Answer the following questions based on the reading below: The Cost of Convenience In today’s fast-paced world, convenience often comes at a hidden cost. Many people rely on food delivery apps, same-day shipping, and subscription services to save time. These services promise speed and ease, but they also have serious consequences. One major effect of convenience culture is increased waste. Fast shipping requires more packaging, often using plastic or non-recyclable materials. Food delivery adds to this problem, with single-use containers and utensils that quickly end up in landfills. Another impact is on workers. The demand for speed means delivery drivers and warehouse workers are pressured to meet strict deadlines, sometimes risking their health. Convenience also reduces face-to-face interaction. Shopping in stores, borrowing from libraries, and dining in restaurants have been replaced with apps and screens. As a result, people may feel more isolated, even if they are constantly connected online. While convenience can be helpful, it is important to ask: What are we giving up in exchange for saving time? What is the main pattern of organization used in this passage?

What is the purpose of irony in literature?

The Last Safe Place When I was a child, the library was the safest place I knew. It was not just because of the quiet or the smell of old pages. It was because no one asked difficult questions there. No one demanded answers or judged you for not knowing something. At home, questions often felt like tests, things I had to get exactly right to avoid disappointment. At school, questions sometimes felt like traps designed to catch me in mistakes or make me feel small. But the library? The library gave me freedom. It was a place where I could be curious without pressure, where I could explore ideas without fear of being wrong. Some people argue that libraries are outdated. After all, we have the internet. With just a click, I can read news, borrow eBooks, or watch lectures anytime I want. But the library is more than access to information. It is access to belonging. It remains one of the few places where you can come in, sit quietly without paying, read without judgment, and simply exist without having to prove yourself. When I was thirteen, I read every book on Greek mythology in my small-town library. I did not understand why I was drawn to those stories then, but later I realized I needed stories bigger than my own life. The gods in those myths were cruel and flawed, yet they made sense to me. They had rules. They had power. They had order. The library gave me that power. It taught me how to ask better questions not just about the world but about myself. It did not just help me escape my troubles. It helped me return to them with new understanding and strength. Today, I worry that libraries are seen as luxuries rather than necessities. That faster, cheaper digital options will replace them. But what happens when we lose the last place that expects nothing from us? The last place where silence is not emptiness but possibility? What prereading strategy would help a student prepare for this passage?

“Time is a thief that steals our moments.” What type of figurative language is this? 

“The leaves danced in the wind.” What is this an example of?

What is a reasonable prediction about what Anastasia might do next?

What does a simile do?

What is bias?

(1)    When you think of a modern family, what do you picture?  Does the family live in a house with the latest appliances and technology?  Are the refrigerator and cupboards stocked with the latest packaged foods?  Do the family members drive the latest SUVs and luxury cars?  Perhaps for some, this would be a perfect family situation.  But for others, who follow the model of an eco-family, this would be far from ideal. (2)    What is an eco-family?  An eco-family is an everyday family that has decided to follow a set of principles in their everyday lives that helps them protect the environment.  An eco-family may try to avoid using too much electricity whenever possible.  An eco-family may also try to avoid using plastic products and other products that aren’t biodegradable.  Rather than buying new items all the time, an eco-family will try to reuse older items or try to find a new use for older items, rather than throwing them away.  Finally, an eco-family will try to reduce its use of fossil fuels.  Again, an eco-family follows these guidelines not just to save money but to also to help to preserve the environment. (3)    Members of an eco-family can easily meet the standards in the paragraph above. For example, they know that an increase in the use of electricity affects global warming, the rise in the average temperature across the world.  A simple solution an eco-family follows is to turn off the lights in rooms that aren’t being used and to unplug appliances when they aren’t in use.  Members of an eco-family also know that plastic bags and other plastic items such as Tupperware don’t biodegrade which causes an increase of garbage in landfills.  Therefore, instead of using plastic bags at a grocery store, they will bring their own canvas bags to take their groceries home in.   ( 4)   Some of the solutions to following the set of principles require a little more thought, imagination and/or money.  For instance, rather than throwing out an appliance that no longer works, members of an eco-family will take the time to find someone who can repair it.  They may also try to find another use for an item. For example, an old fishing tackle box may become a container for organizing paints and paintbrushes. Last, in order to use less fossil fuel, members of an eco-family may decide to purchase a hybrid car, a car that runs on both gas and electricity. These types of cars often average 50 miles to the gallon which greatly reduces gas bills. However, these cars may be expensive to purchase.  A less costly way to meet this goal is to take public transportation. (5)    Many of these changes are not easy to make, especially because our society encourages us to buy more products and to spend more money. However, families with a commitment to the environment have made a choice to live their lives in a different way. Perhaps not all families can make as many of the changes that are listed here.  Everyone, though, can easily turn off lights that are not in use and make an important contribution in that way. What is the main idea of the passage?

Which of the following best describes Aldric’s teaching style?