Notes

Exposition is generally found at the beginning of any story. During the exposition, the author introduces the reader to the characters, setting, and central conflict. In The River , author Gary Paulsen's exposition extends through the first three chapters . Within these first three chapters, we meet Brian Robeson and learn he survived on his own while being stranded for nearly two months in the Canadian wilderness, a story Paulsen relays in the first book of the series, Hatchet . In the opening chapter, three men from what they call a "government survival school" come to Brian's home with a proposition. They believe Brian has a special gift that allowed him to become in tune with nature to the extent he did in order to survive. Since the men are teaching survival skills, they want Brian to, as they say, "do it again" so that they can learn from him, watch him think through the challenges he would face in order to survive a second time (p. 3). One of the m...

The answer is A: the center of gravity. This rests on the assumption that the ball is thrown in real space where gravity is a given phenomena that exists. It is difficult to theorise about the way the ball would spin, if indeed it would spin at all, if it were weightless. What could be said is that the ball would appear to be moving away, from the point of view of the person throwing it. Equally, the person throwing it would appear to be moving away from the ball, to any observer that might be sharing the balls perspective. Deep in space, in places far from massive bodies (with gravitational pull), near weightlessness might be experienced. Total weightlessness however may be just a concept. When a ball is thrown on Earth (Earth is a massive object in space, from our point of view at least), it has been found that the flight of the ball follows a path such that its center of gravity runs along a parabola, the parabola curving down to the ground. This is a smooth process - balls in fligh...

This is a difficult question because of the tremendous impact that Maya Angelou had on a number of different areas.  Her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was groundbreaking work of non-fiction.  The book gave voice to the struggles of African-Americans and women and discussed the difficult topic of overcoming sexual abuse.  The book was just the beginning of an accomplished literary career that saw her win Pulitzer Prizes and New York Times Best Seller accolades.  She actually was honored to read one of her works of poetry at President Bill Clinton's Inaugural Address.    Angelou did not just write about the civil rights struggle, she worked hard in the movement itself.  She was very active in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization that was run by Dr. Martin Luther King.  She won a variety of awards for her acting abilities as well.  She was a very talented women that was a source of pride for the African-American community.  Angelou was respected by all...

The earliest known calendar was found in modern day Scotland.  This calendar consisted of twelve pits dug into the ground based on the various moon phases.  This calendar system is about 10,000 years old.  The calendar was created by hunter-gatherers in prehistoric Scotland. The Sumerian people created a calendar which was also based on the phases of the moon.  This calendar had twelve months, which were labeled by numbers.  The new moon signified the beginning of each month.  This calendar was used from around 2000 BC until about 500 BC. The early Egyptian calendar was both a lunar and solar one.  It was primarily based on the moon phases.  The Egyptians also identified three seasons.  Their calendar had 365 days and twelve months.  This calendar was created around 3000 BC. Julius Caesar created the Julian calendar, which was based on the Roman calendar.  This calendar had 365 days within twelve months.  Our modern calendar has many similarities to the Julian calendar.  The Julian cal...

Acid rain is unevenly distributed around the world, and even across some countries, because this weather pattern is highly dependent upon environmental conditions.  As an overriding factor, parts of the world where rain generally does not fall (such as deserts or the poles) are not likely to experience acid rain. More importantly, acid rain is a result of the environmental concentration of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. When these emissions are circulating in the air, they react with water and oxygen to create acids. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide  do  occur naturally as a result of, respectively, volcanic eruptions and lightning strikes. Human activity and industrialization produce relatively large amounts of these emissions and contribute to greater concentrations of these basic ingredients for acid rain.  Most of these emissions released into the environment are the result of burning fossil fuels for energy. In areas where many cars burn gasoline or factories use fossil fuels...

"The Use of Force" by William Carlos Williams is a short story written in the first person. The narrator, like Williams himself, is a doctor. He is paying a house call to a family because their young daughter is sick. He is especially concerned because there has been a local outbreak of diphtheria. In the United States, there were approximately 150,000 cases of diphtheria each year in the United States, with approximately a 10 percent mortality rate. If the young girl has this disease, it is essential that it be diagnosed and treated both for the sake of her own health and for public health, as this disease is highly infectious and could spread through communities quickly. Thus while the doctor is very reluctant to use force, what is at stake is a very important health issue. 

On the yacht heading to South America where they will hunt jaguars, Rainsford and Whitney disagree over hunting. Whitney suggests that the animals they hunt have feelings such as fear and pain. Rainsford totally disregards these ideas and claims the animals have "no understanding" of what is happening to them. Rainsford is a selfish hunter. He views it as his prerogative to hunt down animals. It is, for him, the "best sport in the world" and he certainly isn't going to let thoughts of the animal get in the way of his enjoyment. He tells Whitney, "Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes—the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are the hunters." This conversation provides foreshadowing for Rainsford's later encounter with General Zaroff. The general makes the same basic argument when he explains to Rainsford why he hunts men. He claims it is his right. He is the fittest and strongest. He says, "If I wish to hunt, why should I no...