Read this excerpt from The Land.

Eventually there came the time on a late summer afternoon just before my twelfth birthday when folks came to visit and it was my mama, not my daddy, who ordered me to the kitchen. Robert was now expected to stay at my daddy’s table, and no amount of protest on his part changed that. My mama set a lone plate for me on the sideboard in the kitchen. That was truly the first time I felt unwanted in my daddy’s family. My daddy hadn’t even bothered to tell me himself not to sit at his table. He had left that to my mama, and I resented not only him for it, but her too.

What is the best reason why this excerpt is important to the story?

a) It develops the characterization of Paul’s mother.
b) It addresses the minor theme dealing with loneliness.
c) It provides specific details about the historical setting.
d) It addresses the major theme dealing with inequality.

Read the excerpt from heart of a samurai. the water was so clear, he could see straight to the bottom. a snail was making a path like a shiny ribbon slowly unfurling on the sand. what does the author use the most precise words to describe in the excerpt? the water’s movement the water the snail the snail’s path

How you think your hometown would look without electricity? explain in one paragraph

What caused the american civil war? there were many reasons for a civil war to happen in america, and political issues and disagreements began soon after the american revolution ended in 1782. between the years 1800 and 1860, arguments between the north and south grew more intense. one of the main quarrels was about taxes paid on goods brought into this country from foreign countries. this tax was called a tariff. southerners felt these tariffs were unfair and aimed toward them because they imported a wider variety of goods than most northern people. taxes were also placed on many southern goods that were shipped to foreign countries, an expense that was not always applied to northern goods of equal value. an awkward economic structure allowed states and private transportation companies to do this, which also affected southern banks that found themselves paying higher interest rates on loans made with banks in the north. the situation grew worse after several “panics,” including one in 1857 that affected more northern banks than southern. southern financiers found themselves burdened with high payments just to save northern banks that had suffered financial losses through poor investment. which sentence from the selection states a major detail that supports the main idea? a there were many reasons for a civil war to happen in america, and political issues and disagreements began soon after the american revolution ended in 1782. b taxes were also placed on many southern goods that were shipped to foreign countries, an expense that was not always applied to northern goods of equal value. c the situation grew worse after several "panics," including one in 1857 that affected more northern banks than southern. d this tax was called a tariff. e between the years 1800 and 1860, arguments between the north and south grew more intense.