The compound magnesium phosphate has the chemical formula Mg3(PO4)2. In this compound, phosphorus and oxygen act together as one charged particle,...

D is correct, there are two phosphate ions in a molecule of magnesium phosphate,

`Mg_3(PO_4)_2`

This is an example of a polyatomic ionic compound. Your description of phosphorous and oxygen behaving as one charged particle is the definition of a polyatomic ion, in this case the phosphate ion.

The subscript 4 on PO4 indicates that four oxygen atoms are bonded to each phosphorous atom in the polyatomic ion. The subscript 2 outside the parentheses indicates two phosphate ions. Parentheses are used to show that the subscript applies to the entire charged particle.

The reason there are two phosphate ions is that the phosphate ion has a charge of -3 and the magnesium ion has a charge of +2. The formula results in a neutral compound with six positive charges cancelling out six negative charges:

(3)(+2) = (2)(-3)

It's more correct to say that there are two phosphate ions in a formula unit of magnesium phosphate because ionic compounds don't exist as individual molecules.

What is the simile used in the first verse of the poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth?

The simile of course is the the poet’s comparison of himself to a cloud. The simile has a double purpose: on the one hand, it assigns a human emotion (loneliness) to an inanimate object (the cloud), but on the other hand, it assigns the attributes of a cloud (floating, aimless, unconfined by earthly obstacles) to the poet’s activity (wandering). In this way poet and nature are combined poetically.

This is important when we consider the rest of the poem. The poet sees a “host of golden daffodils” “fluttering and dancing” beside a lake. The flowers, like the cloud, are assigned a human activity (dancing), as are the waves of the lake (“The waves beside them danced; but they / Out-did the sparkling waves in glee"). The entire scene – flowers, water, and the cloud/poet witnessing it -- is one of delight and harmony, inspiring a similar feeling in the poet (“A poet could not but be gay, / in such a jocund company”).

Wordsworth is not arguing that he “is” a cloud or that the flowers really are “dancing,” but the shift in tone (and scene) at the end of the poem – “when on my couch I lie / In vacant or in pensive mood” – underlines the importance of his vision nevertheless. It “flashes on his inward eye” – his imagination – and recalls him from his cares.

What is an example of figurative language in "The Scarlet Ibis"?

The author uses figurative language to characterize Doodle.

Figurative language is non-literal description. That means it does not describe something as it is, but in comparison to something else. The most common types of figurative language are similes and metaphors. Writers like to use figurative language to add depth and interest to a story, including characterizing (describing) important characters.

A simile is an indirect comparison, where the author is saying that something is like something else. An example from the story is the description of Doodle’s name.

They named him William Armstrong, which is like tying a big tail on a small kite. Such a name sounds good only on a tombstone.

It means that name is too big for him. The author could have just said the name seemed foolish because Doodle was so tiny and the name seemed serious and grown-up, but the author makes the point, instead, with this wonderful comparison of tying a big tail on a small kite. We imagine it, and it helps us picture Doodle.

A metaphor is another type of figurative language, when you say one thing but mean something else. Here is the narrator’s description of what he hoped for when Doodle was born.

… I wanted more than anything else someone to race to Horsehead Landing, someone to box with, and someone to perch with in the top fork of the great pine behind the barn, where across the fields and swamps you could see the sea. I wanted a brother.

When the narrator says he wanted a brother, he means it metaphorically and not literally. He means that he wants someone to do all of these things with. He wants a friend.  Doodle is too weak and small to be able to do these things, so while he is literally the narrator’s brother, he is not metaphorically. He does not live up to the image that the narrator had of what a brother should be able to do.

Figurative language is like helping the reader see what is in the author’s mind. It makes a story richer, and makes details of characterization and setting clearer. In this story, we see how the similes and metaphors describe Doodle in a much more complex way than just saying he was small and could not do much.

How did Soviet plans for Eastern Europe differ from those of the other allies?

The Soviet Union and the Allies had different opinions about what should happen in Eastern Europe after the end of World War II. We made some agreements with the Soviet Union that ultimately weren’t followed and led, to some degree, to the Cold War.

One area of difference was in Poland. Before World War II began, Poland had its own government. At the end of World War II, there was a Soviet-backed government in place. We had agreed with the Soviet Union to have free elections in Poland after the end of World War II. We expected some of the members from the pre-war Polish government to be members of the newly created post-war Polish government. However, there was little evidence of free elections and most the new officials in the new post-war government were from the Soviet government at the end of the war.

We agreed with the Soviet Union to let the people of Eastern Europe choose their form of government after World War II ended. However, the King of Romania indicated he received a great deal of pressure from the Soviet Union to have a communist government. This violated the Declaration of Liberated Europe agreement we had with the Soviet Union.

As a result of these actions and subsequent ones, the Cold War began and then intensified after World War II ended. 

How does Lyddie's first full day in the weaving room affect her in Lyddie?

Lyddie feels nauseous and exhausted after her first full day in the weaving room.

Lyddie tries her best to do well as a factory worker, but it is difficult and dangerous work.  After her first full day in the weaving room, Lyddie is barely coherent.  She can’t even bear the smell of food, and her mind is not working.

She longed only to get to the room, take off her boots, massage her abused feet, and lay down her aching head. … Lyddie dragged herself from the table and up the stairs. (Ch. 10)

The weaving room is very noisy, so Lyddie can’t stand the sound of supper talk and clinking dishes.  She also can barely eat.  Betsy teases her about thinking she is a “strapping country farm girl who could do anything.”  However, she also helps her massage her sore feet and reads to her from Oliver Twist.

Lyddie suffers because she wore boots that were too new, and she is not used to the loud noises.  Of course, as time goes on she will learn how to survive the factory, and even get pretty good at it.  She also develops an interest in books.

Betsy did not give any explanation of the novel she was reading, simply commenced to read aloud where she had broken off reading to herself.  Even though Lyddie's head was still choked with lint and battered with noise, she struggled to get the sense of the story. (Ch. 10)

The story of Oliver transports Lyddie from her current misery.  Even though she is too sick and exhausted to stay awake, she finds herself wanting to hear the story.  She begs Betsy to keep reading until her voice is hoarse.  Lyddie has discovered that she can take refuge in literature.

