Ivan is discussing with two of the monks his article on the position of the ecclesiastical courts. He explains that he opposes the separation of church and state primarily because when a criminal needs to be punished, the public should not have to rely on the state to administer such punishment. Ivan states that if the church had the authority to punish and also to excommunicate the criminal, then a vast number of crimes would be diminished. To a degree, Father Zossima agrees, but he points out that the only effective punishment "lies in the recognition of sin by conscience.
The main idea of this paragraph is that the rocks cannot be explained by science, that there is a mystery to them. This sentence contributes to that idea because it gives a specific example of one of the odd things about the rocks. Because they are on a flat surface they should not roll or move on their own, but the fact that they have a trail behind them shows that they have somehow moved. This supporting statement is then supported by more details about the trails.
A.) From the camel caravan, the train whizzed up.
b.) This company held it’s meeting offsite today. There were many things to talk about away from the office.
c.) We watched the progress from the train. We hoped the children were amused by the spectacles.
d.) The baby was hungry so his mother fed and changed him.
