Coordinating conjunctions.
Question 1:
Humorous passage 1: "It (the umbrella) was made to be carried on the arm like an enormous ornamental bat and to allow one the opportunity to put on British airs as the atmospheric conditions demanded."
Humorous passage 2: "(The umbrella is) An item to be carried in the street, to be used to startle friends and—in the worst of cases—to fend off one’s creditors."
Question 2:
Passage 1 is funny because it compares the umbrella to an ornamental bat, which sounds weird in the first place. Plus, the umbrellas is said to be used by people who want to seem British, which is even more outrageously funny.
Passage 2 is funny because it treats the umbrella as a scary object which can be used even to fend off people you owe money to, which is absurd.
In both passages, the author uses tone and voice in a very witty way: he speaks seriously about absurdity, about unimaginable stuff. It is like an encyclopedia of weird and fun facts. That is what makes it funny: the contrast between a serious tone and larger than life images.
The excerpt from the President Clinton states claims about the growth of the economy of the country.
Answer: Option B.
<u>Explanation:</u>
During the time when the President of the United States of America was Clinton, there was a lot of growth in the economy of the country. The level of unemployment in the country was at the lowest level, there were huge employment opportunities in the country.
The crime rate in the country was at the lowest level and a lot of people were opting for higher education and aid was provided to those people. Children had health insurance and people had moved out of poverty. All this claims that the growth of the country had touched heights during that time.
