Consider the text and its central idea. Informational Text:

People used to go to a music store to purchase their favorite song. They would drive to the store, select a compact disc (CD) by their artist of choice, and purchase the CD at the cash register. This method has been declining for years. Now music fans can shop on the Internet in virtual music stores. There, they can easily purchase and download songs and albums. This method has become so popular that over 50 percent of all music purchases are now done online. Millions of dollars worth of music are purchased on laptops, digital music players, and phones.

Central Idea:

Buying music online has become more popular than buying music at stores.

What supporting detail is most important to include in a summary of this text?

a)Stores use cash registers to record purchases.
b)People listened to and collected CDs (compact discs).
c)More than 50 percent of today’s music purchases are online sales.
d)Many people can access the Internet on their smartphones.

Which sentence in this excerpt from frances hodgson burnett’s a little princess shows indirect characterization? it was just then that miss minchin entered the room. she was very like her house, sara felt: tall and dull, and respectable and ugly. she had large, cold, fishy eyes, and a large, cold, fishy smile. it spread itself into a very large smile when she saw sara and captain crewe. she had heard a great many desirable things of the young soldier from the lady who had recommended her school to him. among other things, she had heard that he was a rich father who was willing to spend a great deal of money on his little daughter. "it will be a great privilege to have charge of such a beautiful and promising child, captain crewe," she said, taking sara's hand and stroking it. "lady meredith has told me of her unusual cleverness. a clever child is a great treasure in an establishment like mine."

In the poem "we wear the mask," paul laurence dunbar voices his repressed anger and frustration toward american society. he repeats the title phrase three times in the poem, using the words mask and we to show that the first use of the phrase is matter-of-fact. in the second stanza, the statement is followed by a period, which shows resignation. however, at the end of the poem, dunbar almost shouts the phrase defiantly. the mask seems to become something he wears proudly. through this gradual emphasis on the phrase, dunbar could be implying that

Each state in america has a different seal, or symbol, that represents the traditional culture of that state. the state seal of georgia is rich in meaning, history, and patriotism. when was the seal adopted? 2georgia’s state constitution established the state seal in 1798. however, as georgia’s political circumstances changed, so too did the state’s seal. between 1863 and 1865, georgia used a different state seal to represent its separation from the rest of the country during the civil war. then, from 1868 to1871, georgia’s secretary of state nathan c. barnett hid the original seal when the capital was occupied by the north’s victorious enemy forces. he readopted the original seal in 1872. 4georgia’s state seal remained unchanged for 42 years. then, a law was passed that required the state to alter the date on the seal. the year 1799 had originally appeared on the seal to represent the year that the seal was officially adopted. the new law changed the date on the seal to 1776, the year that america’s founding fathers signed the declaration of independence. what does the seal look like? 5just as coins each have a “heads” side and a “tails” side, state seals also each have a front and a back. the front of the seal shows three tall columns, or pillars. perched atop these pillars is an arch that displays the word “constitution.” the two end pillars are each adorned with a ribbon-like banner that reads “wisdom” and “moderation.” a third banner, reading “justice,” hangs in front of the middle pillar. when read together, the banners make up the official state motto of georgia: “wisdom, justice, and moderation.” the seal also exhibits a picture of a soldier holding a sword. the words “state of georgia” appear along the top. the year 1776 is printed at the bottom. 6the back of the seal portrays a rural shoreline scene featuring a large ship and small boat. also included in the picture are bundles of tobacco plants and cotton and a farmer working in a field. across the top of the seal are the words “agriculture and commerce.” the bottom of the seal is also marked with the year 1776. what do the symbols on the seal represent? 7each item on the seal is symbolic of georgia’s history and the history of america as a united country. the pillars on the front stand for the three branches of government—legislative, executive, and judicial—and how they all work together to support the country and its constitution. the man holding the sword represents soldiers who defend the country and its laws. 8the boats on the back of the seal symbolize the agricultural commerce of georgia. similarly, the farmer and crop bundles represent georgia’s dependence on agriculture for survival. during the mid to late 1800s, over 700,000 cotton bales were produced each year. cotton is still a “king” crop in georgia. the state currently produces almost three million bales per year. this is only one reason why the state is an important asset to its country. read the passage on the left to answer the following questions: 13) the author's main purpose in writing this article is a) to inform. b) to create. c) to persuade. d) to entertain. 14) in paragraph eight, the word asset means a) benefit. b) debt. c) element. d) expense. 15) in paragraph six, the word portrays means a) condescends. b) deceives. c) honors. d) reveals.