He looked at me for a long time, stroking his beard, then he said at last, “Yes. It is time.” That night, in the house of the priesthood, I asked for and received purification. My body hurt but my spirit was a cool stone. It was my father himself who questioned me about my dreams. He bade me look into the smoke of the fire and see—I saw and told what I saw. It was what I have always seen—a river, and, beyond it, a great Dead Place and in it the gods walking. I have always thought about that. His eyes were stern when I told him he was no longer my father but a priest. He said, “This is a strong dream.” –“By the Waters of Babylon,” Stephen Vincent Benét Which details establish the setting in this passage? Check all that apply. “stroking his beard” “in the house of the priesthood” “my spirit was a cool stone” “I saw and told what I saw” “a river . . . a great Dead Place” “his eyes were stern”

4. how does the speaker's comparison of sinners to aninsect (paragraph 7) contribute to the central idea of thetext? o a it emphasizes the negative view god has ofsinners and how inconsequential they are to him. o b it stresses the connection that exists between allof god's creatures, whether they be human orinsect. o c it suggests that sinners can change for the better, as insects are known to go throughtransformations. o d it portrays sinners as being just as prevalentaround the earth as the wide variety of insects.

Read the passage. the dust bowl during the 1930s, extreme drought and high winds made life incredibly difficult in the great plains region of the united states. in many areas, rainfall was forty percent less than normal. the soil became extremely dry, and when strong winds blew, they created tremendous dust storms. these so-called “black blizzards” were so thick that they made daylight seem like dusk. during this terrible period, the great plains region of the united states was named the “dust bowl.” over the next few years, the drought continued, and the winds created more dust storms. in some places, the drought and high winds lasted for eight years. many people wondered if the black blizzards would ever end. which statement about this paragraph’s main idea is true? this paragraph’s main idea is stated in the topic sentence. there are not enough details to support the main idea. this paragraph’s main idea is implied. this paragraph does not express a main idea.

Read this excerpt from "herd about the flu." the flu shot prevent huge numbers of infections. even when it doesn't fully prevent infection in every person, the shot makes any flu infection less serious. on a global scale, the vaccine can reduce the number of infections only if most people in the community take it. that's because vaccines need to reach enough people to achieve a "herd immunity," the level of immunity needed to prevent the virus from spreading. if too few people get the vaccine, the people who receive it may not be well protected against infection. so the next time you are at the drugstore, and you see no flu shots available, think about the reasons behind it. drug makers are scared to make too many flu shots because they could lose too much money. they then make fewer flu shots and the effect of the flu shots becomes weaker because not enough people take it. people become more reluctant to take the flu shot since they don't think it will fully work. the demand goes down further and the flu companies make even fewer shots the next year. this could continue until the community changes its mind and we all get the flu shot. "that is a community responsibility," says the president of merck, one of the two remaining flu vaccine manufacturers. which argument best supports the passage's claim that more people should get the flu vaccine to stop the virus from spreading? 1.if too few people get the vaccine, the people who receive it may not be well protected against infection 2. so the next time you are at the drugstore, and you see no flu shots available, think about the reasons behind it. 3.people become more reluctant to take the flu shot since they don’t think it will fully work. 4.drug makers are scared to make too many flu shots because they could lose too much money.