Read the passage.

the storm

i was home alone one night while an apocalyptic storm raged outside, rain beating incessantly on the roof, wind causing the branches of the ancient oak tree to scratch against my window like deathly fingers.

suddenly, the lights went out. i scrambled to find a flashlight, only to discover that it would not turn on. shaking it wildly, i soon realized that the batteries were dead. my pulse had just returned to normal when i heard pounding on the door. as i tiptoed to look out the window, i caught a glimpse of my stricken expression in the hall mirror and valiantly tried to swallow my terror.

there, standing on the front porch, was my older brother, drenched from head to toe and glowering at me through his dripping hair.

how does the author create surprise in “the storm”?

a) the personification of the trees and the wind shocks readers; it is unusual for someone to be this afraid of a storm.

b) the description of the storm creates a somber mood; this contrasts the narrator’s happiness upon seeing his brother.

c) the first two paragraphs build tension, making the reader think something horrible is about to happen.

d) the vivid and terrifying description of the storm and house contrast the narrator’s expectations.

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)