The Great Escape of World War II

The Great Escape of World War II Located at Sagan, Germany (now Poland), Stalag Luft III opened in April 1942, though construction was not complete at the time. Designed to deter inmates from tunneling, the camp featured raised barracks and was situated in an area with yellow, sandy subsoil. The bright color of the dirt made it easily detected if dumped on the surface and guards were instructed to watch for it on inmates clothing. The sandy nature of subsoil also ensured that any tunnel would have weak structural integrity and be prone to collapse. Additional defensive measures included seismograph microphones placed around the camps perimeter, a 10-ft. double fence, and numerous guard towers. The initial inmates were largely composed of Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm flyers who had been downed by the Germans. In October 1943, they were joined by increasing numbers of US Army Air Force prisoners. With the population growing, German officials began work to expand the camp with two additional compounds, ultimately covering around 60 acres. At its peak, Stalag Luft III housed around 2,500 British, 7,500 American, and 900 additional Allied prisoners. The Wooden Horse Despite the German precautions, an Escape Committee, known as the X Organization, was quickly formed under the guidance of Squadron Leader Roger Bushell (Big X). As the camps barracks had been deliberately built 50 to 100 meters from the fence to deter tunneling, X initially was concerned about the length of any escape tunnel. While several tunneling attempts were made during the camps early days, all were detected. In mid-1943, Flight Lieutenant Eric Williams conceived an idea for starting a tunnel closer to the fence line. Utilizing a Trojan Horse concept, Williams oversaw the construction of a wooden vaulting horse that was designed to conceal men and containers of dirt. Each day the horse, with a digging team inside, was carried to the same spot in the compound. While the prisoners conducted gymnastics exercises, the men in the horse commenced digging an escape tunnel. At the end of each days exercises, a wooden board was placed over the tunnel entrance and covered with surface dirt. Using bowls for shovels, Williams, Lieutenant Michael Codner, and Flight Lieutenant Oliver Philpot dug for three months before finishing the 100-ft tunnel. On the evening of October 29, 1943, the three men made their escape. Traveling north, Williams and Codner reached Stettin where they stowed away on a ship to neutral Sweden. Philpot, posing as a Norwegian businessman, took the train to Danzig and stowed away on a ship to Stockholm. The three men were the only prisoners to successfully escape from the camps eastern compound. The Great Escape With the opening of the camps northern compound in April 1943, many of the British prisoners were moved to new quarters. Among those transferred were Bushell and the majority of the X Organization. Immediately upon arriving, Bushell began planning for a massive 200-man escape utilizing three tunnels designated Tom, Dick, and Harry. Carefully selecting concealed locations for the tunnel entrances, work quickly began and the entry shafts were completed in May. To avoid detection by the seismograph microphones, each tunnel was dug 30 ft. below the surface. Pushing outward, the prisoners constructed tunnels that were only 2 ft. by 2 ft. and supported with wood taken from beds and other camp furniture. Digging was largely done using Klim powdered milk cans. As the tunnels grew in length, scratch-built air pumps were built to supply the diggers with air and a system of trolley carts installed to speed the movement of dirt. For disposing of the yellow dirt, small pouches constructed from old socks were attached inside the prisoners pants allowing them to discreetly scatter it on the surface as they walked. In June 1943, X decided to suspend work on Dick and Harry and focus solely on completing Tom. Concerned that their dirt disposal methods were no longer working as the guards were increasingly catching men during distribution, X ordered that Dick be backfilled with the dirt from Tom. Just short of the fence line, all work came to a sudden halt on September 8, when the Germans discovered Tom. Pausing for several weeks, X ordered work to resume on Harry in January 1944. As digging continued, prisoners also worked on obtaining German and civilian clothing, as well as forging travel papers and identifications. During the tunneling process, X had been assisted by several American prisoners. Unfortunately, by the time the tunnel was completed in March, they had been transferred to another compound. Waiting a week for a moonless night, the escape commenced after dark on March 24, 1944. Breaking through the surface, the first escapee was stunned to find that the tunnel had come up short of the woods adjacent to the camp. Despite this, 76 men successfully transited the tunnel without detection, despite the fact that an air raid occurred during the escape which cut off power to the tunnels lights. Around 5:00 AM on March 25, the 77th man was spotted by the guards as he emerged from the tunnel. Conducting a roll call, the Germans quickly learned the scope of the escape. When news of the escape reached Hitler, the irate German leader initially ordered that all of the recaptured prisoners should be shot. Convinced by Gestapo Chief Heinrich Himmler that this would irreparably damage Germanys relations with neutral countries, Hitler rescinded his order and directed that only 50 be killed. As they fled through eastern Germany, all but three (Norwegians Per Bergsland and Jens MÃ ¼ller, and Dutchman Bram van der Stok) of the escapees were recaptured. Between March 29 and April 13, fifty were shot by the German authorities who claimed that the prisoners were trying to escape again. The remaining prisoners were returned to camps around Germany. In canvassing Stalag Luft III, the Germans found that the prisoners had used wood from 4,000 bed boards, 90 beds, 62 tables, 34 chairs, and 76 benches in building their tunnels. In the wake of the escape, the camp commandant, Fritz von Lindeiner, was removed and replaced with Oberst Braune. Angered by the killing of the escapees, Braune permitted the prisoners to build a memorial to their memory. Upon learning of the murders, the British government was incensed and the killing of the 50 was among the war crimes charged at ​​Nuremberg after the war.​​ Selected Sources PBS: The Great EscapeImperial War Museum: Great Escapes

