Read the excerpt from “Broken Chain.” He asked his mother if he could have braces, like Frankie Molina, her godson, but he asked at the wrong time. She was at the kitchen table licking the envelope to the house payment. She glared up at him. “Do you think money grows on trees?”

His mother clipped coupons from magazines and newspapers, kept a vegetable garden in the summer, and shopped at Penney’s and Kmart.

What is a theme expressed in this excerpt?

Mothers have better things to do than managing money.
Spending money is not always an option.
Many people enjoy the rewards of gardening.
Summer is a busy time of year for mothers and retailers.

Read the excerpt from queen elizabeth's response to parliament's request that she marry. for i assure you (what credit my assurance may have with you, i cannot tell, but what credit it shall deserve to have, the sequel shall declare) i will never in that matter conclude any thing that shall be prejudicial to the realm. for the weal, good and safety whereof, i will never shun to spend my life; and whomsoever it shall be my chance to light upon, i trust he shall be such, as shall be as careful for the realm as you; i will not say as myself, because i cannot so certainly determine of any other, but by my desire he shall be such as shall be as careful for the preservation of the realm and you, as myself. in this excerpt, queen elizabeth says "for the weal, good and safety whereof, i will never shun to spend my life" in order to convince her audience that she is unbiased, intelligent, and rarely makes mistakes. inform her audience that she will work hard to win back the broken trust of her followers. persuade her audience that she will never make personal decisions that will harm england. remind her audience that she is the ruler and in charge of enacting laws that protect england.

Read the excerpt from the poem "growing up italian" by maria mazziotti gillan and answer the question that follows. when i was a little girl, i thought everyone was italian, and that was good. we visted our aunts and uncles, and they visted us. the italian language smooth and sweet in my mouth. in kindergarten, english words fell on me, thick and sharp as hail. i grew silent, the italian word balanced on the edge of my tongue and the english word, lost during the first moment of every question. source: gillan, maria mazziotti. "growing up italian." poetrymagazine. com. poetry magazine, n. d. web. 30 mar. 2011. what is the tone of this poem? what does the tone reveal about the speaker of the poem and the conflict she faces? based on this excerpt, what can you predict about the theme of the poem?

What is central purpose of the letter