When we met Mr. Alger. I remember it was a gray, wintry day. We were making the rounds when we saw one of the horseless carriages stranded by the sidewalk and a demon in a big overcoat standing beside it. His driving cap was pushed back, and he was scratching his forehead in a puzzled way. The metal hood on the front of the horseless had been folded back on top so you could see into its innards. "Whoa, Red Rabbit." Father pulled at the reins and Red Rabbit stopped. Father set the brake, and as an extra precaution he put the wooden block behind the wheel. "Can I help?" he asked. The demon was a big, cheerful-looking demon with a bland, round face. He eyed father. "I dunno, John." Many demons called Tang men John because, they insisted, they never could get the hang of our real names. "You know anything about horselesses?" Which detail from the setting leads Father and the man to communicate? the broken-down

horseless carriage

the gray, wintry day

the man’s cheerful-looking face

the horse, Red Rabbit

Read the passage. excerpt from "why equal pay is worth fighting for" by senator elizabeth warren, april 17, 2014 i honestly can't believe that we're still arguing over equal pay in 2014. when i started teaching elementary school after college, the public school district didn't hide the fact that it had two pay scales: one for men and one for women. women have made incredible strides since then. but 40 years later, we're still debating equal pay for equal work. women today still earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns, and they're taking a hit in nearly every occupation. bloomberg analyzed census data and found that median earnings for women were lower than those for men in 264 of 265 major occupation categories. in 99.6 percent of occupations, men get paid more than women. that's not an accident; that's discrimination. the effects of this discrimination are real, and they are long lasting. today, more young women go to college than men, but unequal pay makes it harder for them to pay back student loans. pay inequality also means a tougher retirement for women. . for middle-class families today, it usually takes two incomes to get by, and many families depend as much on mom's salary as they do on dad's, if not more. women are the main breadwinners, or joint breadwinners, in two-thirds of the families across the country, and pay discrimination makes it that much harder for these families to stay afloat. women are ready to fight back against pay discrimination, but it's not easy. today, a woman can get fired for asking the guy across the hall how much money he makes. here in the senate, sen. barbara mikulski (d-md.) introduced the paycheck fairness act to give women the tools to combat wage discrimination. it would ensure that salary differences have something to do with the actual job that they are doing, and not just because they are women. senator warren states that the effects of pay discrimination are long-lasting. is this a valid argument supported by accurate evidence? no; warren weakens her point by claiming that the paycheck fairness act would "give women the tools to combat wage discrimination." yes; warren supports her point by noting, "for middle-class families today, it usually takes two incomes to get by." yes; warren supports her point by noting, "pay inequality also means a tougher retirement for women." no; warren weakens her point by noting, "today, a woman can get fired for asking the guy across the hall how much money he makes."