“By the time adolescents become adults, they are accustomed to such inconsistent treatment. Practically from puberty, young people are bombarded with mixed signals about the scope of their rights and the depth of their responsibilities. And most of those mixed signals come from the laws of state and local governments. In most respects, people are considered adults at 18. That's when they can vote and enter into legal contracts--including the purchase, if not rental, of a car. But a 20-year-old Marine, just back from patrolling the streets of Baghdad, would have to turn 21 before he could join a local police force in most cities in the United States. A 20-year-old college junior, far more educated than the average American, cannot buy alcohol or enter a casino. In 10 states, a single 20-year-old cannot legally have sex with a 17-year old. But in nearly every state, a 16-year-old can marry--if he has his parents' permission. (A handful of states allow girls to marry before boys.)”
“Recently, many of these lines drawn between adolescence and maturity have been called into question. For example, the presidents of 135 universities are campaigning to consider lowering the drinking age from 21. They note that binge drinking on campus is rampant despite the stricture, and argue that if students were given the right to drink at an earlier age, they might handle it more responsibly. Another argument is a reprise of the one that came up 40 years ago when servicemen came home from Vietnam. Then, the complaint was that soldiers were old enough to die but not to vote. (The 26th Amendment took care of that problem by lowering the voting age to 18.) Today, military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are left to question why they can fight America's wars but still can't patronize its bars.”
What’s the purpose of these two paragraphs?
And a one sentence summary.

What is the biggest difference in central ideas and themes? question 1 options: themes are for stories with characters in them. there is only a central idea if it is explicitly (specifically, outright) stated in a story. central ideas are a main idea specific to the text, while themes are an universal lesson or moral. themes are only found in nonfiction, while central ideas are found in fiction. question 2 (1 point) which of the following is not a true statement about theme? question 2 options: mulitple themes can be found within a single text theme is usually inferred. the theme is always clearly stated by the author or a character. themes should be supported by evidence from the text. question 3 (1 point) what is indirect characterization? question 3 options: all details stated and implied that give the reader information about a character. details such as age, height, or hair color that give the reader information about a character. actions or dialogue said by a character that give the reader information about a character. the description an author gives about the character in the exposition. question 4 (1 point) which sentence best describes lizabeth's development in "marigolds"? question 4 options: lizabeth matures when she recognizes that love is more powerful than hate. lizabeth learns that sympathy and understanding come from recognizing the truth about other people. lizabeth changes her behavior after she recognizes that she needs to be a better example for her brother. lizabeth comes to recognize that the world is too barren to create lasting beauty. question 5 (1 point) how does the resolution of lizabeth's conflict in "marigolds" develop the theme? question 5 options: lizabeth recognizes that she has looked only at herself rather than at other people. lizabeth's destruction of miss lotte's flowers brings about justice over miss lotte's ill-treatment of the children. lizabeth's pursuit of adventure leads her to a more fulfilling life away from the shantytown. the camaraderie of lizbeth and joey creates meaning in both their lives. question 6 (1 point) which of the following quotations best exemplifies lizabeth's childish nature at the beginning of the story? question 6 options: "and one other thing i remember, another incongruency of memory - a brilliant splash of sunny yellow against the dust - miss lottie's marigolds." "by the time i was fourteen, my brother joey and i were the only children left at the house." "'hey, lizabeth,' joey yelled. he never talked when he could yell." "then i lost my head entirely, mad with the power of inciting such rage, and ran out of the bushes chanting madly, 'old witch, fell in a ditch, picked up a penny and through she was rich! '" question 7 (1 point) the story "marigolds" is told in a flashback. lizabeth recounts the details of the incident with miss lottie for the reader years after they have happened. how is this important to the development of lizabeth's character? question 7 options: lizabeth is older now and realizes that she may not have made the best decisions. lizabeth feels sorry for herself now and thinks that miss lottie is still angry. there were so many kids and so little to do, their behaviors should have been overlooked. all of these question 8 (1 point) lizabeth's "world had lost its boundary lines," when she overheard her father crying to her mother. what can we assume about the character of the father because of her reaction to this moment? question 8 options: we can assume that her father is a weak man. we can assume that her father shares his fears with his children and wife often. we can assume that her father is a proud and strong man and that his brokenness is a change in his character. we can assume that until this moment, her father has only cried to lizabeth but not to her mother which explains her surprise.