Verb Tenses and Forms on ACT English Grammar Rule Strategy

Verb Tenses and Forms on ACT English Grammar Rule Strategy SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Knowing when to use different verb tenses and forms will be extremely beneficial to you on the ACT English section because these concepts are tested repeatedly on the ACT. Get excited for a fun-filled journey into the vivid, action-filled world of verbs. In this post, I’ll do the following: Define the verb tenses and forms that are tested on the ACT. Provide information about when to use different verb tenses. Detail how to construct verbs in different tenses. Explain and demonstrate how verbs are tested on the ACT. Provide practice questions to test you on what you’ve learned. Verb Tenses You Need To Know While you don’t need to know the names of verb tenses for ACT English, you do need to know when and how to properly use different verb tenses. Present Function The present tense is the verb tense you use when you're talking about things that are currently happening or things that are considered facts. Examples of verbs in the present tense are â€Å"jumps," â€Å"sings," and â€Å"explain.† Also, the present progressive is considered a form of the present tense. The present progressive is formed with the present tense of â€Å"to be† + the gerund (â€Å"ing†) form of the word. Examples include "am explaining," "is running," and "are laughing." Typically, words like â€Å"currently† or â€Å"now† indicate that you should use the present tense of a verb. Check out this example sentence: Currently, I am taking over the world. Construction Here is the conjugation of the verb "jump" in the present tense. Singular Plural I jump We jump You jump You jump He/She/It jumps They jump The present tense is not specifically tested on ACT English, but you do need to know how to properly conjugate verbs in the present tense for subject-verb agreement questions. Simple Past Function Generally, any sentence that describes a completed action should contain a verb in the past tense. Construction Typically the simple past tense of a verb is formed by adding â€Å"ed† to the verb. The past tense of â€Å"play† is â€Å"played.† The past tense of â€Å"listen† is â€Å"listened† and the past tense of â€Å"discuss† is â€Å"discussed.† Here's an example sentence with a verb in the simple past tense: Yesterday, George listened to Miley Cyrus songs for seven hours. Many verbs don't follow this construction and thepast tense is formed irregularly. For example, "buy" becomes "bought," "come" becomes "came," and "grow" becomes "grew." Present Perfect Function Use the present perfect tense for actions that began in the past but are still continuing in the present. Construction The present perfect is formed with has/have + the past participle. For regular verbs, the past participle is formed by adding "ed" to the verb. Examples of present perfect verbs include "has talked," "have done," and "has brought." Check out this example sentence: For the past seven hours, George has listened to Miley Cyrus songs. As shown in this example, the words â€Å"for† and â€Å"since† often indicate that the present perfect tense is needed. Be aware, however, thatthere are other instances when context determines that you should use the present perfect tense. Past Perfect Function When a sentence describes two completed actions, the past perfect is used for the action that came first. Construction The past perfect tense is formed with had + the past participle. Examples of past perfect verbs include "had talked," "had danced," and "had grown." Take a look at this sentence that shows the past perfect tense used correctly: By the time his mom came home from work, George had listened to Miley Cyrus songs for seven hours. The seven hours of listening werecompleted before George'smom came home, so we use the past perfect tense of the verb "to listen." The action that comes firstshould be in the past perfect tense. Now that we're familiar with these basic verb tenses, we have the necessary foundation to discuss exactly how verb tenses and forms are tested on the ACT. How Are Verb Tenses and Forms Tested on the ACT? Most of the verb questions on ACT English correspond with only a couple of rules. Proper verb tense or form is determined by the context clues given in the sentence and the surrounding sentences. Here are some of the specific ways in which verb forms are tested on the ACT. Consistency Most of the verb tense questions on the ACT English section have to do with consistency. The basic consistency rule regarding verbs is that verbs should remain consistent in tense or form throughout a sentence. Sentences that start in the past should stay in the past and sentences that start in the present should stay in the present. Here's an incorrect sentence that doesn't follow the consistency rule: Maria studies science and played lacrosse. The verb â€Å"studies† is in the present tense and â€Å"played† is in the past. The verb tenses should be consistent. This is the corrected version of the same sentence: Maria studies science and plays lacrosse. We could have corrected the sentence by changing "studies" to "studied". The important thing to remember is that the verb tenses should be consistent. Sometimes, however, you can have a shift in tense and the sentence can still be correct. This kind of construction is only possible if the verbs are in different clauses. Take a look at these examples: Justin bought a Honda and saves money on gas. Justin bought a Honda so that he can save money on gas. The first sentence is incorrect since "bought" and "saves" are in different tenses but the same clause. The second sentence, on the other hand, is correct. The tense shift takes place in a different clause and the two verbs are occurring at different times: Justin bought the car in the past, but he can save money on gas in the present. Justin rolls in style. On the ACT, the verb tenses of surrounding sentences can provide context clues for the proper tense to use in a given sentence to maintain consistency. Take a look at this example: Unsurprisingly, Suzanne likes frozen yogurt. It was delicious. The shift from the present tense, "likes," in the first sentence to the past tense, "was," in the second sentence doesn't make sense in context. The tenses should remain consistent. Here's the correct version of the sentences. Unsurprisingly, Suzanne likes frozen yogurt. It is delicious. Now, let's go over some tips for answering ACT questions that test verb tense consistency. Strategy Here's some strategic advice for you: if a verb is underlined and the answer choices are different tenses of the same verb, look at the surrounding sentences (a sentence or two before and after) for context clues about the proper tense to use. If there are multiple verbs in a sentence, identify the tenses to make sure they're consistent. If there's a shift from past to present or vice versa, determine if the variation is acceptable given the context of the sentence. Use these tips to answer the following example from a real ACT. Actual ACT Example Rely on your verb knowledge to figure out this actual ACT English question. Explanation: From the answer choices, we can tell that we're most likely dealing with a verb tense question because three of the four answer choices are in different verb tenses: "they were," "they would," and "they're." Whenever you have an underlined verb, check for possible verb tense errors. The verbs "continue" in the first sentence and "score" in the second are in the present tense. The shift to the past tense, "were," doesn't make sense given the context. Therefore, to maintain consistency, the verbs should be in the present tense. Immediately, we can get rid of answer choices A and B. Answer choice D is wrong because it unnecessarily adds the infinitive "to be."The correct answer is C. Here's another example of an actual ACT question that tests verb tense consistency. Actual ACT Example Go through the same process that we went through in the previous question to answer this ACT English question. Explanation: This is an obvious verb tense question. Only the verb is underlined and each answer choice is in a different tense. In the first sentence, the simple past tense verb â€Å"encountered† indicates that we’re referring to completed actions. However, the present perfect verb â€Å"have borrowed† can only be used for an action that is still happening. The context of the sentence implies that the sentence is referring to a completed action and the verb tenses in the two sentences should be consistent. Once you identify that this is a consistency question, you can immediately eliminate any answer choice that isn't in the simple past tense. After eliminating answer choices, we're left with J. Here's one final verb consistency example for you. Because tense consistency questions are the most common verb form questions, I want to make sure you fully understand them. Actual ACT Example Employ your verb expertise to figure out the correct answer to this real ACT question. Explanation: Once again, we're dealing with an obvious verb tense question. Only the verb "have" is underlined and the answer choices are all different verb tenses. The verbs â€Å"took† in â€Å"took part† and "conducted" are in the simple past tense. The first sentence is referring to completed actions that took place from 1942-1945. Based on context, we can imply that the verb â€Å"have† is referring to what happened before 1942. Therefore, we should use the past perfect tense because we are referring to the completed action that came first. Instead of â€Å"have been using,† the correct verb form is â€Å"had been using.