Read the following excerpt from alan weisman's "the city without us": in an abandoned city, there would be no one like paul schuber and peter briffa to race from station to flooded station whenever more than two inches of rain falls - as happens lately with disturbing frequency - sometimes snaking hoses up stairways to pump to a sewer down the street, sometimes navigating these tunnels in inflatable boats. with no people, there would also be no power. the pumps will go off and stay off. "when this pump facility shuts down," says schuber, "in half an hour water reaches a level where trains can't pass anymore." briffa removes his safety goggles and rubs his eyes. "a flood in one zone would push water into the others. within 36 hours, the whole thing could fill." now read the following excerpt from jared diamond's "the ends of the world as we know them": why weren't these problems obvious to the maya kings, who could surely see their forests vanishing and their hills becoming eroded? part of the reason was that the kings were able to insulate themselves from problems afflicting the rest of society. by extracting wealth from commoners, they could remain well fed while everyone else was slowly starving. what's more, the kings were preoccupied with their own power struggles. they had to concentrate on fighting one another and keeping up their images through ostentatious displays of wealth. by insulating themselves in the short run from the problems of society, the elite merely bought themselves the privilege of being among the last to starve. consider how each passage approaches the theme of the power of nature and explain how each author develops that theme. be sure to use specific details from the text to support your answer.

Cancer, ‘the big c,’ as it is often called. her doctor felt sure but ordered more tests to confirm his suspicion. while cervical cancer in a woman julianne’s age was rare, her doctor admitted, it certainly was not unheard of in her demographic group. her doctor explained that this type of cancer is often caused by a common virus that many women do not even realize they have. the human papilloma virus can lead to this type of cancer if a woman’s immune system does not fight off the virus in its initial stages. julianne was devastated. her doctor began to discuss treatment options and suggested an oncologist specializing in this type of cancer, but julianne heard very little of what he said. her head was spinning with questions. overwhelmed, she wondered how she would break the news to her family and friends. according to the article, a physician specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer is called

Which of the following is not a common response to feeling stressed on the road? a.crippling indecision b.enhanced reflexes c.lethargic reactions

Ajourney with my father adapted from my reminiscences by sir rabindranath tagore probably in order to teach me to be careful, my father placed a little small change in my charge and required me to keep an account of it. he also entrusted me with the duty of winding his valuable gold watch for him. he overlooked the risk of damage in his desire to train me to a sense of responsibility. when we went out together for our morning walk, he would ask me to give alms to any beggars we came across. but i never could render him a proper account at the end of it. one day, my balance was larger than the account warranted. "i really must make you my cashier," observed my father. "money seems to have a way of growing in your hands! " that watch of his i wound up with such indefatigable1 zeal that it had very soon to be sent to the watchmaker's in calcutta. i am reminded of the time when, later in life, i was appointed to manage the estate and had to lay before my father, owing to his failing eyesight, a statement of accounts on the second or third of every month. i had first to read out the totals under each head, and if he had any doubts on any point, he would ask for the details. if i made any attempt to slur over or keep out of sight any item which i feared he would not like, it was sure to come out. so, these first few days of the month were very anxious ones for me. as i have said, my father had the habit of keeping everything clearly before his mind—whether figures of accounts, or ceremonial arrangements, or additions or alterations to property. he had never seen the new assembly hall built at bolpur, and yet, he was familiar with every detail of it from questioning those who came to see him after a visit to bolpur. he had an extraordinary memory, and when once he got hold of a fact, it never escaped him. my father asked me to copy the favourite verses, with their translation, from the book he liked reading every day. at home, i had been a boy of no account. here, when these important functions were entrusted to me, i felt the glory of the situation. 1. tireless 7 how does the narrator support the idea that his father keeps everything clearly before his mind? a. by giving the example of his father's response when his account did not tally with the money that he had in hand b. by mentioning that his father was interested in everything that happened around him c. by giving the example of his father knowing every detail of the new assembly hall at bolpur d. by mentioning that his father had marked his favorite verses from his favorite book