Factory work was dangerous and difficult.  Girls like Lyddie had to be tough, intelligent, and strong.  Although Lyddie has already been through many hardships, the factory serves as both a challenge and a source of pride. She is determined to do well, and pay off her debts.

In "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", what aspect of human biology does the speaker compare to rivers?

Langston Hughes’ beautiful poem about the journeys that African-Americans have taken uses a metaphor to describe how the river, as a source of travel, is like “the flow of human blood in human veins.” Using rivers as a metaphor for the journey of life in Africa as well as the United States is a theme that runs throughout many writings by African Americans. Because slave trade often involved the shipping of slaves up and down rivers like the Mississippi, it becomes a poignant historical symbol for the many journeys Africans have taken. Hughes mentions the rivers in Africa like the Euphrates, the Congo, and the Nile when life and survival revolved around the river environment. 

Being enslaved and transported across the Atlantic Ocean during the time of the Middle Passage also symbolizes the journey or Diaspora of the African. Their many journeys continued with the selling of slaves. The saying, “being sold down the river” has particular meaning as well. For a slave, the further south the slave was sold, the harder the environment and the further they were from family. It was catastrophic for the slave, and the transport on rivers shows this.

The importance the river has had in African American history and as a symbol in literature, allows Hughes to compare it to blood flowing through his veins. The river is so much a part of the African American experience that even the souls of slaves have “grown deep like the rivers.”

How can one describe the shape of fire? How can one convert this element into abstract fashion design elements?

It is common for fashion designers to take inspiration from nature. Fire is an unusual element to consider in this way since it does not really have form, even though it is visual. Its shape is always moving, and if it stops moving it stops burning. What it does have is energy, and color, and these two aspects can easily be translated to fashion design elements.

The energy of fire can be interpreted with emotional concepts, which are also commonly used in fashion design. Passion, heat, aggression, sexuality, all of these correspond to fire and can be suggested in a fashion design. One interesting example of the use of the fire element in fashion design occurs in the book and the film adaptation of The Hunger Games. Katniss is to wear a gown designed by Cinna, and he wants to capture the element of fire for her personality, since her district is the one of coal. The undergarment is a black leather catsuit (the black leather being reminiscent of the coal) but the top is a cape that will be set on fire during the performance/presentation before the games begin. 

The colors of fire are usually the warm colors of red, yellow and orange, but one can often see traces of blue, violet and even green in fire at times. Fire is the element associated with the astrological signs of Leo, Sagittarius and Aries, so these symbols could also be used to interpret the idea of fire in a fashion design. Sagittarius, the Archer, carries a bow and arrows like Katniss. The sign of Saturn is ruled by the planet Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, associated with travel, learning and adventure. Leo, the Lion, is ruled by the Sun, associated with youth, beauty, courage and vigor. Aries, the Ram, is ruled by Mars, planet of war and aggression, and is associated with boldness, confidence, initiative and action.

How does Elsa respond when she learns the true nature of her husband's job in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

When Elsa learns of the move, she takes on the role of the good Nazi wife and agrees to the move. As Kommandant, his father has been stationed to supervise a concentration camp. We do not know how much Elsa knows about the reasons for this move until she becomes unhappy.

The reader is aware that Elsa knows what is occurring when Bruno realizes that “over the course of the next few weeks Mother seemed increasingly unhappy with life at Out-With…” We also know that she is aware of what is occurring when Bruno overhears her arguing with his father, exclaiming: “‘It’s horrible…Just horrible. I can’t stand it any more.” When his father protests her desire to move back to Berlin, she exclaims “‘Work? You call this work?"

We then learn that she takes medicinal sherry, which could be an indication of her attempts to cope with what she knows is occurring behind the fence. Bruno recognizes that his mother is unhappy. He states, “mother kept very quiet during the day and was having an awful lot more of her afternoon naps, some of them not even in the afternoon but before lunch, and Bruno was worried for her health because he’d never known anyone to need quite so many medicinal sherries.”

Then one day their father summons them to his office and relays the good news. They are moving to Berlin with their mother. Surprisingly, Bruno is unhappy to hear the news.

Of all the characters in Momaday's book, only two voices speak for themselves. Who were they and why were they allowed to do so?

This is an interesting question simply because it is clear that each section has three different "voices": one mythological, one historical, and one personal. However, it can be said that only two of these voices are actually "characters" and speak for themselves: legend and author.

In regards to legend, the first part of every section is an explanation of a very important myth of the Kiowa tribe.  Here, myth is truly given a voice and made a character for the first time. For example, the first section is the Kiowa tribe's creation myth, which involves the small tribe coming up out of the earth through a fallen log. The tribe is small because a pregnant woman gets stuck in the log (due to her belly); therefore, some of the tribe is left in the earth. 

In regards to the author becoming a voice or a character, the third (often italicized) part of each section is about Momaday's personal story. This part often involves his grandmother, Aho, and her life in reference to the original legend. The creation myth, however, is about Momaday.  Because we find out that "Kiowa" actually means "coming out," we learn through Momaday's voice that the first time he "came out" onto the great plains was a magical moment for him.

In conclusion, it is important to note that it is the Kiowa language that truly connects all the parts and all the sections of this book. In other words, it is language that is of primary importance. Ironically, it is language that allows Momaday to share the two voices you ask about with the world.

I need to compare and contrast narrative and description in novels. Can you give examples of descriptive passages and narrative passages in...

To be effective, descriptive passages usually incorporate the five senses in imagery: taste (gustatory), smell (olfactory), hearing (auditory), touch (cutaneous or tactile), and sight (visual). Also, other senses include kinesthetic (movement), vestibular (balance and eye coordination), and organic/subjective (sensations such as fear, joy, anger, etc).

Narrative passages, on the other hand, tell a story of some sort. The story may be told from the vantage point of personal experience, or an author may present the private thoughts of a character to his/her readers. Either way, these literary aids help move the plot forward or allows us to learn something significant about the character in question.

On to Germinal:

Descriptive passages: Bolded words in the two passages below are mine.

The distant hammer struck (auditory) regular blows in the pit, and the wind passed by with its moan, like a cry of hunger and weariness (auditory) coming out of the depths of the night.