†The answer is G. Even if you didn't recognize that you needed to use the past perfect tense, you could have recognized that you needed tochange "have" to the past tense due to verb consistency rules. Remember to keep verb tenses consistent. Would and Will Verb forms with "would" and "will" are less frequentlytested on the ACT English section, but they do occasionally appear. For the ACT, just keep in mind to use "would" in sentences with past tense verbs and "will" in sentences with present or future tense verbs. The construction of verbs with "would" and "will" are "would" + the verb, known as the conditional tense, or "will" + the verb, known as the future tense. Some examples include "would run," "would go," and "will talk." Use the conditional tense to describe things that could occur or things that haven't yet occurred from the perspective of the past. Use the future tense to describe things that have not yet occurred or could occur in the future. On the ACT, answer choices containing â€Å"will have† and â€Å"would have† are almost always incorrect because they tend to cause improper tense switches and make sentences unnecessarily wordy. The â€Å"would have† construction can only be used for something that could have happened, but didn’t. The â€Å"will have† construction describes an action in the future that will be finished before a second action. Check out this basic strategy for these questions. Strategy If â€Å"would have† or â€Å"will have† is underlined, assume it’s incorrect. These tenses can only be used in very specific situations. That's pretty much all you need to know. I'm not going into more depth because "would" and "will" questions very rarely appear and this is the only strategy you need to use on the ones I've seen. Most of them simply require you to pay attention to consistency rules. Here's one final type of verb form question that can appear on the ACT. It's the least common, but questions of this type have appeared on previous tests. Verbs That Don't Act Like Verbs Gerunds, infinitives, and participles are all verb forms that don't act like verbs. Gerunds and infinitives function like nouns. A gerund is formed by adding "ing" to the end of the verb and an infinitive is formed by adding "to" + the verb. A participle is a verb that acts like an adjective. Typically, participles end in "ing" or "ed," but there are irregularly formed participles. On the ACT, on rare occasions one of these types of words will be used in the place of a verb or vice versa. Strategy If a verb or one of these "verbs that don’t act like verbs† is underlined, make sure that it is being used properly. Each sentence must express a complete thought. Realistic ACT Example The extreme length of this article suggests that writing for an extended period of time. A. NO CHANGE B. the manner in which writing C. that I wrote D. which had written Explanation: The use of the gerund, â€Å"writing," makes the sentence an incomplete thought. The sentence needs to express a complete thought. Changing the gerund to a verb and putting in a subject (the person who did the action) corrects the sentence fragment without adding an additional clause. The answer is C. All of the other answer choices are sentence fragments. Here are some more general rules to keep in mind that will help you correctly answer all verb questions on the ACT. Remember these tips!! General Strategies for Verb Questions #1: If a Verb is Underlined and the Answer Choices are Different Tenses, Make Sure To Use the AppropriateForm of the Verb If the answer choices are different tenses of the same verb, thenyou're probably answering a question about verb forms. Make sure that the verb follows consistency rules and the tense is correct. If the answer choices are different conjugations of a verb in the present tense, you're most likely dealing with a subject-verb agreement question instead. #2: Look for Words/Phrases That Indicate Which Verb Tense Should Be Used Often, words or phrases elsewhere in the sentence or in surrounding sentences will let you know what tense to use. If a date in the past is referenced, you should probably use a form of the past tense. If the word â€Å"since† is written, there should probably be a present perfect verb. Context clues are placed around the verb to indicate the proper verb tense. Additional Practice 1. In the next five years, Jessica says that she will become a doctor and she would buy a house. A. NO CHANGE B. buy C. would have bought D. might buy 2. As the breakdancer effortlessly contorts his body, he was also smiling at the crowd of people watching. A. NO CHANGE B. has also smiled C. will also smile D. is also smiling 3. Last week, Olga participated in a charity event to raise money for autistic children. She was praised by the organizers of the event for her dedication to the cause. A. NO CHANGE B. has been praised C. will be praised D. praises 4. My brother claims that he will have become the president of the United States if he is able to raise enough money to run an effective campaign. A. NO CHANGE B. has become C. became D. will become Answers: 1. B, 2. D, 3. A, 4. D What's Next? Congratulations on taking the time to learn all about verb tense questions on the ACT English section. Check out this post for information on all the parts of speech you need to know for the ACT. For those of you who are debating between taking the new SAT and the ACT, read this article comparing the two tests. Before you take the ACT, make sure you know if you should send the four free ACT score reports. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Why do we, as a culture, need monsters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why do we, as a culture, need monsters - Essay Example Most parents use excuses relating to imaginary monsters in order to straighten out their children and make them behave in a certain manner. This paper thus helps to provide an insight regarding the need of monsters in our culture with respect to monsters in popular culture. (Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome Cohen) Most human beings are scared of the unknown; they are afraid of chancing upon people that belong to or have extraordinary powers or are of the supernatural. People are used to living normal lives without such elements of mystery popping up in their lives. However, people worship God and regard him as the highest power or omnipotent and omnipresent being in everyone’s life. Just like there is God, people have also created monsters, just so they can be doubly sure of keeping each other in check. Scaring someone makes them think about the situation in a better manner and also helps people to get disciplined as they feel that they are being threatened. Thus, most people started men tioning the presence of monsters in everyday life in order to scare others and make them do certain things or carry out specific actions. (Asma, Stephen) Most parents had a habit of putting their children to sleep or making them do tasks only by talking about monsters and scaring them in order to ensure that the children are scared enough to follow through with the task perfectly. For example, most children are scared of the dark and that is only because parents tell their children that monsters come in the night. However, no one knows what exactly a ‘monster’ is, it simply has been defined as an abnormal ray of light in the form of a figure that lurks around in the dark and scares and messes around with people. Children thus are scared of what they do not know, i.e., they believe their parents and have this sense of fear inculcated within themselves right from the very beginning. When they grow up, they use the same measures on their children, so on and so forth. Some people even say that monsters have been created by people in order to answer questions that people have not yet been able to answer. For example, the use and creation of characters such as Dracula, vampires, werewolves and Frankenstein are names that have been given to extraordinary creatures that in reality may or may not even exist. Monsters are thus generally metaphors for things that people are not able to comprehend or relate to in their lives. They are thus a personification of the worst fears of mankind and exist on the planet just to be able to keep a man in check with respect to whatever he does in order to scare him as and when the need arises. This is how the spread of monsters has been possible in popular culture because with the help of such knowledge about monsters people have been able to express their views on the same subject matter of interest, in books, movies as well as song and dance. Culture has amalgamated the use and existence of â€Å"monsters† as an essential aspect of a human being’s life because as the years have progressed, people have found it increasingly important to have an element of fear in their lives which can further motivate and instigate them to do better in different fields. In reality, there have been rumours about monsters existing under the sea as well as in broken down and remote areas of the world. For example, the Loch Ness Monster in

