build defense positions. By doing so, he helped to strengthen Singapore's defence. It shows that he is different from the rest because nobody will be willing to do so much for one's country. In Feb 1942, he escaped to India before Singapore fell and underwent British intelligence training in Kahdakvasla, near Bombay in the latter part of 1942. He could have done so to upgrade and improve himself in order to protect his country better. Besides, as quoted from http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=Seng_memorial_ms_06_ul, "Lim Bo Seng possesses qualities such as reliable, caring, and fearless. Reliable is a good quality to describe Lim Bo Seng because he was trusted not to tell the names of any of the people fighting. He showed the quality of being caring because he chose to fight in World War II for his country. He was fearless because he kept trying to help his country no matter what got in his way." Hence, with reference to this source, it can be pointed out that heros may not be those who achieve what they want, but those who possess positive qualitites such as reliability, fearlessness, patriotism, and mostly important, those who stand strong and arise from circumstances.

What challenges does a hero face and how does his/her qualities enable him/her to overcome challenges? Describe at least ONE challenge and HOW the hero overcomes the challenge.
With evidence from Lim Bo Seng's biography, "With the fall of Kota Bahru in Malaya in 1942, Lim, as head of the Labour Services of the Overseas Chinese Mobilization Council, and Tan Kah Kee organised more than 10,000 men for the British Government to man essential services and to construct defenses around the island. ", his achievements and perseverance made him a hero. His heroic acts allowed him to save his country from the attacks of the Japanese. With reference to the evidence, "Lim was caught and taken to the Kempeitai headquarters for interrogation. Strong as he was, Lim battled through all sorts of physical and mental torture and duress daily but he never uttered a single word about pain and refused to give up information about Force 136.", quoted from http://historyof07.blogspot.com/2007/08/lim-bo-seng.html, we can infer that when our hero faces obstacles, he does not succumb to the enemy. Instead, he stands strong and loyal to his country, even though he had to face torturous physical abuse. He kept his mouth sealed tight and refused to reveal the plans of Force 136. His patriotism and loyalty enabled him to overcome the challenges he was up to. "However, Lim soon became ill with dysentery and was bedridden by the end of May 1944. In his final letter, Lim bade farewell to his wife: Don't grieve for me, but take pride in my sacrifice." This shows that he was proud of his sacrifices and did not regret the choice he made. Even when dealing with torture, Lim Bo Seng never gave up on his patriotism towards Singapore, and with response to the challenges he faced like illnesses and punishment, he faced them gallantly. Though he never overcame his challenges, but instead, died as a prisoner, his qualities of loyalty and bravery, were those of a hero.