Etienne, who forgot himself before the stove, warming his poor, bleeding hands (visual) looked round, and he could see each part of the pit: the shed tarred with siftings,, the pit frame, the vast chamber of the winding machine, the square turret of the exhaustion pump. This pit, piled up in the bottom of a hollow, with its squat brick buildings, raising its chimney like a threatening horn, seemed to him to have the evil air of a gluttonous beast crouching there to devour the earth. (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, subjective/organic). 

Narrative passage:

M. Hennebeau, who was at this hour returning home mounted on his mare, listened to these vague sounds. He had met couples, long rows of strollers, on this beautiful winter night. More lovers, who were going to take their pleasure, mouth to mouth, behind the walls. Was it not what he always met, girls tumbled over the bottom of every ditch, beggars who crammed themselves with the only joy that cost nothing? And these fools complained of life, when they could take their supreme fill of the happiness of love? Willingly would he have starved as they did if he could begin life again with a woman who would give herself to him on a heap of stones, with all her strength and all her heart. His misfortune was without consolation, and he envied these wretches.

In the story, M. Hennebeau is a part owner of the Le Voreux mining operation. The mine is the setting for the strike; throughout the novel, the mine is characterized as a place of misery, degradation, and oppression. However, the passage above gives us an insight into M. Hennebeau's character, his personal trials, and his desires. The thoughts above show a man, vulnerable in his private moments, far from being only the inexorable manager who refuses to allow any concessions to his workers. Narratives like the above tend to humanize an unlikable character.

Hope this helps! There are more such passages in the novel. With the above as a guide, you should be able to recognize many more on your own.

Was the USA/USSR Cold War of 1947-1991highly probable? Why or why not? Explain carefully.

Based on events after World War II, it is fair to say that the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was highly probable. Right at the end of World War II and immediately after, the Soviet Union violated some of the agreements they made with the United States and with Great Britain. The King of Romania felt pressured to have a communist government. The new Polish government looked very much like the communist one in Poland at the end of World War II.

It was clear the Soviet Union wanted to spread communism. They tried to bring it to European countries such as Greece and Turkey. They tried to force the Allies out of West Berlin by instituting the Berlin Blockade. The goal of the communists was to spread their system around the world. Our goal was to keep communism from spreading. This was bound to lead to indirect conflict and confrontation. When China became communist in 1949, and when North Korea invaded South Korea to make it communist in 1950, our beliefs about their intentions were more than confirmed.

As time passed, confrontation and competition spread to nuclear weapons and space. We were surprised when the Soviet Union developed an atomic weapon as fast as it did. We then entered a competition where each side increased its nuclear arsenal significantly. Both countries also wanted to beat each other in the space race. When the Soviets launched the first satellite into space before we did, there was panic in our country. We were the first to land a person on the moon.

More threats occurred as confrontations developed over missiles in Cuba with the Cuban Missile Crisis. There were confrontations in the Middle East and Latin America. Since we didn’t want communism to spread, and the goal of communism was to spread it as much as possible, it was natural for an event like the Cold War to exist. Not until one side could no longer afford the costs associated with the military buildup, the stockpiling of weapons, and the constant placement of troops in various locations would the Cold War come to an end. That happened in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the system of communism collapsed in most places across the world.

Is this quote, "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me/ Without my stir," an example of metaphor, simile, personification, or...

This quote is an example of personification.

Personification is a type of figurative language where something nonhuman is described as human or given human characteristics.  It is used to add emphasis or help the reader (or audience) appreciate an important thematic point.  In this case, the personification of chance emphasizes Macbeth’s ambition, but also his hesitancy.

When Macbeth gets a visit from three witches, they tell him that he is about to get a promotion.  He will become Thane of Cawdor, and then king.  Macbeth is skeptical but excited about this development. 

MACBETH

Your children shall be kings.

BANQUO

You shall be king.

MACBETH

And thane of Cawdor too: went it not so?

BANQUO

To the selfsame tune and words. …  (Act 1, Scene 3)

Macbeth wants to be king, but as you can tell from your quote he doesn’t want to do anything himself to make that happen. Instead he personifies chance, and expects chance to do it for him.  In other words, if he just happens to be made king, without his having to do anything, that’s great!

When Macbeth finds out that Malcolm has been named King Duncan’s heir, he is annoyed.  He wanted to be king, and was just getting used to the idea.  The fact that he is promoted to Thane of Cawdor, having just killed the former man of that title in battle, inspires him. 

The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires (Act 1, Scene 4)

Although this little aside is a big show, Macbeth doesn’t really have the follow-through to match his ambition.  The personification of chance emphasizes Macbeth’s inability to do anything himself.  His wife talks him into it, and plans everything out for him.  Otherwise he never would have been able to kill Duncan, and would have waited around for chance to make him king.

What is Ralph's main conflict in Lord of the Flies?

Ralph's main conflict in the novel Lord of the Flies is competing against the savage human nature while he attempts to maintain a civil society focused on survival and rescue. Ralph struggles to lead and convince the group of boys to maintain the signal fire and other essential elements of civilization. Ralph's plans are undermined by Jack, who is the tyrannical leader of his tribe obsessed with hunting and violence. Rather than complete menial labor like building huts and maintaining the signal fire, the majority of the castaway boys follow Jack and decide to hunt. Hunting is exciting and rewarding, unlike the tasks Ralph attempts to advocate for. Rather than focus on the importance of a signal fire and its potential to increase their probability of rescue, the boys focus on their immediate physical desires. Ralph's conflict is symbolic of mankind's struggle between morality and primitive human instincts. Containing one's savage instincts is fundamental in establishing and contributing to a civil, organized society.

Hamlet: How would you characterize the relationship between Gertrude and Claudius throughout the whole tragedy?

The relationship is something of a strange one. Based on the way Hamlet describes it and the way his father's ghosts relates his betrayal, it appears that this is a passionate and lustful relationship, and yet this is not exactly supported by the characters' actions. The couple gets married shortly after the death of Hamlet's father. This is certainly strange behavior and a sign of disrespect to Hamlet's father. Some might suggest that the two had even been engaging in a sexual relationship before the death of Hamlet's father. This could possibly be one of several motivations for the king's murder.