See below Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

See below - Coursework Example The case involves a limited company, formed by three people, and an employee to Heather. The company sends Heather to a computer show and while driving to the show market the company’s products, she negligently causes an accident and injures a pedestrian, Singer. Singer has sued the company, its owners, and Heather for damages. The issue for determination is whether a limited liability company is liable torts committed by its members of employees. A limited liability company is liable for any harm caused by its owners, employees or agents, while in the course of duty, but are not liable for torts such as negligence to which tortfeasors are personally liable. Heather is therefore liable to Singer (Cheeseman 662). Melony is one of the four members of iNet.com, a limited liability company. The members develop a product and agree to purchase a plant for the production in six months time. Melony however sells the idea to a competitor and this leads to a $ 100 million loss to the company. The issue for determination is whether Melony is liable to iNet.com for the losses and morality in Melony’s act. Rules of Limited Liability Company establishes a duty of care among all members of a member-managed company. The case identifies member-management and Melony is liable to the company for her actions into the loss. Melony’s action is also unethical because it leads to financial loss to her co-members (Cheeseman 664-

Critical thinking process Essay Example for Free

Critical thinking process Essay Critical thinking often involves the creation of alternative plans, solutions, approaches, etc. , then comparing original with the alternatives. Creative thinking requires some critical evaluation during and after the creative phase. Critical thinking depends upon that little known and seldom discussed characteristic of the human nervous system—self-reflexiveness. Usually it also depends upon that remarkable human creation and tool—self reflexive language. Humans not only know about their environment, they know that they know; they can think about how they think, evaluate their evaluations. Languages, too, have this self-reflexive characteristic. They enable us to talk about talk, to make statements about statements, to write books about writing books. The self-reflexiveness of language and the human nervous system provide us with an open minded system: we can make statements about statements, indefinitely; we can react to our reactions to our reactions indefinitely. At no point can we say, â€Å"That’s the last word on the subject† or, â€Å"No further reaction is possible† (since, in doing so, we have said more, reacted further). However, believing that we have said the last word may cut of the self-reflexive process. This open ended, self reflexive system makes it possible for us to conduct scientific research, write poetry, plan enterprises, spin out complex tales of fiction—or spread rumours, spin webs of delusion and talk ourselves into insanity or war. Which we will do depends in part upon our motivation, but also upon our understanding of the thinking process and some aspects of the working of the nervous system. General semantics provides a meta-linguistic or ‘second order’ approach to critical thinking. It enables us to use self-reflexiveness systematically to monitor on-going evaluations. The principles and devices it provides call attention to either-or and ‘allness’ statements, to inferences treated as facts, to overgeneralizations, to statements unrestricted in time, to overly-simple statements of causality, etc. The tools work, whatever the order of abstraction, whatever the source of the statement (Johnson, 1991). How language empowers or limits the expression of our thoughts. Along with most of his contemporaries, Blair defines language in terms of a relationship between signs and thoughts: â€Å"Language signifies the expression of our ideas by certain articulate sounds, which are used as the signs of those ideas† (cited 1:98). Elaborating on this interdependence, he asserts that â€Å"when we are employed in the study of composition, we are cultivating reason itself. True rhetoric and sound logic are very nearly allied. The study of arranging and expressing our thoughts with propriety, teaches to think, as well as to speak, accurately so close is the connection between thought and the words in which they are clothed† (Ulman, 1994). Language can empowers and limit the expression of our thoughts. Talking about something that reinforces it, therefore say what you want to be true. Language has power, and by knowing this, you can select words that allow others to hear and understand you. Certain words provide a way of maintaining the focus of what you want. They can assist you to be in the state of mind that you desire. Looking for positive language patterns, gives your brain the opportunity to find alternative ways expressing your experiences to yourself and others. These tools get you off automatic pilot and in control. Having choice means you can regulate how an experience will affect you. You can choose to use your old patterns of expression which produces certain results, or use empowering language to give you different results. Now it can be you who decides. Labels limit is another concept that we’re dealing with here. When we label something or someone, we put a meaning on it that can limit our awareness, experience, and understanding. Labels are a form of beliefs, and like all beliefs, they filter our perceptions. Our beliefs only allow us to be conscious of things that are in agreement with them, and we unconsciously filter everything else. It can be tremendous evidence of the opposite to penetrate the belief filters. But with negative labels, the effects can be very destructive (Kaufman, 1998). The role of critical thinking in persuasion. What is the value of critical thinking? When someone else writes or speaks a peace of reasoning, they are trying to persuade us of something. Persuasion is an attempt to get us to believe something. People want us to believe things so that we will act in certain ways. Action requires some effort. There are choices involved. We could be doing something else. Because of this, it is very useful to be able to evaluate reasoning, for some pieces of reasoning should be accepted while others should not be accepted. If persuasion occurs in advertising, we could be doing many other things with our money. Take buying a car, for example. A lot of money can be involved, so what kind of car to buy can be a pretty big decision. Whether to marry a certain person or which of a couple of job offers to take are still bigger decisions. Almost every reader will eventually get some serious illness. There may be several different treatments available. One’s comfort, health, even ones life may depend on the decision as to which treatment to undertake. To make these decisions well, we will need to gather our own reasons to support various alternative conclusions. At that time, we could make an irrational decision, or a sheep like decision to follow some other person’s advice. The values of critical thinking, specifically how to recognize and evaluate reasoning, are the following: †¢ It help us arrive at true conclusions and therefore †¢ it increases our knowledge. †¢ It should help us make better decisions. †¢ It should help us persuade others and †¢ explain truth to them. †¢ Contribute to a happier life (Cogan, 1998). References Johnson, K. G. (1991). Thinking creatically: a systematic, interdisciplinary approach to creative-critical thinking. Englewood: Institute of General Semantics. Kaufman, R. A. (1998). Anatomy of Success. New York: Ronald A Kaufman. Robert Cogan. (1998). Critical thinking: step by step. Boston: University Press of America. Ulman, H. L. (1994). Things, thoughts, words, and actions: the problem of language in late eighteenth-century British rhetorical theory. New York: SIU Press.

