Knowing what time it was as one traveled across the vast North American continent
before 1883 was more art than science. Most towns had their own local time, generally
based on the sun's position at its zenith, which wreaked havoc on the railroad industry.
Imagine having to plan shipping and transportation across thousands of miles of tracks
spanning an entire continent. Now imagine doing this when no one could even agree on
what time it was! The powerful railroad companies solved this conundrum by dividing the
continent into four different time zones, creating the universal time-keeping system in use
today.
What technique often used in fiction helps the reader better understand the need for
uniform time zones?
alluding to the railroads as if they were protagonists in an adventure
employing imagery to establish the setting before describing the conflict
asking the reader to put him or herself in the situation of a character
employing imagery to establish the setting before describing the conflict
Specific conditions must be met for a plant or animal to fossilize. For example,
almost no fossil record exists for jellyfish or worms. This is because soft tissues
were rarely preserved, but hard tissues, like bones and shells, fossilized much
more frequently. Also, while fossils can form in a number of ways, most are formed
when a plant or animal dies in a watery environment and is buried in mud and silt.
Plants and water creatures are thus more often fossilized than land creatures.
Which factor likely contributed most to limiting the number of fossils of land
creatures?
Most land creatures were almost entirely made up of softer tissues that decayed too quickly to fossilize.
Plants and water creatures fossilized in the most common way, while land creatures fossilized in other ways.
Most land creatures probably died away from watery environments where they would be covered in silt.
Most land creatures probably died away from watery environments where they would be covered in silt.
This renewable energy project promises to provide numerous benefits to our
state. These include an increase in jobs and a secure and sustainable source of
energy. This project will make dollars and make sense for all of us.
What effect is the underlined phrase meant to have on the argument?
It intends to show how important jobs in renewable energy will become.
It emphasizes humor to help make the subject more interesting to readers.
The pun on sense helps call attention to the economic soundness of the project.
The pun on sense helps call attention to the economic soundness of the project.
Many people have heard of Johnny Appleseed, but not everyone realizes he was
the real deal, an eccentric and energetic pioneer named John Chapman. However, the
authentic story can't hold a candle to the mythology of the oddball who sowed apple
seeds out of sheer benevolence. Chapman was actually a savvy businessman, traipsing
around the American Midwest planting seeds like they were going out of style. Good
things come to those who wait, and the trees flourished like there was no tomorrow. More
significantly for Chapman, they established his claim to frontier land and brought him a
degree of prosperity.
Why are the analogies used in the passage ineffective in contributing to the author's
message?
They use snobbish language that is not appropriate for this subject matter.
They carry a message that is nearly opposite of what the author intended.
They are clichés that don't contribute depth or understanding to the passage.
They carry a message that is nearly opposite of what the author intended.
Feminist and suffragette Amelia Bloomer began publishing a newspaper, The
Lily, in 1849. One thing Bloomer promoted in her paper was her style of dress. She
liked to wear loose pants, which tapered at the ankles, under short skirts. Soon, the
fashion became popular with suffragettes. Unfortunately, the public reacted with
ridicule, so the majority of suffragettes abandoned the pants, fearing their message
would be taken less seriously. Bloomer, however, clung to the fashion. She
continued to publish the newspaper to support women's suffrage and education,
and saw The Lily become a model for other suffrage publications.
What conclusion might be drawn about the validity of the other suffragette's fears?
Their fears were unfounded because other suffrage publications promoted loose pants as well.
Their fears were valid because the fashion soon fell out of favor with the public.
Their fears were unfounded because her newspaper continued to be taken seriously.
Their fears were valid because the fashion soon fell out of favor with the public.
Detective Allen Sliver squinted through his taped-up glasses at the forensic
evidence from the heist, and agreed it seemed to be an open-and-shut case. The bank
manager's shifty son's fingerprints were all over the safe, and his night-at-the-symphony
alibi wasn't checking out. Sliver knocked a stack of papers onto the floor as he leaned
over the desk, drawing stares from the nattily dressed bank employees. Sliver loved
uncomplicated cases, but as for those that were too easy . . . they gave him indigestion.
Sliver plucked an antacid pill from his overcoat pocket, scratched his rumpled hair, and
failed to suppress a burp, drawing more stares. The rumpled detective pondered what his
gut was trying to tell him.
What aspect of this passage is common to much crime/detective fiction?
A number of potential suspects are alluded to who will be further developed later on.
The use of dark imagery paints a sense of imminent danger around the detective.
It presents an unlikely main character who appears to be clumsy and unqualified.