-HM Poorest Counties Still Losing in War on Want
Credit Travis Dove for The New York Times
TWIN BRANCH, W. Va. - When people visit with friends and neighbors
in southern West Virginia, where paved roads give way to dirt before
winding steeply up wooded hollows, the talk is often of lives that never got off the ground.
I
"How's John boy?" Sabrina Shrader, 30, a former neighbor, asked Marie Bolden one cold winter day at what
Ms. Bolden calls her little shanty by the tracks."
"He had another seizure the other night," Ms. Bolden, 50, said of her son, John McCall, a former classmate
of Ms. Shrader's. John got caught up in the dark undertow of drugs that defines life for so many here in
McDowell County, almost died of an overdose in 2007, and now lives on disability payments. His brother,
Donald, recently released from prison, is unemployed and essentially homeless.
"It's like he's in a hole with no way out," Ms. Bolden said of Donald she drizzled honey on a homemade
biscuit in her tidy kitchen. "The other day he came in and said, 'Ain't that a shame: I'm 30 years old and
carrying my life around in a backpack.' It broke my heart."

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 extended metaphor in paragraph 3 affect the mood of this passage? a-it creates a feeling of silliness that captures the absurd humor of the situation. b- it creates a sense of tranquility to match the feelings of min at this point. c-it creates a feeling of fear over what may happen if the kite crashes. d-it creates a sense of awe and wonder at min's mastery of the kite.

Read the passage. size matters when you are hosting a conference. trenton place is the largest convention center in the country, boasting 2.6 million square feet of space. over the course of a year, trenton place will host over three million visitors for public exhibitions and trade shows. trenton place is also home to big sky theater. the theater is one of the largest theaters in the city, equipped to host concerts, plays, and seminars. what is the best use of ellipses to shorten the passage? size matters when you are hosting a conference. . the largest convention center in the country, boasting 2.6 million square feet of space. trenton place is also home to big sky theater. . one of the largest theaters in the city, equipped to host concerts, plays, and seminars. over the course of a year, trenton place will host over three million visitors for public exhibitions and trade shows. . home to big sky theater. trenton place is the largest convention center in the country. . trenton place will host over three million visitors for public exhibitions and trade shows.

Jared created a blog to describe his traveling adventures. the main purpose of his blog is most likely to a. persuade b. advertise c. entertain d. educate