In the story Nothing Constant “Nothing is constant but change.”

—Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher

1

It was the last day of school; the kids were gone, the books had been collected, and Principal Drake was handing out final paychecks. This was normally a relaxed meeting at which teachers wearing casual clothes smiled and wished each other well for the summer. But no one was smiling today, because a story in the local newspaper had exploded like a crack of thunder.

2

The headline read, “Board of Education Plans New Middle School,” and the staff members of East Orange Elementary were rattled.

3

Principal Tom Drake opined, “I am concerned about a situation in which a newspaper already knows school district information that comes as a surprise to me and my teachers.” He continued, “But of far greater concern is what this means for us, for our colleagues at West Orange, and for students and parents throughout the district.”

4

Coach Melinda Gardner whispered to her friend, Mr. Dale French, “Old Tom is just worried the Board might ask him to retire and make someone else principal of the new campus.”

5

Mr. French whispered back, “Melinda, you be nice now,” but he couldn’t help smiling at his friend’s remark.

6

As the meeting went on, many teachers worried out loud about what might happen if grades 6-8 from East and 6-8 from West consolidated.

7

Ever since the two elementary schools had opened, decades ago, the district had proudly maintained a unique system. While surrounding districts had built new middle schools, Orange kept two elementary buildings—East and West—with K-8 graders in each.

8

Now, according to the paper, the results of the 2010 census were in. They suggested population growth would soon fill both elementary schools with K-5 students only. Apparently, the Board thought the time was ripe to build one new middle school for 6-8 graders.

9

“Will one campus need two middle school science labs?” Dr. Fred Davis, the science department head, asked the group in his usual shy, quiet voice.

10

“Since there is only one middle school library, is the Board going to honor seniority?” Mrs. Betty Green asked brashly. “Or the Board could just keep whichever librarian has the coolest photos on her social media site,” she added sarcastically.

11

“Mrs. Green is worried her lack of computer skills might finally hurt her,” Coach Gardner whispered to Mr. French again.

12

“Coach Gardner, please!” Principal Drake scolded his gym teacher for whispering. “You would not tolerate it if your students were rude. This turn of events has caused real alarm so let’s be sensitive to each other’s concerns.

13

“I apologize for both of us, Tom,” Mr. French offered. “But let’s not get carried away and spoil our summers over this. We don’t know if this proposed new campus will actually be built. The census projections could be wrong. Even if they are right, the cost of raising taxes to pay for a new school might not go over well with voters.”

14

Mr. French continued, “I plan to enjoy my summer and expect another great year. Chances are we’ll all have jobs because several teachers retire every year and the Board moves us around to fill the vacancies. Some of us may have new assignments, but we’ll all land somewhere.”

15

All around the room there were nods of agreement. The atmosphere of gloom gave way to the usual feelings of accomplishment and relief at the end of school.

16

Mr. French offered one more uplifting thought. “Each spring we graduate our eighth graders and send them on to Central High. If they can adjust to a new building, I think we can too.”

17

With that, the teachers adjourned and summer vacation began.

What is the problem which some teachers find upsetting?

A.
A newspaper article reported a census prediction of a population increase.

B.
A newspaper headline stated that a new middle school was planned.

C.
The Board of Education is planning on taking a vote for a new middle school.

D.
The Board of Education is likely to ask Principal Drake to retire.

Which word best describes the author's tone in this excerpt from "that spot" by jack london? i don’t think much of stephen mackaye any more, though i used to swear by him. i know that in those days i loved him more than my own brother. if ever i meet stephen mackaye again, i shall not be responsible for my actions. it passes beyond me that a man with whom i shared food and blanket, and with whom i mushed over the chilcoot trail, should turn out the way he did. i always sized steve up as a square man, a kindly comrade, without an iota of anything vindictive or malicious in his nature. i shall never trust my judgment in men again. why, i nursed that man through typhoid fever; we starved together on the headwaters of the stewart; and he saved my life on the little salmon. and now, after the years we were together, all i can say of stephen mackaye is that he is the meanest man i ever knew. a. excited b. ironic c. indignant d. playful

Monsters of the deep the ocean is full of mysteries and amazing creatures. since the first sailors left their home shores and set off for adventure, stories have been told of the strange and wondrous beasts encountered on the open ocean. with only glimpses and imagination-enhanced stories to go on, humans have made many an interesting creature into a monster. the truth is, the ocean's scariest creatures inhabit such extreme depths that humans are rarely, if ever, threatened by them. that does not mean they are not the stuff of nightmares. consider, if you will, the following frightful fiends. atlantic hagfish part eel, part sea snake, this sea serpent may have inspired many stories. lacking the scales that most fish have, the hagfish secretes the most amazing slime to protect itself. this slime may be used to suffocate predators. the slime includes small fibers that make it almost impossible to remove. but the hagfish's truly horrific nature lies in what it does to its prey, not its predators. with an excellent sense of smell that compensates for almost total blindness, the hagfish will locate and latch on to a victim. with a circle of razor sharp teeth, the hagfish bores a hole into the side of its now-doomed prey. once the hole is complete, the hagfish just welcomes itself inside for a meal of fish innards. it essentially eats its prey from the inside out. like other deep-sea monsters, however, hagfish are seldom a nuisance to humans. they live most of their lives at depths of up to 5,600 feet. in fact, they prefer a soft sea bottom so they can quickly bury themselves to hide from threats. gulper eel another, more hideous, fiend of the deep is the gulper eel. this creepy critter is part eel and part giant pouch. like a pelican's enormous pouch-shaped mouth, the mouth of the gulper eel can open quite wide to gulp prey. it has a long tail tipped with a glowing organ that is used to lure in prey. in part to its tail, the gulper can reach up to six feet in length. because its tail is so thin, it is not able to pursue prey with any speed, but it can scoop up hundreds of small crustaceans or shrimp in one bite. often swimming through these prey groups with its mouth wide open, its large jaws allow it to feed on squid and other creatures much larger than itself. gulper eels have only been studied because they sometimes get caught in the nets of fishermen. the depths they inhabit make it quite difficult for scientists to study them. they can go as deep as 6,000 feet, well beyond the abilities of humans to pursue them. vampire squid perhaps the most frightening of the deep-sea monsters is also the smallest. the vampire squid reaches lengths of only six inches. it is also one of the most ancient of the deep-sea monsters. scientists believe it to be the last surviving member of its order. to see the vampire squid is to wonder how many kinds of sea creatures have been mashed into this one odd-looking spook. part squid, part octopus, and part fish, the vampire squid has features of all of these. first, it has large fins at the top of its head that look like ears. flapping like dumbo, the squid uses these fins to get around. it also has tentacles and a large bulbous head like an octopus. its arms, however, are connected by webbing that allows it to form a cloak around itself when frightened. like the octopus, it can change its colors, even making its cloak so dark that it appears invisible. remarkably, it has the largest eyes compared to its body size of any creature on earth. despite its mere six-inch length, its eyes are as big as those of a large dog. with its glowing orbs of eyes and its disappearing tricks, it's no wonder it's named after one of the most feared creatures of legends and folklore: the vampire. these creatures make one wonder not just about the odd members of the deep-sea community, but also what mysterious things inhabit the regions never visited by humans. what may be lurking in the deepest, darkest corners of the deep blue seas? one thing we know for certain, much like the outrageous monsters we conjure in our worst nightmares, the deep ocean is an equally imaginative source of shock, awe, and outright fright. what are the key differences between the atlantic hagfish and the gulper eel? use details and quotations from the text to support your answer.

How can the reader of a story use the setting of a story to learn more about a charactor