Answer:
Lincoln's election was seen as the last straw to the Southerners about their place in the union. This led to the process of secession a short time later, also leading to the eventual Civil War.
Direct characterization refers to when an author directly states what a character is like. For example, he is bad/good/ugly/obnoxious, etc. The author is letting us know directly what the character looks like, behaves like, is like. This is opposite of indirect characterization, where we have to deduce what a character is like based on his or her actions, what other characters think about them, etc.
<span>A thermal inversion happens when the air close to the ground is colder than the air at higher altitudes. This is the opposite of what normally occurs. The inversion can "trap" air and pollutants near the ground, so things such as higher levels of smog can persist while the inversion persists. If the weather is cool, there's also a high possibility of fog persisting for the duration of the inversion.</span>
