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it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

what is the central claim communicated in this passage?
a) this era is a miserable and unpleasant time to be alive.
b) this era is really boring and straightforward.
c) this era is filled with pleasures and delights.
d) this era is rife with conflict, contradiction, and paradox.

D) This era is rife with conflict, contradiction, and paradox.

Explanation:

The passage is filled with paradoxes; light and dark, despair and hope

D) This era is rife with conflict, contradiction, and paradox.

Explanation:

Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" tells the story of a French doctor Manette and his rebuilding of life with his daughter after his 18 year imprisonment. The above lines are from the opening lines of the novel.

The passage details the era as a time of contradictions, a year of good and bad all in one. It presents the time as a time of conflicting interests, good and bad, heaven and hell. This passage suggests the time of radical contradictions in the British and French nations. It tells the story of contrasting situations and comparisons between Paris and London during the French Revolution. The passage's central claim is an era of conflicting interests, contradictions and paradox.

judge is the correct answer

21 balloons is the story of professor william sherman's travels.

in 1883, he set off from san francisco for a balloon ride over the pacific and was found a month later floating with 21 balloons in the atlantic ocean. this seemed an astounding feat and everyone wanted to know what had happened.    

professor sherman was loyal, however, and said he would tell his tale first to the western american explorers club in san francisco, of which he was a member. this built up suspense for several chapters before he began to tell of the wonders of his adventures and the amazing island of krakatoa, an island which had just been blown up by a volcano.  

the residents of krakatoa are all millionaires who live under a "gourmet government" of their own devising. we get to see all the incredible adventures that creative people with unlimited resources would create according to the author.