Thursday, November 28, 2019

ACT Sample Questions Every Question Type Explained

ACT Sample Questions Every Question Type Explained SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The ACT is daunting. It just is. One of the most intimidating things about it is the average student's initial uncertainty as to what types of questions are going to be asked:Will it test vocabulary? What's tested on the science section? How many formulas do I need to memorize?The best way to clear up the confusion is to look at some ACT sample questions, so you can get a sense ofwhat to expect on test day. As you are most likely aware, there are five sectionson the ACT- English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing- each of whichhas its own types of questions. In this article, I'll guide you through every type of question you're going to encounter in each of these areas and offer some tips on preparing for them. Why Do I Need to Know All the ACT Question Types? Good question! Well, a big part of being prepared for the ACT is knowing what to expect when you open that test booklet. Increased familiarity with the material will ease your mind as the big day approaches and inform your study habits. Why waste time preparing for a task that doesn't appear on the exam? Instead, you should focus your energy on drilling the types of questions that actually matter. Imagine a vocab quiz.How would you study if you knew you'd be asked to... List the words from memory? Define each word, using a word bank? Use each word in an original sentence? Obviously, your approach would be very different given each scenario. And so it should be! Now, onward, to exploreofficial ACTsample questions. Vocab quizzes: the result of an unholy union between Scrabble and alphabet soup. Sample ACT English Questions All seventy-five English questions are multiple choice. They are all situated within the context of five, fifteen-question passages: no sentence stands in isolation. Most questions require you to determinewhich version of an underlined word or phrase is the best, but some ask about the author's intentions. There are two major categories of questions in the English section. Usage and mechanics - punctuation, sentence structure, and grammar and usage Rhetorical skills - style, organization, and strategy Usage and Mechanics Punctuation questions test your understanding of commas, apostrophes, colons, semicolons, em-dashes, periods, question marks, and exclamation points. Grammar and usage questions test your sense of grammatical agreement, verb use, pronoun use, comparative and superlative modifiers, and idioms. Sentence structure questions test your skill with dependent clause placement; run-ons, fused sentences, and comma splices; fragments; misplaced modifiers; and shifts in tense, voice, person, and number. Rhetorical Skills Writing strategy questions test your recognition of the author's choices and strategies - when and why might an editor add, delete, or modify a given statement? Organization questions test your knowledge of the best order and coherence of ideas as well as your ability to craft skillful introductions, transitions, and conclusions. Style questions test your discernment of tone, clarity, and economy (not using words that you don't need). For a more in-depth discussion of all of these skills, I heartily recommend our complete guide to ACT grammar and our analysis of which rules are most crucial to master. If you want a more detailed explanation of some of the terms and categories I threw around in this section, check out our article on what ACT English really tests- practically speaking. Don't forget our ultimate guide if there's anything else you want to examine in more depth! Math All sixty math questions are multiple choice and have five possible answers. Questions get progressively more challenging throughout the section. This is a general trend, not an exact science. In other words, question 1may not be the single easiest problem, and question 60may not be the single hardest problem, but question 60will be orders of magnitude harder than question 1. As far as content is concerned, the ACT aims to test the following topics: Pre-algebra (14 questions, or 23% of the section) Elementary algebra (10 questions, or 17% of the section) Intermediate algebra (9 questions, or 15% of the section) Coordinate geometry (9 questions, or 15% of the section) Plane geometry (14 questions, or 23% of the section) Trigonometry (4 questions, or 7% of the section) If you want to review any particular topics within these arenas, definitely consult our many guides on subjects from basic integer theory to dealing with functions. The six content areas above can be tested in three different ways: General math questions Math questions in settings Question sets I'm always making my calculator angry. I know exactly which buttons to push. General Math Questions These questions canbe basic in style or more complex. Basic math problems are straightforward: they may test difficult topics, but they're concise and don't give you anyunnecessary information. What you see is what you get. Answers are numeric in nature. The more complex questions shake things up a little bit. Some include too much or too little information. Answers may be numeric, or they may appear as expressions, equations, or statements. There may be figures or diagrams to analyze. As you can see, this is kind of a catch-all category including a range of questions with no other well-defined characteristics. Math Questions in Settings These are what we often refer to as word problems or story problems. They typically describe an everyday situation, and the equation isn't set up for you: you need to convertthe circumstances described into a math problem. Question Sets These are simply groups of questions that relate back to the same set of information:a paragraph, a diagram, or another scenario.These problems are easy to recognize, since they're always preceded by a box that explains how many problems are part of the set. This is yet another reason to read instructions carefully; skimming through the math section is a sure-fire way to miss these cues! For more info on ACT math questions, check out our ultimate guide to ACT math. Reading There are ten questions dedicated to each of the four segments of this test. Each segment consists of one long passage or one pair of shorter passages. All forty questions are multiple choice. There are four genres of literature that will appear on the ACT, always in the following order: Prose fiction:Typically a short story or an excerpt from a novel, prose fiction includes a narrated series of events or a progressive revelation of character. Social studies:Texts within this category discuss anything from anthropology and biography to psychology and sociology- any "soft" science or study of human phenomena. These passages present information gatheredvia rigorous