Listen. do you hear it? no matter where you are, if you stick your head out a window for a minute or two you'll probably hear a dog barking.
what is it they're trying to say? does that racket actually mean something? why do dogs bark? which best explains how the passage supports the author's purpose?

a) the purpose is to instruct; it provides supporting details about the abilities of dogs.

b) the purpose is to entertain; it uses a humorous tone.

c) the purpose is to inform; it asks a question that will be answered by the text.

d) it is trying to convince you that you are the smartest animal of all.

Read the excerpt from "mother tongue." those tests were constructed around items like fill-in-the-blank sentence completion, such as “even though tom was mary thought he was ” and the correct answer always seemed to be the most bland combinations of thoughts, for example, “even though tom was foolish, mary thought he was ridiculous.” well, according to my mother, there were very few limitations as to what tom could have been and what mary might have thought of him. so i never did well on tests like that. how does tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt? tan discusses the types of questions on achievement tests to support the idea that the tests limit students’ ability to write well. tan explains a question on a language achievement test to support the idea that the tests should include more interesting content. tan gives an example of her experience with achievement tests to support the idea that they are not always accurate measures of language ability. tan considers how her mother might answer a question on a test to support the idea that nonstandard english limits a person’s ability to communicate.

Part 2: thoreau’s ideas had a profound effect on a man named gandhi. gandhi, was a leader in india who worked to end british rule. he led india to independence and inspired many to non-violent forms of protest and resistance. he fought to end poverty, worked to expand women's right to vote, and built bridges between ethnic and religious groups. like thoreau, he lived simply, owned very little, and ate a vegetarian diet. in india, gandhi's form of protest was called the "non-cooperation movement." he urged indians to boycott british education systems and leave government jobs. the movement was very popular, and in part to stop its spread, the british controlled government arrested him. after a few years, he was released and became active in politics again. he inspired many to follow him on marches to protest various taxes. on one such march, thousands followed him 240 miles over 24 days to the sea to protest a salt tax. this march set the example of non-violent resistance to the government that others in the country followed. eventually india won independence from britain, in large part because of gandhi work. gandhi's model of resistance and reform was creative, appealing, and successful. as a result, dr. martin luther king looked to gandhi when the time came to find a way to resist segregation in the south. the lunch counter protests, famous for the passive response to anger, and even violence, aimed to end the separation enforced by laws in some regions of the south. king also organized walks, marches, and bus rides that were meant to bring attention to the issues facing african americans. these forms of protest were directly modeled on gandhi's, but king took them straight to the source of oppression. where gandhi's protests created awareness and built momentum, king's protests were in the face of great hatred and fear. the passive, non-violent protests were ultimately effective, mainly because the passive response to violence cast the opposition as brutes. however, change came slowly and at the cost of many lives. king remained committed to peaceful protest, however, until his death. king learned from gandhi, expanding on what worked, applying old techniques to a new problem. gandhi owed his philosophy, in part, to a new england poet who loved the woods. read this sentence from part 2: like thoreau, he lived simply, owned very little, and ate a vegetarian diet. what is the point of this sentence? gandhi and thoreau had similar childhoods. gandhi had many admirable qualities. thoreau and gandhi were very similar. thoreau had a simple life compared to others.

2. read the excerpt from martin luther king, jr.'s nobel peace prize acceptance speech: i accept this award today with an abiding faith in america and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. i refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. i refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. i refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. i refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. i refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. i believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. this is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. i believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. i believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. i have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. i believe that what self-centered men have torn down other-centered men can build up. i still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of god and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land. "and the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid." i still believe that we shall overcome! instructions: create an outline for a speech that connects a theme from this excerpt to your own life. in the first part of the outline, organize an explanation of what king's theme means. in the second part of the outline, organize your explanation of how this theme connects to at least one event from your life. the first and second parts of your outline do not need to be of equal length. throughout the outline, be sure to cite or describe specific evidence from the text or from your personal experiences. also, organize ideas appropriately, develop your argument with relevant information, and provide a concluding section. (15 points)