(1) Would you like to redecorate a room in your home? (2) Painting is a fast and inexpensive way to give that room a hole new look. (3) First, remove the furniture, or move it to the center of the room and cover it with drop cloths. (4) Prepare the room by stripping paint and extra layers of wallpaper, filling cracks, and add a coat of primer if necessary. (5) Now you’re ready to paint. (6) Use a brush to paint a clean line along all edges where paint stops, such as where the wall meets the door frame, and in places where the ceiling meet a wall of a different color. (7) This is called "cutting in".

(8) The next step was to paint the room in the following order: ceiling, walls, trim, doors, and windows. (9) Put no more than 3/4 of an inch of paint, in the paint pan. (10) run your roller through the paint, being careful not to overload the roller. (11) Apply paint to the ceiling and walls in a "W" or "Z" zigzag pattern.

(12) Spread the paint evenly by rolling either side to side or up and down, using gentle strokes so as not to leave roller marks. (13) After finishing an area, look for spots you missed, go over them with your relatively dry roller.

1. Which correction should be made to sentence 2?

a. change is to are
b. insert a comma after fast
c. change to give to giving
Selected:d. replace hole with whole

the price of our current war is high; it costs money and it costs lives.

but it does not cost our pride. it does not cost the guilt that would arise from knowing that we did nothing to intervene while our neighboring nations fell to despotic leaders.

it does not cost the terror of knowing that our allies are unstable. it does not cost the fear that we, too, will be next to fall.

which sentence most accurately explains why the speaker's use of the parallel structure is effective in this passage?

a. it underscores that disagreement will not be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly.

b. it makes the speaker seem like a decisive and capable leader.

c. it emphasizes reasons to fight and inspires listeners to aid the war effort.

d. it establishes the speaker's credibility by acknowledging the difficulties of war.

recent brain research has shown some surprising benefits as a result of formal musical training. learning to play a musical instrument appears to develop parts of the brain that can even influence academic results. the studies indicate that the earlier a child begins training, the more benefits there are. one such study showed that children who began musical studies before the age of seven had a more developed brain in the region where language production and auditory processing take place. scientists believe there is mounting evidence to show that early musical training can improve brain function.

explanation: