text:
Nearly two days after the _London Review of Books_ published a lengthy exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria, the US media has blacked out the report.

Hersh, who has authored groundbreaking investigative reports uncovering US atrocities, including the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War and the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib during the Iraq war, titled his article on last August’s sarin gas attack outside of Damascus “The Red Line and the Rat Line.”

The “red line” refers to President Obama’s threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The “rat line” was a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria, which was used to smuggle weapons to the Syrian “rebels.”

The article describes efforts by the Turkish government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to assist Syrian “rebels” of the al-Nusra Front, an Islamist force linked to Al Qaeda, in staging the poison gas attack on Ghouta on August 21, 2013.

Hundreds died in the atrocity, which the Obama White House seized on as a _casus belli_ to bomb Syria. Faced with deep divisions within the American state and problems mobilizing US allies in Europe, and broad popular opposition to a new war in the Middle East, Obama eventually pulled back and in September accepted a face-saving deal brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the supervised destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stocks.

The Syrian government denied responsibility for the Ghouta attack and blamed the “rebels,” who had every reason to carry out the action, which coincided with the arrival of United Nations weapons inspectors in Damascus to investigate previous gas attacks. At the time of the attack, Syrian government forces were retaking areas previously held by the US-backed opposition, which was in disarray and on the point of collapse. It desperately needed a supposed government atrocity to provide a pretext for direct US military intervention against the Assad regime.

Hersh’s report substantiates the Syrian government’s claims, using documents and accounts from US intelligence and military sources. It also provides evidence that President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and other US officials knowingly lied to the American people when they insisted that only the Assad regime could have carried out the Ghouta attack and that US intelligence agencies had proof that Syrian government forces were responsible. (See: New exposé by Seymour Hersh: Turkey staged gas attack to provoke US war on Syria)

Last December, Hersh published an initial account of the Ghouta attack, which noted the discrepancies and contradictions in the official US accounts and exposed media propaganda such as the now-retracted claim by the _New York Times_ that its own technical analysis of the attack proved that only the Syrian military could have fired the gas shells. Hersh’s conclusion at that time, reflected in the headline “Whose Sarin?” was that it was still unclear who was responsible for the gas attack.

The latest account provides an important new finding—that the Turkish government worked with the al-Nusra Front to engineer the gas attack and blame it on Assad in order to provide a means for the Obama administration to override popular opposition to another US war in the Middle East and launch military action in Syria.

A former intelligence official told Hersh, “We now know it was a covert action planned by Erdogan’s people to push Obama over the red line … They had to escalate to a gas attack in or near Damascus … The deal was to do something spectacular.”

Hersh has been unable to get his reports published by major American media outlets. Both of his Syrian exposés appeared in the online edition of the _London Review of Books,_ not in the _New Yorker_, where he was published for many years, or any daily newspaper.

Since the new article was posted early Sunday morning, there has been total silence in the mainstream US press. The _New York Times_ and _Washington Post_, the two leading dailies, said nothing. The _Times_ published a long account Monday of fighting in Syria with no mention of Hersh’s report.

The main British dailies have also been silent. The _Guardian_, in addition to censoring Hersh, published a long account of a self-justifying interview on BBC Radio 4 by the notorious liar and war criminal Tony Blair, the former prime minister, defending the Iraq war and advocating military action in Syria.

The article, written by the newspaper’s chief political correspondent Nicholas Watt, goes so far as to note Blair’s argument that the use of sarin gas at Ghouta was sufficient reason to attack Syria, without referencing Hersh’s exposure of this attack as a provocation, published just 24 hours earlier. The cover-up is conscious and deliberate.

The Turkish media has commented on the Hersh report with a blizzard of vituperation and attempts to defend the Erdogan government. This comes despite the fact that the government recently shut off access to YouTube after someone posted a video of a secret meeting of government officials at which the head of Turkish intelligence discussed staging another provocation inside Syria, such as an attack on a mosque, to provide a pretext for military intervention.

The web site of the Turkish newspaper _Zaman_ published an email sent by the White House press office Sunday night, which read: “We have seen Mr. Hersh’s latest story, which is based solely on information from unnamed sources and which reaches conclusions about the August 21 chemical weapons attack in Syria that are completely off-base.” _Zaman_ also cites “Turkish diplomatic sources” declaring, “These claims are baseless. We do not take it seriously.”

The left-liberal magazine _Nation_ commented briefly on Hersh’s first article on the Ghouta attack last December. The article by Greg Mitchell took a noncommittal position, declaring, “Hersh’s edgy investigative reporting is usually proven right, of course, but in recent years, one must admit, sometimes wrong. For myself, I’ve never claimed a belief that rebels, not the Assad forces, launched the attacks …” The _Nation_ has not commented on the latest Hersh report.

Also silent is the pseudo-left International Socialist Organization, which has campaigned relentlessly to portray the US stooges and Al Qaeda-linked terrorists in the Syrian “rebel” camp as a mass popular revolutionary movement. The ISO publication _Socialist Worker_ swallowed the Ghouta provocation hook, line and sinker, and has not reported or commented on either of Hersh’s exposés on the question.

