Which statement best describes what kind of a speaker the
political candidate is?
the candidate is an effective speaker because she
shares others' opinions and viewpoints and appeals to
voters' emotions
the candidate is an effective speaker because she
takes a strong position on the issue
the candidate is an ineffective speaker because she
does not address her personal opinion on the state's
budget concerns
the candidate is an ineffective speaker because she
does not support her opinions with facts

Read the following excerpt from life on the mississippi by mark twain. no girl could withstand his charms. he "cut out" every boy in the village. when his boat blew up at last, it diffused a tranquil contentment among us such as we had not known for months. but when he came home the next week, alive, renowned, and appeared in church all battered up and bandaged, a shining hero, stared at and wondered over by everybody, it seemed to us that the partiality of providence for an undeserving reptile had reached a point where it was open to criticism. how does twain's use of understatement serve his purpose? be sure to use specific details from the text to support your answer.

Choose the correct form of word to complete the sentence. candies-candy's-candys effects on children's teeth is unfortunate.

Which quotation from the passage best supports the themethat humans have a natural desire to learn about theworld? "they were men. i remember the dead man's face.""at least, we make a beginning."and the magic tools are broken—but we can look atthem and wonder."but they were men who built the city, not gods ordemons.