Read the following paragraph and answer the question. george washington was born on february 22, 1732, in westmoreland county, virginia. contrary to popular belief, his teeth were not made of wood. by the age of twenty-three, he had already established himself as a military hero in the french and indian war. four years later, he met and married martha dandridge custis, a young widow whose husband had died. although they raised martha's children from her previous marriage and two of their grandchildren, the couple never had any children of their own. washington died two years before his wife. he became active in local politics and eventually became a leader in speaking out against the magisterial british rule. when war broke out in 1775, he was chosen as commander-in-chief of the american troops. at the end of the war, he was unanimously elected the nation's first president. he served two terms and then retired to his home, mount vernon. he died on december 12, 1799, from pneumonia and bad weather. is the diction appropriate in the following sentence? "four years later, he met and married martha dandridge custis, a young widow whose husband had died." a. no, it is too informal. b. no, it is too opinionated. c. no, it has needless comments. d. yes, it is correct as it is written.

Read the excerpts from part 3 of "an occurrence at owl creek bridge." a rising sheet of water curved over him, fell down upon him, blinded him, strangled him! the cannon had taken a hand in the game. as he shook his head free from the commotion of the smitten water he heard the deflected shot humming through the air ahead, and in an instant it was cracking and smashing the branches in the forest beyond. *** a whiz and rattle of grapeshot among the branches high above his head roused him from his dream. the baffled cannoneer had fired him a random farewell. he sprang to his feet, rushed up the sloping bank, and plunged into the forest. *** as he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon—then all is darkness and silence! what function does the motif of the cannon serve throughout the story? the cannon continually pushes farquhar to continue his journey through his dream and back to reality. the cannon encourages farquhar to investigate whether his escape was a dream or reality. the cannon reminds farquhar that time is subjective and encourages him to move quickly in order to reach his home. the cannon represents farquhar’s romantic dream that he escaped his execution and will return home.