_The author also recommends:_

Seymour Hersh exposes US government lies on Syrian sarin attack
[10 December 2013]

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

Why did the US government black out Seymour Hersh's report?

answer: The US government blacked out Hersh's report because it exposed a provocation by the Turkish government to stage a chemical attack in Syria in order to provide a pretext for US military intervention. The US government fears that this exposure would undermine its campaign for military intervention in Syria.

text: Nearly two days after the _London Review of Books_ published a lengthy exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria, the US media has blacked out the report.

answer: Unclear, though it is suggested that US media outlets are not covering the report because it implicates the US in a staged provocation that was designed to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria.

text: Nearly two days after the _London Review of Books_ published a lengthy exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria, the US media has blacked out the report.

answer: Due to how the report exposes the truth behind sarin gas attack on Ghoutah.

text: Partially, it is about the gas attacks, but the greater context was the purpose: which was the involvement of a country in a war by means that were staged.

refinement: The report contained politically delicate content regarding the Turkish Government would stage something that will provoke the US to be involved in the civil war in Syria.

text: The “red line” refers to President Obama’s threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons.

answer: The US government blacked out Hersh's report because it exposes their own lies concerning the Syrian sarin gas attack and their efforts to use the attack as a pretext for direct US military intervention. The US media is complicit in the government's actions to censor Hersh's report. This is likely due to the fact that the Obama administration's false narrative threatened crucial support and allies for US intervention in Syria.

text: Nearly two days after the _London Review of Books_ published a lengthy exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria, the US media has blacked out the report.

text: The “red line” refers to President Obama’s threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons

answer: Perhaps because it supported Syria?

text: The article provides a more definitive stance about the issue. Thus the answer should not be in the form of an uncertain question.

refinement: Perhaps because it sheds light regarding the basis of the US military's involvement in the civil war in Syria.

text: Nearly two days after the _London Review of Books_ published a lengthy exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria, the US media has blacked out the report.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What is the "red line" and the "rat line"?

answer: The red line refers to President Obama's threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The rat line was a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria, which was used to smuggle weapons to the Syrian "rebels." This supply chain was allegedly used to stage a poison gas attack in order to provide a pretext for military intervention by the Obama administration.

text: The “red line” refers to President Obama’s threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The “rat line” was a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria, which was used to smuggle weapons to the Syrian “rebels.”

answer: The "red line" refers to Obama's threat to attack Syria if the government of President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The rat line is a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria, which was used to smuggle weapons to the Syrian rebels.

text: The “red line” refers to President Obama’s threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The “rat line” was a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria, which was used to smuggle weapons to the Syrian “rebels.”

answer: The "red line" refers to President Obama's threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The "rat line" was a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria, which was used to smuggle weapons to the Syrian "rebels." This Turkish government effort constituted a deliberate provocation to bring the US military directly into the Syrian civil war.

text: The “red line” refers to President Obama’s threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The “rat line” was a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria, which was used to smuggle weapons to the Syrian “rebels.”

answer: The "red line" refers to President Obama's threat to attack Syria if the government used chemical weapons. The "rat line" refers to a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria.

text: The “red line” refers to President Obama’s threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The “rat line” was a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria, which was used to smuggle weapons to the Syrian “rebels.”

answer: The "red line" refers to President Obama's threat to attack Syria if President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The "rat line" refers to a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya to Syria which was used to smuggle weapons to Syrian rebels.

text: The “red line” refers to President Obama’s threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The “rat line” was a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria, which was used to smuggle weapons to the Syrian “rebels.”

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does Hersh's report provide evidence for in relation to the US?

answer: The report details evidence that the US government knowingly lied about the Syrian government's responsibility for the Ghouta sarin gas attack in order to justify direct military intervention in Syria.

text: Hersh’s report substantiates the Syrian government’s claims, using documents and accounts from US intelligence and military sources. It also provides evidence that President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and other US officials knowingly lied to the American people when they insisted that only the Assad regime could have carried out the Ghouta attack and that US intelligence agencies had proof that Syrian government forces were responsible.

answer: The US knowingly lied to the American public when they said that only the Assad government could have carried out the Ghouta attack.

text: Hersh’s report substantiates the Syrian government’s claims, using documents and accounts from US intelligence and military sources. It also provides evidence that President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and other US officials knowingly lied to the American people when they insisted that only the Assad regime could have carried out the Ghouta attack and that US intelligence agencies had proof that Syrian government forces were responsible.

answer: That President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and other US officials knowingly lied to the American people when they insisted that only the Assad regime could have carried out the Ghouta attack.

text: Hersh’s report substantiates the Syrian government’s claims, using documents and accounts from US intelligence and military sources. It also provides evidence that President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and other US officials knowingly lied to the American people when they insisted that only the Assad regime could have carried out the Ghouta attack and that US intelligence agencies had proof that Syrian government forces were responsible.

answer: The report provides evidence that the US government knowingly lied about its intelligence assessment of who was responsible for the sarin gas attack in Ghouta last August, claiming without evidence that the Assad regime was responsible. The US had a political motive in falsely asserting Assad's responsibility--to provide a pretext for military intervention in Syria.

text: Hersh’s report substantiates the Syrian government’s claims, using documents and accounts from US intelligence and military sources. It also provides evidence that President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and other US officials knowingly lied to the American people when they insisted that only the Assad regime could have carried out the Ghouta attack and that US intelligence agencies had proof that Syrian government forces were responsible.

answer: The report provides evidence that the US government knowingly lied to the American people when they insisted that only the Assad regime could have carried out the Ghouta attack, when in reality, the facts show that the Turkish government were assisting Syrian rebels in staging the poison gas attack.

text: Hersh’s report substantiates the Syrian government’s claims, using documents and accounts from US intelligence and military sources. It also provides evidence that President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and other US officials knowingly lied to the American people when they insisted that only the Assad regime could have carried out the Ghouta attack and that US intelligence agencies had proof that Syrian government forces were responsible.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

How has the Turkish government reacted to Hersh's report?

answer: The Turkish government has vehemently defended itself against Hersh's report, claiming it to be baseless. There has been no reaction from the major US media, or from the International Socialist Organization.

text: The article does not discuss the reaction of the Turkish government to the Hersh report.

refinement: The article does not discuss the reaction of the Turkish government to the Hersh report.

