Audie Murphy was born near Kingston, Texas, on June 20, 1924. His parents were sharecroppers, and Murphy was the seventh of twelve children. The family was poor, and Murphy worked in the field from an early age. Despite his humble beginnings, Murphy dreamed ofmaking something ofhimself. After the U. S. entered World War Il, Murphy enlisted in the army. He proved to be a soldier ofexceptional courage and skill. He fought in nine major campaigns, killing over 240 enemy soldiers and capturing many others. On one occasion, he climbed aboard a burning tank destroyer and turned its machine gun on the advancing enemy infantry. Murphy held his position despite the fact that he was under constant fire from German soldiers and the destroyer could have blown up at any time. For this and many other heroic deeds, Murphy received over thirty awards, becoming the most decorated American soldier ofWorld War Il. He was also awarded the highest U. S. military award for bravery, the Medal of Honor. After the war, Murphy became a movie star, appearing in dozens offilms.

The author's main purpose for writing of the passage is to:
A. persuade readers that Murphy was a hero.
B. inform readers about Murphy's childhood.
C. tell an interesting story about world war 11.
D. inform readers about major events in Murphy's life.

Read the selection below and answer the question. an open boat by alfred noyes o, what is that whimpering there in the darkness? 

 'let him lie in my arms. he is breathing, i know.
 look. i'll wrap all my hair round his neck' – the sea's rising,
 the boat must be lightened. he's dead. he must go.' 


 see - quick - by that flash, where the bitter foam tosses, 
 the cloud of white faces, in the black open boat, 
 and the wild pleading woman that clasps her dead lover 
 and wraps her loose hair round his breast and his throat.
 'come, lady, he's dead.' - 'no, i feel his heart beating,
 he's living, i know. but he's numbed with the cold. 
 see, i'm wrapping my hair all around him to warm him.' -
- 'no. we can't keep the dead, dear. come, loosen your hold.

 'come. loosen your fingers.' - 'o god, let me keep him! ' -
 o, hide it, black night! let the winds have their way! 
 and there are no voices or ghosts from that darkness, 
 to fret the bare seas at the breaking of day. which choice best describes the conflict in this poem? the winds are rocking the boat. a man is thrown into the sea. a woman doesn’t want to let go of her dead lover. someone is crying in the darkness.

Select the correct answers. what does this passage reveal about eric and garrett? the biggest race on the warm-up field, eric went through his usual routine of stretching so he’d be fully prepared for the race. in what seemed like just a couple of minutes, he heard the announcer. “all 400-meter runners, make your way to your starting lanes.” as eric got into position, another runner named garrett taunted him. “you do know there’s no way you’re going to beat the speed of speed, don’t you? ” he said with a chuckle. eric pretended he didn’t hear garrett and cleared his mind of everything. the announcer yelled, “runners, take your mark, get set! ” as the starting gun sounded, eric took off with the rest of the runners. garrett immediately sprinted ahead of the pack, but eric hung back and kept a close eye on garrett. as they turned the last corner and headed down the straightaway, eric stayed focused and picked up his pace. soon he was running right beside garrett. just a few yards from the finish line, eric made a strong push. he crossed the finish line just a few feet ahead of garrett. a. garrett and eric are both overconfident about their speed. b. garrett likes to boast about himself, while eric is more modest. c. eric is focused, whereas garrett is distracted. d. eric believes in warming up, while garrett prefers to sprint.

Read the quotation from "an occurrence at owl creek bridge." and now he became conscious of a new disturbance. striking through the thought of his dear ones was a sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil; it had the same ringing quality. he wondered what it was, and whether immeasurably distant or near by—it seemed both. its recurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell. he awaited each stroke with impatience and—he knew not why—apprehension. the intervals of silence grew progressively longer, the delays became maddening. with their greater infrequency the sounds increased in strength and sharpness. they hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife; he feared he would shriek. what he heard was the ticking of his watch. which best describes the effect of the narration in the excerpt? it suggests that the man being executed feels tranquil and at peace. it suggests that the narrator is sympathetic to the man being executed. it suggests that the plot will become less tense as the story continues. it suggests that the story will become more intense and mysterious.