NOTE: The instructor of a history class has just finished grading the essay exams from his students, and the results are not good. The essay exam was worth 70% of the final course score. The highest score in the class was a low B, and more than have of the class of 65 students failed the exam. In view of this, the instructor reconsiders his grading plan for the semester and sends out an email message to all students.

 

Dear students:

The score for the essay exam have been posted in the online course grade book. By now, many of you have probably seen your grade and are a little concerned.( And if you're not concerned, you should be- at least a bit!) At the beginning of the semester. , I informed the class that I have a strict grading policy and that all scores will stand unquestioned. With each class comes a new challenge, however, and as any good instructor will tell you, sometimes the original plan has to change. As a result, I propose the following options for students to make up their score:

1) I Will present the class with an extra credit project at the next course meeting. The extra credit project will be worth 150% of the point value of the essay exam that has just been completed. While I will not drop the essay exam score, I will give you more than enough of a chance to make up the difference and raise your overall score.

2) I will allowed each student to develop his or her own extra credit project. This project may reflect the tenor of option number 1 (above) but will allow the student to create a project more in his or her own line of interest. Bear in mind, however, that this is more of a risk. The scoring for option number 2 will be more subjective, depending on whether or not I feel that the project is a successful alternative to the essay exam. If it is, the student will be awarded up to 150% of the point value of the essay exam.

3) I will provide the class with the option of developing a group project. Students may form groups of 3 or 4 and put together an extra credit project that reflects a stronger response to the questions in the essay exam. This extra credit project will receive an equal score for the project, so there is a risk in this as well. If you are part of a group in which you do most of the work, each member of the group will receive equal credit for it. The purpose of the project is to allow students to work together and arrive at a stronger response than if each worked individually.

 

If you are interested in pursuing extra credit to make up for the essay exam, please choose one of the options above. No other extra credit opportunities will be provided for the course.

 

Good Luck!

Dr. Edwards

 

Which of the following best describes the instructor's purpose in writing this email to his students?

 

The following is an excerpt from a letter written by a woman in the 1930s in the Midwest to her relatives on the East Coast about the Dust Bowl:The dust has been mighty fierce. We have to keep the doors and windows shut tight, but the dirt gets right on through. When we open the door to that whirling dust, we are glad enough to run back inside with the soot all covering everything. We have to eat quick before the dirt settles on our food. You can't even see the lights in the house if you're outside it. One morning, so restless of the inside for days, I took a walk, and when I turned back I couldn't see the house. I knew the direction, so I kept on, and was close before I could see its outline. It sure made me feel lonely.

What details do we know about the writer of this letter from the excerpt?

The next three questions are based on the following passage

NOTE: The instructor of a history class has just finished grading the essay exams from his students, and the results are not good. The essay exam was worth 70% of the final course score. The highest score in the class was a low B, and more than half of the class of 65 students failed the exam. In view of this, the instructor reconsiders his grading plan for the semester and sends out an email message to all students.

Dear students:

The score for the essay exam have been posted in the online course grade book. By now, many of you have probably seen your grade and are a little concerned.( And if you're not concerned, you should be- at least a bit!) At the beginning of the semester. , I informed the class that I have a strict grading policy and that all scores will stand unquestioned. With each class comes a new challenge, however, and as any good instructor will tell you, sometimes the original plan has to change. As a result, I propose the following options for students to make up their score:

1) I Will present the class with an extra credit project at the next course meeting. The extra credit project will be worth 150% of the point value of the essay exam that has just been completed. While I will not drop the essay exam score, I will give you more than enough of a chance to make up the difference and raise your overall score.

2) I will allow each student to develop his or her own extra credit project. This project may reflect the tenor of option number 1 (above) but will allow the student to create a project more in his or her own line of interest. Bear in mind, however, that this is more of a risk. The scoring for option number 2 will be more subjective, depending on whether or not I feel that the project is a successful alternative to the essay exam. If it is, the student will be awarded up to 150% of the point value of the essay exam.

3) I will provide the class with the option of developing a group project. Students may form groups of 3 or 4 and put together an extra credit project that reflects a stronger response to the questions in the essay exam. This extra credit project will receive an equal score for the project, so there is a risk in this as well. If you are part of a group in which you do most of the work, each member of the group will receive equal credit for it. The purpose of the project is to allow students to work together and arrive at a stronger response than if each worked individually.

If you are interested in pursuing extra credit to make up for the essay exam, please choose one of the options above. No other extra credit opportunities will be provided for the course.

Good Luck!

Dr. Edwards

Which of the following describes this type of writing?