answer: A blizzard of vilification.

text: The article does not discuss the reaction of the Turkish government to the Hersh report.

refinement: The article does not discuss the reaction of the Turkish government to the Hersh report.

answer: The Turkish has not responded, but several Turkish media outlets have discredited the report.

text: The article does not discuss the reaction of the Turkish government to the Hersh report.

text: The Turkish media has commented on the Hersh report with a blizzard of vituperation and attempts to defend the Erdogan government.

answer: Blizzard of vituperation.

text: The article does not discuss the reaction of the Turkish government to the Hersh report.

refinement: The article does not discuss the reaction of the Turkish government to the Hersh report.

answer: The Turkish government has reacted with a blizzard of vituperation and attempts to defend itself. Government officials have also publicly dismissed the report as baseless.

text: The article does not discuss the reaction of the Turkish government to the Hersh report.

refinement: The article does not discuss the reaction of the Turkish government to the Hersh report.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh has published a new report in the London Review of Books exposing Turkish efforts to help al-Nusra rebels stage a sarin gas attack in Syria to provoke US military intervention. There has been total silence in the American media to the report, with the exception of a dismissive comment from the White House.

text: Nearly two days after the _London Review of Books_ published a lengthy exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria, the US media has blacked out the report.

answer: This article details journalist Seymour Hersh's report titled "The Red line and the Rat Line," which suggests that the Turkish government assisted Syrian rebels in staging a poison gas attack on Ghouta in August of 2013, in order to give the US government a pretext for direct military action against the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government has denied responsibility for the attack, and Hersh's report substantiates this claim.

text: Nearly two days after the _London Review of Books_ published a lengthy exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria, the US media has blacked out the report.

text: The “red line” refers to President Obama’s threat to attack Syria if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. The “rat line” was a CIA-organized supply chain running from Benghazi, Libya through southern Turkey and into Syria, which was used to smuggle weapons to the Syrian “rebels.”

answer: In August 2013, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was accused of using chemical weapons against innocent civilians in Ghouta. Later it was discovered by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Seymour Hersh and corroborated by US intelligence and military sources that President Obama and other US officials lied when they stated that only the Assad regime could have carried out this attack and that US intelligence proved that the Syrian government was responsible.

text: Nearly two days after the _London Review of Books_ published a lengthy exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria, the US media has blacked out the report.

text: The Syrian government denied responsibility for the Ghouta attack and blamed the “rebels,” who had every reason to carry out the action, which coincided with the arrival of United Nations weapons inspectors in Damascus to investigate previous gas attacks.

answer: Seymour Hersh has exposed a Turkish-led conspiracy to stage a chemical weapons attack near Damascus in August 2013 in order to justify US military intervention in Syria. The US press, with few exceptions, has refused to report on the exposé and continue to publish government lies about the attack.

text: Nearly two days after the _London Review of Books_ published a lengthy exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria, the US media has blacked out the report.

answer: The report is an exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military into the civil war in Syria. Two days later the US media has blacked out the report.

text: Nearly two days after the _London Review of Books_ published a lengthy exposé by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh detailing efforts by the Turkish government to stage a provocation to bring the US military directly into the civil war in Syria, the US media has blacked out the report.


split: train

text:
NICOLAS CARONE (June 4, 1917 – July 15, 2010) belonged to the early generation of New York School Abstract Expressionist artists. Their artistic innovation by the 1950s had been recognized internationally, including in London and Paris. New York School Abstract Expressionism, represented by Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Conrad Marca-Relli and others, became a leading art movement of the postwar era.

Biography

Carone was born June 4, 1917 into an Italian-American family in New York City. They moved to Hoboken, New Jersey, where he grew up. He began formal art studies at the age of eleven at the Leonardo da Vinci School located at St. Mark's Church on E. 10th St. He studied at the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, Art Students League of New York, Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts.

In 1941 he won the Rome Prize and in 1949 a Fulbright Fellowship. Both gave him an opportunity to study art in Italy. During his time in Italy after World War II, he came into personal contact with important Italian painters, particularly Giorgio Morandi.

After returning to the US, Carone continued to paint and exhibited works in the 9th Street Art Exhibition in 1951. Along with other first generation abstract expressionists, he also showed his work at the Stable Gallery.[1] Carone was a part of the Abstract Expressionist movement, which relied heavily on Surrealism, poetry, and interpretations of Jungian psychology. He was a good friend of Jackson Pollock, a noted abstract painter. He was later interviewed by authors Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith for their biography, _Jackson Pollock: An American Saga_.

Nicolas Carone's work is in the collections of museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Mobile Museum of Art. Recent exhibits of his work were held at the Washburn Gallery in New York City from February 2 to March 31, 2012,[2] and the Watson MacRae Gallery in South Florida from March 2 to April 3, 2010.[3] His work was exhibited by a number of galleries, including at the Anita Shapolsky Gallery, Frumkin Gallery, Stable Gallery, and Staempfli Gallery.[4]

Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts, and Skowhegan School. He was a founding faculty member of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, where he taught for 25 years. In 1988 he founded the International School of Art, located first in Todi, Italy and then in Nearby Montecastello. Carone was consulted by dealers, collectors and film makers regarding his expertise on Arshile Gorky and Pollock, including for the films _Pollock_, starring Ed Harris, and _Who the *$&% Is Jackson Pollock?_[5]

He died July 15, 2010 at the age of 93.[6][7][8]

[1] _New York School Abstract Expressionists Artists Choice by Artists,_ (New York School Press, 2000.) , pp.16, 19

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5] “Nicolas Carone: Jazz, Poetry, and Jackson Pollock”, Fine Art Investigations blog, 2 May 2012