research. Humanities:These texts can draw on arts of any flavor, ethics and philosophy, or personal reflections. The focus is on describing and analyzingarts and ideas. Natural science:This kind of text is rooted in any of the "hard" sciences- biology, chemistry, physics, etc. The aim is simply to explore a significant scientific topic. You'll be asked to complete the following types of questions: Detail Main idea Compare and contrast Inference Cause and effect Vocab-in-context Author intent and tone This cactus has clearly had too much caffeine. I'm never thisexcited to be reading the dictionary! Detail Questions The questions ask you to find information in the passage. For example, in the following question, you need to find a specific detail that was explained in the passage. The question states that it wants one data point that was "described in the passage". Main Idea Questions This type requires you to examine passages globally to determine main ideas. The following question refers to the passage "as a whole" and ask that you characterize its entire arc. We might suppose that the answer is never explicitly stated but derives from the sum of the article's many parts. Compare and Contrast Questions These are exactly what they sound like: you'll need to compare and contrast information given in a single long passage or in the two shorterpaired passages. For instance, the following question asks you to find what's similar across two short passages. (Note, though, that it could just as easily have asked for the primary difference between them.) Inference Questions These are the trickiest type of reading question: they ask you to identify the logicunderlying a claimor extend the implication of a statement. For instance, in the following question, you're asked to describe what the author "implies" about what people "commonly assume." Cause and Effect Questions These are specific type of inference question that require you to analyzecause and effect and sequences of events. You should understand what happened when and which event caused what. The following question asks about why the trap-jaw ant has developed the characteristics it possesses today: i.e. what happened originally to cause this new development in turn. Vocab-in-Context Questions These questions point you towards a specific instance of aword or phrase within the text, then ask you to offer a rough definition based on its use in context. Author Intent and Tone Questions For these, you'll be asked to draw conclusions about the author's voice and method. You should be able to explain the author's view of and attitude towards the topic, and you should also be able to identify why the author made certain salient choices. For instance, the following questions asks about the "author's attitude" and offers various descriptions of possible view points in the answer choices. For good, solid advice on how to attack ACT reading, check outour ultimate guide to the subject. Science The science section consists of seven passages, with forty multiple-choice questions. (Technically,there could be more or fewer passages, but there are almost always seven.) There are four categories of passages, content-wise: Biology:cellular biology, botany, zoology, microbiology, ecology, or genetics Chemistry:properties of matter, pH, kinetics and equilibria, thermochemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, or nuclear chemistry Physics:mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, fluids, solids, and optics Earth/space:geology, meteorology, oceanography, astronomy, and thermodynamics There are also three different passage formats, which I'll explore further below: Data representation Research summaries Conflicting viewpoints Fortunately, you will not be asked to spell deoxyribonucleic acid. Data Representation These passages contain a short introductory paragraph and a fewcharts, graphs, and diagrams. They look like something you might find in a science journal or textbook explaining a naturalphenomenon. You'll be asked to interpret charts and tables, read graphs, evaluate scatterplots, and analyze information in diagrams. Research Summaries These passages describe scientific studies. Generally speaking, you'll see two or three experiments per passage. The design, procedures, and results will all be set down for you. Graphs and tables are likely to be featured, but not guaranteed. You'll be asked to understand, evaluate, and interpret the design and procedures, and analyzethe results of the studies. Conflicting viewpoints This type of passage summarizes atleast two alternative theories, hypotheses, or scientific viewpoints. Each will be based on different premises or a set of incomplete data, and they will be inconsistent with each other. You'll be asked to understand, analyze, evaluate, compare, and contrast several theories, hypotheses, and viewpoints. Don't stop exploring science there! Take a moment to exploreour ultimate guide to this portion of the ACT. You won't actually need all four pencils on test day. Writing The ACT essay is a whole different ballgame from what it used to be.The new, enhanced essay presents you with a summary of some controversial issue and three different perspectives on that issue. You're expected to evaluate and analyze the perspectives; state and develop your own perspective, which may align with any one of the other three or none at all; and explain the relationship between your perspective and the three given. You have forty minutes to plan and write a relevant essay. I urge you to read about the specific types of prompts you're likely to encounter and how to nail this task with a perfect score. What's Next? Now that you know what you've seen every type of sample ACT question and know what you'llencounter on the test, it's time to think about learning some new strategies. Consider this list of 21 tips everyone could use, or these 15 tips designed to boost that score. Also consider picking up one of these ten highly recommended books to help you prepare for the test. If you've already settled on using the official guide, read how to use that tool to its greatest advanatage. Of course, you'll want to augment any book(s) with some of these wonderful websites! Rather than diving right into diverse resources with no sense of where you're headed, though, do make sure you take time to assemble a study plan, whether you're a sophomore or junior, a rising senior, or just really pressed for time. Also be thinking about what you really want out of the ACT. Read about what score you need to get where you want to go, and read about what a good ACT score really means. Finally, consider adding a program with PrepScholar to your study plans. PrepScholar will help you focus in on the exact types of questions that challenge you the most so that your studying is as effective as possible. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Rositas Day of the Dead essays