Double-Consciousness in Audre Lorde’s Coal Essay -- Audre Lorde Coal E

Double-Consciousness in Audre Lorde’s â€Å"Coal† There is a double-consciousness, according to W.E Burghardt Du Bois, in which we view ourselves through a veil. Underneath of this veil is the true self. The person that we are in our purest state. The veil itself, however, is how society sees us and our realization of that projection. Looking in a mirror, both layers can be seen. However, the true self is still covered, muddled, unclear beneath the sheer outer shell of expectation. In her poem â€Å"Coal†, Audre Lorde alludes to this concept through the dual image of a piece of coal and a diamond. As a black woman, Lorde only transforms from coal to diamond when she embraces her blackness as coal and, ironically, rejects the societal pressure to conform by speaking her words and embracing that she is black and coal. In the beginning, Lorde equates herself with a piece of coal. She says that she is â€Å"the total black†(2068). As a piece of coal, she is black both inside and out. Being outwardly black, she may still be oppressed by the society around her, her identity being engulfed by the world. In the state of coal, she is merely â€Å"being spoken from the earth’s inside†(2068). Words would be stifled by the surrounding layers of dirt that engulf her. As coal, Lorde is susceptible to the double-consciousness described by Dubois. The poem begins with an â€Å"I†, and continues in the second line to say â€Å"is the total black†(2068). She separates herself from the total black here, indicating that her true self is not necessarily within that â€Å"total black†(2068). She also separates herself from the bad grammar associated with illiteracy that characterizes many black communities. The total black, is not Lorde herself, but in fact,... ...ry occurs when Lorde says â€Å"At this point in time, I believe that women carry within ourselves the possibility for fusion of these two approaches so necessary for survival, and we come closest to this combination in our poetry† (Lorde 2210). Thus, through further exploration of Lorde as a person, new insight is given to the poem â€Å"Coal†. The poem also inadvertently raises questions about other poems when upheld as an example for comparison to elucidate Lorde’s feelings about double-consciousness. This greater understanding and discourse on the subject of double-consciousness is vital to understanding the poem â€Å"Coal† because it is vital to the identity of Audre Lorde as a person. Since her writing is almost exclusively and scrutinizingly about herself, learning about the broader topics and events in Lorde’s life are intrinsic to the specific poem of â€Å"Coal†.

Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism

We study about three psychological school of thought Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism. In this reaction paper I notice my opinion and attitude and personal analyze about them briefly. One of the point that always think about it is that why some school of thought speak and focus on one factor of human being and deny many other factors of human nature as we see in BEHAVIORIST they believe that human nature like a tabula rasa and It assumes that each one behavior and acquisition either reflexes created by a response to sure stimulus within the environment. They didn't mention anything about inherited factors or inner of human obviously the environment, reinforcement and punishment play a great rule in acquisition but they ignore many aspect of human mind like creativity activity and looking a learner like automaton and passive creature. Radical Behaviorism maintain some important distinction with methodological form they acknowledge the view that organisms are born with innate behaviors, and also accept the role of genes and biological components in behavior. So it is more rational and moderate form of behaviorism. Cognitive theories center around the conceptualization of understudies learning procedures and address the issues of how data is gotten, sorted out, put away, and recovered by the mind. Learning is concerned not such a great amount with what students do but rather with what they know and how they come to get it. Cognitivism focus on that part of learning which deny in Behaviorism, mental activities of human mind they consider previous acquired knowledge, experiences and different abilities of each learners. They emphasize making learning significant furthermore, helping students sort out and relate new data to existing information in memory. The role of teachers in charge of helping students in sorting out that data in some ideal way. Originators utilize procedures, for example, advance coordinators, analogies, progressive connections, and grids to enable students to relate new data to earlier information. This school is more practical and flexible for considering the learner as active creature. Constructivism focus on learner and different aspect of attitude in every subject that learners can gain it. Individual and personal learning has a great role in their school. The learners in active mental process of learning should analyze and understand past experiences and adding them more details and knowledge through new experiences. We live in a real world we need practical knowledge that useful for our life so activity, knowledge, concept, culture, context are essential factors of process of learning. Plainly the focal point of constructivism is on making intellectual instruments which mirror the astuteness of the way of life in which they are utilized too as the bits of knowledge and encounters of people. There is no requirement for the mere obtaining of fixed, unique, independent ideas or subtle elements. Every different concept can be true and juxtaposition of individual ideas are gathering in social constructivism. In brief word we need all type of thinking in our world and combination of them are useful and meaningful to create more mature human being. In conclusion we can not select the best school of thought. Sometime we need to drill accents by repeation in some case we need to find out individual ability and rational and pragmatic analyze of our students. So I myself think all of them are effective in different situation and it depends on age and level of leaners and goals of lecturers. Combination of them can help us make an attractive method for language learner. Differ ideas and situation can challenge the students and help us to find out which one better work on every individual or group of learner.

Morality and Ethics

Morality and Ethics Morality and ethics are terms often used as if they have the same meaning. At other times, they are used as if they have no relationship to one another. I think most people realize ethics and morality have something to do with the concepts of good and bad. However, English is not like French, which has the Academic Fantasies acting as its linguistic jury – establishing what proper French is. English changes at the impulse of the crowded. One can bomb, and that's bad, but if one is the bomb, and that's good.The word â€Å"morality† has been co-opted by groups, such as the Moral Majority, making us think morality only deals with acts these religious groups think aren't proper, or are therefore immoral. The meanings of the terms â€Å"ethics† and â€Å"morality† can be differentiated based on their origins in ancient Greek and Latin, respectively. As a result, words that come into the English language from the Greeks often have meanings th at are primarily philosophical study, while the Latin-derived words imply â€Å"doing the thing. Ethics comes from the Greek word ethos – moral character or custom. Morality comes from the Latin word moralist – custom or manner. The words both deal with the customs or the manner in which people do things. Their modern meanings relate to the way people act – either good or bad. Morality, strictly speaking, is used to refer to what we would call moral conduct or standards. Morality is looking at how good or bad our conduct is, and our standards about conduct. Ethics is used to refer to the formal study of those standards or conduct.Sometimes, one refers to the study of conduct as moral philosophy, but that is less common than just saying â€Å"ethics. † One might say that morality is ethics in action, but in the end, the two terms can be used interchangeably. The study of ethics or moral philosophy can be divided into three broad areas: descriptive, normat ive and analytical or met ethics. Ethics deals with such questions at all levels. Its subject consists of the fundamental issues of practical decision making, and its major concerns include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be judged right or wrong.The terms ethics and morality are closely related. We now often refer to ethical judgments or ethical principles where it once would have been more common to speak of moral judgments or moral principles. These applications are an extension of the meaning of ethics. Strictly speaking, however, the term refers not to morality itself but to the field of study, or branch of inquiry, that has morality as its subject matter. In this sense, ethics is equivalent to moral philosophy.Although ethics has always been viewed as a branch of philosophy, its all-embracing practical nature links it with many other areas of study, including anthropology, biology, economics, history, politics, sociology, and theology. Yet, ethics remains distinct from such disciplines because it is not a matter of factual knowledge in the way that the sciences and other branches of inquiry are. Rather, it has to do with determining the nature of normative theories and applying these sets of principles to practical moral problems.Virtually every human society has some form of myth to explain the origin of morality. In the Louvre in Paris there is a black Babylonian column with a relief showing the sun god Shamash presenting the code of laws to Hammurabi. The Old Testament account of God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai might be considered another example. In Plato's Protagoras there is an avowedly mythical account of how Zeus took pity on the wretched humans, who, living in small groups and with insufficient teeth, weak claws, and lack of speed, were no match for the other beasts.To make up for these deficiencies, Zeus gave humans a moral sense and the capacity for law and justice, so that they c ould live in larger communities and cooperate with one another. There is some difficulty, already known to Plato, with the view that morality was created by a divine power. In his dialogue Euthyphro, Plato considered the suggestion that it is divine approval that makes an action good. Plato pointed out that if this were the case, we could not say that the gods approve of the actions because the actions are good. Why then do the gods approve of these actions rather than others?Is their approval entirely capricious? Plato considered this impossible and so held that there must be some standards of right or wrong that are independent of the likes and dislikes of the gods. Modern philosophers have generally accepted Plato's argument because the alternative implies that if the gods had happened to approve of torturing children and to disapprove of helping one's neighbors, then torture would have been good and neighborliness bad. That morality should be invested with all the mystery and po wer of divine origin s not surprising. Nothing else could provide such strong reasons for accepting the moral law. By attributing a divine origin to morality, the priesthood became its interpreter and guardian, and thereby secured for itself a power that it would not readily abandon. This link between morality and religion has been so firmly forged that it is still sometimes asserted that there can be no morality without religion. According to this view, ethics ceases to be an independent field of study. It becomes, instead, moral theology.

