Question 1 (5 points) A Big Year
By Bob Kowalski

Would you go to the ends of the earth to see a bird? What if it were a really special bird: one with beautiful feathers, an entrancing call, or a silly dance? What if seeing that one special bird would allow you to win a contest?

If that contest doesn't get you on television or win you any cash prizes, would you still do it? For those who participate in the "Big Year," the honor of beating the previous record is the only reward they get or even want.

A "Big Year" is a year in which a person attempts to see as many different species of birds as possible within a particular region. For most in North America who participate in a "Big Year," this region is the lower 48 American states, plus Alaska, Canada, and a couple of French islands off the Canadian coast.

You may be thinking that looking at birds is silly, but just think about the numbers of the recent record holders and the commitment it takes to get these numbers. One recent "Big Year" winner managed to see 744 birds in one year, missing the record by just one bird. Big Year birders travel by train, plane, boat, car, bicycle, and of course, by foot. They can cover over 150 thousand miles to get numbers of sightings this high. They can also spend a small fortune.

Just to clarify, the birds these contestants are counting are the number that they see in a particular year. You see, the contest is based on an honor system. No pictures or other evidence is required as proof of a sighting. Most birders take great pride in their reputation and their abilities to see or hear and then identify a bird. Usually, important sightings of the rare birds needed to get counts in the 700s are visited by hundreds of birders. It is pretty hard to cheat your way to a record-breaking year, but in general, few are interested in cheating.

This honesty comes from the fact that most people who want to break such a record know the greatest rewards are not necessarily in winning. Such rewards are in being able to commit a year of your life to doing something you love. Rewards are found in seeing amazing, inspiring creatures like the California Condor or the Magnificent Frigate bird. Rewards also come in spending time with people who, like you, want to spend their time looking to the skies and trees for glimpses of emerald, crimson, or cerulean blue feathered jewels.

You don't have to be able to travel a continent to have a big birding experience though. Have a big month. Or a big weekend. Set a personal record, learn to identify the species that live in your part of the world, or try to learn the calls of just two species of birds. You will soon find looking at birds isn't such a strange way to spend your time.

Extra! Extra! Backyard Birding
Many schools, families, and young birders across the country participate in the "Great Backyard Bird Count." While not as long as a "Big Year," the "Great Backyard Bird Count" happens every year. It depends on birders and families across the country to watch feeders and other areas in their yards and count the number of birds they see. Unlike the "Big Year," the goal is not to see who can count the most birds. Instead, participants in this event work together to help bird experts get a good idea of how birds are doing. Participants are given checklists and enter their sightings on a website. Called a "citizen-science" project, this event is open to anyone, requires no travel, and happens every year over one weekend in February.
Which of the following best states the main idea of the article "A Big Year"?(5 points)

Question 1 options:

1)

"Big Year" birders compete for honor, love, and record-setting.

2)

"Big Year" birders get very competitive about seeing rare birds.

3)

"Big Year" birders have a list of important birds to see.

4)

"Big Year" birders compete to see more birds than others

Which three excerpts would best be characterized as expository texts? excerpt 1 may 17, 1980, was a quiet day in silver lake, washington. if you had been there, you probably would have seen mount st. helens, one of the state’s famous mountains. the mountain looked like a cone capped with snow. it rose from a valley of deep green trees and bright blue lakes. mount st. helens is volcanic. scientists were watching the mountain carefully that spring. for two months, they recorded small earthquakes near the mountain. steam spewed from its top. and yet, from a distance, the mountain looked picture-perfect. a volcano can erupt when pressure underground builds and forces its way to the surface. volcanos can be active, dormant, or extinct. an active volcano has erupted in the last 10,000 years and is thought to erupt in the near future. a dormant volcano has not erupted in the past 10,000 years, but is thought to erupt again. an extinct volcano is one scientists do not expect to erupt again. for example, in 1980, mt. st. helens was an active volcano. excerpt 2 anxiety sometimes manifests as an apprehensive feeling or worry that you are unable to explain fully. stress is often a trigger. symptoms can include tense muscles, churning stomach, nausea, diarrhea, headache, backache, heart palpitations, sweating, flushing, and numbness or “pins and needles” in arms, hands, or legs. with all these symptoms, it is easy to mistake anxiety for a physical illness. everyone becomes anxious from time to time, but when anxiety interferes with life when there’s no real threat, or is present long after a real threat has passed, it is a problem. one of the best ways to deal with anxiety is to learn how to manage stress in your life. relaxation techniques are also good. meditation, breathing techniques, and yoga are all possible ways to ease anxiety. being healthy also . follow a regular sleep pattern, get plenty of exercise, and maintain a healthy diet. all of these practices will reduce anxiety and stress. excerpt 3 visiting a different country can be a great way to spend a vacation. as a tourist, you are there to see new sights and have new experiences. but living in a different country is not the same as visiting one. when you move to a new country, you move away from people you are close to and many things that you know. a new place may have different customs, different food and often, a different language. the climate and land may be very different. buying food and getting to work may be a major challenge. you will have times of feeling afraid, angry and homesick. these feelings are examples of culture shock. excerpt 4 there never was such a country for wandering liars; and they were of both sexes. hardly a month went by without one of these tramps arriving; and generally loaded with a tale about some princess or other wanting to get her out of some faraway castle where she was held in captivity by a lawless scoundrel, usually a giant. now you would think that the first thing the king would do after listening to such a novelette from an entire stranger, would be to ask for credentials—yes, and a pointer or two as to locality of castle, best route to it, and so on. but nobody ever thought of so simple and commonsense a thing as that. no, everybody swallowed these people’s lies whole, and never asked a question of any sort or about anything. (from a connecticut yankee in king arthur's court by mark twain) excerpt 5 she was dressed in rich materials—satins, and lace, and silks—all of white. her shoes were white. and she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. some bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table. dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half-packed trunks, were scattered about. she had not quite finished dressing, for she had but one shoe on—the other was on the table near her hand—her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain were not put on, and some lace for her bosom lay with those trinkets, and with her handkerchief, and gloves, and some flowers, and a prayer-book, all confusedly heaped about the looking glass. (from great expectations by charles dickens)

"it’s so clear now. o light, let me look at you one final time …" in no more than 300 words, explain the symbolism of this speech by oedipus and how and why it reflects the story’s major themes.

Ronald sees that his employer's stock has grown from $20 a share to $60 a share this year, while most stocks have seen only 5% growth. his employer offers to let him convert a large portion of his salary into stock options. what is not a valid reason to turn down the stock offer? select the best answer from the choices provided. a. stocks with high returns have high volatility, and ronald's company may not grow further. b. ronald may be taxed more for capital gains than he would be for employment income. c. stock options are illiquid, and ronald may not be able to use them to pay for unexpected bills. d. ronald would be committing stock fraud if he exercises the options.