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        I’ve decided on the perfect career for me. Only, I’v…

        I’ve decided on the perfect career for me. Only, I’ve never seen a single classified ad for my preferred profession. You see, I’ve decided that I’d like to be someone’s personal dog.         I’ve got all the skills of our canine friends. If you owned me, when you went to work, I could spend the day napping, or even watching TV, if you’d remember to leave the set on to keep me company. I’d even nap right by the front door if you wanted me to, if you brought me a large enough floor pillow. When you came home, I’d promise to be very, very glad to see you—and I’d beg you to stay longer each time you left again, as long as my anxiety made you feel loved and needed, and guilty.         If you only fed me once a day, as most vets recommend, I’d be very attentive as you fixed my food, and I’d always be hungry all the rest of the time, so I’d be very grateful if you dropped me a scrap or two. And, whenever you opened the refrigerator or even the food pantry, I’d walk into the kitchen and watch you avidly while you decided what we were going to eat.        I like to be outdoors on a nice day—not in the rain please—and I would run after a ball or a Frisbee. For fetching sticks, you’d have to train me with treats—not doggie snacks, but Snickers or Doritos would get me salivating. When it’s spring of fall, I would get real frisky in the fresh air, and in summer I would pant and want to come inside. On a winter night, if you left me out too long, I’d howl and wake the neighbors. And, though I prefer to do my business inside rather than outside, you could still call me “housebroken.”        I‘d be a good watch-person, too. When you weren’t home, a burglar would think someone was there, because, well, I would be. And believe me, at night, if I heard some noise that I didn’t like, I’d wake you up and let you know. When you and I went for a walk, if someone came up and started bothering you, I could be unpleasant enough that he or she would go away.        What else? I’d sit in your lap if you were big enough—and the right gender. I don’t like cats, though I rarely chase them. Squirrels fascinate me. I can beg, because I already know how to stand on my back legs.        So, why don’t you hire me? I’ve had all my shots and I’m dewormed. What do you say? Huh? Speak! And, by the way, are you going to eat that potato chip?   19. Which sentence best states the main idea of this passage?

         In U. S. history, the Civil War hosted fierce battl…

         In U. S. history, the Civil War hosted fierce battles and brought about enormous change. Southern feudalism, a vast farming system built upon the relationship between owner and slave, completely collapsed; the federal government established authority over that states’ rights, and the slave gained freedom. Change arose from basic challenges of authority, the status quo. Though tales of these challenges most often evoke images of men, Northern and Southern women faced challenges to their traditional roles. Many toiled with little recognition, the antics of others provided mythical material, and a few established enduring contributions. These pioneers transcended their roles to fulfill three types of positions usually reserved for men.         The first unusual role for women was that of a sutler, one who followed an army to sell provisions to the soldiers. Armies usually waited out the long, harsh winters until the spring thaws allowed for favorable fighting conditions; many officers sent for their families until the spring campaigns began. These winters offered a few enterprising women the opportunity to become merchants. Some women transformed traditional skills as housekeepers, laundresses, cooks, or nurses into a profit. This life was not an easy one, however. The bitter cold, the rough behavior of enlisted soldiers, and the prejudice against women posed dangers. Despite the risks, a few women such as Mary Tippee, a sutler with the 114th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, contributed to the war and defied expectations.         A second, unexpected role filled by a few courageous women was that of spy. From the outset of the war, spies were invaluable to both the North and the South. Allegedly, women elicited information through charm and flattery; however, debate surrounds the facts of the women’s contributions. Nevertheless, their stories stand as tall tales. For example, one of the most famous Confederate spies, Belle Boyd, based her spying operation in her father’s hotel in Fort Royal, West Virginia, and supplied information about Union forces to General Stonewall Jackson. On the Union side, Pauline Cushman spied for the secret service and military intelligence in Louisville and elsewhere in Kentucky. On a mission behind Confederate lines, she was captured, sentenced to death and, then, left behind when Bragg’s forces withdrew from Tennessee.         The final and perhaps most significant role filled by women was that of administrator. No one more clearly succeeded in this role than Clara Barton. Though Barton s often typecast as a nurse, her primary effort involved the distribution of medical provisions to battle zones. She collected and stored them in Washington and personally distributed them at the front where she earned the title “Angel of the Battlefield.” Also, with the endorsement of President Lincoln, she set up the Bureau of Records and traced 20,000 missing soldiers. Her success as an administrator during the Civil War led to worldwide involvement in health care; eventually she founded the American Red Cross in 1881. Mary Tippee, Belle Boyd, Paula Cushman, and Clara Barton faced the challenges of war with energy and courage, and by doing so they forged new roles for women.   1. Which sentences best states the main idea of the passage?