A wooden marionette is a figure that is normally used for theatrics. It is controlled by a person who holds it from the upper part with a series of nylon strings which are attached to each of the marionette's extremities.
A Wooden diving board is normally found on the edge of swimming pools. It is used by amateur and professional divers in order to execute dives into the pool.
Both of them function by the principle of equilibrium. In the case of the marionette, the person who is operating it moves its fingers up and down in order to create movement. In the case of the diving board, the metal bolts which hold the board's structure cause an opposing force that ultimately serves as a counterbalance when the diver jumps into the other end of the board.
This passage implies that the author is aware that new weapons have broadened the theater of war.
The law offered farmers subsidies in exchange for limiting their production of certain crops
Women have been a part of the war effort since the Revolutionary War, but in the early days of our nation they had to cloak themselves in disguise to serve alongside men. When they were accepted into the military, women were given auxiliary roles. As the weapons and methods of warfare changed in the late 20th century, however, the Pentagon began to realize that gender matters less on the battlefield.
