Joan bought a business machine for $15,000. In a later year, she sold the machine for $12,800 when the total allowable depreciation is $8,500. The depreciation actually taken on the tax returns totaled $8,000. Joan must recognize a gain (or loss) of

Jamie sells investment real estate for $80,000, resulting in a $15,000 loss. Jamie’s loss is

Patrick’s records for the current year contain the following information: -He donated stock having a fair market value of $5,000 to a qualified charitable organization. Patrick acquired the stock two years ago at a cost of $3,000. -He donated 20 hours of his time as a professional plumber to a qualified charitable organization. He bills his time to his customers at $50 per hour. -He also donated $7,500 cash to a qualified charitable organization. Patrick’s adjusted gross income for the year is $100,000. What is the amount of his charitable contribution deduction?

Sammie and Will split a pizza for dinner. If Sammie eats ​ of the pizza and Will eats ​ of the pizza, how much pizza is left?

Three friends are working on an arts and crafts project that uses 1 pound of clay. If the first friend uses ​ of the clay and the second friend uses ​ of the clay, how much does the third friend use?

The following is an excerpt written about World War I By Vernon Bartlett   (1) Those at home in England, with their experience of war books and photographs, of Zeppelin raids and crowded hospitals, are beginning to imagine they know all there is to know about war. The truth is that they still have but little idea of the life in the trenches, and, as far as mud is concerned, they are delightfully ignorant. They do not know what mud is.   (2) They have read of Napoleon’s “Fourth Element,” they have listened to long descriptions of mud in Flanders and France, they have raised incredulous eyebrows at tales of men being drowned in the trenches, they have given a fleeting thought of pity for the soldiers “out there” as they have slushed home through the streets on rainy nights; but they have never realised what mud means, for no photograph can tell its slimy depth, and even the pen of a Zola or a Victor Hugo could give no adequate idea of it.   (3) It is the infantryman who suffers most, for he has to live, eat, sleep, and work in the mud. The plain of dragging slime that stretches from Switzerland to the sea is far worse to face than the fire of machine guns or the great black trench-mortar bombs that come twisting down through the air. It is more terrible than the frost and the rain—you cannot even stamp your feet to drive away the insidious chill that mud always brings. Nothing can keep it from your hands and face and clothes; there is no taking off your boots to dry in the trenches—you must lie down just as you are, and often you are lucky if you have two empty sandbags under you to save you from the cold embrace of the swamp.   While making a point that those who had never served in WWI could not truly know the horrors of the front, the author assumes that:

Whenever there was a convenient goosepond on the way to school, the children of less than one hundred years ago used to stop there to hunt for goose quills. They carried these to the teacher, and with his penknife—which took its name from the work it did—he cut them into the shape of pens. The points soon wore out, and “Teacher, will you please mend my pen?” was a frequent request.   When people began to make pens of steel, they made them as nearly like quill pens as possible, with pen and holder all in one. These were called “barrel pens.” They were stiff, hard, and expensive, especially as the whole thing was useless as soon as the pen was worn out, but they were highly esteemed because they lasted longer than quills and did not have to be mended. After a while, separate pens were manufactured that could be slipped into a holder; and one improvement after another followed until little by little the cheap, convenient writing tool that we have to-day was produced.   This passage is primarily concerned with describing:

Healthy sleep habits positively benefit a person’s productivity and mood during the day.     Which of the following is the most effective revision for the underlined portion of the sentence?

Mrs. Collins is baking cookies for the 3 first-grade classes. She wants to give an equal number of cookies to each class and she will keep the leftovers at home for her 2 boys. If her recipe makes 56 cookies, how many cookies will each of her boys receive?

(1) If you are a citizen of the United States, you will likely be called to serve on a jury at some point. A jury is a group of ordinary citizens, randomly selected from a list of registered voters and drivers, who listen to a court case and decide which side wins.   (2) The courts officially call this responsibility “jury service,” and it is an opportunity to serve your country. Many agree that it is important for ordinary citizens to be part of the court system because citizens must have a voice in a democracy. Because the government wants citizens to serve, it won’t allow your boss to penalize you if you must miss work for jury service. In addition, the government even pays you for the days you serve.   (3) However, people often call this responsibility “jury duty.” It is something you are required to do and it can present difficulties. Even though you are allowed to be away from your job, you may be responsible for the work you missed. For parents who stay home with young children, there is the complication of needing childcare. Some think that the payment (anywhere from two to 50 dollars per day, depending on the state) is not enough to make jury duty worth the hassle.   (4) Whether citizens view being a juror as an opportunity or an inconvenience, one day you will probably be called to serve. Since it is a crime to avoid serving on a jury, you might as well enjoy learning about the court system.   Paragraph 2 of the selection is mainly concerned with which of the following?