The Bermuda Triangle

The area known as the Bermuda Triangle has become such a part of popular culture that it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. The interest first began when five Navy planes vanished in 1945, officially resulting from "causes or reasons unknown." The explanations about other accidents in the Triangle range from the scientific to the supernatural. Researchers have never been able to find anything truly mysterious about what happens in the Bermuda Triangle if there even is a Bermuda Triangle. What is more one of the biggest challenges in considering the phenomenon is deciding how much area actually represents the Bermuda Triangle. Most consider the Triangle to stretch from Miami out to Puerto Rico and to include the island of Bermuda. Others expand the area to include all of the Caribbean islands and to extend eastward as far as the Azores, which are closer to Europe than they are to North America.

The problem with having a larger Bermuda Triangle is it increase the odds of accidents. There is near-constant travel, by ship and plane, across the Atlantic, and accidents are expected to occur. In fact, the Bermuda Triangle happens to fall within one of the busiest navigational regions in the world, and the reality of greater activity creates the possibility for more to go wrong. Shipping records suggest that there is not a greater than average loss of vessels within the Bermuda Triangle, and many researchers have argued that the reputation of the Triangle makes any accident seem out of the ordinary. In fact, most accidents fall within the expected margin of error. The increase in ships from East Asia no doubt contributes to an increase in accidents. And as for the story of the Navy planes that disappeared within the Triangle, many researchers now conclude that it was the result of mistakes on the part of the pilot who were flying into storm clouds and simply got lost.

Which of the following describes this type of writing?

"Yo Ho, a Pirate's Book For Me"

Book Review by Stephen Davidson from the online blog Popular Reads

In the 17th century, there were people who called the sea home and sought extraordinary adventures. These people were called pirates. Pirates, or privateers as they were sometimes called, have long been a part of popular culture in the 21st century in books, television shows, plays, and movies. With so many pieces of media about pirates, one would not think that anything else would be needed. That would be a mistaken belief.Pirates: A Swashbuckling History by Grace O'Malley Teach, a popular fiction writer, is a wonderful addition to the popular fiction on pirates. She brings a fresh take on mythology from the world of piracy. Each chapter of this 168 page book is dedicated to a famous (or possibly infamous) pirate from history, from the dreaded Blackbeard to the fierce Mary Reed. As she explores these legends with her vivid writing style, it is like the pirates leap from the pages of the book and begin battling in right in front of my eyes. In addition to her excellent writing bringing the stories to life, artistic representations of each of the pirates has been created for this book by up and coming illustrator Edward Teach, the author's brother, who just began a comic series about British history.Some of the content can get a little graphic in its violence, which is what we should really all expect from a book about pirates. However, I believe that this book is the perfect present for the young children that haven't yet found a love of reading. I would also recommend this as a fun read when relaxing on a boat or by the beach to really get in the mindset of piracy and adventure. No matter where this book is read, I can guarantee that this is a purchase is worth it!

"Yo Ho, a Pirate's Book For Me"

"A Bottle of Disappointment"Book Review by Sue James from the journal History and LiteraturePirates: A Swashbuckling History by Grace O'Malley Teach is the worst anthology of pirate tales I've ever read. Ms. Teach tends to overemphasize and sensationalize the legends at the expense of real pirate history. This is just another pointless pop culture filler riding the coattails of far superior works on piracy. I would recommend finding a better book than this one.

After reading the review above, which is about the same book as the passage, which of the following comparison statements is true?

The day began when my watch beeped at 4:30 a.m. The alarm was supposed to sound at 7:30, but I had forgotten to change the time back to my time zone after my last business trip in Boston. It was a struggle to stay awake for everything I needed to get done. First, I groggily showered, washed my hair, and blow dried it. Then, I kept yawning while I got dressed, but before I got dressed I had to iron my silky blouse. Next, I finally got to have my hot coffee while I styled my hair and put on my makeup. Finally, I was wide awake and at my bus stop ten minutes early so I could arrive at my audition on time.

Which of the following logical conclusions can be made about the protagonist in this passage?

The day began when my watch beeped at 4:30 a.m. The alarm was supposed to sound at 7:30, but I had forgotten to change the time back to my time zone after my last business trip in Boston. It was a struggle to stay awake for everything I needed to get done. First, I groggily showered, washed my hair, and blow dried it. Then, I kept yawning while I got dressed, but before I got dressed I had to iron my silky blouse. Next, I finally got to have my hot coffee while I styled my hair and put on my makeup. Finally, I was wide awake and at my bus stop ten minutes early so I could arrive at my audition on time.

Which of the following actions did the protagonist of the passage perform first?

