What is a ritual?
a. a story used to frighten children into being good
b. a ceremony with a specific pattern and purpose
c. a preparation for battle or for the afterlife
d. a story about past king and past wars

It is widely assumed that people need to engage in intellectual activities such as solving crossword puzzles or mathematics problems in order to maintain mental sharpness as they age. in fact, however, simply talking to other people—that is, participating in social interaction, which engages many mental and perceptual skills—suffices. evidence to this effect comes from a study showing that the more social contact people report, the better their mental skills. which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the force of the evidence cited? (a) as people grow older, they are often advised to keep exercising their physical and mental capacities in order to maintain or improve them. (b) many medical conditions and treatments that adversely affect a person's mental sharpness also tend to increase that person's social isolation. (c) many people are proficient both in social interactions and in solving mathematical problems. (d) the study did not itself collect data but analyzed data bearing on the issue from prior studies. (e) the tasks evaluating mental sharpness for which data were compiled by the study were more akin to mathematics problems than to conversation.

99 points and brainliestdiscuss two of the major causes of the increasing pollution levels in the yangtze river. make sure to include how they contribute to the water pollution

Jack owns a small home near a school. he doesn't have any children, and doesn't plan on having any in the future. jack is a writer and works out of his home. all of the noise from the playground during the day interrupts jack while he is trying to work. tina, a friend of jack's, also owns a small home. her home is in a quiet, little secluded neighborhood. she has a child that will be entering first grade in the fall and wishes she lived closer to a school. one day, jack asked tina if she would want to exchange homes. is this a possibility? a. yes, a trade of properties (exchange) is possible if the trade involves no financing and the properties are not mortgaged.b. yes, a trade of properties (exchange) is possible if the trade involves no financing.c. no, it is not a possibility. simply "trading" real estate is not recognized under california real estate law.d. none of the above