Read the excerpt from Leslie Marmon Silko’s story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."His fingers were stiff, and it took him a long time to twist the lid off the holy water. Drops of water fell on the red blanket and soaked into dark icy spots. He sprinkled the grave and the water disappeared almost before it touched the dim, cold sand; it reminded him of something—he tried to remember what it was, because he thought if he could remember he might understand this. He sprinkled more water; he shook the container until it was empty, and the water fell through the light from sundown like August rain that fell while the sun was still shining, almost evaporating before it touched the wilted squash flowers.Which statement best describes the significance of the holy water in this excerpt?
Which genre is best for learning about the atmospheric properties of the moon?
What is the speaker in "The Weary Blues" attempting to convey in his description of the scene?
Read the excerpt from the Supreme Court’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson.. . . requiring the officer of the passenger train to assign each passenger to the coach or compartment assigned for the race to which he or she belong; and imposing fines or imprisonment upon passengers insisting on going into a coach or compartment other than the one set aide for the race to which he or she belongs.How does the excerpt relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?
Read the paragraph.Our school is considering mandating school uniforms next year. The student government supports school uniforms for a number of reasons. First, school uniforms save time. Students will not have to figure out what they will wear and thus will have more time to devote to their studies. They will be more focused on learning and less on appearance. Second, although there are up-front costs, uniforms will ultimately save families money. Finally, uniforms will promote a sense of equality because students are dressed the same regardless of economic status. This will encourage a greater sense of community at our school.What strategy does the author use in her choice of language to convey her message?
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation.What is the author’s purpose for including this sentence?
Read this excerpt from "Not a Dove, But No Longer a Hawk." Despite these misgivings, I do not see how we can do anything but continue to prosecute the war. We can and should limit the violence and the suffering being inflicted on the civilians as much as possible, but for whatever reasons, successive Administrations in Washington have carried the commitment in Vietnam to the point where it would be very difficult to prevent any precipitate retreat from degenerating into a rout. If the United States were to disengage from Vietnam under adverse conditions, I believe that the resulting political and psychological shockwaves might undermine our entire position in Southeast Asia. Which statement best describes the paradox in this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from Levitt and Dubner’s Freakonomics.If morality represents the way we would like the world to work and economics represents how it actually does work, then the story of Feldman’s bagel business lies at the very intersection of morality and economics. Yes, a lot of people steal from him, but the vast majority, even though no is watching over them, do not. This outcome may surprise some people—including Feldman’s economist friends, who counseled him twenty years ago that his honor-system scheme would never work. But it would not have surprised Adam Smith. In fact, theme of Smith’s first book, the Theory of Moral Sentiments, was the innate honesty of mankind. “How selfish soever man may be supposed,” Smith wrote, “there are evidently some principles in his nature which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it.”Which best describes the authors’ purpose in using a quotation from Adam Smith’s book The Theory of Moral Sentiments?
Which excerpt from ”First Generation” of Dreaming in Cuban is the best example of magic realism?
Draya is a student who does not understand the following sentence from Dreaming in Cuban.She reads the newspapers page by page for leftist conspiracies, jams her finger against imagined evidence and says, “See. What did I tell you?”Which previous segment should Draya reread to make the excerpt easier to understand?
Read the excerpt from part 5 of Zeitoun.For many of his clients, it took time for the insurance money to come through, for the FEMA money to appear, for any number of complications to work themselves out. But now things are moving. The city is rising again. Since Hurricane Katrina, Zeitoun A. Painting Contractor LLC has restored 114 houses to their former states, or improved versions thereof.What is the meaning of the excerpt?
Read the sentence.Algebra is a precursor for calculus because it will help students to be successful in the latter course.Which word is closest in meaning to the underlined word?
Read the paragraph.Teaching the rambunctious group of canines at the obedience school was a great deal of work, but each instructor took a respite once the dogs were placed in their individual kennels.Which word is closest in meaning to the underlined word?
Read the excerpts from “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry” and “Speaking Arabic.”My friend had concluded that if he took his language and culture out of his poetry, he stood a better chance of receiving a fellowship. He took out his native language, the poetic patois of our reality, the rich mixture of Spanish, English, pachuco and street talk which we know so well. In other words, he took the tortillas out of his poetry, which is to say he took the soul out of his poetry. At a neighborhood fair in Texas, somewhere between the German Oom-pah Sausage Stand and the Mexican Gorditas booth, I overheard a young man say to his friend, “I wish I had a heritage. Sometimes I feel—so lonely for one.” And the tall American trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head.Which best states how the structure of each excerpt supports a different tone?
Read this stanza from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."Will we stroll dreaming of the lost America of love past blue automobiles in driveways, home to our silent cottage?In this stanza, the speaker wishes
Read the excerpt from Infinite Jest.‘My application’s not bought,’ I am telling them, calling into the darkness of the red cave that opens out before closed eyes. ‘I am not just a boy who plays tennis. I have an intricate history. Experiences and feelings. I’m complex. ‘I read,’ I say. ‘I study and read. I bet I’ve read everything you’ve read. Don’t think I haven’t. I consume libraries. I wear out spines and ROM-drives. I do things like get in a taxi and say, “The library, and step on it.” My instincts concerning syntax and mechanics are better than your own, I can tell, with due respect.The theme suggested by the excerpt is about [BLANK] .
Which statement best compares the structure of "Harlem" and "The Weary Blues"?
Which line from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close reveals a despondent tone?
Read the excerpt from “The Railroad Earth.”I have to stick my railroad watch in my jean watchpocket and cut out allowing myself exactly 8 minutes to the station and the 7:15 train No. 112 I have to catch for the ride five miles to Bayshore through four tunnels, emerging from the sad Rath scene of Frisco gloom gleak in the rainymouth fogmourning to a sudden valley with grim hills rising to the sea, bay on the left, the fog rolling in.Which phrase from the excerpt supports the idea that the rhythm of jazz music played an important role in Kerouac’s writing style?
Read the excerpt from Fast Food Nation. The restaurant opens for business at seven o’clock, and for the next hour or so, Elisa and the manager hold down the fort, handling all the orders. As the place starts to get busy, other employees arrive. Elisa works behind the counter. She takes orders and hands food to customers from breakfast through lunch. When she finally walks home, after seven hours of standing at a cash register, her feet hurt. She’s wiped out. She comes through the front door, flops onto the living room couch, and turns on the TV. And the next morning she gets up at 5:15 again and starts the same routine.How does the description of Elisa’s daily routine support the author’s claim that the fast food industry seeks out teenage employees?
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