Earthquake swarms in 2005 marked the birth of a rifting zone within ethiopia where the african continent was splitting apart…. geologists believe some 10 million years into the future that this void will eventually be filled with an __ as the continent continues to split and rift apart.

My latest book, fightin’, prose short fiction, is a combination. there’s nothing about being indian in there. just stories of people. why shouldn’t i write about non-indians? i don’t have to dress anybody in feathers." how does ortiz's use of language in this excerpt set an informal tone? a. by using contractions and sentence fragments, ortiz makes this part of the interview feel more familiar and casual. c. by using the term "indian" rather than "native american," ortiz makes this part of the interview feel more combative or hostile. b. by employing first-person pronouns, ortiz makes this part of the interview more solemn and pessimistic. d. by asking a rhetorical question, ortiz makes this part of the interview objectively and intentionally funny and lighthearted.