"i say i became habituated to the beast people, that a thousand things that had seemed unnatural and repulsive speedily became natural and ordinary to me. i suppose everything in existence takes its colour from the average hue of our surroundings".explain.

Read this excerpt from i never had it made. "it's all that ought to count," he replied. "but it isn't. maybe one of these days it will be all that counts. that is one of the reasons i've got you here, robinson. if you're a good enough man, we can make this a start in the right direction. but let me tell you, it's going to take an awful lot of courage." he was back to the crossroads question that made me start to get angry minutes earlier. he asked it slowly and with great care. "have you got the guts to play the game no matter what happens? " "i think i can play the game, mr. rickey," i said. the next few minutes were tough. branch rickey had to make absolutely sure that i knew what i would face. beanballs would be thrown at me. i would be called the kind of names which would hurt and infuriate any man. i would be physically attacked. could i take all of this and control my temper, remain steadfastly loyal to our ultimate aim? which is the central idea of this excerpt?

Read this passage: many manufacturers prefer plastic as a material for containers because it can be molded into many shapes. but plastic is not very strong. it must be fused with glass or steel for strength. it is also not very durable. even the strongest plastic can break under enough pressure. the biggest disadvantage to using plastic is that it does not decompose. while plastic can be recycled, doing so is tedious and difficult. while it may be more expensive and difficult to work with, aluminum is a much stronger building material with far greater tensile strength. it conducts electricity because it is metal. best of all, aluminum is very easy to recycle. even if it is thrown away, it decomposes much more quickly than most manufacturing materials. how does the compare-and-contrast organizational pattern of the passage support the author's purpose? a. the passage gradually leads up to the point about decomposition to inform the reader about the importance of recycling plastics. b. the passage lists the advantages and disadvantages of each material to make a case for the use of plastic and not aluminum in containers. c. the passage begins with a description of plastic's problems in order to call attention to the good qualities of aluminum. d. the passage shows the superiority of aluminum in order to make a case for the production of stronger plastics.

How does this comparison reinforce what powell is trying to say in this paragraph