Read the excerpt from "a quilt of a country."

america is an improbable idea. a mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts, it is held together by a notion, the notion that all men are created equal, though everyone knows that most men consider themselves better than someone. "of all the nations in the world, the united states was built in nobody's image," the historian daniel boorstin wrote. that's because it was built of bits and pieces that seem discordant, like the crazy quilts that have been one of its great folk-art forms, velvet and calico and checks and brocades. out of many, one. that is the ideal.

which statement best explains the role context plays in better understanding this excerpt?

quindlen uses the context of american diversity to readers rethink the concept of american identity and understand that she supports the idea of unity among americans of all cultures.

understanding that quindlen is the descendant of immigrants the reader realize that she supports the idea that some cultures are naturally better than others.

quindlen uses the context of living in the united states during the 9/11 attacks to the reader realize that she feels that unity among all americans is impossible to achieve.

understanding that quindlen is an immigrant from another country readers realize that she understands societies like the united states more than most people.

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."

Choose the pronoun that can replace the underlined word(s) in each sentence. mr. ruiz gave the students some homework.answer "them" the check arrived in the mail today.choose the pronoun that can replace the underlined word(s) in each sentence. mr. ruiz gave the students some homework. answer "them" the check arrived in the mail today."it" devon is saving money so that devon can buy a new video game."he" everyone is excited that anyone’s name could be drawn in the raffle. "his or her"

The implicit details in this excerpt best support the conclusion that mrs. long feels angry about having to ask to borrow books. the speaker asks for books that were often difficult to find. the speaker appreciates the librarian's efforts to get her books. young children are not allowed to borrow books on their own.