Read this passage from a rhetorical text in a local newspaper. While out driving yesterday, I counted seven vacant storefronts in the four-block area of our town center. There are additional vacancies in the smaller business district on the north end of town. Not even ten years ago, we had two vibrant, bustling business districts, but now it’s as if we’re living in a ghost town. Sky-high rents have contributed to the dearth of businesses in town, and it’s time the town council does something about it. We should provide tax breaks for property owners who will lower their rents. Some will say our budget cannot afford to fund this kind of tax relief, especially after last year’s damaging storms that required many expensive repairs to city infrastructure. But how can we afford to allow our community to wither away? Our property value is surely going to decline if our business districts continue to fail. In the end, funding tax relief will save us all money.

How does the author respond to the counterargument that the city budget cannot afford tax relief?

a. by stating that there are additional vacant storefronts on the town’s north side
b. by stating that 10 years prior, the town had multiple business districts
c. by stating that last year’s damaging storms required expensive repairs
d. by stating that without providing tax breaks, property values will fall

Read the passage below and answer the question. somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. in the excerpt above, the phrase "stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning" suggests that despite the heat, men still dressed up the men in the town were vain men's clothing appeared its best on hot days the men were not accustomed to wearing nice clothes

(20 points) passage: this year will be a record-breaking year for storms 1it looks like 2012 will be a year for the record books. thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes have increased across the country. the storms' high winds and heavy rains are making history. early tornado and hurricane seasons 2in march, not usually a busy month for tornadoes, the south and midwest had a large number of twisters. warm weather made conditions ripe for the creation of tornadoes. on some days, twisters dropped from the sky by the dozen. 3hurricane season also came early. two tropical storms hit the southeast in may. two more strong storms followed in june. severe thunderstorms 4many states that have escaped tornadoes and hurricanes have had severe thunderstorms. these giant storms dumped several inches of rain and caused flooding across the northeast and midwest. 5the end of hurricane season is months away, and this year's storm count and rainfall amounts could leave 2011 in the dust. forecasters say the wet, windy weather might stick around until fall. labor day parade rained out 6there is no joy in green town, where the annual labor day parade was called off because of heavy rain. the town's mayor says the parade hasn't been rained out in fifty years. 7a strong band of thunderstorms hit green town on sunday. more than two inches of rain fell each hour. by monday morning, main street looked more like a creek than a parade route. mayor nora bell said she had to call off the parade. "the heavy rains have created a serious safety issue in green town," she said. 8the loss of the labor day parade is green town's second disappointment this summer. in may, the memorial day parade was also called off because of rain. "this must be one of the wettest summers in history," mayor bell said. 9according to the national weather service, mayor bell is right. this summer will break rainfall records in green town and across the country. question: who would obtain the most useful information from the passage? a) someone planning a holiday picnic. b) someone interested in documenting annual meteorological patterns. c) an advocate for the green town labor day parade. d) someone who wishes to do research on the alleged truth of the "global warming" phenomenon.

Which sentence is an example of objective, third-person writing that could be found in a scientific essay? a. i was 15 years old when i developed an eating disorder. b. my sister developed an eating disorder when she was a teenager. c. eating disorders often appear during the teen years. d. you are most likely to develop eating disorders during your teenage years.