This does not appear to be the case, however. The play shows several signs (such as Hamlet's play, and Gertrude's own actions) that Gertrude was unaware of the plot against her former husband. While this does not mean a relationship did not occur, it at least removes the possibility that the two planned the treachery together. It seems more likely that Gertrude's role in the play is somewhat passive. She naively closes her eyes to the crimes of her new husband and tries to pacify her son to hold everything together. She remarries quickly, not because she is so in love with Claudius, but because of a desire to keep things in order. 

After a lifetime of obeying her royal husband she appears simply to allow Claudius to fill the vacant role in her life. She trusts him to help her discover why her son is acting so strangely, and she hopes that Hamlet will view him as a father figure. There is little sign of any lustful passion on her part, and she even attempts to save Hamlet at the end of the play. For this reason, it seems that while Claudius might view marrying Gertrude as a part of his treachery, Gertrude is merely passively trying to continue life as it was before. She wants things to remain as they were and for Claudius to continue in the role her husband left behind.

You are planning a major production: “MACBETH” – THE HORROR MOVIE. In a presentation to potential funders (MGM, Fox, etc), what are all the...

This sounds like a fun assignment!  There are countless examples you can use in these two acts to convince someone Macbeth is a horror story.  The play has all the trappings:  witches, ghosts, insanity, suspense, fear and suspicion, and plenty of blood and gore.  In the opening scene of Act IV, we have three witches in their “haunt,” likely before a backdrop of all kinds of dark, twisted, ungainly, rotting things, and as an ominous peal of thunder roars in the distance they’re chucking severed animal parts, entrails, organs, venoms, all kinds of hideous things into a cauldron.  Even a “finger of birth-strangled babe/Ditch-delivered by a drab.”  Show the severing of that finger and you’ve likely got an automatic R-rating.  There is evil music playing, and when Macbeth comes on the scene there is more thunder and the apparition of ghosts, one of which is “a bloody child.”  Classic horror.  When the witches disappear they leave Macbeth agitated, confused, and frightened.

In the opening scene of Act V we are confronted with Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking and her descent into madness.  Imagine this scene:  the dark stillness of night, total silence, and Lady Macbeth entering in a trancelike state.  “…her eyes are open…but their sense are shut.”  A haunting look.  And she rubs her hands as if washing them, compulsively and at length.  This sort of unusual, repetitive behavior has the power to make the skin crawl – the Lady is herself haunted desperate, and unstable.  In this scene we have the famous line, “Out, damned spot!  Out I say!”  And then, “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?”  A foreboding, mysterious, troublesome line, the atmosphere descending into something fearful and ominous as she mutters to herself about her sins.  She has secrets, and they are murderous. 

Macbeth’s own denial and anger in Scene 2 are disconcerting to the reader, and would make one fidget uncomfortably – he is in a nervous rage, suspicious yet clinging to the witches’ augurs, confused still and riled.  He lashes out at messengers and barks despairing orders, trivializes life in his famous “tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” speech – he shows all the signs of a dreaded and reckless madman.  Who knows what he might do?  He could turn against his own, he could turn against himself -- or worse, he could win.

These Acts as well are rife with murder – in Act IV we see MacDuff’s entire household murdered unceremoniously in his absence, Lady Macbeth, ravaged by remorse, commits suicide, and of course in the final scene of the play the same MacDuff emerges bearing Macbeth’s severed head aloft for all to see.  And Malcolm further contributes to the beastly, homicidal, irredeemable characterization of the villain, referring to the Macbeths as “This dead butcher and his fiendlike queen.”  The word “butcher” calls to mind a sociopathic killer – indeed the stuff of nightmares.

Explain how the Enlightenment ideologies and the Great Awakening influenced the growth of Christian church denominations during the last-half...

The Enlightenment was a movement founded on reason and science over superstition and tradition. Begun in Europe, the Enlightenment witnessed an improvement in science, a belief in the importance of experiments, and an awareness of natural law. In addition, many philosophes (or French philosophers) such as Voltaire applied these ideas to government, and they argued that reason and laws should govern the way rulers led their people. In America, many of the Founding Fathers, such as Jefferson, were followers of Enlightenment ideals. While many were raised in the Anglican Church (the Church of England), they began to turn to Deism. This is essentially the idea that God exists, but that God created the universe, as a watchmaker would, and then let people run the world themselves. This belief system allowed religion to co-exist with a belief in science. Deism also began to threaten or at least question the beliefs of the Bible and established religion.

There were two Great Awakenings in America. The first, which occurred in the 1730s and 1740s, returned to a belief in predestination, or the idea that one's fate was decided before birth, and it swept over New England. Many traditional preachers and teachings were abandoned in favor of a more spiritual approach to religion, and the Methodist, Baptist, and other religions gained popularity in the New World. The Second Great Awakening, which took place around 1800, featured an emphasis on good works, and led to the popularization of church revivals as well as reform movements such as abolitionism. Preachers began to try to include everyone in their revivals, whatever their background, race, or gender. As a result, many women became adherents in these new, more spiritual forms of religion, as did slaves and freed African-Americans. As a result, religion became more democratized, as these religions afforded a more powerful role to formerly marginalized groups. 

Explain how life in California before the arrival of the Spanish could be viewed as a terrestrial paradise.

California before the Spanish could be considered a paradise for a number of reasons. First, the California Indians were a very peaceful group. Because they were isolated by the many geographic features of California (deserts, coastlines, marshes, mountains,) they did not feel the need to form large military alliances with other tribes. The geography of the land was their greatest protection. Instead of creating military alliances, the Indians focused on trade alliances that greatly improved their economic and social lives.

The tribes organized into very small political units, which allowed for local rule and decision-making. This allowed the people a great deal of autonomy and freedom. The Indians of California were experts at utilizing the land. They understood the wildlife and plant species that existed in their area. For this reason, they were self-sufficient and did not have a need to raid their neighbors. Because they did not have to waste time and energy on warfare, the Indians built homes that were comfortable and sturdy. The Indians did not need to resort to a nomadic existence because they understood how to hunt different animals at different times of the year.

All of these advantages were made possible by the diversity of land, wildlife and plant life that existed in California before the arrival of the Spanish.

What are the names of the mountains on the Oregon trail?