[6] Lindsay Pollock News, _Painter Nicholas Carone 1917–2010_ Retrieved July 21, 2010

[7]

[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/arts/design/29carone.html

title: Nicolas Carone

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about Carone's education?

answer: Carone received a formal education at the Leonardo da Vinci School, the National Academy of Design, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. He also achieved success internationally as part of the New York School Abstract Expressionist movement.

text: He studied under Leon Kroll

refinement: Carone received a formal education at the Leonardo da Vinci School, the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, Art Students League of New York, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. He also achieved success internationally as part of the New York School Abstract Expressionist movement.

text: Not relevant to his studies. It also omits the prizes he won in 1941 and 1949 which are part of his studies

refinement: Carone received a formal education at the Leonardo da Vinci School, the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, Art Students League of New York, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. In 1941 he won the Rome Prize, and in 1949 he won a Fulbright Fellowship. He used both to study art in Italy. There he came in contact with Giorgio Morandi.

answer: Carone studied at Leonardo da Vinci School in NYC for art education. He later got a Fulbright Fellowship. He attended the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League of NY, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts.

text: Out of sequential chronological order.

refinement: Carone studied at Leonardo da Vinci School in NYC for art education. He attended the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League of NY, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. He later got a Fulbright Fellowship.

text: He also got the Rome Prize before this in 1941

refinement: Carone studied at Leonardo da Vinci School in NYC for art education. He attended the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League of NY, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. He later got the Rome Prize in 1941, and a Fulbright Fellowship in 1949.

text: It does not say where he went.

refinement: Carone studied at Leonardo da Vinci School in NYC for art education. He attended the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League of NY, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. He later got the Rome Prize in 1941, and a Fulbright Fellowship in 1949. He used these awards to go to Italy, where he came in contact with Giorgio Morandi.

text: He studied under Leon Kroll

refinement: Carone studied at Leonardo da Vinci School in NYC for art education. He studied at the National Academy of Design, under Leon Kroll, the Art Students League of NY, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. He later got the Rome Prize in 1941, and a Fulbright Fellowship in 1949. He used these awards to go to Italy, where he came in contact with Giorgio Morandi.

answer: Carone studied for school at the Leonardo da Vinci School and continued to study art at several other schools in New York City. He won the Rome Prize, which took him to study in Italy. After his scholarship dried up, he returned to the U.S. and resumed painting. Carone received Fulbright Fellowship that allowed him to study in Italy.

text: This is not relevant information and the two prizes should be seen as one set.

refinement: Carone studied for school at the Leonardo da Vinci School and continued to study art at several other schools in New York City. He won the Rome Prize and a Fulbright Fellowship, which took him to study in Italy. He came in contact with Giorgio Morandi there.

text: Poorly worded and the passage should list the schools

refinement: Carone studied at the Leonardo da Vinci School and continued to study art at several other schools in New York City, including: the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, Art Students League of New York, and the Hans Hoffmann School of Fine Arts. He won the Rome Prize and a Fulbright Fellowship, which took him to study in Italy. He came in contact with Giorgio Morandi there.

answer: Carone began his formal art studies at the age of eleven at the Leonardo da Vinci School located at St. Mark's Church on E. 10th St. He studied at the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, Art Students League of New York, Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. In 1941, he won the Rome Prize and in 1949, he won a Fullbright Fellowship, which game him an opportunity to study art in Italy.

text: Game should be gave

refinement: Carone began his formal art studies at the age of eleven at the Leonardo da Vinci School located at St. Mark's Church on E. 10th St. He studied at the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, Art Students League of New York, Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. In 1941, he won the Rome Prize and in 1949, he won a Fullbright Fellowship, which gave him an opportunity to study art in Italy.

text: The summary merely recapitulates the whole passage with irrelevant information.

refinement: Carone began his formal art studies at the age of eleven at the Leonardo da Vinci School. He studied at the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, Art Students League of New York, Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. In 1941, he won the Rome Prize and in 1949, he won a Fullbright Fellowship, which gave him an opportunity to study art in Italy.

text: Giorgio Morandi is also an important piece of information

refinement: Carone began his formal art studies at the age of eleven at the Leonardo da Vinci School. He studied at the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, Art Students League of New York, Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. In 1941, he won the Rome Prize and in 1949, he won a Fullbright Fellowship, which gave him an opportunity to study art in Italy. He came in contact with Giorgio Morandi there, an important Italian painter who influenced him.

answer: Carone studied art at the Leonardo da Vinci School, the National Academy of Design, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. He received a Fulbright Fellowship and a Rome Prize. Carone was also an important member of the New York School Abstract Expressionist movement.

text: Not relevant to his studies

refinement: Carone studied art at the Leonardo da Vinci School, the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, the Art Students League of New York, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. He received a Fulbright Fellowship and a Rome Prize.

text: He used these awards to go to Italy.

refinement: Carone studied art at the Leonardo da Vinci School, the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, the Art Students League of New York, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. He received a Fulbright Fellowship and a Rome Prize. He used these to go to Italy where he came in contact with Italian painter Giorgio Morandi.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about Carone's teaching?

answer: The text indicates that Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, and the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture.

text: It neglects to mention Cooper Union, Skowhegan, of the School of Visual Arts

refinement: The text indicates that Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, Skowhegan, the School of Visual Arts, and the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture.

text: It neglects to mention he founded the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture.

refinement: The text indicates that Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, Skowhegan, and the School of Visual Arts. He was a founding member of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, where he taught for 25 years.

text: It neglects to mention other schools he founded in Italy

refinement: The text indicates that Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, Skowhegan, and the School of Visual Arts. He was a founding member of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, where he taught for 25 years. He also founded the International School of Art in Todi, Italy, which later moved to Montecastello, in 1988.

