Shedding light on a dark day, by robin meriwether

on may 19, 1780, the skies over new england turned dark in the middle of the day. for more than two hundred years, new england's dark day had been shrouded in mystery. some blamed volcanoes. some suggested supernatural events. some claimed it was a sign from the heavens. no one knew for certain what happened. many thought the mystery would never be solved.

researchers at the university of missouri were fascinated by the case. they began examining trees in all surrounding areas. fire damage in a canadian forest finally revealed the truth. scientists looked at burned tree rings and discovered that huge wildfires once raged in the mountains near ontario. the savage flames created blankets of black smoke. the smoke traveled high into the atmosphere, darkening the new england skies hundreds of miles away.

a student attempting to identify the main idea of paragraph two wrote the following sentence:

when researchers at the university of missouri began examining trees in surrounding areas, fire damage in a canadian forest revealed that huge wildfires in the mountains near ontario darkened the new england skies hundreds of miles away.

which sentence best describes the student's sentence?

a. the student's sentence does not include enough information from the paragraph.

b. the student's sentence leaves out too many important details from the paragraph.

c. the student's sentence perfectly and properly captures the main idea of the paragraph.

d. the student's sentence shows the main idea but does not paraphrase the author's words.

you do this because a real teammate puts the team first

a compare and contrast essay is a piece of formal writing in which the author focus on the similarities between two ideas, objects, places, etc., and the differences between them. there are some aspects that the author should take into account when he/she is crafting the essay. first, the author has a clear idea of the effect that he/she wants to produce on the audience (a purpose). his/her main idea should be presented in the thesis statement in a simple but effective way which gives the audience a clear idea of the content and the direction of the essay. in addition, it is also important to focus to the similarities and differences that not only are interesting and relevant to the reader but also provide a new, impressive point of view or deeper understanding of a topic.

(i just realize that this is the same person that i was sending this too)< < < i wrote this after i put the basket ball essay but still i need a you, good rating, and a heart.

    a basketball team comprises of five players as mentioned above. the five players include point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center (ramen 56). the rules do not limit players to certain locations. however, evolution of basketball from the 1980s made players assume certain locations and roles. the point guard should be the fastest team member, and is responsible for organizing the attacks of the team. he does this by making sure that the right player has the ball at the right time (wissel 87). the shooting guard creates mainly long-range shorts and watches the opponent's last player on the defense. the small forward member of the team is majorly responsible for scoring points through dribble penetration and cuts to the basket. he also rebounds and plays actively. power forward plays invasively having their back to the basket and when on defense he plays under the basket or against the opponent's power forward (ramen 54). the center often uses his size and height to score and safeguard the basket when on defense. however, there is no rule that limits the players to these descriptions.  

              there are four quarters in regular basketball game, and each takes 10 or 12 minutes (ramen 67). in college basketball games, the game uses two-twenty minute halves. extra time should take 5 minutes in all games except in high school, where it takes four minutes. teams need to change sides after the first half of the game. a typical basketball game might take approximately 2 hours excluding the time when the game is inactive. at any given time, the court should have ten players, 5 from both sides. despite substitutions being unrestricted, it can only be performed when the game is stopped (wissel 51). additionally, teams must have a uniform comprising of a jersey and a pair of shorts. for identification purposes, the jersey should have a unique number in the team printed at the front and back. in some instances, the jerseys have the names of players, sponsors and team printed on them.  

              in conclusion, regulation basketball hoop comprises of a rim or basket attached to a backboard. violating the rules of the game results in a change of the shot clock if the committed by the defense or loss of ball possession. basketball teams comprise of five players, which includes the point guard, shooting guard, power forward, small forward and center. a typical basketball game might take approximately 2 hours excluding the time when the game is inactive.