In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died. She had never married and had no heir, so the throne passed to a distant relative: James Stuart, the son of Elizabeth's cousin and one time rival for the throne, Mary, Queen of Scotts, James was crowded King James VI of Scotland, and the combination of roles would create a spirit of conflict that hunted the two nations for generations to come.

The conflict developed as a result of rising tensions among the people within the nations, as well as between them. Scholars in the 21st century area far too hasty to dismissing the role of religion in political disputes, but religion undoubtedly played a role in the problems that faced England and Scotland. By the time of James Stuart's succession to the English people had firmly embrace the teachings of Protestant theology. Similarly, The Scottish Lowlands was decisively Protestant. In the Scottish Highlands, however, the clans retained their Catholic fate. James acknowledged the Church of England and still sanctioned the largely Protestant translation of the Bible that still bears his name

James's son King Charles I proved himself to be less committed to the Protestant Church of England. Charles married the Catholic Princess Henrietta Maria of France, and there were suspicious among the English and the Lowland Scots that Charles was quietly a Catholic. Charles's own political troubles extended beyond religion in this case, and he was beheaded in 1649. Eventually, his son King Charles's II would be crowded, and this Charles believed to have converted secretly to the Catholic Church, Charles II died without a legitimate heir, and his brother James ascended to the throne as King James II.

James was recognized to be a practicing Catholic, and his commitment to Catholicism would prove to be his downfall. James's wife Mary Beatrice lost number of children during their infancy, and when she became pregnant again in 1687 the public became concerned, if James had a son, that son would undoubtedly be raised a Catholic, and the English people would not stand for this. Mary gave birth to a son, but the story quickly circulated that the royal child had died and the child named James's heir was a founding smuggled in .James, his wife, and his infant son were forced to flee; and James's Protestant daughter Mary was crowned the queen.

In spite of a strong resemblance to the King, the young James was generally rejected among the English and the Lowland Scots, who referred to him as the "the Pretender."

But in the Highlands the Catholic princeling was welcome. He inspire a group known as Jacoties, to reflect the Latin version of his name. His own son Charles, known affectionately as Bonnie Prince Charlie, would eventually raise an army and attempt to recapture what believed to be his throne. The movement was soundly defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746; and England and Scotland have remained ostensibly Protestant ever since.

Which of the following best describes the author's intent in the passage?

As little as three years before her birth, few would have thought that the child born Princess Alexandrina Victoria would eventually become Brittain's longest monarch, Queen Victoria. She was born in 1819, the only child of Edward, Duke of Kent, who was the fourth son of King George III. Ahead of Edward were three brothers, two of whom became king but none of whom produced a legitimate, , surviving heir, King George's eldest son, who was eventually crowned King George IV, secretly married a Catholic commoner, Maria Fitzherbert, in 1783. The marriage was never officially recognized, and in 1795, George was persuaded to marry a distant cousin, Caroline of Brunswick. The marriage was bitter, and the two had only one daughter, Princess Charlotte Augusta. She was popular in England where her eventual reign was welcome, but in a tragic event that shocked the nation, the princess and her stillborn son dies in childbirth in 1817.

Realizing the precarious position of the British throne, the remaining sons of King George III were motivated to marry and produce an heir. The first in line was Prince Frederick, the Duke of York. Frederick married Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia, but the two had no children. After Prince Frederick was Prince William, the Duke of Clarence. William married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, and they had two sickly daughters neither of whom survived infancy. Finally, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, threw his hat into the ring with his marriage to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield. The Duke of Kent died less than a year after his daughter's birth, but the surviving Duchess of Kent was not unaware of the future possibilities for her daughter. She took every precaution to ensure that the young Princess Victoria was healthy and safe throughout her childhood.

Princess Victoria's uncle, William, succeeded his brother George IV to become King William IV. The new king recognized his niece as his future heir, but he did not necessarily trust her mother. As a result, he was determined to survive until Victoria's eighteenth birthday to ensure that she could rule in own right without the regency of the Duchess of Kent. The king's fervent prayers were answered: he died June, 1837, less than one month after Victoria turned eighteen. Through young and inexperienced, the young queen recognized the importance of her position and determined to rule fairly and wisely. The improbable princess who became queen ruled for more than sixty-three years, and her reign is considered to be one of the most important in British history.

Based on the context of the passage the reader can infer that this information is likely to appear in which of the following types of works?

At a school field trip to the zoo, Laura wanted to visit as many animals as she could. She first stopped at the lion exhibit. Then, she saw the elephant after stopping to see the giraffe. Finally, she stopped to see the otter playing in the water.

Which of the following animals did Laura see second?

Student often vacillate between speech topics when given too much time to make a decision.

Which of the following is the meaning of the word "vacillate" as used in the sentence above?