The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.

—“Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut

Copyright 1961, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Vonnegut wrote this story in 1961. Why did he describe a society 120 years in the future? Select all that apply

A future setting distances Vonnegut’s audience from the story and minimizes the risk of offending readers.

A future setting allows for a sharp contrast between present-day society and the future.

A future setting provides a warning of what could happen if present-day society does not address a problem.

Select the correct answer. what is implied in the last line of this excerpt from mark twain's "the £1,000,000 bank-note"? as i approached the house my excitement began to abate, for all was quiet there, which made me feel pretty sure the blunder was not discovered yet. i rang. the same servant appeared. i asked for those gentlemen. "they are gone." this in the lofty, cold way of that fellow's tribe. a. that the servant hails from a different country and most likely migrated to england for employment b. that the servants in the homes of wealthy londoners consider themselves to be better than everyone else c. that the servant is unhappy with his employers and treats all his guests in a rude fashion d. that most servants in london have to live in poor conditions and frequently suffer from cold e. that the servants in london are prohibited from being friendly with th

What is darrow’s main argument and the claims he makes in this excerpt? a. darrow argues that even if the boys are horrible monsters, their deaths will not solve the problems of society; he claims that society wants the boys to be executed because people enjoy watching public executions. b. he argues that the people who should be held responsible for the crime are leopold’s and loeb’s parents since they neglected their sons; he claims that leopold and loeb were jealous of the boy they killed because he had expensive belongings they could not afford. c. darrow argues that the boys should not face the death penalty; he claims they both suffer from mental illnesses that make them unable to tell the difference between a dream and reality. d. he argues that leopold and loeb, particularly dickie loeb, should not be executed; he claims they were teenagers who didn’t have proper adult guidance, so they are not responsible for what they did.

Which of these phrases is an example of understatement?