Answer:
Madrid is in Spain. It isn't in Portugal.
Explanation:
Madrid is the capital of Spain.
(I am laughing over the fact you marked this as a college level question.)
Answer:
Gerunds and gerund phrases always function as nouns.
They can act as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nominatives, or objects of a preposition in a sentence.
The Black Ball, by Ralph Ellison, is most likely to belong to the Contemporary Period of American Literature.
Ellison began to publish his works in the 1950s and his themes revolved around the struggles African-Americans had to face while trying to not only survive but to be seen and heard by a racist society. He was certainly influenced by the movement known as the Harlem Renaissance, when black art flourished full of creativity and pride.
The Black Ball speaks of struggle and hope. John, the main character, has to deal with discrimination while he tries to teach his own son that being American is better and more important than being black, brown, or white.