How to Approach Identifying Sentence Errors SAT Writing Strategies

How to Approach Identifying Sentence Errors SAT Writing Strategies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Note:The current version of the SAT no longerincludes this type of question. For up-to-date SAT writing tips, check out our top guide here. Identifying Sentence Errors (ISE) questions, which ask you to pick the error in a sentence out of four underlined sections, seem like they should be the easiest part of the SAT Writing section. After all, you only have to find the error, you don't have to fix it. The test writers, however, are extremely adept at camouflagingthe mistake in each sentence- if you don't know what to look for, you can easily find yourselfassuming there's no error in as many ashalf of the sentences. As such, it's vital that you take a systematic approach to the Identifying Sentence Errors questions. If you count on spotting the error by simply glancingover the sentenceor by lookingfor sections that "sound" weird, you'll miss a lot of questions. In this post, I'm going to detail themost effectiveapproach to these questions and the common errorsyou need to look for: Step-by-step Identifying Sentence Errors strategy Full breakdown of errors to check for Walkthrough of real ACT questions Summary of key Identifying Sentence Errors tips General Strategy for ISE Questions As I mentioned above, you absolutely must have a standardized approach to these questions. Following the three steps below will help you efficiently and reliably determine the answer to ISE questions. #1: Read the Sentence All the Way Through The first step to answering an ISE question is always to read the entire sentence- even if you think the error is choice A make sure to read all the way to the end. This approach will help prevent you from falling into traps. Once you've read through the whole sentence, the error may jump out at you, especially on the earlier, easier questions.Before marking anything down, however, make sure you can articulate why the underlined word or phrase is wrong. Many answers may sound odd without being incorrect. It can also help to double check the other choices to ensure that they're all correct. If you don't find the error, then move onto step 2! #2: Check Each Underlined Portion If you don't find a verifiable error the first time through, then you need to check each underlined section individually. Look at each answer and consider what the possible errors are. For example, if you're looking at underlined verb, you'll want to check if there's an issue with tense or agreement. As you may havesurmised, this step requires a solid knowledge of what concepts these questions actually test. I've created a checklistof errors tolook for below, and you can take look at a full breakdown ofwhat the SAT Writing actually tests. Make sure to eliminate the answer that don't have an error. #3: Confirm Why the WordYou Picked is Wrong It's not enough to pick an answer because it sounds weird or because it's not the word you would use. In order to be the answer, it has to be wrong according to the rules of SAT Writing. (The one semi-exception to this rule isidiom questions,which revolve around common usage rules.) As such, you need to be able to explain what error the answer you picked contains. If you can't do so, it's probably not the right choice. What Errors to Look for in EachSection of the Sentence As I noted in step 2 of the general strategy, it's vital that you know what errors to check for. To help you think through the best way to look for these errors, I've created a full breakdown of the questions you'll want to ask yourself bywhat type of wordis underlined. This list is very long and probably seems overwhelming, but don't panic! You don't need to memorize the whole thing- instead it's meant as study aid. First, make sure you're familiar with all the concepts on the list: if anything looks unfamiliar, just click the link. Then, use this printable version to work through a few ISEsections, to help you get the hang of what errors to look for. When you first try this, it will probably take a really long time. With practice, you'll get much faster though. Finally, keep the list handy for when you review your answers- use the list to go back through the questions and find the error you missed. If nothing else, keep in mind these twokey points: Check each underlined section independently Start with verbs and pronouns Full Error Checklist This checklist outlines the questions you need to ask about each part of speechor common category of word. I've also marked when a specific issue is especially rare (though these topics do still appear). The word types are arranged in the order you should check them, though not every question will be relevant in a given sentence. Keep in mind that some underlined sections may contain more than one type of word: the most common such pairs are pronoun/verb, adverb/adjective, and verb/pronoun combos. When you see these, just check each part. #1: Verbs Is the verb in the correct form and tense? Does itagree with the subject? #2: Pronouns Does the pronounagree with the noun it's replacing? Is it in the correct case? #3: Gerunds (-ing verbs) Is the gerund replacing a main verb and creating a sentence fragment? Is it part of a list that isn't parallel? Has it been incorrectly switched with an infintive? #4: Prepositions Is the preposition idiomatically correct? Does it incorrectly complete a word pair? #5:Adjectives and Adverbs Is themodifier of the correct type? Are -er and -est used appropriately? (Rare) #6: Conjunctions Is the conjunction creating a sentence fragment? Does it logicallyconnectideas? #7:Nouns Is the noun part of a faulty comparison? Is the sentence consistent in its use of plural andsingular nouns? (Rare) #8:Relative pronouns (who, which, that, etc.) Is the correct pronoun used for the context? Does the pronoun have a clear noun antecedent? Other issues to watch out for "Any" underlined often indicates an illogical comparison The presence of comparison words like "than," "like," and "as" also tends to indicate illogical comparisons A sentence with a list often hasa parallelism issue Make sure to watch for redundancy: the use of different two words Concepts thatWon'tBe Tested on the Identifying Sentence Errors There are a number of grammar concepts that students are often concerned or uncertain about that aren't actually tested by the ISE questions. Let's go over these, so that you can have fewerthings to worry about as you prepare! Writing style One of the most challenging aspects of the ISE questions is that the sentences are often phrased in unusual ways that sounds like they could be wrong but usually aren't. Once again, remember that an choice is only correct if you can articulate the error it includes. I've collected some of the common words and phrases that often trip students up but are perfectly acceptable below: a means of long since alike that, whether, and what + a noun (e.g. "That book was boring" or "Whether he likes it or not isn't the question." Who vs. whom Although many students are concerned about the difference between "who" and "whom," the SAT doesn't test that concept: you will never see "who" where you need "whom" or vice versa.Instead of worrying about swapping one for the other, focus on whether the pronoun is correctly referring to a person. Pronoun order Because of the way pronouns are taught in school, it's very common for students to be concerned about the order of pronouns connected by "and" or "or" (e.g. "me and him" vs. "him and me"), but the SAT doesn't test this concept. As long as thepronouns are in the correct case and agree with the words they're replacing, it doesn't matter what order they're in. Reflexive Pronouns Reflexive pronouns, the weird words like "herself" and "myself," tend toseem wrong, since many students don't know much about them. However, on SAT Writing, these words are usually used correctly. If you see one that's underlined, just make sure that the pronoun agrees with the noun it's replacing (e.g. the sentence doesn't use "himself" when talking about a woman). Practice is the key to success on SAT Writing. SAT Examples: Putting the Strategies into Practice I've collected some Identifying Sentence Errors questions from real SATs. For each, I'll walk through the process one step at a time so you can get a sense of how best to approach these questions. Because there are so many different concepts involved in answering these questions, I don't go into very much depth with any of them. If you're uncertain about the details of a specific topic, check out the links above. Example 1 Step 1: Read the whole sentence When going through this sentence, you mightnotice that it'sactually a fragment.If so, the next step would beto determine which underlined part could be changed to fix that issue- that's the correct choice. (Hint: the sentence is currently missing a verb.) However, let's assume you're not sure what the problem is and move onto step two. Step 2: Check each answer choice As I noted above, it's quickest to go through the answers by starting with the types of words most likely to have an error. There aren't any verbs or nouns underlined, so we'll look at B, "containing," which is a gerund, first. The three main gerund issues are parallelism, idiomatic usage, and fragments. Let's go through them one at a time. Is the gerundpart of a list or comparison? No. Therefore, it can't have a parallelismerror. Would