The author’s purpose is the primary reason the author wrote the text. the feelings the author has about the text. the thoughts the author has about the text. the conclusions the author draws in the text.

When i was young enough to still spend a long time buttoning my shoes in the morning, i'd listen toward the hall: daddy upstairs was shaving, in the bathroom, and mother downstairs was frying the bacon. they would begin whispering back and forth to each other up and down the stairwell. my father would whistle his phrase, my mother would try to whistle, then hum hers backi drew my buttonhook in and out and listened to it -know it was "the merry widow." the difference was, their song almost floated with laughter. how different from the record, which growled from the beginning, as if the victrola were only slowly being wound up. they kept it running between them, up and down the stairs where i was now just about ready to run clattering down and show them my shoes. what is the effect of the parallelism used in the above excerpt? it establishes the rhythm of a duet to echo the song. it expresses the same ideas. it mirrors opposite ideas. it is a paradox.

In a group discussion, which statement most clearly uses evidence to support a conclusion? a) the author makes some good points, but i feel that he’s ultimately biased. b) the author proves that he’s biased when he uses terms like “silly” and “stupid”. c) the author obviously hates the way fast food tastes, which is why he’s negative. d) the author first criticizes fast food, and then goes in to criticize junk food.

How does the literature of this period influence future generations of american literature? where have you seen traces of these themes and how were they presented in the other literature you read?