Read the excerpt from chapter 30 of the awakening. the golden shimmer of edna's satin gown spread in rich folds on either side of her. there was a soft fall of lace encircling her shoulders. it was the color of her skin, without the glow, the myriad living tints that one may sometimes discover in vibrant flesh. there was something in her attitude, in her whole appearance when she leaned her head against the high-backed chair and spread her arms, which suggested the regal woman, the one who rules, who looks on, who stands alone. what does this excerpt reveal about edna's character? edna is comfortable wearing rich fabrics such as lace and silk, and feels completely at ease at the dinner table. edna plays the role of the gracious hostess very well, but is actually isolated from her peers. edna has no patience for her guests, but rather treats them as a queen may treat her loyal subjects. edna's attitude is haughty, as required of a woman of her social stature living in new orleans.

The story line remains the same. the kids live in what was then one of the remaining beachfront slums, down the coast from the expensive malibu area. the beach was ruled by surfers, but in the afternoon, when the waves died down, some of the surfers, or their younger brothers, fooled around on skateboards. one day, skip engblom, the shop owner, comes up with a key breakthrough, polyurethane wheels: "they grip." with the additional traction, the z-boys try skating the sides of the big, open drainage canal that runs through the area. then comes a brainstorm: because of a drought, the area's swimming pools were drained. the kids started "borrowing" pools when the owners weren't home, to skate the curved sides.” where did “the lords of dogtown” originally practice their tricks? a. the beach c. an open drainage canal b. empty pools d. none of these

Read this passage: many manufacturers prefer plastic as a material for containers because it can be molded into many shapes. but plastic is not very strong. it must be fused with glass or steel for strength. it is also not very durable. even the strongest plastic can break under enough pressure. the biggest disadvantage to using plastic is that it does not decompose. while plastic can be recycled, doing so is tedious and difficult. while it may be more expensive and difficult to work with, aluminum is a much stronger building material with far greater tensile strength. it conducts electricity because it is metal. best of all, aluminum is very easy to recycle. even if it is thrown away, it decomposes much more quickly than most manufacturing materials. how does the compare-and-contrast organizational pattern of the passage support the author's purpose? a. the passage gradually leads up to the point about decomposition to inform the reader about the importance of recycling plastics. b. the passage lists the advantages and disadvantages of each material to make a case for the use of plastic and not aluminum in containers. c. the passage begins with a description of plastic's problems in order to call attention to the good qualities of aluminum. d. the passage shows the superiority of aluminum in order to make a case for the production of stronger plastics.

Armed with invisible ink, a cipher system, and a passion to end the war and preserve the union, elizabeth van lew became butler's eyes and ears in the confederate capital city. truth be told, however, she became much more than that. she became a spymaster, the person responsible for running a network of agents, couriers, and safe houses that was very active during the war. in addition to the spying, elizabeth van lew continued to maintain her church hill home as a safe house and something of a local union spy headquarters. —the dark game, paul janeczko what is the central idea of this passage? van lew’s home was used as a safe house, which was critical to the confederacy. van lew had a passion to end the war and preserve the union. van lew was a spymaster, a leading force in the espionage activities for the union. van lew did not enjoy working for general butler.