The Oregon Trail, which spanned over 2,100 miles, crossed right through the Rocky Mountains.  The Rocky Mountains are the largest mountain range in North America and presented one of the most formidable challenges of the entire trail.  In 1812, Robert Stuart and his entourage discovered the South Pass in Wyoming.  The South Pass made the trip through the Rocky Mountains more manageable.  The first group of wagons would not make the voyage over the pass until 1832.  Benjamin Bonneville brought his party of 100 men and 20 wagons through the pass.  Soon afterward, the South Pass became a popular route along the Oregon Trail.  Today, Wyoming Route 28 goes through the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, a testament to the importance of this geographical feature for travel and trade.

What artists were inspired by Claude Monet's art?

Claude Monet was an influential painter and a founder of French Impressionist painting. Monet lived between 1840 and 1926, and some of his most notable works include Impression, Water Lillies, Haystacks and Poplars. Monet mostly resided in the city of Giverny, and many of his landscape paintings reflect the nature of this area. 

The impact of his work is still felt to this day, although there are some specific artists that were particularly inspired by Monet's work. Monet himself was inspired by Eugene Boudin, Jean-Francois Millet and J.M.W. Turner. His style of painting was influenced by Realism, Neo-Classicism and Japonisme. Monet's work helped create the movements of Impressionism, Symbolism, Pointillism and Fauvism, and he influenced artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Edgar Degas and Paul Cezanne.

What does the narrator think about death in the second period of "The Pit and the Pendulum"?

My copy of “The Pit and the Pendulum” is not divided into periods, so while I cannot address that specific aspect of your question I’ll try for an overall analysis of death.

Death is obviously a major theme within the story (as it is within much of Poe’s works), and its relationship with human consciousness is emphasized in this particular instance. On an initial and obvious level, death is something to be feared:

“The sentence—the dread sentence of death—was the last of distinct accentuation which reached my ears.”

Here the narrator is so horrified by his decreed fate that at least one of his senses fails him. Yet on its own this is a reductive explanation—it is not necessarily death itself that he finds so repugnant—it is the means of death that he fears, how and when it arrives:

“The mode and the hour were all that occupied or distracted me.”

With this the narrator reveals that it is the unknown which, when added to the equation, lends the concept of death such horror. He mentions all the rumors and tales told about the creative cruelty utilized in the Inquisitorial monks’ punishments. So on a physical level, death is inconsequential. It is natural, and can even be a preferable state due to its simple finality:

“And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave.”

On a mental/psychological level, death can be something to be feared. The narrator mentions moments where his body is physically restrained, hampered or unconscious but his mind’s activity continues. The main character is actually quite clever, a very quick and intellectual individual. This trait serves him well in that it helps him comprehend his situation and create solutions for his problems (measuring the dimensions of his cell, freeing his bonds via ratty ministrations). However, it is his abstract and overactive thinking that prolongs and emphasizes the terror he feels concerning his demise. One could even consider that it was the narrator’s active mind that landed him in the clutches of the Inquisition, an organization notorious for its tendency to kill off intellectuals and free-thinkers.

So as it pertains to the story, death is a sentence, a state, a destination, a relief, a motivator and yet at the end is avoided. Perhaps the overarching message is an irony: that something so ultimately simple and infinite can create such vast strife within ourselves and our society.

What is the swineherd's name in the Odyssey? What is the difference between him and Polyphemus?

The swineherd's name is Eumaeus, and he could not be more different than Polyphemus. In addition to being a normal person rather than a hideous Cyclops, Eumaeus actually obeys the laws of hospitality, rather than flouting them like Polyphemus.

The laws of hospitality were especially important in Homer's day, as traveling was much more difficult than it is now. Additionally, there weren't any Motel 6's in Ancient Greece, or many inns at all, and so it was very important for people to open their homes to wayward travelers. As such, Polyphemus' decision to devour Odysseus' crew, rather than offer them food and lodging, was a major breach of etiquette. 

Conversely, Eumaeus over delivers in the hospitality department. The trusty swineherd insists that Odysseus stay for an extended period of time, even after the king offers to leave early and support himself on his own. In that case, Eumaeus does not merely provide the minimum hospitality, but provides far more than necessary, offering a foil for Polyphemus' gruesome manners.

What are the social causes of the American Revolution?

When the American colonists declared independence from Britain in 1776, they were inspired by a wide range of factors. Here are some social reasons for you to consider:

• At the time of the revolution, less than two-thirds of the colonial population were English citizens. Since their inception, the colonies had become a melting-pot of people from across Europe and Africa and, slowly, these different cultures and values had blended together to create an American identity - completely separate and distinct from the idea of being British.


• Britain's policy of taxing the colonies in the 1760s was done to assert British authority and to pay off debts as a result of fighting the French and Indian War. But this policy actually had the reverse effect: Americans were extremely angered by the onslaught of new taxes and this helped to create the revolutionary spirit and a strong desire to protect American liberty and freedom. 


• The publication of Thomas Paine's pamphlet, Common Sense, in 1776 convinced many Americans to support the idea of independence and to take up arms, if necessary. 

How did the Civil Rights Movement motivate the American people to change?

The American Civil Rights Movement occurred over several phases, the most dramatic occurring after World War II. While African-Americans had been granted the right of citizenship, voting, and other rights after the Civil War, federal and state governments did not enforce these laws until the 1950s and 1960s. The change in the federal government's willingness to enforce laws granting African-Americans equality, along with the powerful tactics used by Martin Luther King and his followers, began to motivate people to change.

In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in the case Plessy v. Ferguson that African-Americans could have separate but equal facilities, such as schools and sections of trains. This remained the law until the important 1954 Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education, in which it was ruled that separate but equal was inherently unequal. The Supreme Court ordered all schools in the nation to desegregate and the ruling was met by massive resistance in the south and some parts of the north. As a result, the federal government under Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson sent troops at times to enforce the law. Over time, schools and universities in all parts of the country were desegregated.

In addition, Martin Luther King, Jr. led the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and early to mid 1960s with peaceful tactics. His non-violent protests began with the bus boycott to desegregate buses in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955-1956. His use of non-violent tactics was effective because it won over public opinion, as people were more likely to support protestors who were not violent. 

The other factors that finally motivated people to change were that many African-Americans had served their countries in several wars, including World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Also, in the years after Hitler, it became very distasteful to support ideas that were seen as racist or anti-Semitic. Finally, as part of the Cold War, or the proxy wars the U.S. fought with the Soviet Union, the U.S. wanted to make sure that the world did not see us as racist. As a result, the country began slowly to change its attitudes about race, and the Civil Rights movement gained some victories, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, among others.