answer: Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts, and Skowhegan School. He was a founding faculty member of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, where he taught for 25 years. And in 1988, he founded the International School of Art.

text: The text should mention this was in Italy.

refinement: Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts, and Skowhegan School. He was a founding faculty member of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, where he taught for 25 years. And in 1988, he founded the International School of Art in Todi, Italy. Later the school would move to Montecastello.

answer: Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Forme Debs University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts, and Skowhegan School. He was a founding faculty member of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture. In 1988, he founded the International School of Art in Todi, Italy, and then Montecastello.

text: Forme Debs University is not one he taught in.

refinement: Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts, and Skowhegan School. He was a founding faculty member of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture. In 1988, he founded the International School of Art in Todi, Italy, and then Montecastello.

text: The text should be clearer that it moved to Montecastello.

refinement: Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts, and Skowhegan School. He was a founding faculty member of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture. In 1988, he founded the International School of Art in Todi, Italy, and which then moved to Montecastello.

answer: Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, and the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. He founded the International School of Art.

text: The text misses two schools Carone studied at

refinement: Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, Skowhegan School, School of Visual Arts, and the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. He founded the International School of Art.

text: He was a founding member of the New York Studio School, etc. and this fact is notable.

refinement: Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, Skowhegan School, and the School of Visual Arts. He was a founding member of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. He founded the International School of Art.

text: The International School was in Italy.

refinement: Carone taught at universities including Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, Skowhegan School, and the School of Visual Arts. He was a founding member of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. He founded the International School of Art in Todi, Italy, which later relocated to Montecastello.

answer: Nicolas Carone taught at universities, schools and art academies. He was a founding faculty member of the New York Abstract Expressionists. Nicolas Carone went to the Rome Academy of Art for another degree and was inspired by Giorgio Morandi's work. When he returned to New York in 1948 he became a foundational artist behind Abstract Expressionism. Carone was a master at teaching others and had decades-long positions with teaching. In 1988 he founded the International School of Art in Italy, teaching there until his death.

text: There is no such academy

refinement: Nicolas Carone taught at universities, schools and art academies. Nicolas Carone went to the Rome Academy of Art for another degree and was inspired by Giorgio Morandi's work. When he returned to New York in 1948 he became a foundational artist behind Abstract Expressionism. Carone was a master at teaching others and had decades-long positions with teaching. In 1988 he founded the International School of Art in Italy, teaching there until his death.

text: This is completely irrelevant to his teaching

refinement: Nicolas Carone taught at universities, schools and art academies. Carone was a master at teaching others and had decades-long positions with teaching. In 1988 he founded the International School of Art in Italy, teaching there until his death.

text: The passage neglects to mention which universities did he teach at

refinement: Nicolas Carone taught at Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts, and Skowhegan School. In 1988 he founded the International School of Art in Italy, teaching there until his death.

text: He was also a founding member of the NY Studio School...etc.

refinement: Nicolas Carone taught at Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts, and Skowhegan School. He was a founding member of New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. In 1988 he founded the International School of Art in Italy, teaching there until his death.

text: The text says nothing about him teaching there until his death

refinement: Nicolas Carone taught at Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts, and Skowhegan School. He was a founding member of New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. In 1988 he founded the International School of Art in Italy.

text: An important detail is where in Italy the school was located.

refinement: Nicolas Carone taught at Yale University, Columbia University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts, and Skowhegan School. He was a founding member of New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. In 1988 he founded the International School of Art in Todi, Italy, later moving to Montecastello.


text:
**A short story I submitted to the Smithsonian Magazine's Last Page humor section, before discovering that section had been discontinued. Hope its good for at least a chuckle.**

Whilst out on a joyride last week, I was struck by how ineffective and inaccurate many of our road signs are.  Take “Blind Person Area”, for example: The sign is there to warn drivers that there may be a pedestrian in the area that is unable to see traffic as it passes, and care should be taken. The implication seems to be that, without the sign, I would simply run over any pedestrians I found wandering in the path of my car. I assure the authority for the erection of road signs, whoever they may be, that I have always operated under the assumption that I needed to stop for any and all individuals attempting to occupy the space soon to be filled by my automobile.

Road signs can not only be unhelpful, but they can be downright confusing. Apparently whatever factory is in charge of churning out these signs does not, in the year 2011, have the ability to spray paint a comma or period on to any of their works of art. While out driving I am sometimes warned that I am entering an area with “SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY.” I presume that these slow moving children present more of an obstacle than their faster moving counterparts. I don’t know about other drivers, but when I’m warned of this situation I get out of the area as quickly as I can.

We also have the new favorite of hyper-vigilant parents everywhere: the small plastic man holding an orange flag. Sometimes this strange little creature will be holding a sign that warns drivers to “Drive 25 to Keep Our Kids Alive”. These disturbing little messengers may do a good job alerting drivers to the presence of children but I must warn you, dear reader, they are nearly impossible to remove from a wheel well.

In my part of the country drivers are presented with signs bearing the ominous warning of “LOW FLYING AIRCRAFT” and “FALLING ROCK ZONE.” In either case I am uncertain what I, as a responsible driver, should be doing to avoid these bringers of certain death from above. I always roll down my window, lean my head outside the car, and keep a watchful eye on the sky for any signs of tumbling chunks of granite or crop dusters attempting to land on my ragtop. I have not decided what it is I am to do in the case of either but immediate panic and violent thrashing seems to be my most likely response.

