During the first, or dilation, stage of the birth process, the uterus contracts, and the cervix flattens and dilates to allow the fetus to pass through. This labor stage can last from about two to sixteen hours, or even longer; it tends to be longer with the first child. When the contractions start, they usually come at approximately fifteen- to twenty-minute intervals and are generally mild. Near the end of this first stage, the contractions change, becoming more difficult, longer, and more frequent. This period, lasting about an hour, is called “transition” and is the most difficult part of labor for many women. The second stage of birth involves the actual delivery of the baby. This expulsion stage is quite variable and can last anywhere from two to sixty minutes or more. In the average delivery, the baby’s head appears first, an event referred to as crowning. The rest of the body soon follows. The third stage of the birth process involves the delivery of the placenta (or afterbirth) and fetal membranes. During this stage, mild contractions continue for some time. They help decrease the blood flow to the uterus andreduce the uterus to normal size. One Transition that signals the pattern of organization is ________________.

The invitation we sent our parents to attend a friend’s birthday party was a ___. We were actually giving a surprise party in honor of their anniversary.

I thought the handyman was being ___ when he said he had to cut a bigger hole in my wall in order to fix the little hole, but that’s exactly what he did.

When their young daughter died last year, the Baker’s found ________ with a support group of other parents who had lost a child.

Answer the supporting-detail questions that follow the textbook passage below.1Conflict is an inevitable part of every person’s life. 2Everyone deals with conflict in a more or less individual manner. 3At the same time, five general patterns of reacting to conflict can be identified. 4One such pattern is withdrawal, the physical or psychological removal from a conflict situation. 5Another manner of dealing with conflict is surrender, giving in immediately to another’s wishes in order to avoid an argument. 6Aggression is a third way to deal with conflict. 7Those favoring aggressive behavior try to force other people to accept the aggressor’s opinions. 8Conflict also can be dealt with through persuasion, or attempting to change the behavior or attitude of another person. 9A final means of dealing with conflict is discussion, or verbal problem solving, in which the pros and cons of the issue in conflict are weighed and considered. The fourth major detail of the paragraph is introduced in sentence _____.

The main ideas of the following paragraphs appear at different locations. Identify the sentence (number) that expresses the main idea of this paragraph. 1When people in organizations are asked, “Which skills most need to be strengthened?” they often voice strong opinions. 2Several years ago, Fortune magazine surveyed many successful corporate executives to determine what subjects business schools should teach. 3The answer hits home: “Teach them to write better,” said executive after executive. 4Another report indicates that “according to surveys of top officials in major American corporations, the greatest need among managers at all levels is to become more effective speakers and writers. . . . 5The time and money wasted—not to mention the clients lost—by poor writing are staggering in scope.” 6Even businesses in the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—are eager to hire English majors because of their skills in research, writing, and communication. 7Clearly, the experience of business executives suggests that American schools should do a better job of teaching communication skills. Main Idea is sentence number _____.

Rules of __________________ change over the years. for instance, my grandmother says that a lady always wears a hat to church, but few young women do so nowadays.

The main ideas of the following paragraphs appear at different locations. Identify the sentence (number) that expresses the main idea of this paragraph. 1The list of the ten deadliest animals, as determined by the group Live Science, contains many of the fearsome killers you’d expect, and a few that you’ve probably never heard of. 2African lions, number five on the list, and great white sharks, number four, are well known for their killer instincts. 3Few people ever choose to tangle with an Australian saltwater crocodile, number six, or a 16,000-pound African elephant, number seven. 4More than 50,000 people die every year from snakebite, and the leading assassin in the snake world is he Asian cobra, which puts it at number two. 5You’d have to be in some very specific corners of the world to run afoul of a cape buffalo, number nine, or a polar bear, number eight. 6One deadly creature that you might not expect to find on the list is the poison dart frog, number ten. 7Don’t pet the cute amphibian, however, because the slime on its back is deadly enough to kill ten people. 8The Australian box jellyfish is beautiful and graceful in the water, but each of its many fifteen-foot-long tentacles has enough toxins to kill sixty humans, which puts it all the way up at number 3. 9The most deadly animal of all is not exotic. 10In fact, you have probably done battle with it many times. 11Nevertheless, it’s responsible for millions of deaths every year by infecting people with the parasites that cause malaria. 12Yes, the most deadly animal on the planet is the mosquito. Main Idea is sentence number _____. 

Choose if the boldfaced word is used correctly or incorrectly. Ricardo writes thoughtful essays and then spoils them by handing in a meticulous final draft filled with spelling and typing errors.

Choose if the boldfaced word is used correctly or incorrectly. It is imperative that my mother get her cholesterol level down, as she is now at risk of a heart attack.