In The Birds, how does Jim react to the birds?

In the story, Jim is the cowman; both Nat and Jim work for the farmer, Mr. Trigg. When Nat asks Jim whether he has had any trouble with the birds, Jim brushes Nat off.

Nat then begins to describe how an invading group of birds forced their way into his children's bedroom the night before, but Jim is still curiously nonchalant. The cowman answers that he's never heard of birds acting savagely before. However, he does think that sometimes, birds will be tame enough to come right up to the windows. Jim maintains that the best thing to do when that happens is to feed the birds some breadcrumbs.

Overall, Jim does not appear to be perturbed or the least bit distressed about the avian invasion that has been happening all across the country. Even after Nat argues that the birds fiercely attacked his young children, Jim appears to disbelieve Nat's story. He tells Nat that the birds were quite possibly just hungry or cold, and he again advised Nat to put out some breadcrumbs for the birds.

How did The Opium Wars change the traditional Chinese society by forcing China to embrace the modern world?

The Chinese fought two Opium Wars: the first, in 1839-1842, was against the British, while the second (from 1856-1860) against the French and British. The result of both wars was that the Chinese, under the Qing, were forced to open up trade and and grant territories to foreigners. As a result, the Qing began to lose power.

In the First Opium War, the Chinese tried to prevent the British from trading opium in China, as the drug was having a disastrous effect on Chinese society and trade. The Chinese destroyed opium stored in Canton, and the British later destroyed a warship that was trying to enforce a blockade of the Pearl River in Hong Kong. The British were victorious in the war, and the resulting Treaty of Nanjing (or Nanking) gave the island of Hong Kong to the British and increased the number of treaty ports where the British could live and trade from one to five. The British gained the port of Shanghai, which became a major international city, and the Qing began to lose power to foreigners. In a later supplemental treaty, the British gained the right to try their citizens in their own courts and gave Britain most favored nation status--a right that was later given to other foreign powers, including France and the United States.

In the Second Opium War, the British attacked again while the Chinese were trying to quell the Taiping Rebellion, and the British were joined by French forces. The resulting treaties of Tianjin allowed foreigners to take residence in Beijing and opened up trade and travel at several more ports and into the interior of China. Christian missionaries were allowed into China, and the trade in opium became legal. The overall effect of the wars was to weaken the Qing and permit foreigners to begin to trade and travel widely in China. 

In The Gods Are Athirst, does Father Longuemare lose his faith? Why or why not?

The Gods Will Have Blood (or The Gods Are Athirst) by Anatole France is a historical fiction set during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. It was originally published in French in 1912 as Les Dieux ont soif.

The author attended a Roman Catholic boarding school where the strict disciplines of the priests contributed to his permanent dislike of Christianity, although his distaste for intolerance was far greater. When the atheist Brotteaux teases Father Longuemare in the novel, it is good-naturedly: "The Père Longuemare, who was religious by profession, never talked about religion, while Brotteaux was for ever harping on the subject. He was conscious of a bond of sympathy between himself and the Barnabite, and took a delight in embarrassing and disturbing his peace of mind with objections against divers articles of the Christian faith."

The monk, Father Longuemare, accepts refuge from Brotteaux when the monk loses his ability to find employment; he cannot secure the necessary certificate of citizenship. The monk's loyalty is with the Vatican and he refuses to accept lay control of the church.

Longuemare is very devout and Brotteaux, an atheist, engages him in verbal combat over religion. An example of an exchange is

"Sir," said the Père Longuemare, "do not talk of Nature; you do not know what Nature is."

"Egad, I know it as well as you do, Father."

"You cannot know it, because you have not religion, and religion alone teaches us what Nature is, wherein it is good, and how it has been made evil. However, you must not expect me to answer you; God has vouchsafed me, to refute your errors, neither eloquence nor force of intellect. I should only be afraid, by my inadequate replies, of giving you occasion to blaspheme and further reasons for hardening your heart. I feel a strong desire to help you; yet the sole fruit of my importunate efforts would be to...."

Longuemare's great spiritual weakness is his pride of being a Barnabite, directly descended from St. Paul. He also regrets his cowardice at the outset of the Revolution and admires Brotteaux's convictions, though they be at odds with Longuemare's own beliefs. However, Longuemare does not lose his faith during the novel. Even when brought low, he reverts to his faith.

But as they could not conceive, either one or the other, of anybody being so absurd as to believe in any revealed religion, seeing that the Père Longuemare was no fool, they took him to be a knave. By way, no doubt, of preparing for martyrdom, he made confession of faith at every opportunity, and the more sincerity he displayed, the more like an impostor he seemed.

France uses Longuemare, as he does most of the novel's characters, to fulfill a stereotype. Longuemare is the simple and devout, unflinching man of God.

The Père Longuemare referred himself purely and entirely to God's will. He had not even brought his written defence with him. [...] At the question, the Père Longuemare raised his eyes sorrowfully to heaven, but made no answer; his silence expressed the surprise of an unsophisticated mind and the gravity of a man of religion who fears to utter empty words.

Even at the last, as he and Athenais get into the cart to be taken away, he offers her sacramental rites and urges Brotteaux to pray for him:

"Sir," said the Père Longuemare to the Epicurean philosopher, "I ask you a favour; this God in whom you do not yet believe, pray to Him for me. It is far from sure you are not nearer to Him than I am myself; a moment can decide this. A second, and you may be called by the Lord to be His highly favoured son. Sir, pray for me."

Our last sight of Longuemare is his lips moving as he recites the prayers of the dying, faith intact.

Anatole France was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921.

If price rises, what happens to demand for a product?

Short answer: It goes down.

Long answer:

The Law of Demand says that, all other things equal, if price goes up then demand will go down. The percentage that quantity demanded goes down for a 1% increase in price is the price elasticity of demand.

But in the real world, it's not quite so simple. The Law of Demand is like the Pirate Code: It's really more like what you'd call a "guideline". It's probably true for 90% of goods, maybe even 95%.

But what about the rest?

There are some goods for which price is basically irrelevant, at least within a wide range; these are perfectly inelastic. If the price of salt quadrupled, would you buy less salt? Probably not---you need salt to live, and salt isn't that expensive anyway.

