I wrote this for a little contest, 1/10 how good is it? What could be better? And what do you like about it the most? I have long since forgotten about all the little lost things. I have always wondered where all they go. I think that's where I belong, among the crumpled notes in your old backpack and the faded words of your favorite childhood book. Among the pictures clipped somewhere inside that old drawer you had when you were 5, under the stacks of journals you longed to finish but never did. The things you stopped searching for, as if they never existed in the first place. I suppose some things are better lost than found, and of all the things I've lost, I think I miss my mind the most. I am gone but not forgotten, not quite yet at least. I am among all those things you've been looking for, yet I'm not looking to be found.

Passage: mrs. smith’s sixth-grade class filed onto the grassy field behind the middle school after lunch. as she exited the building, chelsea looked around for her closest friend, brittany. she spotted her by the swings, talking to their classmate brian. 2 “brian thinks he’s the fastest person in mrs. smith’s class,” brittany told her when she had joined them. it was obvious that brittany didn’t agree with brian. 3 “i guarantee i can beat anyone in this class to a race,” brian said, tugging on the scarlet baseball cap that he wore each and every day. “in fact, i bet i can run faster than the seventh, eighth, and even ninth graders, too! ” 4chelsea rolled her eyes, but wasn’t astonished by his declaration. brian was typically overconfident; he was always challenging other students and expecting to win. according to brian, he was so talented that he could hit more home runs than children on the baseball team and even could repeatedly make more baskets than the boys and girls on the basketball team. 5 “who dares to challenge me? ” brian shouted, directing his question to every student on the playground. the students looked around, but no one volunteered. 6 “i’ll race you,” chelsea said, breaking the awkward silence. she knew she wasn’t the fastest person on the playground, but if she possessed the determination necessary to win, perhaps she could complete the race first. 7 “first person around the field wins,” said brian, stretching his legs and jumping up and down to ready himself for the race. 8they approached the starting line, and brittany counted to three. 9 “see you at the finish line! ” brian exclaimed and left chelsea in the dust. 10brian soon disappeared around the first turn. chelsea took a deep breath and continued to run at a quick pace. the sun was warm and she soon grew tired, but she didn’t stop. ahead, brian approached the finish line and as he began to celebrate, she watched him trip over a small mound of dirt and fall to the ground. 11as chelsea reached the finish line, she noticed that brian was still seated on the ground, rubbing his injured knee. instead of running past him and winning the race, chelsea stooped down to him stand. he leaned on her shoulder, and they completed the race together. 12 “you could've won,” brian said as their friends came out to congratulate them. 13chelsea smiled. “friends are more important than winning,” she said. 14brian smiled at her. “my thoughts exactly,” he said question: which action in the story advance the plot the most? a) when chelsea accepts brian's challenge to race him b) when chelsea rolled her eyes at irritation at brian's pride c) when chelsea reached the finish line and brian finish the race d) when brittany told chelsea that brian thinks he's the fastest in the class

What does the candle symbolize in this excerpt from leo tolstoy’s the death of ivan ilyich? “when i am not, what will there be? there will be nothing. then where shall i be when i am no more? can this be dying? no, i don’t want to! ” he jumped up and tried to light the candle, felt for it with trembling hands, dropped candle and candlestick on the floor, and fell back on his pillow. a. ivan ilyich’s shallow lifestyle b. ivan ilyich’s troubled conscience c. ivan ilyich’s murky past d. ivan ilyich’s approaching death

Which best compares the role of irony in "a journey" and "young goodman brown"? a) while the wife hopes to escape and cannot, brown hopes to sin but is saved.b) both characters try to cling to reality but are lost in the their dreamsc) neither character recognizes the irony in his or her situations before it is too late. d) both characters embark on journeys that take them away from what they are seeking.