It was tragic, all right, but george and hazel couldn't think about it very hard. hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. and george, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. he was required by law to wear it at all times. it was tuned to a government transmitter. every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like george from taking unfair advantage of their brains. which two ideas does the passage most clearly develop? a. the inability to concentrate on difficult things; the government's insistence that no one has an advantage over another b. the intrusion of government in people's lives; the differing opinions of what makes everyone equal c. the benefits of an authoritarian government; the idea that being "average" is unacceptable d. the appreciation of freedom after it is taken away; understanding the challenged by walking in their shoes

Read the selection below and answer the question. an open boat by alfred noyes o, what is that whimpering there in the darkness? 

 'let him lie in my arms. he is breathing, i know.
 look. i'll wrap all my hair round his neck' – the sea's rising,
 the boat must be lightened. he's dead. he must go.' 


 see - quick - by that flash, where the bitter foam tosses, 
 the cloud of white faces, in the black open boat, 
 and the wild pleading woman that clasps her dead lover 
 and wraps her loose hair round his breast and his throat.
 'come, lady, he's dead.' - 'no, i feel his heart beating,
 he's living, i know. but he's numbed with the cold. 
 see, i'm wrapping my hair all around him to warm him.' -
- 'no. we can't keep the dead, dear. come, loosen your hold.

 'come. loosen your fingers.' - 'o god, let me keep him! ' -
 o, hide it, black night! let the winds have their way! 
 and there are no voices or ghosts from that darkness, 
 to fret the bare seas at the breaking of day. which choice best describes the conflict in this poem? the winds are rocking the boat. a man is thrown into the sea. a woman doesn’t want to let go of her dead lover. someone is crying in the darkness.

Read this excerpt from through the looking-glass by lewis carroll. "you might make a joke on that,” said the little voice close to her ear: "something about ‘you would if you could,’ you know.” "don't tease so,” said alice, looking about in vain to see where the voice came from; "if you're so anxious to have a joke made, why don't you make one yourself? ” the little voice sighed deeply: it was very unhappy, evidently, and alice would have said something pitying to comfort it, "if it would only sigh like other people! ” she thought. but this was such a wonderfully small sigh, that she wouldn't have heard it at all, if it hadn't come quite close to her ear. the consequence of this was that it tickled her ear very much, and quite took off her thoughts from the unhappiness of the poor little creature. what question should a reader ask to clarify what is happening in the story? who or what is the voice speaking to alice? when will alice attempt to share a joke? what secret will alice share with the new character? why do whispers tickle the listener?

What is the first thing you should do when writing a thesis? a. find supporting evidence c. determine your reasons b. determine your position d. investigate why you have a position select the best answer from the choices provided a b c d