What game does Waverly learn to play?

In short, Waverly learns to play chess. However, the game of chess is related to her life in many ways.

In the beginning of the story, Waverly's mother teaches her daughter the art of invisible strength.  This idea is defined as a way to win arguments and respect from others.  Waverly's mother wants her daughter to be prepared for life. 

On Christmas, Waverly's brothers receive a gift from church. One of her brothers gets a chess set.  Her brothers stop playing shortly thereafter, but Waverly continues and excels.  In fact, she uses the art of invisible strength to play chess. Waverly becomes an national sensation. 

Later conflict with her mother ensues, and Waverly rebels. When she comes home, she knows that her greatest opponent is right before her, her mother. So, she thinks about what she will do. The story ends with these words:

I closed my eyes and pondered my next move.

From this perspective, she learned chess but also more importantly how to interact with people and prevail. 

Find one example of hyperbole in Romeo and Juliet Act 3, Scene 3.

When Romeo finds out he is banished from Verona, he reacts with hyberbole, saying to the friar:

There is no world without Verona walls

But purgatory, torture, hell itself.

Hence “banishèd” is banished from the world,

And world’s exile is death. Then “banishèd,” 

Is death mistermed. Calling death “banishment,”

Thou cutt’st my head off with a golden ax

And smilest upon the stroke that murders me.

He defines the "world" as Verona, which is clearly an exaggeration of Verona's importance, and he uses hyperbole to describe his banishment, saying it is the equivalent of purgatory, torture and hell. He calls his exile death. Finally, he states that banishment is the same as cutting off his head with a golden axe while smiling at him. He uses this level of exaggeration--after all, he isn't having his head cut off and he isn't going to hell--because he knows that his exile will separate him from his beloved, Juliet. He shows how deeply in love he is by expressing his anguish in the strongest, most over-the-top terms possible. This reveals much about his depth of passion and shows his impetuous nature. 

What has influenced Holden Caulfield's character development and in what way(s)?

Holden Caulfield's character development is mostly influenced by his little brother Allie's death 2-3 years previous to the current time period of the story. Throughout Holden's adventures, everything always seems to come back to the fact that he hasn't dealt with the death of his brother in a healthy way. He never got the mental and emotional help he needed after Allie's death; and this is the foundation upon which his mental breakdown builds. For example, Holden does not take Allie's death well from the moment he died, as shown in the following passage:

"I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken. . ." (39).

Clearly, Holden needed immediate psychological help, but he only received a cast and was shipped back to prep school where he would wallow in grief alone. After that, Holden can't seem to apply himself to his school work and he sees everyone as phonies--fake people he can't trust. When he gets kicked out of his third school, Pencey, this is where the book starts and there has already been too much time pass with Holden stewing in his grief. The effect? Holden goes AWOL (absent without leave) and places himself in some scary and life-threatening situations for three days as he avoids facing his parents about getting kicked out of school again. 

Phoebe, his little sister, is the only person with whom Holden discusses Allie in detail, as follows:

"I know he's dead! Don't you think I know that? I can still like him, though, can't I? Just because somebody's dead, you don't just stop liking them, for God's sake-especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that're alive and all" (171).

The above passage shows Holden trying to come to grips with his feelings that no one could ever be as nice or as real as his brother Allie. Everyone else is a phony except for maybe the nuns that he met having breakfast at a diner one morning and his little sister. If everyone was not phony in Holden's mind, then he probably would have reached out to his parents or a school counselor for help; but as it was, he felt alone and needed to take matters into his own hands and run away. 

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout tells us that when Calpurnia stays overnight at the Finches', she sleeps on a cot in the kitchen. Why do you think...

Calpurnia’s cot is an example of how segregation extends into every corner of Maycomb, including the Finch house.

The Finches obviously have a spare bedroom.  Aunt Alexandra has to sleep somewhere when she comes to stay with them.  When Calpurnia stays at the house, she does not sleep in a spare bedroom.

When Calpurnia stayed overnight with us she slept on a folding cot in the kitchen; that morning it was covered with our Sunday habiliments. (Ch. 12)

Why does Calpurnia sleep in the kitchen?  She is black, and the Finch family is white.  As egalitarian as Atticus Finch is, he is probably not going to let a black woman sleep in a regular bedroom in his house.  It would attract attention.  After all, his sister Alexandra would probably have a fit about it.

Although Cal is treated well and almost as an equal by Atticus, she is not completely equal.  There is a great divide between Calpurnia’s personal life and her professional life as the Finch family housekeeper.  At the black church, Lula confronts Calpurnia for bringing her charges—her white charges.

“I wants to know why you bringin‘ white chillun to nigger church.”

