Short-response prompt Read the following excerpt from Endgame by Samuel Beckett:HAMM: You feel normal?

Short-response prompt

Read the following excerpt from Endgame by Samuel Beckett:HAMM:     You feel normal? CLOV (irritably):     I tell you I don't complain. HAMM:      I feel a little strange.      (Pause.)     Clov! CLOV:      Yes. HAMM:      Have you not had enough? CLOV:     Yes!      (Pause.)     Of what? HAMM:     Of this... this... thing. CLOV:      I always had.      (Pause.)     Not you? HAMM (gloomily):     Then there's no reason for it to change. CLOV:      It may end.      (Pause.)     All life long the same questions, the same answers.

Describe how the elements of dramatic writing (dialogue, stage directions, conflict, etc.) work together to develop a theme in the passage. Be sure to use specific details to support your answer.

2. Short-response prompt

Read the following excerpt from the article "What a Bad Flu Season Could Cost the US Economy":Creating a flu vaccine is a bit of a guessing game, because the shots take months to manufacture. Each year in February, the World Health Organization (WHO) tries to predict what viruses may be circulating the following winter, a process that can change as bugs mutate. The current variant strains weren't detected until March and weren't found in large numbers before September, CDC Director Tom Frieden told reporters last week. "This is not something that's been around before," he said.

Based on the cues you can see in the excerpt (that is, without doing further research), how would you rate credibility of the passage? Write a short argument stating whether or not the information seems credible and objective. You are writing an argument, so be sure to include a thesis statement and at least one counter-argument. Use specific details from the passage to support your answer.

3. Short-response prompt

Read the following excerpt from "How to Prepare for a Road Trip":WHERE TO GO?Depending on where you live and what your interests are, the options for a destination are varied. Print the list below and have each person on the road trip rate each interest from 1 to 10, with 1 being "absolutely!" and 10 being "not if it were the last place on earth." This will help you determine whether you should head to Chicago, Tehachapi, Charleston, or Walla Walla. City life Shopping History and museums Regional culture Art Food Photography Hiking Open spaces Beaches Small towns Unique sights Sports Distant relatives or friends Other interests?   

State the purpose of this excerpt in your own words. Then explain how the author's choice of details and text features support that main idea. Use specific examples from the passage to support your answer.