Read the excerpt from A Girl Named Zippy. Not long ago my sister Melinda shocked me by saying she had always assumed that the book on Mooreland had yet to be written because no one sane would be interested in reading it. Why is the author shocked by what Melinda says?

A. She thought her sister believed Mooreland was exciting.
B. She had heard that her sister wanted to write a memoir.
C. She did not understand what Melinda meant by “no one sane.”
D. She did not agree with her sister that Mooreland was a boring place.

Which line in this excerpt from the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald contains a simile? about half way between west egg and new york the motor-road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. this is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. occasionally a line of grey cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud which screens their obscure operations from your sight.

Which of these sentences would best express the main idea of a speech arguing that people should participate in a charity softball tournament? a) softball is a great way to get some much-needed exercise. eliminate b) the money raised by the tournament will local animal shelters. c) the tournament is a fun way to spend time with friends while a worthy cause. d) even if you don't have any softball experience, you can form a team and participate.

How does the literature of this period influence future generations of american literature? where have you seen traces of these themes and how were they presented in the other literature you read?