Nights and Dragons—
From the memoir of author Abigail Prynne
1
I sit at my desk listening to thunder growl outside my window. Flashes of light burst through the darkness, and wind races past my window. The thrilling combination of sight and sound conjures up visions of dragons roaring proudly, breathing fire, and soaring across the midnight sky. Dragons first fascinated me when I was a little girl. They have followed me ever since. The magnificent creatures appeared in storybooks I read in the library, paintings I saw in museums, movies I watched in the theater, and the dreams I had in my sleep. By the time I was thirteen, one question consumed me. I wanted to know if dragons ever existed, so I set out on a quest for facts.
2
As I started my research, I discovered many skeptics. Scientists presented evidence to show why dragons could not—and did not—exist. They explained that it would be impossible for dragons to fly because they would be too big. They laughed at the idea of dragons breathing fire. They pointed out that no other animal has ever done this. They said that if dragons had lived, someone would have found remains somewhere in the world. No bones about it, there were plenty of logical explanations. It would have been easy for me to accept that the only place dragons ever existed was in the imaginations of those who believed.
3
I could have given up, but I thought about my grandmother. She always told me that "people who believe that science is the answer to everything are missing out on everything else." With her words in mind, I searched some more. There were many facts that hinted that dragons may not be fictional. I noticed that cultures across the world all described dragons in similar ways. This was odd because they had no way to communicate with each other. I found dragons mentioned in more than just stories. They appeared in old legal papers, in the travel logs of Marco Polo, and in the Bible. I saw that the Chinese calendar uses a different animal each year. Dragons are included along with eleven real animals. I began to believe it was a real possibility that all of these people were talking about a creature that actually existed.
4
With renewed hope that there was some truth to the legends, I looked for new research. I found that some experts disagreed with popular arguments against dragons. They suggested that a dragon could have four stomachs like a cow. If it created stomach gases like birds, it might create enough to lift itself off the ground. This would give it the ability to fly. If it forced out air when diving toward the earth, it might release gases which could ignite into flame. When the animal died, the stomachs would release strong acids that would dissolve its dead body over time. Biologists backed up these ideas with sketches and models based on known animals. Not everyone agreed with these ideas, but many of the things we accept about dinosaurs and other extinct species started the same way.
5
I doubt we will ever truly know whether dragons existed. There may always be two sides to the fiery debate. Some will say the stories come from active imaginations. Some will believe with all their hearts that the legendary creatures roamed our ancient world. I don't know for certain which side to believe, but the sound and fury of a night like this makes me smile. It rekindles my childhood dreams and keeps the exciting possibility alive.

Which best states the main idea of the text? (5 points)

I have found no proof that dragons ever existed.
I have found some proof that dragons may have existed.
I have always wondered if dragons existed, and I hope they did.
I have not been able to decide if dragons ever existed or not.

Answer:

a

Explanation:

5.
I might give brainliest pls anwer ASAP!!
Which sentence contains a collective noun?

a. During World War I, messages were tied to pigeon legs.
b. Flags or lights were often used to send messages between ships at sea during World War I.
c. During World War I, people used drums, signals, and lanterns to send messages.
d. Messages can be sent and received in a variety of ways during wartime.

Which pair of words has consonance but not assonance?
A. Tall mall
B. Big bug
C. Less men
D. Fun ball​

Most women on death row are there for what crime?
drug abuse
murder
child abuse/domestic violence
burglary

Which piece of information in the text is LEAST relevant?

A.
The system was based on earlier work that the researchers used related to the flu and the influences of lifestyle choices on people’s health.

B.
Public health officials could spend their limited time and money inspecting restaurants that are most likely to be problematic.

C.
If a person's tweets show they are suffering from a foodborne illness, the system then traces back their steps to find the restaurant most likely to be the source.

D.
Over four months, the researchers examined 3.8 million tweets from 94,000 people living in New York City.

According to Johnson,what makes up the "soul" of America?what does he mean when he says these are part of the nation’s "soul"?

HELP IM TIMED!!!!!!!
Question 8(Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)
(LC)


STORIES OF USEFUL INVENTIONS, excerpt
By S. E. Forman

1911

THE MATCH

There never was a time when the world was without fire, but there was a time when men did not know how to kindle fire; and after they learned how to kindle one, it was a long, long time before they learned how to kindle one easily. In these days we can kindle a fire without any trouble, because we can easily get a match; but we must remember that the match is one of the most wonderful things in the world, and that it took men thousands of years to learn how to make one. Let us learn the history of this familiar little object, the match.

