For 38 years, Senator Billings has been the sturdy ship that has carried our state through turbulent times. He pushed forward through the harsh winds of budget cutbacks. He sailed on through the driving rain of scandals in the capital. He crested and survived the tidal waves of major shifts in trends and culture. Today, on the occasion of his retirement, the greatest thing we can offer is a safe and calm port in which he can securely moor now that his journey is complete. A.
Comparing the senator to a sturdy ship and the state to his passengers helps convey a grateful tone.
B.
Comparing the senator's retirement to a port at the end of a journey helps convey a sad or regretful tone.
C.
Comparing the many challenges Senator Billings faced to a storm helps convey a fearful tone.
D.
Comparing the senator's time in office to a ship at sea helps convey a pleasant and relaxing tone.

Read the excerpt from elie wiesel’s all rivers run to the sea. why were those trains allowed to roll unhindered into poland? why were the tracks leading to birkenau never bombed? i have put these questions to american presidents and generals and to high-ranking soviet officers. since moscow and washington knew what the killers were doing in the death camps, why was nothing done at least to slow down their “production”? that not a single allied military aircraft ever tried to destroy the rail lines converging on auschwitz remains an outrageous enigma to me. birkenau was “processing” ten thousand jews a day. stopping a single convoy for a single night—or even for just a few hours—would have prolonged so many lives. based on the paragraph, the author would most likely agree that it is best to avoid confrontation at all costs. people need to be proactive when they witness an injustice. countries should remain neutral to keep alliances strong. moscow and washington are to be blamed for the holocaust.