“They’s my comp’ny,” said Calpurnia. Again I thought her voice strange: she was talking like the rest of them.

“Yeah, an‘ I reckon you’s comp’ny at the Finch house durin’ the week.” (Ch. 12)

Scout is surprised that Calpurnia's diction changes when she is at church.  She speaks like the rest of the white people at the Finches' house most of the time, but when she is among her fellow black community speaking like that would seem like putting on airs. 

Another example of this is when Scout asks to visit Calpurnia’s house.  Calpurnia is dismissive to her.  There is a segregation between blacks and whites in Maycomb, and it is very hard to break through.

Name three pieces of land lost by Germany under the Treaty of Versailles.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28 1919, Germany was forced to surrender much of its territory. One of these was the province of Alsace-Lorraine, which had been annexed by the German Empire in 1871, and which the Germans were forced to return to France. In addition, Germany also lost parts of West Prussia and Silesia when these were granted to Poland. Thirdly, Germany also lost the Hultschin District which was given to Czechoslovakia. (See the reference link provided). 

In total, historians have estimated that Germany forfeited 13 percent of its European territory (amounting to 27,000 square miles) as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. This affected approximately 6.5 to 7 million people, around one-tenth of the German population. (See the second reference link provided). 

How did the Four Olds relate to the goals of the Communist Party?

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the Communist party sought to attack and destroy the Four Olds of Chinese culture. These were Old Customs, Old Habits, Old Ideas, and Old Culture. The failure of Mao's Great Leap Forward had damaged his standing in the Communist party as well as the public's opinion of him, so he gave societal reform one more try with the Cultural Revolution. By destroying the Four Olds, Mao and his Red Guard sought to make Chinese culture, art, literature, and education more in line with his ideal of a true Communist society. The Four Olds were never explicitly defined, but anything that seemed to be a threat to proletarian society and ideology was destroyed.

A number of historical buildings, including religious sites and temples, were destroyed; other places were given new, proletarian names. Libraries were destroyed and their books burned. Mao's Red Guard were specially tasked with destroying any bourgeois elements of culture and acting as enforcers in their own schools and towns. 

The Four Olds were really a target for cutting out anything that didn't fit into Mao's ideal of a highly controlled Communist society.

Explain the meaning of Macbeth's quote "is that a dagger I see before me?".

This quote is found in Act II, Scene 1 of Macbeth. Immediately before he is to murder Duncan, Macbeth sees an image of a dagger in front of him. It is covered in blood, and he takes it as a sign that he is to kill the king, telling it "thou marshals't me the way that I was going." He still wonders, however, if it is a "dagger of the mind" or something conjured by the supernatural forces (represented by the witches) that are telling him to carry out the murder. Lady Macbeth dismisses it later, but Macbeth continues to see images--the next, most significant one being the ghost of the murdered Banquo. It becomes clear to the audience that the spectral images Macbeth sees are provoked by the guilt he feels at the murders he has carried out to seize and maintain the throne. Later, Lady Macbeth, having attempted to persuade her husband throughout the play that the images should be dismissed, is overcome with guilt as well, and she spends her last scene in the play sleepwalking, attempting to wash blood stains off of her hands that are not there. So the dagger is probably a figment of Macbeth's guilt as well as a sign that guides him to the murder.

Who says the last quote to Dill in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? Who is speaking?

The last direct conversations with Dill occur in Chapter 23 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the day after the trial. In this chapter, Dill goes over to the Finches' house first thing in the morning and accompanies Scout and Jem over to the home of Miss Maudie's, who encourages the children by reminding them that, even though their father lost the case, Atticus has led Maycomb's society in taking a baby step towards creating a more just society. They emerge from Miss Maudie's house to find Miss Stephanie, Miss Rachel, and Mr. Avery still gossiping on the sidewalk; Mr. Avery's face turns red, and the two women begin waving wildly to beckon the children to come to them, signs that something bad has happened. When the three children join the adults, Miss Rachel grabs Dill by the shoulder and says the last words directly spoken to Dill in the book:

You get on in the back yard and stay there ... There's danger a'comin'. (Ch. 22)

Scout and Jem soon learn that the adults are in a tither because Atticus had just been spat on and threatened by Bob Ewell, who had promised "he'd get [Atticus] if it took the rest of his life." Hence, Miss Rachel is commanding Dill to stay at home because she fears for his safety if he continues spending time with the Finches. However, her imprisonment of Dill does not last long, for, in Chapter 24, Jem takes Dill to Barker's Eddy to teach him to swim on the last few days of his summer in Maycomb, though we only learn of their swimming adventures indirectly from Scout.

Explain the two year stay in New York.