the sentence be clearer if you switched the gerund (-ing verb) for an infinitive(to + verb)? Let's check: Formed by volcanic eruptions over the last five million years, the Hawaiian Islandsto containan incredibly wide variety of species- many found nowhere else on Earth. That version doesn't seem obviously clearer, so it's probably not an idiom error. Does the gerund create a fragment?Let's look at just the main clauseof the sentence: the Hawaiian Islandscontainingan incredibly wide variety of species This is clearly a fragment. The gerund "containing" should be replaced with the conjugated verb "contain." As such, B is the correct answer choice. Step 3: Confirm what the error in your answer is Choice B is the answer because it creates a fragment rather than a complete sentence. Moreover, a quick look over the other answer choices confirms that none of them contain an error: A and D are idiomatically correct prepositions andC is an appropriately used adjective/adverb combo. Example 2 Step 1: Read the whole sentence Reading this sentence, I don't notice anything jump out, although D sounds kind of weird. Even if that answer seems tempting we can't pick it until we determine what the error is. Step 2: Check each answer choice First let's check B for errors, since it includes both a pronoun and verb. In general, if you see a pronoun/verb combo underlined, any errors will be with the pronoun (since the verb's conjugation is dependent on the subject pronoun), but make sure to confirm that the verb works. Let's go through the possible errorsfor choice B one at a time. Is the pronoun in the correct case? Yes. "It" is acting as subject for the verb "makes," which is perfectly acceptable. Does the pronoun agree with its antecedent? Yes. "It" is standing in for "the common cold," which is a singular non-gendered noun. Is the verb correctly conjugated?Yes. "It" is a singular pronoun and "makes" is a singular verb. Is the verb in the correct tense? Yes. It's in the present tense, which is consistent with the rest of the sentence and the fact that it is making a general true statement about the common cold. We can now officially declare choice B error free and rule it out. Written out in detail, that process was a complicated, time-consuming one, but with practice you'll be able to do it much more quickly. Let's move on to choice D, "you and me," which also includes pronouns. This section sounds a little weird, but remember that pronoun order doesn't matter- we only need to check agreement and case, like we did above. Do the pronouns agree with theirantecedents?There's no agreement issue, since the pronouns are referring to the person who is saying the sentence and the person he or she is peaking to (even though both of them are abstract). Are the pronouns in the correct case?This question is a bit trickier. It would sound just fine to replace "me" with "I"- "it makes no distinction between you and I"- but "between" is a preposition, so the object case "me" is correct. Although D sounds odd, it doesn't contain an error. We can eliminate it and move onto C, which includes a noun and preposition. We'll check the preposition first since it's more likely to include an error. Is the preposition idiomatically correct?Yes. "Distinction between" is a common expression. Does it incorrectly complete a word pair?No. "Between" is correctly followed by two prepositions connected by "and." Is the noun part of a faulty comparison? No. "Distinction" isn't being compared to anything. Is the sentence consistent in its use of plural andsingular nouns?Yes. There's no issue with agreement. Since we didn't find any issues with C, we'll move onto checking the last answer, A, "one of our most." Given the many different types of words in this phrase, it doesn't make sense to check them all individually (the pronoun, for example, is clearly correct), so we'll just consider some of the bigger potential issues. Is the phraseidiomatically correct?Yes. "One of our most indiscriminate diseases" is a clear and acceptable phrase. Is the superlative/comparative correct? Yes. The common cold is being compared toall of the other diseases, so "most" is the correct word choice. We can conclude that there is no error in A, so we've ruled out all the choices, leaving only E, "no error." Step 3: Confirm what the error in your answer is This sentence doesn't have an error, so the correct answer is E. Image: Allan Foster/Flickr Example 3 Step 1: Read the whole sentence The first time through, this sentence probably seems fine. Ideally, you wouldnoticethe "any" in choice D, since that word is often a clue for an illogical comparison, but it's perfectly fine if you don't. Step 2: Check each answer choice We'll start with A, which is a verb. Is the verb correctly conjugated?Yes. The subject "builders" is pluraland "construct" is a pluralverb. Is the verb in the correct tense?Yes. The present tense is consistent throughout the sentence. Next let's move on to the preposition/noun combo in choice B. Is the preposition idiomatically correct?Yes. "Houses of stone" is a completely acceptable construction. Does it incorrectly complete a word pair?"Of"isn't part of a pair here, so we can just skip this one and go straight to the noun. Is the noun part of a faulty comparison? No. "Stone" isn't being compared to anything. Is the sentence consistent in its use of plural andsingular nouns? No other noun in the sentence refers to the same thing, so there's no issue with agreement. There's no error in choice B, so we can rule it out and move onto choice C, which is the adverb "still." Is themodifier of the correct type? "Still" is describing when the builders use the hammer, so it's correct as an adverb. Are -er and -est used appropriately? There's no superlative or comparison used, so we can skip this question. Finally, let's check choice D. "Tool" is a noun and "any" often indicates a comparison error so let's start by checking for that. Is the noun part of a faulty comparison? The underlined phrase comes immediately after "than," which indicates a comparison. We need to determine what "any tool" is being compared to: it's "the hammer." That comparison seem fine, but it actually includes an error. A hammer is a tool, so it must be compared with anyother tool, rather than just "any tool." D is the answer. Step 3: Confirm what the error in your answer is Choice D is the answer because it creates an illogical comparison. We've also definitely ruled out the otherchoices (except no error). Example 4 Step 1: Read the whole sentence It's possible to spot the error in this sentence right away, but most students don't. Let's go straight to step 2. Step 2: Check each answer choice Once again we start with the verbs, which are in choices A and C. When there are two portions that seem equally likely to contain an error, I generallycheck them in order. Let's look at A, "are truly," first. Is the verb in the correct tense?Yes. The present tense is used consistently throughout the passage. Is the verb conjugated correctly?To determine whether the subject and verb agree, we need to figure out what the subject is. It's tempting to assume that it's "goby fish and striped shrimp" but the compound noun is actually part of the prepositional phrase "betweengoby fish and striped shrimp."(Besides, fishcan't be symbiotic.) Instead, the correct subject is "the relationship." This noun is singular, so the plural verb "are" doesn't agree. A has an error. Step 3: Confirm what the error in your answer is Choice A is the answer because the verb doesn't agree with its subject. A quick review of the other three choices shows that there are no errors in the other options: they sound slightly odd, but the verb is conjugated correctly and the prepositions make sense. Image: Anne Worner/Flickr Round-Up of Strategies and Tips for ISE Questions Now that we've gone through the best ISE approach in detail and put it into practice on some examples, let's review some of the mainpoints that you'll want to keep in mind for your SAT study. As complicated as the process may seem, it will get much easier with practice. But if you're really struggling, even just keeping a few of the simple rules in mind will boost your score. KeyIdentifying Sentence Errors Strategies Always read the entire sentence When looking for the error, examine each choice individually Check verbs and pronouns first, since they're the most likely to include errors When an answer choice contains more than one type of word, check both Don't be afraid to pick E, "no error," if you've ruled out all the other choices Always make sure you can explain what errorthe answer contains Even if you think you know the answer, quickly check the other choicesto confirm HelpfulIdentifying Sentence Errors Tips Watch for comparisons and lists as you readthe sentence; both oftencreate errors when they appear "Any" often indicates a faulty comparison Longer phrases are less likely to contain an error What's Next? Make sure you know how to approach the other types of SAT Writing questions- Improving Sentences and Improving Paragraphs- as well. Don't forget the essay!Here are some tips for boosting your score, a step-by-step guide, and strategies for getting a perfect 12. Finally, check out some key big-picture strategies, like these4secrets to acing SAT Writing and these tipsfrom a perfect scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by SAT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Understanding Different Interest Rates

