Finish the sentence below and give 2-3 sentences supporting it ;)

Read the following excerpt from life on the mississippi by mark twain. no girl could withstand his charms. he "cut out" every boy in the village. when his boat blew up at last, it diffused a tranquil contentment among us such as we had not known for months. but when he came home the next week, alive, renowned, and appeared in church all battered up and bandaged, a shining hero, stared at and wondered over by everybody, it seemed to us that the partiality of providence for an undeserving reptile had reached a point where it was open to criticism. how does twain's use of understatement serve his purpose? be sure to use specific details from the text to support your answer.

Arrange the events in ivan ilyich's life, which are described in chapters 1–4 of leo tolstoy's the death of ivan ilyich, in chronological order. ivan ilyich becomes assistant public prosecutor, a position that he serves in for seven years. ivan ilyich meets zachar ivanovich in st. petersburg and receives a guaranteed appointment in the department of justice. ivan ilyich graduates from the school of law and qualifies for the tenth rank of the civil service. ivan ilyich becomes a public prosecutor and is transferred to another province. ivan ilyich is offered the post of examining magistrate in a russian province.

Apex english 4 semester 1 read the following story summary. when she was a child, sara hated her piano instructor, mr. singh. she felt she had already mastered the piano, but mr. singh constantly criticized her playing in a blunt and hurtful way. after sara grew up, she realized that mr. singh's strictness was responsible for the only edge she had over other pianists her age and the only reason she was able to succeed in music later in life. she learned to appreciate his tough love. what does the story most clearly suggest about the author's perspective? a. that a person should put his or her talents to good use b. that pursuing one's dream is paramount in life c. that the world is harsh and only the strong survive d. that adults have children's best interests in mind