Rositas Day of the Dead essays This was an entertaining performance; it sent a real message under the guise of a humorous diversion from reality into the perceived (or believed?) world of the previously living, otherwise known as calacas, or the bony ones. The main character Rosita is originally from Mexico; she has since moved far from her birthplace and her family, not as far geographically, but certainly worlds away emotionally. As the story opens, we hear a calaca say levantase! We then see calacas coming from every direction into Rositas kitchen; lively music plays as they seem to discover that they can touch solid objects without passing through them. Some carry suitcases; one sits down and drinks a cup of coffee, another seems fascinated with a sugar dispenser. As sunlight comes, they quickly scurry away, out of sight. Now, as at other times, one is a little slower than the others and narrowly escapes discovery. We get a taste of Rositas sassy side when she greets the customer from Clovis, who becomes part of the audience, thus signifying, in my view, that the character is not as significant as the reason why she is there (Was this really an actor, or merely a patron of the theatre, tapped to be our customer because of the seat she chose?): Rosita tells her story to the customer, the story of her day of the dead. Of course, the story would not be complete without snippets of background, which she provides to the customer, and thus, to the audience. Marisabel, Rositas granddaughter, bounds in with the revelation that she has spoken to her dead grandmother; Rosita doesnt really seem to believe her until Marisabel speaks her grandmothers name. It is then that the series of strange happenings is revealed to us: the nail shop, the travel agency, the produce delivery person, and the trip to the afterlife Mictlan. ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

White River Massacre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

White River Massacre - Essay Example At the same time, White settlers were complaining about Utes for their excessive hunting activities. Meeker got frustrated when Utes refused to follow his order asking them to plow their race track into a farm land. Meeker sought military help from Colorado Governor Frederick Pitkin so as to protect him and his men from the Utes. His request was soon complied with and Major Thornburgh marched with 200 soldiers toward the White River Agency at the distance of 150 miles; however, the troops were first noticed by Utes during their hunting trip. Utes considered this march an invasion on them and asked Meeker to stop their arrival immediately. Meeker agreed and requested Thornburgh that better he keep his battalion outside the Ute reservation territory and only five of them accompany him for a dialogue with Utes representatives (Peters, Mike). Though Thornburgh agreed on this initially but for some reason began entering into Milk Creek. Thornburgh made a grave mistake of crossing Milk Creek and entering into Ute territory, maybe he perhaps assumed that his path would not get blocked. Thornburgh’s entry into Utes territory ignited the conflict between Utes and Whites that finally culminated into a full-fledged war. The battle began in the morning of September 29 1879 and escalated soon that triggered infamous White River Massacre (Peters, Mike). After finishing the dinner of the day Arvilla, the wife of Meeker, was washing dishes when she heard the gun shots. Perhaps Utes heard about the battle at Milk Creek and assumed that troops were marching ahead to kill or push them off the reservation area. Meeker and nine other white men were massacred methodically. Nathan Meeker was fired on the head. Utes hatred against whites was on high pitch on those days and that was evident from the heinous incident of a metal piece pierced into Meeker’s mouth (Peters, Mike). Arvilla, her daughter and one of her companion fled from