The number of road signs has precipitously increased in the last ten or twenty years, and I imagine the sign painting industry must be a growth market. If I am not being warned that my “Speed is Checked by Aircraft”, I am being informed by an ominous blue eye that the area is a “Neighborhood Watch Zone.” I must say aesthetically I miss the less-cluttered look of the roadways of yore. There were two signs, “Yield” (whatever that means) and the trusty old “STOP”, an instruction directed at locals.

title: Ineffective, Inaccurate and Incorrect Signage

question: Why does the author find many road signs to be ineffective and inaccurate?

text: Blank response.

refinement: The author believes that many of these road signs provide very little clarity as to what they are warning drivers about and this is why they are ineffective.

answer: The author believes that many of these road signs provide very little clarity as to what they are warning drivers about and this is why they are ineffective.

text: There needs to be a piece of information that supports the claim of inaccuracy.

refinement: The author believes that many of these road signs provide very little clarity as to what they are warning drivers about and are confusing. This is why they are ineffective and inaccurate.

text: "Road signs can not only be unhelpful, but they can be downright confusing" backs up the claim about how the signs are hard to clarify, and are therefore ineffective.

answer: The author feels that without the sign, the implication is that a driver would simply run over a pedestrian, which they find to be untrue.

text: This response only backs up why the narrator finds signs to be ineffective. There needs to be evidence that supports the claims of inaccuracy.

refinement: The author feels that without the sign, the implication is that a driver would simply run over a pedestrian, which they find to be untrue. They discuss how "SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY" is inaccurate due to a lack of a period after "SLOW".

question: Explain why the author believes the sign painting industry to be a growth market.

answer: Signs are increasing in number for a variety of reasons, but the main reason is likely that signage seems the easy and cheap way to create rules and display messages on a public roadway. In addition, the diverse use of colors and designs on newer signs catches drivers' eyes - bringing more attention to the information being conveyed. Finally, all those new and different signs mean more work for the sign painting business - hence there is steady growth for anyone in that field.

text: The author never says anything about an easy and cheap way to create rules and display messages.

refinement: Signs are increasing in number for a variety of reasonsIn addition, the diverse use of colors and designs on newer signs catches drivers' eyes - bringing more attention to the information being conveyed. Finally, all those new and different signs mean more work for the sign painting business - hence there is steady growth for anyone in that field.

text: There is no mention of design that catches drivers' eyes.

refinement: Finally, all those new and different signs mean more work for the sign painting business - hence there is steady growth for anyone in that field.

text: There is no mention of the number of road signs that have increased in the last ten or twenty years.

refinement: There has been an increase in road signs over the last ten or twenty years.

answer: Road signs have become increasingly numerous in recent years, and it seems as though each new sign painted is trying to catch the eyes (and fears) of drivers. The author believes that this trend reflects the increased demand for such signage. Driving past a multitude of signs every day will naturally mean that the sign painting industry benefits from such a situation financially. Additionally, the burgeoning number of signs means that sign contractors who specialize in manufacturing and installing signs will have a larger market to service (providing more job opportunities.)

text: The author never mentions contractors, driving past a multitude of signs every fay, or painted signs trying to catch the eyes and fears of drivers.

refinement: Road signs have become increasingly numerous in recent years. The author believes that this trend reflects the increased demand for such signage. The sign painting industry benefits from such a situation financially. Additionally, the burgeoning number of signs means a larger market to service (providing more job opportunities.)

text: Only the first half of the first sentence is relevant.

refinement: Road signs have become increasingly numerous in recent years.

answer: The number of road signs has increased in the last ten or twenty years.

question: How does the author feel about road sigs?

answer: The author views many road signs as ineffective and confusing, although they are frequently informative as well.

text: "frequently informative" does not help support the answer, and is also inaccurate.

refinement: The author views many road signs as ineffective and confusing.

answer: The author feels road signs can be unhelpful and confusing.

answer: The author is frustrated with the ambiguity and inconsistency of road signs, feeling that they often do more to confuse drivers than to actually help them.

question: What causes the author to feel immediate panic?

answer: Signs such as "low flying aircraft" and "falling rock zone"

text: "I have not decided what it is I am to do in the case of either but immediate panic and violent thrashing seems to be my most likely response."

answer: Road signs with the words "falling rocks."

text: "Low Flying Aircraft" is also listed as something that would cause the author panic.

refinement: Road signs with the words "falling rocks" and "low flying aircraft".

answer: The author says a sign warns of “Low-Flying Aircraft”, leaving him uncertain what to do to avoid their bringers of certain death from above, so he is uncertain of exactly what he should do.

text: This response is missing the second reason for the author's panic: " Falling rock zone".

refinement: The author says a sign warns of “Low-Flying Aircraft” or "Falling Rock Zone", leaving him uncertain what to do to avoid their bringers of certain death from above, so he is uncertain of exactly what he should do.

text: The sentence is awkwardly worded, and has unnecessary information.

refinement: The author says signs warning of “Low-Flying Aircraft” or "Falling Rock Zone" leave him uncertain of what to do to avoid their bringers of certain death from above.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This essay criticizes many signs that often do not serve their intended purpose of warning drivers, and are often confusing and overly wordy. The author suggests that the road sign-making industry is experiencing growth but lamenting the loss of the days when there were simpler signs that motorists were able to understand.

text: The author doesn't list "overly wordy" as a reason they have issues with road signs.

refinement: This essay criticizes many signs that often do not serve their intended purpose of warning drivers, and are often confusing. The author suggests that the road sign-making industry is experiencing growth but lamenting the loss of the days when there were simpler signs that motorists were able to understand.

text: There are only two sentences instead of the requested three.

refinement: This essay criticizes many signs that often do not serve their intended purpose of warning drivers, and are often confusing. The author suggests that the road sign-making industry is experiencing growth. They lament the loss of the days when there were simpler signs that motorists were able to understand.

text: It should be explained why the author believes the sign painting industry has experienced growth.

refinement: This essay criticizes many signs that often do not serve their intended purpose of warning drivers, and are often confusing. The author suggests that the road sign-making industry is experiencing growth because the amount of road signs have increased in the last ten or so years. They lament the loss of the days when there were simpler signs that motorists were able to understand.