There are also some goods for which an increase in price will result in an increase in demand.

This is weird and counter-intuitive, so it bears some further explanation.

The first way this can happen is called a Giffen good. The idea is basically that if a good is an inferior form of a vital necessity, there are some circumstances for which raising its price will have an income effect of reducing the total amount of stuff you can buy that is larger than the substitution effect of making that particular good more expensive, and as a result you buy more of the inferior good.

As a hypothetical example, suppose you have $20 and you need four bags of grapes for a party.

Green grapes are $2 per bag and red grapes are $8 per bag. You like red grapes better, but you can't buy all red grapes because you only have $20. So you buy 2 bags of red grapes ($16) and 2 bags of green grapes ($4).

But now suppose that the price of green grapes rises to $4 per bag. You still can't afford to buy all red grapes. But now you can't even afford to go half-and-half like before. Your best choice is now to buy 3 bags of green grapes ($12) and 1 bag of red grapes ($8). The price of green grapes went up, but you bought more green grapes---because you couldn't afford to buy anything else.

Giffen goods are pretty rare in real life. The more common reason why rising price can result in rising demand is a Veblen good, which is a good that people buy simply to show off how rich they are. These are all over the place, from clothes to houses to cars---and arguably even lattes.

Why do people buy Lamborghinis? Is it really because Lamborghinis are such great cars that they're worth paying the price of a house? Probably not. The reason people buy Lamborghinis is to show that they can. If Lamborghini decided to lower the price of their cars to something more sensible, they might actually lose business, because it would no longer be as impressive a status symbol to own a Lamborghini. Thus making the price go down might actually result in less demand.

Finally, there is a third reason why rising price might not result in reduced demand, and that is speculation. The most obvious examples are stocks and gold. If the price of Apple stock goes up, do you buy less Apple stock? Not necessarily. If you think this is part of a coming trend, you might buy more Apple stock, hoping that the price will continue to rise and you can make money that way. You could be wrong---speculation is risky---but there are people who make huge amounts of money betting on price swings like this.

In a triangle ABC, AC = 40 cm, BC = 4 cm. Find AB.

Given triangle ABC, AC=40 cm, BC= 4 cm.

To find AB=?

We know triangle inequality theorem :-

The sum of any two sides in a triangle is always greater than third side.

1. a+b>c;

2. b+c>a;

3. a+c>b.

Here a=BC=4 cm, b=AC=40 cm, c=AB=?

So we could write following :-

4+40>c;

40+c>4;

4+c>40.

Solving these inequalities, we get

c<44; c>-36; c>36.

side c could not be negative, it would be positive only.

So, 36<c<44

The final answer would be :-

36<AB<44 or AB`in(36,44)`

``

Historically, why does Brutus have a problem with Julius Caeser's power?

Brutus was primarily concerned with the consolidation of political power by Caesar and the threat that it presented to the Roman Republic. Brutus saw his allegiance as being to the Roman Senate. By declaring himself the ultimate political authority of Rome and continuously usurping further power from other Roman institutions, Caesar had undermined the ability of the Senate to effectively govern. Brutus came to see Caesar as a tyrant, an oppressive ruler who was distinctly separate from and no longer subject to the citizenry of Rome. The assassination of Caesar was viewed as necessary to secure the Republican nature of Rome, and as it was to this principle which Brutus had his fundamental allegiance, he considered it to be his duty to oppose Caesar by whatever means he was able.

What does "dissolution" mean as it is used in paragraph 1 of "The Masque of the Red Death?"

The dissolution means that the blood is breaking down.

The word “dissolution” means that something is dissolving.  The word is used to describe the dissolving of the victims' blood when the Red Death takes them. 

There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution.  The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men.

As you can see, the blood dissolving from the pores of the victim causes red stains.  This is because a person’s blood literally weakens.  The red stains mark the victim, and make him a pariah.

The disease is a terrible one.  Its description is similar to the Bubonic Plague, or “Black Death” that decimated Europe in the middle ages. In this case, the “Red Death” gets its name from the blood that leaks out of victims’ pores.

A disease this strong kills its victims fast, and is very contagious.  This is why it kills half of the population of Prince Prospero’s kingdom.

When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys.

Despite the safe haven of his castle, Prospero and his courtiers cannot escape the disease.  Death still finds them, and even then Prospero deludes himself into believing he can fight it.  Ultimately, not only does Prospero fall but so do all of his constituents.  No one can escape the Red Death.  Prospero would have been better off staying with his people and trying to help them in whatever way he could.

Metaphorically, the Red Death represents threats that a leader faces.  Prospero reacts in a deluded and selfish manner, and puts his own life and comfort ahead of his people.  The people inside the abbey are living out a kind of fantasy, and one that cannot possibly last.

What does Atticus want Scout to understand about Miss Caroline?

In Chapter 3, Scout returns from a rough first day at school. She sits down to read with Atticus and tells him that she doesn't think she'll go to school anymore if it's okay with him. Scout explains the unfortunate events that took place throughout the day to her father. Miss Caroline, who is new to Maycomb, punished Scout following her failed attempt to explain Walter Cunningham's "family ways." Atticus teaches Scout a "trick." Atticus tells Scout to metaphorically "climb into another person's skin" and walk around in it. He explains to her that she learned a lot of things about Miss Caroline during the first day of school. He tells Scout that she shouldn't expect Miss Caroline to understand everything about Maycomb and its community in one day. He wants Scout to understand that Miss Caroline viewed the situation differently and wants her to look at the situation from Miss Caroline's point of view. This is an important lesson in Scout's moral development throughout the novel. 

In the essay, "Self Reliance," what does every person realize at some moment in his education?

Emerson states specifically that every man comes to realize that envy is ignorance and imitation is suicide. The passage in question reads as follows:

There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. 

When Emerson speaks of the plot of ground that is given to him to till, he is speaking metaphorically. What he means is that each person has certain interests, tastes, and talents that make him unique. He cannot be content with his life, and he probably will not be successful in life, unless he finds out who he is, what he can do that fits his character and personality, and how he can best survive in the ongoing struggle for existence. 

The world's literature is full of similar advice. Shakespeare has Polonius tell his son Laertes in Hamlet:

This above all, to thine own self be true...