Fire was first given to man by nature itself. When a forest is set on fire by cinders from a neighboring volcano, or when a tree is set ablaze by a thunderbolt, we may say that nature strikes a match. In the early history of the world, nature had to kindle all the fires, for man by his own effort was unable to produce a spark. The first method, then, of getting fire for use was to light sticks of wood at a flame kindled by nature—by a volcano, perhaps, or by a stroke of lightning. These firebrands were carried to the home and used in kindling the fires there. The fire secured in this way was carefully guarded and was kept burning as long as possible. But the flame, however faithfully watched, would sometimes be extinguished. A sudden gust of wind or a sudden shower would put it out. Then a new firebrand would have to be secured, and this often meant a long journey and a deal of trouble.

In 1827, John Walker, a druggist in a small English town, tipped a splint with sulphur, chlorate of potash, and sulphid of antimony, and rubbed it on sandpaper, and it burst into flame. The druggist had discovered the first friction-chemical match, the kind we use to-day. It is called friction-chemical because it is made by mixing certain chemicals together and rubbing them. Although Walker's match did not require the bottle of acid, nevertheless it was not a good one. It could be lighted only by hard rubbing, and it sputtered and threw fire in all directions. In a few years, however, phosphorus was substituted on the tip for antimony, and the change worked wonders. The match could now be lighted with very little rubbing, and it was no longer necessary to have sandpaper upon which to rub it. It would ignite when rubbed on any dry surface, and there was no longer any sputtering. This was the phosphorus match, the match with which we are so familiar.


What does the author mean by “we may say that nature strikes a match”?
A. Matches were created by nature.
B. Matches did not help people.
C. Matches required natural chemicals.
D. Nature provided fire for humans.

1. How much time do you spend _______ leisure activities?
a.on b. in c. for d. with

Metaphors from the coraline book

someone give me something to write about pleaseeee im a writer

explain in short about the importance of herbs​

Is this a thesis statement?
The Transportation Security Administration ought to revisit its rules regarding carry-on luggage.

If girls are ashemed of having facial hair...shouldn't they just shave their eyebrows

•Choose the correct answer:
- Biology ( is going to - will ) kill me.​

write 5 true sentences about the things you used to do/didn't use to do in the past

Diffrences between salem witch trial and the holocaust

What are your objects or items you will take on your journey? How would you describe them in vivid detail? Why are they important to you? How are these objects or items important to parts of your culture?

Conclusion:
How will these objects or items help you survive? How will these objects or items help you carry on those parts of your culture?

Please be specific and explain. I really need help and this is due today.

will computers ever think like human beings​

What would be an overarching idea for an essay about trench warfare

Horror, fantasy, and comedy are all
of novels.
A. subgenres
B. informational types
C. styles
D. literary kinds

Can someone pls help me with this

11. The key to description is
O A. considering only what you think the readers already know.
O B. telling the readers how you would do something.
O C. giving the readers enough detail to form a picture in their mind.
O D. showing only the steps you consider important.

he said:" My father worked here last night"

what do you learned from your partner?

What does the news report say happens on Mars shortly before 8:00 PM?

A. a huge earthquake

B. a giant explosion

C. a poisonous gas cloud erupts

D. a space shuttle landing​

why it is disrespectful to continue talking in class after a teacher has asked you to stop.

I. PRONOUNCIATIONCircle the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word whose underlined partdiffers from the other three in pronunciation in each of the followingquestions.1. A.cities B. satellites C. series D. workers2. A. develops B. takes C. laughs D. volumes3. A. phones B. streets C. books D. makes4. A. proofs B. regions C. lifts D. rocks5. A. involves B. believes C. suggests D. steals

Argumentative essay on techears are better than farmer​

est and suffer, rather than to fly and
from the word of dishonor, but on
ast, and in an instant, at the height
vay from the scene, not of their fear,
You have read two speeches commemorating soldiers who lost
their lives in battle fighting for their countries. Write a multi-
paragraph informational essay explaining the significance each
speaker attaches to the soldiers,
Manage your time carefully so that you can
• plan your essay and do some prewriting
• write your essay
Be sure to
n; they were worthy of Athens, and
ve a more heroic spirit, although
sue. The value of such a spirit is
Anyone can discourse to you
of a brave defense, which you
istening to him, I would have you
the greatness of Athens, until you
her; and when you are impressed
reflect that this empire has been
heir duty and had the courage to do
had the fear of dishonor always
ever they failed in an enterprise,
to be lost to their country, but freely
Fairest offering which they could
• use evidence from both speeches
• avoid over-relying on one speech
Your written response should be in the form of a multi-
paragraph informational essay,
Write your response in the space provided.
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War. A
Wong Copyright 1907 W D C Heath & Co.
Copy
Cut
Paste
27 10000 Word Limit
The soldiers
cally or mentally

Hello can you Pleiades hele me with this following question please?

What imagery of America and Americans it’s conveyed through western movies? how did the imagery change and what do these changes say about the national history of America?

Thank you.

Help please I’ll mark blainlist