The beginning of the Maasai Life was peaceful for Neiterkob, the herder of cattle and father of the Maasai. Then, a volcano erupted and sent his cattle flying into the air, where they could not survive. Finally, the wise god Enkai grew a giant fig tree so the cattle could climb back to earth. This is one of the reasons cattle are sacred to the Maasai people.

Read the excerpt from the poem "growing up italian" by maria mazziotti gillan and answer the question that follows. when i was a little girl, i thought everyone was italian, and that was good. we visted our aunts and uncles, and they visted us. the italian language smooth and sweet in my mouth. in kindergarten, english words fell on me, thick and sharp as hail. i grew silent, the italian word balanced on the edge of my tongue and the english word, lost during the first moment of every question. source: gillan, maria mazziotti. "growing up italian." poetrymagazine.com. poetry magazine, n.d. web. 30 mar. 2011. what is the tone of this poem? what does the tone reveal about the speaker of the poem and the conflict she faces? based on this excerpt, what can you predict about the theme of the poem?

Which big-picture idea comes logically from these details?

Read the passage from sugar changed the world. but it is in india, where it was used as an offering in religious and magical ceremonies, that we have the first written record of sugar. long before the first pyramids were built in egypt, the ancient sumerians traded with the people of harappa and mohenjo daro, who lived along the indus river. unfortunately, we are still not able to read the writings left behind from those ancient cities. so the first documents telling us about life in that region come from a much later period. these hindu sacred teachings were probably first gathered together sometime between 1500 and 900 b.c., and were carefully memorized. only hundreds of years later were they finally written down. the hindu writings tell us of a religion in which fire was extremely important. people believed that the gods gave fire to human beings. yet fire was also a way for humans to reach the gods. by placing offerings in a special fire, a priest could turn them into smoke and send them on to the gods. five ingredients were selected for this special burning: milk, cheese, butter, honey, and sugar cane. which details would best fit in a summary of this passage? select two options. "in india . . it was used as an offering in religious and magical ceremonies" "the first written record of sugar" "long before the first pyramids were built in egypt" "gods gave fire to human beings" "a priest could turn them into smoke and send them on to the gods"