text: Specify that the signs are road signs.

refinement: This essay criticizes many road signs that often do not serve their intended purpose of warning drivers, and are often confusing. The author suggests that the road sign-making industry is experiencing growth because the amount of road signs have increased in the last ten or so years. They lament the loss of the days when there were simpler signs that motorists were able to understand.

text: This is not an essay, but a short story.

refinement: This short story criticizes many road signs that often do not serve their intended purpose of warning drivers, and are often confusing. The author suggests that the road sign-making industry is experiencing growth because the amount of road signs have increased in the last ten or so years. They lament the loss of the days when there were simpler signs that motorists were able to understand.

answer: The writer discusses the inadequacies and incompleteness of many road signs, which may be confusing to motorists. Many signs of recent years often provide little to no information to drivers, and result in excessive warning signs cluttering up the roads.

text: Replace the word "incompleteness" with "inaccuracies". It's more accurate towards the story.

refinement: The writer discusses the inadequacies and inaccuracies of many road signs, which may be confusing to motorists. Many signs of recent years often provide little to no information to drivers, and result in excessive warning signs cluttering up the roads.

text: This is only two sentences instead of the requested three.

refinement: The writer discusses the inadequacies and inaccuracies of many road signs, which may be confusing to motorists. Many signs of recent years often provide little to no information to drivers, and result in excessive warning signs cluttering up the roads. The writer feels that the sign painting industry has had growth due to the increase in roads signs in the last ten or so years.

answer: The author finds that the road signs in their area can be ineffective, confusing, and sometimes downright incorrect. From being warned to "drive 25 to keep our kids alive" to being warned about "low flying aircraft" and "falling rocks", there is no shortage of baffling signs to navigate through. Overall, the author seems to lament the proliferation of signs in recent years.

text: The author isn't just complaining about signs in their area, but signs overall.

refinement: The author finds that the road signs can be ineffective, confusing, and sometimes downright incorrect. From being warned to "drive 25 to keep our kids alive" to being warned about "low flying aircraft" and "falling rocks", there is no shortage of baffling signs to navigate through. Overall, the author seems to lament the proliferation of signs in recent years.

answer: The author argues that some of the road signs we see today are ineffective and confusing. Signs like "Blind Person Area" and "Slow Children At Play" make little sense, and signs like "Low Flying Aircraft" and "Falling Rock Zone" are difficult to contend with. Few signs used to exist, but now they are everywhere, often times resulting in drivers feeling panicked.

answer: The author explains that most road signs are actually ineffective, inaccurate or simply incorrect uses. The author believes that as a responsible driver, one should be avoiding the scenarios in the warnings. In most cases, the signs are unhelpful and confusing.

text: "simply incorrect uses" should be "simply have incorrect uses".

refinement: The author explains that most road signs are actually ineffective, inaccurate or simply have incorrect uses. The author believes that as a responsible driver, one should be avoiding the scenarios in the warnings. In most cases, the signs are unhelpful and confusing.

answer: The author complains about ineffective and inaccurate road signs, specifically pointing to poorly placed or skipped punctuation, signs warning of slow children, and signs recommending low-flying aircraft and falling rocks. In the author's opinion, there are more signs than necessary, and they tend to be overwhelming and baffling.

text: The signs aren't recommending low-flying aircrafts or falling rocks, they're warning of them.

refinement: The author complains about ineffective and inaccurate road signs, specifically pointing to poorly placed or skipped punctuation, signs warning of slow children, and signs warning of low-flying aircraft and falling rocks. In the author's opinion, there are more signs than necessary, and they tend to be overwhelming and baffling.

text: There are only two sentences instead of the requested three. Expanding on the low-flying aircraft/falling rocks signs would solve this and strengthen the overall summary.

refinement: The author complains about ineffective and inaccurate road signs, specifically pointing to poorly placed or skipped punctuation, signs warning of slow children. Signs warning of low-flying aircraft and falling rocks are ineffective because the narrator doesn't know what they would do in either of those situations. In the author's opinion, there are more signs than necessary, and they tend to be overwhelming and baffling.

text: "signs warning of slow children" is an unnecessary piece of information.

refinement: The author complains about ineffective and inaccurate road signs, specifically pointing to poorly placed or skipped punctuation. Signs warning of low-flying aircraft and falling rocks are ineffective because the narrator doesn't know what they would do in either of those situations. In the author's opinion, there are more signs than necessary, and they tend to be overwhelming and baffling.


text:
Benji Kingsley

I snatched up Sunday’s sports section and peeled it open to a random page, holding it taught and high and close enough to my face that the words went double. I sank low into my chair and prayed—please, oh please, for the love of all that’s Holy, don’t let him see me. I felt unnatural and foolish but, most of all, safe from an awkward encounter with a guy who never ever seeing again had become one of my life’s major goals. I didn’t need to look up. I already knew.  I put down the paper, and as sure as hellfire singes ass-hair, Benji Kingsley was standing there looking down at me (I never hated a man as much). “What was the score?” He asked.

“A lot to a little!” I said as sarcastically and dismissive as I could.

 See, Bengji Kingsley was the kid who was always last one picked to a team for Battleball. Not because he was slow or fat or grossly incompetent, which he was, but because he was a loathsome, obnoxious scoundrel. He was a prankster and a good one, too. No one was safe. He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student’s answers before passing their exam forward. I remember he once stole official school stationary and sent out letters to parents regarding their child’s excessive absences. Sometimes he would bring the teachers flowers or candies, never out of kindness I’m sure. If he wasn’t playing pranks, then he was showing off with some outwardly disgusting act, like drinking the last sip of soda from a bottle then spitting it back into the container, then drinking it again and spitting it, again and again. Everyone hated him. Any kid would have given anything just to have the opportunity of hurling a blood-red, rough-skinned ball of compressed air and hatred at his pudgy melon-head..