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Impact of Social Media in International Marketing Research Paper

Impact of Social Media in International Marketing - Research Paper Example This essay declares that the emergence of the social media has had a powerful impact on enterprises. In the coming years, social media has the potential to change the landscape of the business environment and the way organizations conduct their business operations. Companies will have to alter the way they conduct business in order to fully take advantage of the opportunities presented by the emergence of social media. Companies that quickly understand the changes brought about by social media on customer value and customer engagement will be in a good position to realize optimum benefits from the use of social media. This paper stresses that the emergence of new technologies, such as the worldwide web, mobile devices and digital television has created a number of opportunities for businesses to produce and market innovative goods and services. It has also helped customers to get increased value for their money. Traditional marketing approaches limit the number of customers a company can reach to hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands. These marketing techniques also require a lot of time, effort and cost. In sharp contrast, a business today through the use of computers and the Internet can reach millions of customers with minimal effort and cost. China has gone beyond the United States in terms of the leading country that has the maximum number of Internet users. Asia Pacific will have more than 500 million of the Internet population. In terms of the world Internet population, the percentage of users in the Latin American and South Pacific regions will increase and that of North America an d Europe will decrease even though the actual numbers will continue to increase (Luukka). Social media allows

Monday, November 18, 2019

Vehicle Car service models for DMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Vehicle Car service models for DMS - Essay Example This use case has presented the main business operations performed all through the business. In this use case it is outlined how car servicing business will perform different operations. These operations include the appointment taking, servicing and payment. In this overall system working and handling we need to take different decision and assessment for giving appointment and dealing payments. These use case will offer a better insight into different business operations while development. In this diagram the main procedure and flow of business operations are shown. These diagrams have elaborated the main sequence of operations and procedures that have been performed through the overall business processes regarding the car servicing. This is a decision and action based approach that demonstrates the overall behaviors of the business dealing and operational handling. 1- In this BPMN diagrams for the business use cases I have presented the same scenario of operations as presented in the use case diagram. Here I have outlined the main decision points and areas where we can take the decision before moving to the next level. In the vehicle servicing process the initial step or decision is taken on the basis that the customer is new or old. If customer is old one then we assign him log no and issues the appropriate appointment. In case of new customer we need to take his complete information and feed it into main database and then issue the log and registration number. Then we take the next decision regarding the available working slot. Means time slot for servicing the vehicle. In case of available slot we issue the appointment otherwise we issue next date or time. 2- The scenario is about the detailed analysis of vehicle servicing and estimation of the cost. When a car is serviced and some new components are added in this scenario a

