How is Bilbo a hero in “The Hobbit”?

August 22, 2018 Educator

MATH

Determine algebraically whether the graph of the equation 4x^2+y^2=36 has line symmetry or…

Hello! The equation is 4×2+y2=36.4×2+y2=36. The central (point) symmetry with respect to the origin moves a point with the coordinates (x, y) to the point (-x, -y). If a point (x_1, y_1) satisfies…

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THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN

What are some character traits of Junior in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian?

In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, the narrator and protagonist Junior is a 14-year-old boy living on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He is a smart kid who loves school, and as…

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

How does the relationship between Jem and Scout change in the first seven chapters of “To Kill A…

The relationship between Jem and Scout starts out in the beginning of the book as a typical sibling relationship, the typical brother/sister “I love you and I hate you” at the same time. Scout is…

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SCIENCE

Is there a reaction mechanism for distilling wine into brandy and what is it?

No. No chemical reaction occurs when wine is distilled into brandy. Distillation is a separation technique that uses differences in volatility, or the inclination a substance has to vaporize, to…

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MEDEA

How does the attitude of women in Medea differ from that of women today?

The attitude displayed by Medea is not necessarily all that different from what is felt and displayed by some women today. The strong-minded, half-supernatural Medea was just an extreme case; but…

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THE CANTERBURY TALES

How do Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales portray the middle class in the Middle Ages? Please tell where…

At the time that Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, the plague had killed many people, and the society began to change as there was much conflict and social upheaval, with a middle class arising…

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OEDIPUS REX

Can anyone please tell me what I would need to say or include in a letter from The Chorus in…

To a certain degree, this depends on at what point in the play they are writing the letter. If you assume that they are writing at the beginning of the play, they might want to cover the following…

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THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN

Why did Sherman Alexie choose the title The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

Sherman Alexie’s work of young-adult fiction, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is about fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit, Jr.’s struggle with his identity as he moves to a new…

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HISTORY

According to Jefferson, in his First Inaugural Address, what is the sacred principle of American…

Thomas Jefferson made his First Inaugural Address on March 4 1801 after being elected the third president of the United States. According to his speech, the sacred principle of the government was…

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THE OUTSIDERS

What is Johnny’s main message in his letter to Ponyboy in The Outsiders?

Towards the end of the story, Ponyboy opens the novel Gone With the Wind and a slip of paper falls out of the book. The slip of paper is actually a note that Johnny had written to Ponyboy while he…

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HISTORY

How did Islam first reach Ghana?

Between the Eighth and Eleventh Centuries, powerful rulers emerged in West Africa in an area that was called Wagadu. Muslim traders coined the word Ghana for this powerful kingdom. The kingdom…

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THE GIVER

In the book The Giver, does the community have contact with outlying communities?

In The Giver, there is discussion of other communities in the very first chapter, in the scene in which Jonas’ family has the after-dinner ritual, “the evening telling of feelings” (5). Lily…

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THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

Why does Holden watch the game from the hill in The Catcher in the Rye?

When the novel opens, Holden is standing on top of a hill looking down at the football players and the fans. He gives two reasons why he is on the hill rather than down at the game, but neither…

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OF MICE AND MEN

Why are George and Lennie different from other guys who work on ranches?

George and Lennie are like the other men in every way, except in one very significant way. They are friends. In Steinbeck’s book, one of the most significant and tragic points is that there are no…

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A ROSE FOR EMILY

How does Emily react to her father’s death in “A Rose for Emily”?

Emily’s reaction to the death of her father is one of denial and clinging to unrealistic expectations; it is also very telling of her state of mind and serves as a foreshadowing of what is to come…

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ROMEO AND JULIET

When did Juliet get married?

Juliet marries only once during the play. Friar Lawrence marries Romeo and Juliet in Act 2, Scene 5, in the hopes of uniting the Montague and Capulet families. Timing wise, the marriage takes…

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HAMLET

How can I analyze Horatio’s last speech in Act 5 Scene 2 of Hamlet?

The reference is to what Horatio says soon after Claudius’ and Laertes’ devious plot for the swordfight between Laertes and Hamlet is discovered. Both men have been poisoned and Queen Gertrude is…

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HISTORY

How has the world benefited from Malcolm X? 1 image

Malcolm X was a black nationalist who claimed that African-Americans will never achieve equality in a society dominated by Christian whites. He believed that black people needed to create their…

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BY THE WATERS OF BABYLON

Trying to connect “The Monkeys Paw” and “By The Waters of Babylon” through the theme of…

The theme of temptation is very clearly seen in “The Monkey’s Paw.” The White family is tempted by Morris’s tale of how the monkey’s paw can grant three wishes to its holder. They are…

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THE ODYSSEY

What significant ghost does Odysseus speak with in the land of the dead?

The most significant figure Odysseus encounters in the underworld (Book 11 of the Odyssey) is Achilles, the central character from Homer’s Iliad. Achilles, a demigod, was the greatest Greek…

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THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, what causes Holden to almost “neck” with Jane?

Chapter 11 is where Holden discusses Jane Gallagher the most. He talks about what a great figure she has and how good looking she is, but his mother doesn’t think that Jane is pretty. He likes her…

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CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

How do the workers work in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl tells of a boy who wins a tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, which ultimately leads him to inherit the factory from its eccentric owner, Willy…

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THE GREAT GATSBY

Why was the party in Chapter Six different for Nick?