Helen Keller stayed in New York City for two years while she attended Wright-Humason School for the Deaf.  She first arrived in the autumn of 1894.  Miss Sullivan stayed with Helen while she was at the school.  The school specialized in "training in lip-reading" and in speech.  Helen wanted to learn how to speak despite her deafness.  She wanted to speak like other people.  However, this proved to be a challenge and Helen's progress was slow.  She was severely disappointed when she did not achieve her desired level of progress.

Taking walks in Central Park was a favorite pastime of Helen's during her time in New York.  Helen experienced the beauty of nature there.  She also visited other nearby towns, such as Tarrytown and West Point.  

Helen described these two years in New York City as "happy ones" as she "looked back to them with genuine pleasure."

What are the consequences of exploration?

In the 1400s, many European countries began to explore new lands and cultures. This was an exciting time for the European explorers but their overseas expansion had many important and long-lasting consequences, some of which are summarised below:

• Exploration led to the exchange of new ideas, animals, plants and technology. In North America, this was known as the Columbian Exchange and gave items like livestock and guns to the natives while the Europeans returned with vegetables like squash, pumpkin and corn. 


• In some instances, this cultural exchange led to the destruction of some civilisations, including the Aztecs and the Incas. In the longer-term, settlement of North America led to the displacement of the Native Indian tribes.


• Exploration in the 1400s also contributed to the New Imperialism of the nineteenth century, in which industrialised nations, like American and Britain, colonised vast swathes of Asia and India. 

What is a good thesis for the poem ''The convergence of the twain''?

I usually find that a good rule for creating thesis statements about poems is to fill in this sentence: In ["Poem's Title,"] [Author's Name] uses [literary device], [literary device], and [literary device] in order to convey the idea that [central purpose].  A well-developed thesis should include not only the poem's main message (or central purpose) but also the ways in which the poet produces and conveys that purpose (the literary devices employed to achieve it).  

A good thesis might look something like this: In "The Convergence of the Twain," Thomas Hardy employs metaphor, form, and a particularly descriptive title to convey the idea that the sinking of the Titanic was the inevitable result of humanity's pride.

The facts that it was "human vanity" that conceived of the Titanic and our "Pride" that planned the ship are referenced in the first stanza (lines 2-3).  Further, the comparison of the iceberg to a "mate" for or a partner of the Titanic helps to convey the idea that they are meant to come together (19).  The phrases "intimate welding" (27) and "twin halves" (30), as well as the word "consummation" (33) also emphasize the idea that the ship and iceberg amounted to two parts of one whole.  The idea of mates, of intimacy, and of consummation (a physical union, but also an ultimate end) all lead to the idea of the two seemingly "Alien," or unrelated, things actually being designed for one another (25).  

Further, the title uses the word "Convergence" which is not typically how we would think of the coming together of the Titanic and the iceberg.  We might call it a crash or a sinking or something that employs a more violent or tragic connotation, but "Convergence" actually just means moving to join together  -- again, the idea of the two things being destined to combine is clear.  Moreover, the word "Twain" means a pair or couple, and so this matches the meanings of "mates" and "twin halves" too.

Finally, each stanza of the poem employs end rhyme, where the last word of each of the three lines rhymes with the others.  This rhyme scheme makes it seem as though the three lines "belong" together.  Plus, the first and second lines of each stanza are significantly shorter than the third line, and this actually makes each stanza look like the shape of a ship or an iceberg above the water.  More importantly, though, is that the first line's length combined with the second line's length would equal the third line's length.  The first and second lines, when combined in length, come together to approximately equal the third line's length.  This also enhances our reading of the poem by repeating, again and again, a coming together of two things to equal something larger: just as the Titanic and iceberg converged to create "one august event" (30).

Why is wind speed measured in knots and not mph?

This is because you are talking about the movement of a fluid, not a solid.  Wind is composed of air, which, like water, is classified as a fluid.  Since wind and water are both fluid, they are measured by the same unit.

The old sailing ships used a knotted rope which was being pulled off a spool to determine how fast they were moving through the water.  The sailors didn't have any familiar landmarks to sight, so they had to improvise with the materials they had aboard the ship to gauge their speed.  Similarly, wind speed doesn't cover ground in the same fashion something like a land vehicle does, such as a truck or car. 

An airplane traveling through the wind, with a strong tailwind pushing it along, finds the going easy, actually faster than if the situation were reversed and it was flying into the wind; a headwind would slow the airplane down.  This is similar to the way ocean waves speed or slow the motion of ships. 

The patterns of winds also pulse, which means the speed is not constant, which would also make it sensible to use knots for speed measurement, not miles per hour, because terrain traveled is constant, not pulsing like wind.

