PL HELP [1]Nothing that comes from the desert expresses its extremes better than the unhappy growth of the
tree yuccas. Tormented, thin forests of it stalk drearily in the high mesas, particularly in that
triangular slip that fans out eastward from the meeting of the Sierras and coastwise hills. The
yucca bristles with bayonet-pointed leaves, dull green, growing shaggy with age like an old
[5] man's tangled gray beard, tipped with panicles of foul, greenish blooms. After its death, which is
slow, the ghostly hollow network of its woody skeleton, with hardly power to rot, makes even
the moonlight fearful. But it isnÕt always this way. Before the yucca has come to flower, while
yet its bloom is a luxurious, creamy, cone-shaped bud of the size of a small cabbage, full of
sugary sap, the Indians twist it deftly out of its fence of daggers and roast the prize for their
[10] own delectation.
Why does the author use the words "bayonet-pointed" (line 4) and "fence of daggers" (line 9) to describe the leaves of the yucca tree?

To create an image of the sharp edges of the plant
To emphasize how beautiful the plant's leaves are
To explain when and where the plant grows
To show how afraid the author is of the plant

Ineed . read the passage, and choose the three (3) inferences that are most firmly based on the given information. your sister has a new boyfriend. the first time you meet him, he corners you and talks to you for an hour about football, a subject in which you have no interest at all. you come away with the impression that he is an inconsiderate bore. the next two times you see him, however, he says not a word about football. he participates in the general conversation and makes some witty and intelligent remarks. what is your impression of him now? do you find him likable and interesting on the basis of the last two encounters? do you average out the early minus and the later plus and come out with a neutral zero? neither is likely. what is likely is that you still think of him as an inconsiderate bore. psychological research suggests that first impressions, as our mothers and fathers told us, are quite lasting. 1. the words “neutral zero” refer to an impression that is positive. 2. the words “neutral zero” refer to an impression that is neither positivenor negative. 3. the selection suggests that it’s a good idea to make good firstimpressions. 4. the selection suggests that it can be difficult to remain objective aboutothers. 5. first impressions tend to be fair and balance