White Elephant
 

Centuries ago, in the country of Siam, now known as Thailand, it was the custom of the rulers that displeased them by giving the offender a white elephant. Because the animal was could not be made to work as other elephants did, but still had to be fed hundreds of pounds of fruit and cared for in the most lavish style. The recipient could not give the elephant to anyone else, as it was the ruler, who would be greatly displeased should the recipient not receive the gift graciously or care for in a grand style. This monetary burden could be a major liability to the recipient and in many cases they became impoverished.

This is the origin of the term "white elephant" as it is used today to denote an unwanted gift. The way of gift exchange played during the holiday season is an offshoot of this. In this game, everyone brings, and the gifts are exchanged by drawing numbers and picking a gift in turn. The second person can choose or steal the first one. It is all in good fun, and people enjoy giving silly gifts and "stealing" someone else’s gift.

What is implied by the article?

Golden Gate Bridge
 

Linking San Francisco to Marin County in California, the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most
famous bridges in the world. The bridge crosses over a narrow strait which connects the Pacific
Ocean to San Francisco Bay. Prior to the bridge, people traveled by ferry boat across the strait.
Although most people thought a bridge was necessary to expedite travel, some residents of the
bay area felt the risk of building the bridge was too great. Joseph Strauss believed that nothing
was impossible, and dreams would never come to fruition if risks weren't taken. So, he decided
to gather the best and brightest builders, architects, and workers to embark on the challenge of
building a bridge across the Golden Gate Strait. With safety nets in place, the construction began in 1937. Building the anchorages first, the builders then move on to the towers on each end, and then to the three-foot thick cables to support the suspension bridge. Lastly, workers labored to complete the roadway which became the most dangerous and treacherous part of the entire task. The builders had to keep the bridge balance, so it wouldn't fall into the bay.

In this passage, the word "embark" means to:

Water is needed to sustain practically all life functions on planet Earth. A single drop of this compound is composed of an oxygen atom that shares its electrons with each of the two hydrogen atoms. The cycle starts when precipitation, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail, descends from the sky onto the ground. Water that is not absorbed immediately from the precipitation is known as runoff. The runoff flows across the land and collects in groundwater reservoirs, rivers, streams, and oceans. Evaporation takes place when liquid water changes into water vapor, which is a gas. Water vapor returns to the air from surface water and plants. Ultimately, condensation happens when this water vapor cools and changes back into droplets of liquid. In fact, the puffy, cotton clouds that we observe are formed by condensation. When the clouds become heavily laden with liquid droplets, precipitation ensues.

Which transitional expression best replaces the underlined word in the following sentence: "Ultimately, condensation happens when water vapor cools."

Getting a Good Night's Sleep  

Have you ever found yourself staring at the ceiling at 2:00 a.m.? Have you kicked the blankets off to the floor from tossing and turning? Many longtime suffers of Insomnia know these situations all too well. As many as 17% of Americans find the restful break of sleep hard to achieve.

Lack of sleep affects intellectual abilities at work or school by causing a deficit in memory, attention, and concentration which in turn creates a feeling of irritation or depression. Chronic insomnia can result from a medical illness, a psychiatric condition, or from sleep apnea, a condition where an individual actually stops breathing during sleep. Sleep hygiene, developing good sleep habits, and non- pharmacological therapies such as herbs and spices are some solutions to Insomnia.

There is no need to live with insomnia, so contact a physician and get a good night's sleep!

What is stated in the passage?

The ebb and flow of laughter and silence fills the room as four old friends gather to engage in a round of Bridge playing.
For the beginner, Bridge can be complicated, but with time, effort, and a good teacher, even the novice can become proficient.
Composed of two main parts, bidding and playing, Bridge requires the player's undivided attention. The dealer deals the entire deck of playing cards evenly between the for players, with each person receiving thirteen cards. In the bidding portion of the game, the four suits of cards in the deck are ranked highest to lowest as follows:
spades, hearts, diamonds, and finally clubs. However, during play all the suits of cards are considered equals, and they go from highest to lowest from the ace being high to the two cards being low. The highest number of tricks wins. A trick is one card played by each player for a total of four. After the lead player lays down his/her card, the other players follow suit, if possible. The highest card within the four "same suit" cards played wins the trick and picks up all four cards. if a player cannot follow suit, he/she plays any card, but to make the game more interesting and challenging, one suit is named a trump suit which means that if a player plays a card from the trump suit, it always wins the trick. If two cards from the trump suit are played, the highest card within the trump suit wins the trick. obviously, the team with the most tricks wins the hand.

The passage explicitly states