Which theme does leo tolstoy explore in this excerpt from the death of ivan ilyich? "then what does it mean? why? it can't be that life is so senseless and horrible. but if it really has been so horrible and senseless, why must i die and die in agony? there is something wrong! "maybe i did not live as i ought to have done," it suddenly occurred to him. "but how could that be, when i did everything properly? " he replied, and immediately dismissed from his mind this, the sole solution of all the riddles of life and death, as something quite impossible. a)humans are shortsighted and inconsiderate toward others. b)love is unpredictable and can be used to fulfill selfish needs. c)human mortality is inevitable, and it is important to live an authentic life. d)materialistic minded people cannot change no matter how difficult life becomes.

Lots of elementary school kids play sports after school. they play soccer, tennis, football, baseball, and even lacrosse. but i think that another great way to spend the afternoon is by playing a non-physical activity: chess. at our school we have a chess club that meets every week to play games and to learn about chess-related issues. chess is a wonderful game for many reasons. chess teaches students to be patient and not rush decisions. chess also teaches students how to strategize their future plans. and finally, chess teaches students the importance and necessity of sacrifice. chess can teach students just as much as any other sport. which sentence could best be added to this paragraph as a supporting detail? a) chess is not as fun as playing a sport outdoors might be. b) my father is very good at chess and plays a game with me every night. c) chess teaches students to think ahead about the consequences of their actions. d) other activities that are as fun as chess are painting, drawing, dancing, and acting.

In what way was the modernist element of disillusionment shown in “the jitling of granny weatherall”? a) the story rejects traditional, chronological order. b) granny feels jilted at both her wedding and her deathbed. c) the narration makes heavy use of symbolism. d) granny’s thoughts are hard to distinguish from real events

Which pair of uses of figurative language from “the caged bird” support the extended metaphor of freedom versus oppression? back of the wind; floats downstream his wings are clipped; his feet are tied the caged bird sings; the free bird thinks dawn bright lawn; grave of dreams