So it was not impossible that I, Banished to the outfield and daydreaming
Of water, or a hotel in the mountains,
Would suddenly find myself in the path
Of a ball stung by Joe Barone.
I watched it closing in
Clean and untouched, transfixed
By its easy arc before it hit
My forehead with a thud.

How is this excerpt important to the poem as a whole?

It introduces the problem the speaker has playing his baseball position.
It shows why the speaker does not like playing baseball.
It shows how the speaker’s feelings about himself begin to change.
It develops the idea that the speaker feels like an outsider with the other boys.

"where are you taking me? " the car hesitated, or rather gave a faint whirring click, as if information, somewhere, was dropping card by punch- slotted card under electric eyes. "to the psychiatric center for research on regressive tendencies." he got in. the door shut with a soft thud. the police car rolled through the night avenues, flashing its dim lights ahead. which statement best describes the intended aesthetic impact of this excerpt? o a. by showing leonard obeying the police car, the author reinforces the theme of surrendering one s individuality. o b. by relating the way the car responds, the author underscores the theme of the dangers of a mechanized of society o c. by having leonard, a seemingly normal person, taken to a psychiatric center, the author injects irony, leaving the reader surprised o d. by showing leonard communicating with another person, the author satisfies his need for human contact, leaving the reader hopeful

Buck did not cry out. he did not check himself, but drove in upon spitz, shoulder to shoulder, so hard that he missed the throat. they rolled over and over in the powdery snow. spitz gained his feet almost as though he had not been overthrown, slashing buck down the shoulder and leaping clear. twice his teeth clipped together, like the steel jaws of a trap, as he backed away for better footing, with lean and lifting lips that writhed and snarled. read this passage. explain what the conflict shows about buck and spitz.

The first step in making a mental model for a compare-and-contrast text is a. comparing the two things being described. b. finding important details in the text. c. contrasting the two things being described. d. connecting details to what is already known.