Maria had been raised in the flat farmland of Indiana. Her new job in New York City was great, but there were lots of things she had to get used to. The first thing she had to deal with was noise. The sound of traffic never ceased. Sirens wailed suddenly at all hours. Garbage trucks backed into the alley beneath her apartment and made a terrible noise. They always seemed to arrive at 5:00 in the morning. The second thing she had to deal with was getting to work. The crush of the crowded sidewalks made her feel as if she was being swept by a tide of people. Everyone seemed to know where they were going and they walked fast. Maria felt that she had to walk fast too, just to keep from getting lost in the crowd. Soon after beginning her new job in downtown Manhattan, Maria had to deal with a third thing. Walking on concrete and standing on the subway were hard on her feet. Soon, she learned to imitate her fellow workers. She came to work in sneakers, carrying her dress shoes in her tote bag. Once you’ve read this paragraph, look over the following ideas to see which one best describes its topic.

a. Maria was raised in Indiana.

b. Maria had to get used to living in New York City.

c. New York is noisy and crowded.

d. Maria soon learned to imitate her fellow workers.

My first time on horseback was embarrassing. I had never been on a horse in my life, but I was afraid to admit it. That’s probably where my trouble started. When I lifted my foot to put it into the stirrup, my friend Sally laughed. “Use the other foot, silly,” she said. Blushing beet red, I laughed too. I used the other foot. Then it took me about 10 minutes to swing up into the saddle. The horse kept moving and I scampered along on one foot while Sally giggled. Finally mounted, I looked down. I felt as if I were sitting on a mountain! Fortunately, Sally had chosen a gentle mare for me. I realize now she wasn’t fooled. She knew I didn’t know the first thing about riding. She really is a good friend. After a while, I learned to relax a little. I was actually riding a horse and it was fun. I even learned how to use the reins to guide the horse to the left and to the right.

1. What is the topic sentence?

2. Why did the narrator of the story state that Sally was a good friend?

Read the passage. excerpt from "why equal pay is worth fighting for" by senator elizabeth warren, april 17, 2014 i honestly can't believe that we're still arguing over equal pay in 2014. when i started teaching elementary school after college, the public school district didn't hide the fact that it had two pay scales: one for men and one for women. women have made incredible strides since then. but 40 years later, we're still debating equal pay for equal work. women today still earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns, and they're taking a hit in nearly every occupation. bloomberg analyzed census data and found that median earnings for women were lower than those for men in 264 of 265 major occupation categories. in 99.6 percent of occupations, men get paid more than women. that's not an accident; that's discrimination. the effects of this discrimination are real, and they are long lasting. today, more young women go to college than men, but unequal pay makes it harder for them to pay back student loans. pay inequality also means a tougher retirement for women. . for middle-class families today, it usually takes two incomes to get by, and many families depend as much on mom's salary as they do on dad's, if not more. women are the main breadwinners, or joint breadwinners, in two-thirds of the families across the country, and pay discrimination makes it that much harder for these families to stay afloat. women are ready to fight back against pay discrimination, but it's not easy. today, a woman can get fired for asking the guy across the hall how much money he makes. here in the senate, sen. barbara mikulski (d-md.) introduced the paycheck fairness act to give women the tools to combat wage discrimination. it would ensure that salary differences have something to do with the actual job that they are doing, and not just because they are women. senator warren states that the effects of pay discrimination are long-lasting. is this a valid argument supported by accurate evidence? no; warren weakens her point by claiming that the paycheck fairness act would "give women the tools to combat wage discrimination." yes; warren supports her point by noting, "for middle-class families today, it usually takes two incomes to get by." yes; warren supports her point by noting, "pay inequality also means a tougher retirement for women." no; warren weakens her point by noting, "today, a woman can get fired for asking the guy across the hall how much money he makes."