Read the following excerpt from "I Sell a Dog" by Mark Twain:Twenty-four dollars a week would really have been riches to us if we hadn't had to support that jug; because of the jug we were always sailing pretty close to the wind.What is the role of the idiom in this sentence?A.To explain how the partners' fortunes were dependent on an outside forceB.To explain that bad habits are creating a bad financial situationC.To show that Twain was used to living a hand-to-mouth existenceD.To communicate Twain's disapproval of Swinton's fondness for whiskeySUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Read these lines from Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi:This ["cub"-engineer] had money, too, and hair oil. . . . If ever a youth was cordially admired and hated by his comrades, this one was. No girl could withstand his charms. He "cut out" every boy in the village. When his boat blew up at last, it diffused a tranquil contentment among us such as we had not known for months. But when he came home the next week, alive, renowned, and appeared in church all battered up and bandaged, a shining hero, stared at and wondered over by everybody, it seemed to us that the partiality of Providence for an undeserving reptile had reached a point where it was open to criticism.What is one effect of the irony in this passage?A.It exaggerates the appeal of the "cub"-engineer and the effect he has on girls and boys in the village.B.It makes fun of the notion that the "cub"-engineer held a popular job but was popular only because of the accident.C.It creates humor in that God's favor seems unpredictable and unexplainable to the young boys.D.It pokes fun at the unexpected outcome of the accident: The "cub"-engineer is now even more desirable.SUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Read these lines from Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi:This ["cub"-engineer] had money, too, and hair oil. . . . If ever a youth was cordially admired and hated by his comrades, this one was. No girl could withstand his charms. He "cut out" every boy in the village. When his boat blew up at last, it diffused a tranquil contentment among us such as we had not known for months. But when he came home the next week, alive, renowned, and appeared in church all battered up and bandaged, a shining hero, stared at and wondered over by everybody, it seemed to us that the partiality of Providence for an undeserving reptile had reached a point where it was open to criticism.What is one effect of the irony in this passage?A.It creates humor in that God's favor seems unpredictable and unexplainable to the young boys.B.It pokes fun at the unexpected outcome of the accident: The "cub"-engineer is now even more desirable.C.It makes fun of the notion that the "cub"-engineer held a popular job but was popular only because of the accident.D.It exaggerates the appeal of the "cub"-engineer and the effect he has on girls and boys in the village.

Early on, Twain says his young friends had "transient ambitions," meaning that                *10 pointsthey only wanted to work on the river and would not consider any other jobs.they frequently changed their minds about what they wanted to do.they knew they had to go to school for many years to reach their goal.

Read the following excerpt from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain:I went meekly aboard a few of the boats that lay packed together like sardines at the long St. Louis wharf, and humbly inquired for the pilots, but got only a cold shoulder and short words from mates and clerks.How does Twain use an idiom in this excerpt?A.To show how Twain was deliberately made to feel unwelcomeB.To show a contrast between Twain's expectation and the reality of the situationC.To compare two unlike things, boats and sardines, by using the word likeD.To describe the way that the mates and clerks tapped Twain on the shoulder

Read the passage and answer the question based on it.A fact that draws our attention is that, according to his position in life, an extravagant man is either admired or loathed. A successful business man does nothing to increase his popularity by being prudent with his money. A person who is wealthy is expected to lead a luxurious life and to be lavish with his hospitality. If he is not so, he is considered mean, and his reputation in business may even suffer in consequence. The paradox remains that he had not been careful with his money in the first place; he would never have achieved his present wealth.Among the low income group, a different set of values exists. The young clerk, who makes his wife a present of a new dress when he has not paid his house rent, is condemned as extravagant. Carefulness with money to the point of meanness is applauded as a virtue. Nothing in his life is considered more worthy than paying his bills. The ideal wife for such a man separates her housekeeping money into joyless little piles – so much for rent, for food, for the children’s shoes, she is able to face the milkman with equanimity every, month satisfied with her economizing ways , and never knows the guilt of buying something she can't really afford . As for myself, I fall neither of these categories. If I have money to spare I can be extravagant, but when, as is usually the case, I am hard up and then I am the meanest man imaginable.QUESTIONThe word ‘paradox’ in the last sentence of the first paragraph meansStatement based on the popular opinionA statement that seems self-contradictory but in reality expresses a possible truth.Statement based on factsA word that brings out the hidden meaningNone of the above