What were the effects of the Dust Bowl?

The Dust Bowl had a dramatic effect on agriculture in the United States. The event was an ecological disaster caused by generations of misuse of the land. A sustained drought ruined farmland across four states as heavy winds picked up the topsoil and carried it for miles in dust clouds. A mass exodus to the west occurred as farms became worthless. Over sixty percent of the population of the effected area moved from the region. This had its own set of problems as states to the west were not prepared for the influx of new migrants.

Despite the loss of farms and the crippling impact that it had on the economy, the Dust Bowl did mark a positive change in American history. This was the desire of the federal government to manage farmland and prevent future ecological disaster by subsidizing farmers. This meant that farmers would receive government money to not plow over essential grasslands. Farmers also received bonuses for responsible use of the land. The federal government also purchased land to set aside as protected land to prevent future soil problems.

What is a chemical component of urine?

Numerous biochemical processes create by-products which must be removed from the body. The kidneys filter these by-products from the blood through the production of urine. Normal urine is 91-96% water, plus a variety of compounds and ions, including urea, chloride, sodium, potassium, calcium and creatine. Various proteins and hormones may also be present. 

A chemical is a substance which can be represented by a chemical formula. Chemical components of urine are thus urea (CH4N2O), creatine (C4H9N3O2), creatinine (C4H7N3O) and ammonia (NH4). Glucose (C6H12O6) may also be present in urine. Although, high levels of urine glucose may be indicative of diabetes or pre-diabetes. 

In cases of disease, other non-chemical substances that might be present in urine include red or white blood cells and bacteria. 

What is going to be put in the cornerstone of the new bank?

Towards the end of Art I (right after Emily asks her mother whether she is pretty and they have a conversation about that subject) the Stage Manager tells the audience that "the Cartwright interests" have just started building a new bank in Grover's Corners. The date of the first act is May 7, 1901. They have asked a friend of the Stage Manager for suggestions about what they should put in the cornerstone of the new building. Evidently the intention is to put these artifacts in a metal time capsule and encase it in a block of concrete. They have already decided to put in a copy of the New York Times and a copy of the local newspaper, The Sentinel. They are putting in a Bible, the Constitution of the United States, and a book of William Shakespeare's plays. They are thinking the cornerstone might not be dug up by archaeologists for a thousand years and that people would be interested in what life was like a thousand years earlier. 

The Stage Manager tells the audience that he is going to have a copy of the play they are presently performing, i.e., Our Town, placed in the cornerstone so that people a thousand years from now--around the year 2901--will know some simple facts about the people of his town. This seems to be the playwright Thornton Wilder's intention in writing this very simple but very moving play. It is a sort of tribute to small-town America. The slow pace of the play mimics the slow pace of small-town life in a place like Grover's Corners in New Hampshire (Population 2,642). Wilder does a very good job of capturing the spirit of a typical small New England town with its humdrum daily routines and occasional tragedies. The Stage Manager expresses the author's intention when he says:

This is the way we were in our growing up and in our marrying and in our living and in our dying.

The three acts of the play are largely concerned with those three things--marrying, living, and dying. 

Angus and Ross approach Banquo and Macbeth with great news. How and why do Banquo and Macbeth respond after Ross gives them the good news? What do...

After the witches tell Macbeth and Banquo the prophecy (that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and later king, and that Banquo's children will becomes kings), they run into Ross and Angus. The men give news that the King has decided to make Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. This is good news, of course, but it also shows that the prophecy might actually be true.

The two men react differently. Macbeth believes the prophecy and asks Banquo if he wants his children to be kings. Banquo distrusts the witches and comments that the devil often tells half truths. The two men agree to speak on the prophecy later in private. Macbeth is already wondering if he will become king naturally or if he will have to take the throne through dark deeds.The split reaction shows a difference in character between the two men. Macbeth, overcome with ambition, can think only of his chance at power, while Banquo is much more concerned about how the witches might deceive him into committing evil deeds.

To change speed you need to have an?

Speed is the ratio of distance traveled over a given duration of time. 

That is, speed = distance/time

To change the speed of an object, the object will need an acceleration (or deceleration) and this is only possible by application of force. According to Newton's First Law of motion, a body requires an external force to cause a change in its state of motion (from rest to motion or change in motion for an already moving body). According to Newton's Second Law of Motion, the force is a product of mass of the body and acceleration of the body. Hence, the speed can be changed only by application of an external force, which will generate an acceleration of the body. If the force is in the same direction as the motion, the acceleration will increase the object's speed. If the force is in the opposite direction (or has a component that resists the motion), the acceleration will resist the motion and the speed of the object will change.

Hope this helps.