Friday, November 15, 2019

Creating a conducive classroom Enviroment

Creating a conducive classroom Enviroment When I think of a conducive classroom, the first thing that comes to mind is the climate and atmosphere of the room. Is the room inviting? Is the environment set up in such a way that everyone has access to everything in the room? Does the teacher come off as a warm, caring person? In a conducive classroom, it is the teachers role to create such an environment that children can and will succeed regardless of their educational background, their cultural background or even the language they speak. A teacher needs to establish an effective climate where she still maintains authority and organization, where there is mutual respect and good rapport between each other. As an educator of ELL students, the classroom needs to be a place that will influence the childs achievement and help boost their self-esteem, and have planned organized activities at their levels which can produce success. The ELL student can present many problems for a teacher in the classroom if the teacher is not prepare d to teach this type of population. ELL students often come to school with many disadvantages such as learning a new language, learning new content, cultural differences, socioeconomical issues and the list could go on. In his book, The Natural Approach: Language Acquisition in the Classroom, Stephen Krashen often speaks of the different levels for Language- Acquisition-sometimes referred to as The Natural Approach and how it is a natural process for students to learn the language. In fact, some say it is so natural that it requires very little education and planning on the teachers part, for an ELL student to learn a new language. I took this to mean, if you just put them amongst their peers the learning and language-acquisition will happen. But, as an educator for many years, I can honestly say, I have worked very hard to establish the best policies and practices for a successful conducive classroom. But even after many years of working with the ELL population, I can honestly say I can improve on different strategies that would not only make me a better teacher, but would also benefit my ELL students as well. Problems or issues in the classroom: Building Trust If I had to make any improvements working towards a conducive classroom for my ELL students, I would have to say I could work on establishing more trust from my students, and working on my routines in the classroom. Even though I try to establish a sense of trust with every student, sometimes you will not gain every ones trust in the room but a teacher must continue to try. That is why before the school year even begins, I try to get to know my students during the Meet the Teacher Day offered at our school the week prior to the first day of school. It is during this time I start to build trust. This gives us a chance to get to know one another and during this time, I start to get a feel for my students, their parents, and the family situation. From the minute I shake their hand at meet and greet, I try to make them feel as if we have been together an entire school year already. To help gain trust, I begin by letting them explore their classroom, choose what seat they would like, and I ask them a few questions about their likes and dislikes. I want my students to feel as though I care about them as a teacher and a friend. Even though I try to establish a student/teacher trust, a problem I have found over the years is that not all students feel they can trust a teacher or other adults because of their cultural upbringings. Even though I tell them they can come to me for anything, many are hesitate because they do not want to get a family member in trouble, and believe me, I can see how this affects their school work. So, my solution to the problem is to share personal stories that I think the students can relate to and then ask if anyone has had something similar happen to them. Sometimes it works and they trust in me, other times, they simply keep things inside. Another way I try to establish trust is by showing the student that I care and value their language and culture. I start doing this by pairing up a limited English speaking student with an English proficient student that will help them throughout the day or however long they need each other. Research has shown that when students can continue to learn in their own language the non proficient student will actually learn English faster (Cummins, 1991). That is why, as I am teaching my lessons, I will allow my students to speak to each other in their native tongue which helps the non proficient student understand what is being taught and what is expected of them. There is nothing worse than having new students get lost at the beginning of a school year, and then you will have lost them forever. Even though I try to establish trust in this manner, there are still times I may forget about the non proficient student and when I hear talking during a lesson, I sometimes get upset only to real ize they are translating for me. I feel that every teacher needs to get to know their students on a personal basis; they need to build trust and respect for each other. Teachers need to look beyond the students proficiency levels, their cultural backgrounds, their social-economical status, and remember they are people and we need to embrace our differences and teach them as we would any child. By building a relationship of mutual trust, a teacher can help relieve the anxiety many ELL students feel and therefore provide a conducive classroom that is beneficial to all. Research on Building Trust Maslow, (Maslow, 1968) discusses the basic strategies for safety and security for a new student. One of the very first things he says is that every new student should be assigned a personal buddy, preferably one who speaks the same language. This person would help the new student throughout the day to make sure he/she knows the routines and how to navigate around the school. Additional solutions include that of established routines. Research states if a classroom has routines in place, this can help to lower the ELL students anxiety and it helps them become a part of the classroom (Krashen Terrell 1983). Problems or issues in the classroom: Daily Routines Another issue I may face is trying to set-up the perfect routine. To me, there is nothing more conducive in a classroom that has structure that will promote student success. Structure and routines in a classroom can make all the difference in a successful or a non successful room. In the beginning of the year, I have simple routines that everyone, regardless if they speak English or not, can follow. The routines are so basic and they establish what is expected of each and every student. By having such a routine in place, any new student, ELL or otherwise, can come into the room and know what is expected of them after just 1 or 2 days. A well planned routine helps ease the expectations of many new comers. It does not require them to know English to begin fitting into the classroom. My routines also include how groups are made and organized. I have small groups for every subject area and the students know where they are assigned. Even though I like to think I have the perfect routine established, and my students know how to move from one routine to another, that is not always the case, because at a Title 1 school, I have found that routines are made to be broken, which is something I have to learn to deal with. At a Title 1 school on any given day, I receive numerous intercom interruptions from the office or other teachers asking for so and so to be sent to the Counselors office, or nurses office, or reading/writing lab, or my favorite, they are going home, could you make sure they have their homework. Call me old-school, but, I really like a structured classroom, so whenever I am interrupted it throws everything off. I found that I have to monitor and adjust my schedule on a daily basis, so you can imagine how my students feel when I say, OK we need to change this or that, it takes them a lot longer to adjust. So, I guess one problem I have when establishing a conducive classroom is how to deal with change on a daily basis and how to make the transitions easier for my students as not to disrupt the learning going on. Professional Research on Routines Establishing routines in the classroom is one of the easiest strategies to help ELL students lessen their stress and enjoy their days in schools. In their book, 50 Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners, (Herrell Jordan 2008), go so far as to walking a teacher through the process step by step on how to set up a classroom. Other research also mentions that ELL students need cooperative groupings to interact orally with their peers (ESL learners: a guide for classroom teachers). The guide goes on to say that structured learning groups have many positive outcomes in academic achievement, increase in communication skills, race relations, and social development. I am a firm believer in cooperative learning groups. There have been many times I have seen students teach other and explain things to each other, in only ways they understand. Where I am in producing a conducive learning environment As a veteran teacher of 15 plus years, I believe I already have a classroom that is conducive to the ELL student. To me, it takes many years to establish such a room where the ELL student can produce and become successful. I have implemented many strategies to help ensure the success of each and every one of my students. My classroom is arranged in such a way that students have access to everything they need from bilingual dictionaries, technology, manipulatives, realia, learning centers, and small groupings. I also differentiate instruction, have established routines and structure, I embrace and learn all about my students cultures, I create an environment that makes a child feel comfortable and one that helps to relieve all anxieties a child may feel when entering a strange new place. I instill a love of learning through motivation, hands-on activities, and positive feedback. I understand as an educator that every student has different needs, and the ELL population may have even mo re than your typical American student, but I do whatever I have to, to make sure they have everything they need and to make sure they are in a conducive environment that is task-oriented, engaging, and supportive so that they can and will be successful. References Cummins, J. (1991) Language Development and Academic Learning Cummins, J in Malave, L. and Duquette, G. Language, Culture and Cognition Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Herrell, A. L., Jordan, M. (2008). 50 strategies for teaching English Language Learners, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Krashen, S.D. Terrell, T.D. (1983). The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Oxford: Pergamon Press Maslow, A. H. (1968). Toward a psychology of being. New York: VanNostrand.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Narrator’s Use of Language and Memory in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished :: Faulkner’s The Unvanquished Essays