Understanding Different Interest Rates There are a variety of different types of interest rates, but in order to understand these, one must first understand that an interest rate  is a yearly price charged by a lender to a borrower in order for the borrower to obtain a loan, usually expressed as a percentage of the total amount loaned. Interest rates can either be nominal or real, though certain terms exist to define specific rates such as the Federal Funds Rate. The  difference between nominal and real interest rates  is that real interest rates are ones that are adjusted for inflation, whereas nominal interest rates are not; the interest rates one typically finds in the paper are nominal interest rates. The federal government of any given country can affect the interest rate, known in the United States as the Federal Funds Rate and in England as the Prime Rate. Understanding the Federal Funds Rate The Federal Funds Rate is defined as the interest rate at which U.S. banks lend to one another their excess reserves held on deposit at the United States Treasury Department, or the interest rate that banks charge each other for the use of Federal funds in general. Investopedia describes the Federal Funds Rate as the rate of interest banks charge other banks for lending them money from their reserve balances on an overnight basis. By law, banks must maintain a reserve equal to a certain percentage of their deposits in an account at a Federal Reserve bank. Any money in their reserve that exceeds the required level is available for lending to other banks that might have a shortfall. ï » ¿Essentially what this means for the average American is that when you hear that the Federal Treasury Chairman has raised interest rates, theyre talking about the Federal Funds Rate.  In Canada, the counterpart to the Federal Funds rate is known as  the overnight rate; the  Bank of England  refers to these rates as the base rate or the repo rate. Prime Rates and Short Rates The Prime Rate is defined as a rate of interest that serves as a benchmark for most other loans in a country. The precise definition of prime rate differs from country to country. In the United States, the prime rate is the interest rate banks charge to large corporations for short-term loans.​​ The prime rate is typically 2 to 3 percentage points higher than the Federal Funds rate. If the Federal Funds rate is at around 2.5%, then expect the prime rate to be around 5%. The short rate is an abbreviation for short-term interest rate; that is, the interest rate charged (usually in some particular market) for short-term loans. Those are the major interest rates you will see discussed in the newspaper. Most of the other interest rates you see will usually refer to an interest-bearing financial asset, such as a bond.

Organization Development and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Organization Development and Change - Essay Example More importantly, the wrong intervention may have repercussions in the organization that cannot be resolved. OD practitioners must always think about the impact of the intervention on the organization. How would you as an OD practitioner rule out alternative explanations? What must you understand in order to do this? To avoid alternative explanations as an OD practitioner, I have to understand the â€Å"before and after† of evaluating an intervention. For example, I should understand that the variables and measures involved to properly evaluate the intervention should be considered well. They should be reliable, valid and not just be based on one method. This is the â€Å"before† stage of evaluation. The â€Å"after† stage involves understanding that there are internal and external checks on the validity of the research design or â€Å"the setting up of the conditions for making valid assessments of an intervention’s effects.† (Cummings, T. & Worley, C., 2008, p. 210) I need to understand that the assessment should show if the intervention produced the expected results and if it the intervention would work the same way in other

Parts 3,4 and 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Parts 3,4 and 5 - Essay Example The organizational structure should be adjusted in order to facilitate the easier and freer flow of information within the different employees in each level. The top management should also take an effort to print out the company’s strategies, objectives, and goals and distribute them to every individual in the organization. One of the major changes which will also be implemented is the role of the human resource department within the business organization. Currently, Acico’s the human resource department is concerned only about the operational aspect of management specifically administrative issues but will be also be involved in the strategic aspect of management. This will be started through the appointment of new VP for Human Resource. Recognizing that the business organization’s human resources are strategic partners of Acico, it will only be logical to give the department a significant portion in the shaping the company’s vision, mission, goals, and strategies. The human resource department will be taking on an active role in shaping the strategic direction of the business organization. In the operational aspect, staffing and recruiting will be taken more seriously by setting a set of more stringent standards. Prospective employees will not only be admitted to the organization based on their credentials but most especially on their knowledge, skill, and personality type. This will ensure that the company hires competent individual to man the different positions. In order to keep up with the requirements, intensive training will also be conducted specifically on the management team. A comprehensive training program will be conducted regularly which will equip managers with the knowledge and skills for their positions. Acico will also be intensifying its effort in motivating its workforce through the installation of a reward system comprised