unifying element of the story, which ties together all of the other elements of fiction used by the author to tell the storyunifying element of the story, which ties together all of the other elements of fiction used by the author to tell the story.

- Central Idea.

Explanation:

'Central Idea' in a literary work is demonstrated as the dominant idea that not only surrounds the entire narrative but also functions to unify the different elements employed by the author and ties them in a single thread to convey an accomplished and coherent thought or message as intended by the author. It could also be characterized as the 'theme' in fiction which is the chief subject of the story and defines the author's purpose behind the creation of the work(to teach, inspire, amuse, entertain, etc.). Thus, 'central idea' is the correct answer.

one time i was sleeping on a bench outside of walgreens and someone offered me money because they thought i was homeless

explanation:

the following key ideas correctly express the key sentence.

restate key idea: most people can learn to swim in ten short lessons.

restate key idea: the majority of water-accident victims require mouth-to-mouth breathing.

restate key idea: an empty, tightly closed gallon jug will support a tired swimmer.  

restate key idea: first aid is to prevent accidents as well as assist in rescue.

explanation: the key idea needs to have the same topic as the key sentence (drowning and safety).