The Bhagavad-Gita, which Emerson knew, says:

You must learn what kind of work to do, what kind of work to avoid, and how to reach a state of calm detachment from your work.  

The best time to find out who you are and what you should do in life is when you are in school. It is easy to get started on the wrong foot when you are young. Choosing a major in high school and college can start you on a road in life which you may find is not right for you. Then it is hard to turn back and start all over again. Most schools have counselors and various other services to help students choose the right career goals for themselves. It is well worth the time and effort to take vocational aptitude tests and any help that will guide a student in the right direction. We shouldn't just imitate someone we admire, or envy. That person can turn out to be entirely different from us as we grow older and can disappear. That is what Emerson means when he says "imitation is suicide." 

Emerson may be mistaken in saying, in effect, that "every man" arrives at the conviction that he has to find, metaphorically, the right plot of ground to till. Unfortunately, there are many people who end up tilling the wrong plot of ground all their lives--or until it is too late for them to turn back. Robert Frost seems to be toying with this common phenomenon in his famous poem "The Road Not Taken."

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

What are 5 pure elements that can be found in your home?

Most products and materials that would be found in your home are compounds, mixtures or alloys. Only the most stable elements will resist reacting over time. Metals found in the home are often alloys that incorporate desirable properties of several metals, such as strength and corrosion resistance.

Here are some examples of pure elements that might be found in a home:

Argon and tungsten are in incandescent light bulbs. Argon is inert and therefore keeps the tungsten filament from oxidizing.

Mercury is in some thermostats and in switches in space heaters that turn off when tipped over. Mercury completes the circuit when the appliance is in the upright position, but drains to a lower position and breaks the circuit when tilted.

Copper is used in electrical wiring and in some water pipes.

Carbon is in pencils. What we call pencil lead is actually the graphite form of carbon. The diamond form of carbon is in jewelry and is used as a cutting surface on saw blades designed to cut through metal.

About 20% of the air in your home is oxygen and about 80% is nitrogen.

Phosphorous is on the tips of matches and ignites from the friction of striking them.

Gold is found in jewelry and on the circuit boards in computers and small electronics.

Zinc is used as a coating on nails and screws and in water heaters to prevent galvanic corrosion.

Americium is used in smoke detectors.

Aluminum is used as foil and for beverage cans. Some outdoor furniture is made of cast aluminum because it's corrosion resistant.

Tantalum is used in capacitors in digital cameras, cell phones and tablets.

What are some examples in the text from Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye that show Holden Caulfield to be relatable?

The way Holden Caulfield relates to each reader can be different depending on individual experiences. Holden is a 16 year-old boy with anxiety and depression, but this seems to make him more human than unrelatable; hence, there are many different experiences that can apply to any and all readers. Readers can mostly identify with Holden as a brother, a student, and as a teenager.

As a brother, Holden loves his siblings. He makes a few mistakes, as everyone does, but on a whole, he loves his siblings. For example, he once rode off from his little brother Allie because he didn't want to hang with him, but he felt poorly about it later. Then, the way he treats his sister Phoebe is very kind, protective, and loving. He describes her in the following way:

"But you ought to see old Phoebe. . . You'd like her. I mean if you tell old Phoebe something, she knows exactly what the hell you're talking about. I mean you can take her anywhere with you" (67).

Next, as a student, Holden talks about teachers, administrators, and roommates in a way that seems universally relatable. It is hilarious how he describes Mr. Spencer, one of his professors, because students always make fun of teachers. He describes him the following way:

". . . I used to think about old Spencer quite a lot, and if you thought about him too much, you wondered what the heck he was still living for. I mean he was all stooped over, and he had very terrible posture, and in class, whenever he dropped a piece of chalk at the blackboard, some guy in the first row always had to get up and pick it up and hand it to him. That's awful, in my opinion" (6-7).

Finally, the insecurities and quirkiness of being a teenager is so accurately described, that many can relate with this awkward time in life. One awkward time Holden experiences is when he disappoints the fencing team by leaving the foils on the subway so they couldn't go to their competition. Later, during the school game, he is standing on Thomsen Hill feeling lonely. He describes it like this:

"So we got back to Pencey around two-thirty instead of around dinnertime. The whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train. It was pretty funny, in a way" (3).

Holden acts like it's no big deal and "pretty funny," but it's not. Many people have experienced feeling ostracized after making a mistake with friends or family, and this also makes Holden relatable. There are many other relatable experiences throughout the book, too; such as, dating, smoking, drinking, being alone, and many others. Again, it just depends on the experiences that each reader brings along while reading.

What is the difference between the (R) -2-butanol and (S) -2-butanol? Describe the phenomenon of optical isomerism by using terms such as...

2-butanol is a clear, organic, secondary alcohol.  That means the hydroxyl group is attached to the second carbon atom.  The difference in the R-2-butanol and the S-2-butanol has to do with the positioning of the hydroxyl group on the second carbon atom.  The R group has the hydroxyl group leaning forward in a three dimensional model, while the S group has the hydroxyl group receding, leaning in a backwards fashion, in a three dimensional model.

The two forms of butanol are chiral enantiomers of each other, meaning they are non-superimposable mirror images of each other.  They are also optical stereoisomers, meaning they are the same chemical composition, but with a different placement of the atoms, the key difference being the positioning of the hydroxyl group.  The center of the group is asymmetric, having four carbon atoms, with the hydroxyl group on carbon atom two.  Both versions of the stereoisomers are found in equal proportions, making them a racemic mixture.

How does Lombard handle Vera's question about her new employer?

In And Then There Were None, Vera and Lombard initially strike up a conversation when they meet. Vera soon mentions that she has yet to meet her new employer. Supposedly, she is to work for Mrs. Owen as a temporary secretary for the duration of the holidays.

When she asks Lombard to tell her what the Owens are like, he balks. He doesn't know how he is expected to answer. At this point, we deduce that poor Lombard has never met the Owens either. So, he does what many people do when they find themselves caught in an embarrassing situation: he changes the subject.

He pretends that there is a wasp on Vera's arm and makes a great show of batting it away. In response, Vera thanks Lombard for his gallant gesture. Lombard has managed to distract Vera admirably, and the talk soon turns to a query about the other guests. Soon, the train approaches and their attention is further centered on one General Macarthur, who will be part of their party on Indian Island.