The Dust Bowl During the 1930s, extreme drought and high winds made life incredibly difficult in the Great Plains region of the United States. In many areas, rainfall was forty percent less than normal. The soil became extremely dry, and when strong winds blew, they created tremendous dust storms. These so-called “black blizzards” were so thick that they made daylight seem like dusk. During this terrible period, the Great Plains region of the United States was named the “Dust Bowl.” Over the next few years, the drought continued, and the winds created more dust storms. In some places, the drought and high winds lasted for eight years. Many people wondered if the black blizzards would ever end.

Which statement about this paragraph’s main idea is true?

A. There are not enough details to support the main idea.
B. This paragraph’s main idea is implied.
C. This paragraph’s main idea is stated in the topic sentence.
D. This paragraph does not express a main idea.

C. The paragraph's main idea is stated in the topic sentence

Explanation:

The topic sentence states that the Dust Bowl made life very difficult due to the extreme drought and high winds. The rest of the paragraph expands upon the statement and furrther explains the effects of the drought and winds.

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)