Sofia paddled the kayak as quickly as she could, not thinking about where she was headed, only that she wanted to get away from her annoying sister. It was the family’s summer vacation, and Sofia had been stuck in the family’s vacation cabin all week with just Jenna to hang out with, far away from her usual activities and distractions. Sofia stopped paddling for a moment, relaxed her shoulders, and gazed around. She realized she was surrounded by a dense, smoky fog—as thick as soup and as gray as a battleship. She couldn't see the family's cabin behind her or the other side of the lake in front of her. She knew the fog would burn off as the sun rose, and then she would be able to find her way home, but for now she would have to wait. It gave her time to think. The fog made her feel invisible, which was not a new or unpleasant feeling for her. Being ignored meant she could get lost in thoughts about the barn where she took riding lessons and helped muck out the stalls. Sofia loved the horses' personalities and felt as though she could communicate with them. Her closest friends were the other barn kids who, like her, hung around the horses as often as possible. She planned to be an equine veterinarian someday. Her twin sister, Jenna, on the other hand, seemed obsessed with popularity, which was why their argument had begun. "The Watsons invited us to go waterskiing with them this morning." "I'm not really into waterskiing, plus I hate getting water up my nose. I'll probably just read in the gazebo." "Oh, come on! I don't want to go alone, and you can read about horse anatomy some other time." "Actually, I'm reading about a famous feline, I mean cat, doctor who invented—" "You and your animals, Sofia! Can't you stop being such a horse girl and act like a normal seventh grader for a change?" "Not everyone wants to run around trying to be cool and popular all the time, Jenna!" The argument had gone on like this for several more rounds before Jenna stomped off down the driveway and Sofia jumped into the kayak and paddled away. Now the bow of the kayak scraped against the sandy shore, and Sofia realized she was probably on the other side of the lake. After she got out of the kayak and pulled it onto the beach, she sat down on the damp sand and waited for the sun to burn off the fog. She began to regret fighting with her sister. She loved Jenna but getting along was truly challenging. “Identical twins are supposed to have a magical, mysterious bond, so why don't we have that?” she wondered. Sofia looked out at the lake and the clearing fog. In the distance, Jenna and their mother were paddling toward her in the orange canoe. The twins and their mother sat close together on the little beach. "Listen girls," their mother began, "You're twins but you're also wonderfully unique and strong-minded individuals. Enjoy your differences and support each other because no matter what you do in life, and no matter who your friends are, you will always be sisters." Sofia turned to Jenna and the girls looked into one another’s eyes. Sofia didn’t see her enemy there, just her sister. Though Jenna was sometimes challenging, she was always someone Sofia loved. Both girls smiled. In "Coming Through Fog," how do their mother's words influence the conflict between Sofia and Jenna? Her words have more effect on Jenna than Sofia. Her words make Sofia and Jenna realize they are very different. Her words force the girls to make up with one another. Her words help Jenna and Sofia to think differently about their conflict.

Which three excerpts would best be characterized as expository texts? excerpt 1 may 17, 1980, was a quiet day in silver lake, washington. if you had been there, you probably would have seen mount st. helens, one of the state’s famous mountains. the mountain looked like a cone capped with snow. it rose from a valley of deep green trees and bright blue lakes. mount st. helens is volcanic. scientists were watching the mountain carefully that spring. for two months, they recorded small earthquakes near the mountain. steam spewed from its top. and yet, from a distance, the mountain looked picture-perfect. a volcano can erupt when pressure underground builds and forces its way to the surface. volcanos can be active, dormant, or extinct. an active volcano has erupted in the last 10,000 years and is thought to erupt in the near future. a dormant volcano has not erupted in the past 10,000 years, but is thought to erupt again. an extinct volcano is one scientists do not expect to erupt again. for example, in 1980, mt. st. helens was an active volcano. excerpt 2 anxiety sometimes manifests as an apprehensive feeling or worry that you are unable to explain fully. stress is often a trigger. symptoms can include tense muscles, churning stomach, nausea, diarrhea, headache, backache, heart palpitations, sweating, flushing, and numbness or “pins and needles” in arms, hands, or legs. with all these symptoms, it is easy to mistake anxiety for a physical illness. everyone becomes anxious from time to time, but when anxiety interferes with life when there’s no real threat, or is present long after a real threat has passed, it is a problem. one of the best ways to deal with anxiety is to learn how to manage stress in your life. relaxation techniques are also good. meditation, breathing techniques, and yoga are all possible ways to ease anxiety. being healthy also . follow a regular sleep pattern, get plenty of exercise, and maintain a healthy diet. all of these practices will reduce anxiety and stress. excerpt 3 visiting a different country can be a great way to spend a vacation. as a tourist, you are there to see new sights and have new experiences. but living in a different country is not the same as visiting one. when you move to a new country, you move away from people you are close to and many things that you know. a new place may have different customs, different food and often, a different language. the climate and land may be very different. buying food and getting to work may be a major challenge. you will have times of feeling afraid, angry and homesick. these feelings are examples of culture shock. excerpt 4 there never was such a country for wandering liars; and they were of both sexes. hardly a month went by without one of these tramps arriving; and generally loaded with a tale about some princess or other wanting to get her out of some faraway castle where she was held in captivity by a lawless scoundrel, usually a giant. now you would think that the first thing the king would do after listening to such a novelette from an entire stranger, would be to ask for credentials—yes, and a pointer or two as to locality of castle, best route to it, and so on. but nobody ever thought of so simple and commonsense a thing as that. no, everybody swallowed these people’s lies whole, and never asked a question of any sort or about anything. (from a connecticut yankee in king arthur's court by mark twain) excerpt 5 she was dressed in rich materials—satins, and lace, and silks—all of white. her shoes were white. and she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. some bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table. dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half-packed trunks, were scattered about. she had not quite finished dressing, for she had but one shoe on—the other was on the table near her hand—her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain were not put on, and some lace for her bosom lay with those trinkets, and with her handkerchief, and gloves, and some flowers, and a prayer-book, all confusedly heaped about the looking glass. (from great expectations by charles dickens)

When comparing two sources it is 1) identify diction choices 2) use the same organizational strategy to aid comparison 3) examine both selections carefully 4) compare the voice of the authors asap

Ipronounced his name, offering him at the same time my hand: he took it, smiling and saying, “we shall do very well by-and-by.” then he laid me down, and addressing bessie, charged her to be very careful that i was not disturbed during the night. having given some further directions, and intimates that he should call again the next day, he departed; to my grief: i felt so sheltered and befriended while he sat in the chair near my pillow… (chapter 3) this passage, in which jane first meets the doctor, is an example of