Read the excerpt from Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue.”I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect.Which phrase from the excerpt uses informal English?
In the story “Ambush,” what is revealed to the reader through the frame-story structure?
How are the views of the narrators similar in “Facing It” and “Not a Dove, But No Longer a Hawk”?
What is the speaker in "The Weary Blues" attempting to convey in his description of the scene?
Read this excerpt from "Not a Dove, But No Longer a Hawk." I wonder, when I look at the bombed out peasant hamlets, the orphans begging and stealing on the streets of Saigon and the women and children with napalm burns lying on the hospital cots, whether the United States or any nation has the right to inflict this suffering and degradation on another people for its own ends.How do the allusions in this excerpt reinforce the meaning of the passage?
Read the excerpt from Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Death by Black Hole.”But there is more bad news.All parts of your body are moving toward the same spot—the black hole’s center. So while you’re getting ripped apart head to toe, you will also extrude through the fabric of space and time, like toothpaste squeezed through a tube.To all the words in the English language that describe ways to die (e.g., homicide, suicide, electrocution, suffocation, starvation) we add the term “spaghettification.”In this excerpt, Tyson conveys his complex ideas by
Which sentence best uses academic vocabulary?
Read the excerpt from the song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”They used to tell me I was building a dream, And so I followed the mob—When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear I was always there—right on the job. They used to tell me I was building a dream With peace and glory ahead— Based on this excerpt and your knowledge of American history, why did the stock market crash make Americans lose confidence in business?
Review the image and excerpt from "As Debris Piles Up, Americans Are Skeptical Enough Will Be Done to Limit Space Junk.”Only 13% of Americans, however, have a great deal of confidence that space companies will sufficiently address the debris problem, while 51% have not too much or no confidence, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Yet, the same survey finds that, among the 7% of the public that is highly attentive to space news—those who say they have heard "a lot” about NASA in the past year and "a lot” about private space companies—some 37% have a great deal of confidence that private companies will minimize space debris.Private companies might, in fact, profit from the growing need to eliminate existing space junk from Earth’s orbit. One recent business study estimates that the global market for monitoring and removing debris will generate $2.9 billion in revenue by 2022.

Read the excerpt from “Speaking Arabic.”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 explains how Nye’s word choice helps establish her voice in the excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no other way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. What best supports the inference that Tan believes nonstandard English is no less valid than standard English?
Read the paragraph from a student’s critical analysis essay.In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson talks about independence through his use of big words and fancy argument skills. First, Jefferson states his thesis, which makes it seem important that the colonists get independence. Next, Jefferson gives evidence against the king of England and how he mistreats the American colonies. Finally, Jefferson suggests that colonists should stop paying taxes and fight, which is the obvious answer to the colonists’ problems.What is the best way for the student to revise the essay?
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. How does King conclude this claim?
Read the excerpt from the song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”Once I built a tower, up to the sun, Brick, and rivet, and lime,Once I built a tower, Now it's done— Which reality of the Great Depression does the excerpt convey?
Review the image and excerpt from " As Debris Piles Up, Americans Are Skeptical Enough Will Be Done to Limit Space Junk.”Private companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are becoming increasingly important players in space exploration. Many Americans are confident these companies will be profitable, but they’re more skeptical they will keep space clean of debris, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

Read the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”Mr. Shiftlet was so shocked that for about a hundred feet he drove along slowly with the door stiff open. A cloud, the exact color of the boy’s hat and shaped like a turnip, had descended over the sun, and another, worse looking, crouched behind the car. Mr. Shiftlet felt that the rottenness of the world was about to engulf him. He raised his arm and let it fall again to his breast. “Oh Lord!” he prayed. “Break forth and wash the slime from this earth!”The turnip continued slowly to descend. After a few minutes there was a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops, like tin-can tops, crashed over the rear of Mr. Shiftlet’s car.Which is a metaphor?
Read the excerpt from the song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”Once I built a tower, up to the sun, Brick, and rivet, and lime,Once I built a tower, Now it's done— Which reality of the Great Depression does the excerpt convey?
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. How does King conclude this claim?
Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no other way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?
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