Answer:
E. reinforce the author’s overarching claim about ordinary people’s capacity for success
Explanation:
Answer E
Correct. A base metal is a metal of little monetary value, as opposed to a precious metal like gold. In stating that “from apparently the basest metals we have the finest toned bells,” the author asserts that a material that is considered worthless can nevertheless become the medium for the beautiful sound of a high-quality bell. He notes that people who are not valued by society (“simple manhood,” “dregs of society”) can similarly achieve great things sometimes. He then observes that steel objects and rusty razors can actually improve in quality after being left “neglected and forgotten” in the dirt, reflecting that the most marginalized and maligned of people (“the lowly and despised”) can similarly become agents of “improvement and progress” for the world. The comparison between metals and people thus reinforces the author’s thesis that people who do not seem to possess great talent or many advantages can still achieve extraordinary things (“excellence often comes unheralded and from unexpected quarters”).
Answer: Oona is planning to ambush the Russians.
In this excerpt, we see that Oona is instructing Negore as to how to lead the Russians. Oona states that Negore should show them the way, to where they wait in a passage up the rocks. The fact that they are hidden, and that they are waiting for the Russians to pass, along with their negative attitude towards them, implies that they are planning an ambush for the Russians.
What kind of question is this
1. The purpose of the line "<span>In these days we can kindle a fire without any trouble, because we can easily get a match..." is to imply the main idea of the article. The statement that we can easily kindle fire today implies that there was a time when it wasn't so easy. That is why people had to figure out a way to kindle a fire without looking for a natural source. All of this supports the article's main idea, that match was a brilliant invention, which we shouldn't take for granted.
2. This line shows the need for matches. People had troubles with finding the fire, but it got even harder because any fire can easily get extinguished. This proves there was an urgent need to find a way to kindle fire without having to resort to nature at all times. The line doesn't show how dependable nature is - on the contrary, it shows that humans had to find a way to not depend on it. It doesn't show how people got the fire, or how long it took to make matches.
3. The correct answer is thesaurus. It is not an encyclopedia or an ordinary dictionary, but a dictionary of synonyms, that is words with similar meanings. It also contains antonyms (words with opposite meanings) and words with related meanings. When we don't know what a word means, we use a dictionary or an encyclopedia (or Wikipedia, for that matter). However, when we know its meaning, but are looking for a more appropriate word, we use a thesaurus.</span>