Read the passage from of the wisdom of the ancients. now the philosophy of the greeks, which in investigating the material principles of things is careful and acute, in inquiring the principles of motion, wherein lies all vigour of operation, is negligent and languid; and on the point now in question seems to be altogether blind and babbling; for that opinion of the peripatetics which refers the original impulse of matter to privation, is little more than words—a name for the thing rather than a description of it. which phrase from the passage best states its central idea?

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.

The rich natural resources made the sacramento valley a "garden of eden." permanent villages were established about 8,000 years ago.which choice combines these two sentences from paragraph two to achieve a coherent flow of ideas? a) the rich natural resources made the sacramento valley a "garden of eden" and permanent villages were established about 8,000 years ago. b) permanent villages were established about 8,000 years ago and the rich natural resources made the sacramento valley a "garden of eden." c) the rich natural resources made the sacramento valley a "garden of eden; " and so the permanent villages were established about 8,000 years ago. d) because of the rich natural resources which made the sacramento valley a ‘garden of eden,’ native americans established permanent villages there 8,000 years ago.

The attitude the speaker in this poem holds toward himself can best be described as