In the 1800s, the United States was still a very young nation, trying to solidify its identity. The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain, a fast development of society following the introduction of machines. The United States was slower than Great Britain to fully embrace the changes. Yet key technological developments caused a rapid growth in American urban areas. Better farming methods and tools in the 1800s increased food production. Americans were able to grow enough food for their families as well as to sell. The abundance caused food prices to fall.

The expansion of cotton and the growth of textile factories in northern states helped produce the first wave of American industry. More people turned to work in northern factories as a way to support their families. Thousands of immigrants to the United States also settled in or near port cities, looking for work. Even today, the need for work is a common reason people move to urban areas.

As a result, cities grew in numbers of people and physical space. As more people and businesses moved in, they needed buildings for living and working. They needed ways to move around the city. We call this process urbanization.

In 1820, the United States had only a few cities of 10,000 residents or more. About seven percent of U. S. residents lived in urban areas. The number of cities with more than 10,000 people grew quickly over the next 40 years, especially in the Northeast and Midwest. By 1860, about 20 percent lived in cities. Philadelphia and New York City were the most populated cities in 1860 and would soon reach one million residents.

The urbanization of the United States quickened due to technology improvements. Without innovations in food production, the factories could not have grown so quickly. The trend quickened after 1860 and continued throughout the 21st century as well. By 2007, more Americans lived in or near cities than they did in rural areas.

Which details are used to support the main fact in the fifth paragraph?

Fifteen-year-old kwan sat on a large boulder on the rocky shore and watched her seven-year-old brother, min, race along the beach close to the water’s edge. the handmade kite, streaming high in the air behind him, created a striking image against the vivid blue sky. occasionally, min called out, “kwan, look at me! i’m flying! i’m flying! ” she beamed and waved at him, urging him on in his glee. she recalled the day her parents first brought home the little bundle from the hospital, the first boy in the family, making her the happiest big sister ever. the family had had a new baby to care for and cherish, and she had a precious little brother to shower with love and attention. min brought joy and delight to the whole household, and his presence completed the family. kwan smiled again as she watched him run along, and she felt great contentment at the pleasure he took in flying the kite they had made together. ever since father had taken min to the korean kite festival, he had begged for a kite of his own. the multicolored dragons, birds, and box kites with their colorful tails and plumes appeared to enchant min as he watched them soar and race in the clear blue sky. he stood mesmerized by the panoply of colors. “someday, i will race a kite in the festival! ” min stated with determination. when min made up his mind that a kite would be the perfect summer project for him and kwan, she was surprised. “i don’t want a kite-making kit,” he informed their father. “i want to build it myself—with kwan’s .” kwan initially wondered why min included her in his quest for a kite, but she quickly realized that her clever brother had correctly surmised that their father would more likely approve the request if min’s big sister were there to him. how could kwan refuse? kwan gazed out at her brother and heard his shrieks of delight as he tried to direct their marvelous flying creation. she watched it wheel, spin, and dive—a wild, colorful bird putting on an aerial display. its gold and red crepe-paper wings fluttered in the air, mimicking the flight of a predatory bird surveying the landscape for prey. it swooped and dived, perhaps discovering a possible meal, and then went airborne again to avoid the rocky terrain below. min was the falconer, guiding his bird on its path through the sky, not yet ready to call it back to the ground. but kwan grew concerned when she looked out at the dark, threatening clouds beginning to roll in off the water. when she saw the streaks of lightning within the cloud formation, she pointed to the distant storm and called out to her little brother to bring in the kite. min nodded and rolled in the kite string, bringing his bird home. “let’s go,” kwan told her brother and put her arm around him to fold him safely under her wing as they both held onto the kite. “it’s time to go home.”how does the author best develop the theme that with determination, one can achieve a goal? a-the author uses an extended metaphor to show how min successfully builds a kite that flies like a colorful bird. b-the author uses a metaphor to compare kwan to a mother bird, protecting her young one from the thunderstorm. c-the author uses imagery to show how the kite mimics a predatory bird under min's careful direction. d-the author uses personification to show how min's kite swoops and dives in the air to avoid the rocks below it.

Identify the appositive phrase in the excerpt from "the story of an hour" by kate chopin.

What rule applies most closely to this word? predict- group i. if the root is a full word, the ending is usually -able. group ii. when the root is a full word except for a final e, the forms usually are spelled with -able. group iii. the suffix -able always follows i. group iv. when the root has other forms built on the letter a, the -able form is used. group v. when the root ends in hard c or hard g, -able is used. group vi. when the root is not a full word,-ible is used. group vii. when the word has an immediate -tion form, -ible is used. group viii. when the root ends in ns, miss, or soft c or g, ible is used.