i fell in love with the minister's son the winter i turned fourteen. he was not chinese, but as white as mary in the manger. for christmas i prayed for this blond-haired boy, robert, and a slim new american nose.

—“fish cheeks,”
amy tan

why does amy tan describe robert and herself at the same time?

a. she wants to show that robert looks different than her.
b. she wants to show how much she and robert have in common.
c. she wants to show that she and robert are unlikely to get along.

Read the quotation from "an occurrence at owl creek bridge." and now he became conscious of a new disturbance. striking through the thought of his dear ones was a sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil; it had the same ringing quality. he wondered what it was, and whether immeasurably distant or near by—it seemed both. its recurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell. he awaited each stroke with impatience and—he knew not why—apprehension. the intervals of silence grew progressively longer, the delays became maddening. with their greater infrequency the sounds increased in strength and sharpness. they hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife; he feared he would shriek. what he heard was the ticking of his watch. which best describes the effect of the narration in the excerpt? it suggests that the man being executed feels tranquil and at peace. it suggests that the narrator is sympathetic to the man being executed. it suggests that the plot will become less tense as the story continues. it suggests that the story will become more intense and mysterious.

Read the passage from sugar changed the world. sugar is a taste we all want, a taste we all crave. people throughout the planet everywhere have been willing to do anything, anything at all, to get that touch of sweetness. we even know exactly how thrilling it was to taste sugar for the first time. when the lewis and clark expedition met up with the shoshone, who had little previous contact with old world products, sacagawea gave a tiny piece of sugar to a chief. he loved it, saying it was "the best thing he had ever tasted." sugar created a hunger, a need, which swept from one corner of the world to another, bringing the most terrible misery and destruction, but then, too, the most inspiring ideas of liberty. sugar changed the world. we begin that story with a man who could never know enough. how does the conclusion of the prologue support the authors’ purpose? select two options. it introduces the topic that will be addressed next. it provides information about the authors. it states why the topic is relevant to readers. it cites sources the authors used in the text. it explains how the authors came to study the subject.

In the space below, write a five-paragraph, 600-800 word persuasive essay arguing whether or not your chosen speech is effective in communicating its message, based on how it uses rhetorical strategies. include a clear thesis statement identifying whether, in your view, the speaker's argument is effective, based on his or her use of rhetorical strategies. explain why or why not. give your audience a sense of closure by providing a clear conclusion. throughout the essay, be sure to: use formal, objective language for an academic audience, connect your ideas using transitions that clearly tie together your ideas, base your argument on evidence from the text of the speech, and provide a clear conclusion about the speech's effectiveness.