One of the reasons this party is different from the others is that Tom is there. Nick notes, “Perhaps his presence gave the evening its peculiar quality of oppressiveness—it stands out in my…

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HISTORY

Why did Madison propose a new plan of government with three branches? What was he trying to achieve?

James Madison proposed a plan of government that would have three branches. One of the big concerns the writers of the Constitution had was to create a new plan of government that would be stronger…

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A CHRISTMAS CAROL

What does Scrooge think of Fezziwig?

As a youth Scrooge was very fond of “old Fezziwig.” This affection is evinced when the Spirit of Christmas Past shows Scrooge scenes from his youth as he worked for Fezziwig. In one particular…

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FREAK THE MIGHTY

What story does Freak tell Max when they first meet?

This is a confusing question because most of the adventures of Max and Kevin as “Freak the Mighty” happen during the summer before eighth grade as well as during their eighth grade year. In…

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THE GREAT GATSBY

What is Fitzgerald’s attitude towards Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby?

Portrayed as a rather pretentious character, Myrtle Wilson is a person who is servile towards wealth, and she captures the excessive worship of materialism of the Jazz Age. Fitzgerald uses this…

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THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO

How reliable or unreliable do you consider the narrator? And why?

Montresor appears to have written a letter to a close friend whom he addresses as “You, who so well know the nature of my soul.” In other words, he is not addressing a general audience. The story…

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OF MICE AND MEN

How does Lennie act with other people?

Lennie is arguably the nicest person in the whole novella. There are several times when people call him a “hell of a nice guy.” For example, in a conversation between Slim and George, George says…

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THE CANTERBURY TALES

How does the Wife of Bath in The Canterbury Tales represent the semi-independent women of the…

The Wife of Bath represented a semi-independent woman of that time period in the sense of her career, wealth, and relations. She worked as a seamstress, which seems fitting as she came from the…

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THE LOTTERY

How does Jackson lull us into thinking that “The Lottery” is just an ordinary story with an…

In “The Lottery,” Jackson lulls us into thinking that this is an ordinary town through her descriptions in the opening few paragraphs. It is an ordinary summer day, for example, and the townspeople…

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

In chapter 24 of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout learns something about a true lady….

Jean Louis “Scout” Finch is growing up as what used to be called a “tomboy,” a female who enjoyed activities and a physical appearance more commonly associated with males, such as in her choice of…

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SCIENCE

If the sun had a gravitational pull, how come the sun doesn’t suck in our planet?

The linear or tangential speed of the movement of the Earth, in its orbit, prevents that the Earth from being absorbed by the gravitational pull of the Sun. Actually the Earth is falling toward the…

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

In To Kill a Mockingbird, What is the importance of Atticus? How is he linked to Scout. Use…

Atticus is important in the novel in many ways. First, he is the lawyer who defends Tom Robinson against pressure, racism, and persecution. By doing so, he is the exemplar of courage and justice….

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LYDDIE

What are three similes from the first three chapters of Lyddie?

A simile is a type of figurative language that uses a direct comparison. You say that something is like something else. Similes usually have the words “like” or “as” used to compare two…

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ROMEO AND JULIET

Why shouldn’t Juliet marry Paris in Romeo and Juliet?

In Shakespeare’s timeless classic “Romeo and Juliet,” the tradition of marrying for wealth and royalty is highlighted. Juliet is a young (13-year-old) girl who comes from a wealthy, royal line of…

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DEATH OF A SALESMAN

Compare the theme of betrayal between ‘Death of a Salesman’ and ‘King Lear’.

This is a massive theme in each work, so I will just give you a quick sense of it. In King Lear, the king betrays his youngest daughter Cordelia by taking away her inheritance because she will not…

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

In Chapter 15, what was Atticus’ motivation for being at the jail that evening?

Atticus leaves his home to sit outside Tom Robinson’s jail cell the night before the trial as a precaution. He is motivated to keep Tom safe, so that Tom will have a chance to tell the “truth”…

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LYDDIE

What is the gist of chapter 3 in Lyddie by Katherine Paterson?

By “gist” I believe that you are asking for a short summary of chapter three. In chapter three, Lyddie has just arrived at Cutler’s Tavern. Lyddie is to be a new serving girl at the tavern….

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What are three ways Atticus is understanding throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird? How does…

Atticus is a moral, understanding character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several scenes throughout the novel that display Atticus’ understanding of his family and the community…

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SCIENCE

What 5 characteristics make a fossil a worthy index fossil?

Index fossils are remains of organisms that lived for a short period of time. Thus, index fossils help scientists date fossils and geological features based on relative dating. Such fossils are…

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A ROSE FOR EMILY

Why did William Faulkner write the story “A Rose for Emily”?

While it’s almost impossible to know exactly why any author or writer writes something—it is simply their craft, their art—by studying Faulkner’s background and writing style, we can gather…

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A ROSE FOR EMILY

Why did William Faulkner write the story “A Rose for Emily”?

David Minter’s book William Faulkner: His Life and Work (1980) offers very interesting insight on the life of author William Faulkner, particularly on how the stories he heard in his youth…

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ANIMAL FARM

How are Joseph Stalin and Napoleon of Animal Farm by George Orwell alike?

In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the pig Napoleon was based on the U.S.S.R.’s brutal leader, Joseph Stalin. Both Stalin and Napoleon were power hungry and put power above everything else. Napoleon…

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MACBETH

List 5 things you would preserve at King Duncan’s murder scene in Macbeth.

King Duncan is murdered by Macbeth in Macbeth’s castle. Of course, at the time in which the play is set there were no forensic capabilities, so it would be a lot harder to prove a murder than it is…