Read the excerpt from "the great molasses flood of 1919."

second, the molasses had been in the tank since july. this was a long time for molasses to be stored in a metal tank. during this time, the molasses began a chemical change. the molasses began making a gas called carbon dioxide. the tank was already too full. the carbon dioxide made matters worse. the gas pushed hard on the steel walls. the result was an explosion. the bottom of the tank blew out.
the cause-and-effect structure describes
a storage tank.
building with steel.
passing time.
a chemical reaction.

Have you ever thought you understood a person based on a story that you have heard about them? have you ever guessed about a person's personal life because of the clothes they wore? or, have you judged a person because of their friends? although classifying people in this way is typically discouraged, authors deliberately use your preconceived ideas to you form an opinion about the character or to at least have a better understanding. can you think of a time that you made a character call about someone based on external aspects? were you correct, or incorrect? has anyone ever made an incorrect assessment of you based on external aspects? write two paragraphs about it in your journal.