America's presidents have had to make many important decisions during their terms in office. They made many of these important choices in the famous Oval Office. The Oval Office is the private office of the President of the United States of America. Located in the West Wing of the White House, the Oval Office represents the power and responsibility of the president.

2 Before President Howard Taft built the original Oval Office, most presidents living in the White House did their work in the room that is now called the Lincoln Bedroom. In 1909, President Taft built the first Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House. Taft built the office because he wanted his staff to have a center from which they could all work. A fire in the West Wing damaged the original Oval Office in 1929. President Herbert Hoover, however, restored the office after the fire. When Franklin Roosevelt became president, he moved the Oval Office to a different section of the West Wing so he could easily enter the office in his wheelchair. President Roosevelt completed the modern Oval Office in 1934, and it has stayed in the same place ever since.
What is the most likely reason the author includes paragraph 2 in the passage?

A) to introduce the topic
B) to summarize the main idea
C) to generate the reader’s interest
D) to provide background information

Study the map below. based on the information shown on this map, which ofthe following locations served as an eastern border for the mongol empire?

Form two real words by combining a prefix and/or suffix with the root listed below. if you need to, use your dictionary. then illustrate that the word has the meaning of that root by using one of those words in a sentence. example: dic, dict=to say 1. addiction 2. edict the judge's edict was the final say in that matter. mit, mis=send

(20 points) passage: this year will be a record-breaking year for storms 1it looks like 2012 will be a year for the record books. thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes have increased across the country. the storms' high winds and heavy rains are making history. early tornado and hurricane seasons 2in march, not usually a busy month for tornadoes, the south and midwest had a large number of twisters. warm weather made conditions ripe for the creation of tornadoes. on some days, twisters dropped from the sky by the dozen. 3hurricane season also came early. two tropical storms hit the southeast in may. two more strong storms followed in june. severe thunderstorms 4many states that have escaped tornadoes and hurricanes have had severe thunderstorms. these giant storms dumped several inches of rain and caused flooding across the northeast and midwest. 5the end of hurricane season is months away, and this year's storm count and rainfall amounts could leave 2011 in the dust. forecasters say the wet, windy weather might stick around until fall. labor day parade rained out 6there is no joy in green town, where the annual labor day parade was called off because of heavy rain. the town's mayor says the parade hasn't been rained out in fifty years. 7a strong band of thunderstorms hit green town on sunday. more than two inches of rain fell each hour. by monday morning, main street looked more like a creek than a parade route. mayor nora bell said she had to call off the parade. "the heavy rains have created a serious safety issue in green town," she said. 8the loss of the labor day parade is green town's second disappointment this summer. in may, the memorial day parade was also called off because of rain. "this must be one of the wettest summers in history," mayor bell said. 9according to the national weather service, mayor bell is right. this summer will break rainfall records in green town and across the country. question: who would obtain the most useful information from the passage? a) someone planning a holiday picnic. b) someone interested in documenting annual meteorological patterns. c) an advocate for the green town labor day parade. d) someone who wishes to do research on the alleged truth of the "global warming" phenomenon.