Narrator’s Use of Language and Memory in Faulkner’s The Unvanquished In the Unvanquished, a version of southern masculinity is developed through the narrator using dialect and the device, or should I say vice of memory. Fairly early in the novel, the reflective standpoint of the narrator becomes obvious, and a certain sense of â€Å"retelling† the story, not just telling it as it happened, prevails. This use of memory is not necessarily selective but it does show the processing of perceptions of the narrator’s childhood. As readers, we first get the sense that we are hearing the story from a much older Bayard when he drops comments like â€Å"I was just twelve then; I didn’t know triumph; I didn’t even know the word† (Unvanquished 5). If he was just twelve then, he could be just fifteen or sixteen when retelling this story, assuming the grandiosity that adolescence creates, leading to such thoughts as â€Å"I was just a kid then.† However, the second part of the statement reveals a much older and wiser voice, the voice of someone who has had time to think out such abstractions as triumph and failure. Furthermore, the almost obsessive description of the father in the first part of the novel seems like the narrator comes to terms, much later in life, with how he viewed his father as a man. â€Å"He was not big† (9) is repeated twice on the same page. He was short enough to have his sabre scrape the steps while ascending (10), yet he appeared large and in command, especially when on his horse (13). The shape and size of a man being an important part in defining masculinity, I think Baynard grappled with his father’s physical presence as well as his tenuous position as a leader in the Confederate Army. Other telling moments are on page 66 when Baynard postulates what a child can accept as true in such incredible situations and on page 95 with his declarations on the universality of war. (Possibly he is an old man now and has lived to see other wars.) Upon realizing the distance between the setting of the story and age of its narrator, the reader is forced to consider how memory and life itself have affected the storytelling. Another way to contemplate the development of masculinity, one that calls upon the southern gentleman to be well educated and verbose, is the use of dialect in the story.