He looked completely different than the way I remembered him. He was trim, not fat, dressed in a beige suit and light blue undershirt. He looked better than nice. He looked important. Uninvited, he sat in the chair at the side of my table rather than the one across it and flagged one of the young waitresses walking by. “Excuse me, sweetheart, won’t you get my friend here another margarita, and I’ll have a glass of ice water, with lemon if you’d please.”

 “Actually, I was just leaving.”

“No, stay, I insist,” he said. “I won’t take up much of your time.” I said nothing, wearing my impatience on the outside.  “I’ll get right to it, then. Over the past year I’ve been a part of a twelve step recovery proam, and—”

“AA.? But I remember you saying you were allergic to alcohol.”

“I am. I never touch the stuff. But it’s become a way to redemption for me, all the same.”

“Let me guess—you’re on the step that requires you to personally confront everyone you’ve wronged and apologize.

"Bingo.”

“How are you ever going to find the time?” I teased.

The waitress came back with our drinks, and Benji quickly jotted a note on a napkin and handed it to her along with a hundred dollar bill. The girl was as stunned as I was. She read the note and looked at him and then looked at me and then back at him. He seemed to nod, but perhaps not. After she left he went on with his apology, it was something that I had long since forgotten about. The waitress came back with the check which Benji paid and slipped the girl another hundred dollars, which she pocketed guiltily. We said our goodbyes, shook hands, he left, and that was that. Leaving the café feeling quite good, happy to know that even the worst kind of guy can turn things around, I couldn’t help but notice some kids through the café’s window, pointing and laughing. I felt they might be laughing at me, but I quickly dismissed it because the window was probably mirror-tinted on the inside.

I hoped the window was mirror-tinted on the inside.

title: Dead Wings Still Soar Benji Kingsley

question: Why did the narrator despise Benji Kingsley?

answer: The narrator despised Benji Kingsley because he was a prankster and a good one, too.

text: Benji being a prankster is a secondary complaint for the narrator. The real reason for the ire is that Benji was an obnoxious scoundrel that played troubling tricks on others or did disgusting stunts.

refinement: The narrator despised Benji Kingsley because he was a prankster and a good one, too. He used to cause trouble for everyone and do disgusting stunts.

text: "He was a prankster and a good one, too."

answer: He was a prankster and a good one. He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student's answers before passing their exam forward. He would bring the teachers flowers or candies, never out of kindness. He would drink the last sip of soda from a bottle then spit it back into the container, then drink it again and spit it, again and again.

text: Pranks: "He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student’s answers before passing their exam forward."

text: False kindness and disgusting feats: "Sometimes he would bring the teachers flowers or candies, never out of kindness I’m sure. If he wasn’t playing pranks, then he was showing off with some outwardly disgusting act, like drinking the last sip of soda from a bottle then spitting it back into the container, then drinking it again and spitting it, again and again."

answer: The narrator despised Benji Kingsley because he was a prankster and a bully who would target anyone he could. The narrator also disliked him because he was obnoxious and unpleasant to be around.

text: Pranks: "He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student’s answers before passing their exam forward."

text: False kindness and disgusting feats: "Sometimes he would bring the teachers flowers or candies, never out of kindness I’m sure. If he wasn’t playing pranks, then he was showing off with some outwardly disgusting act, like drinking the last sip of soda from a bottle then spitting it back into the container, then drinking it again and spitting it, again and again."

answer: The narrator hated Benji because he was an obnoxious character right from their school days.

text: The answer should be clearer about Benji's behavior.

refinement: The narrator hated Benji because he was an obnoxious character right from their school days. He would change answers on an exam before passing it on or send absence notices to students' parents.

question: Why was Benji Kingsley considered the most hated student?

answer: He was a prankster and a good one. He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student's answers before passing their exam forward. He would bring the teachers flowers or candies, never out of kindness. He would drink the last sip of soda from a bottle then spit it back into the container, then drink it again and spit it, again and again.

text: Pranks: "He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student’s answers before passing their exam forward."

text: False kindness and disgusting feats: "Sometimes he would bring the teachers flowers or candies, never out of kindness I’m sure. If he wasn’t playing pranks, then he was showing off with some outwardly disgusting act, like drinking the last sip of soda from a bottle then spitting it back into the container, then drinking it again and spitting it, again and again."

answer: He exhibited awful behaviours, most especially toward his classmates.

text: The answer should be clearer about Benji's actions.

refinement: He exhibited awful behaviours, most especially toward his classmates. He would change answers on an exam before passing it on or send absence notices to students' parents.

text: "Behaviour" isn't US English.

refinement: He exhibited awful behaviors, most especially toward his classmates. He would change answers on an exam before passing it on or send absence notices to students' parents.

text: Pranks: "He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student’s answers before passing their exam forward."

answer: Benji Kingsley was considered the most hated student because he was a prankster and a good one, too. He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student’s answers before passing their exam forward. He would bring the teachers flowers or candies, never out of kindness I’m sure. If he wasn’t playing pranks, then he was showing off with some outwardly disgusting act, like drinking the last sip of soda from a bottle then spitting it back into the container, then drinking it again and spitting it, again and again.

text: "...never out of kindness I’m sure." This is wrong in tone, as the answerer of the question isn't the narrator of the story.

refinement: Benji Kingsley was considered the most hated student because he was a prankster and a good one, too. He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student’s answers before passing their exam forward. He would bring the teachers flowers or candies, never out of kindness. If he wasn’t playing pranks, then he was showing off with some outwardly disgusting act, like drinking the last sip of soda from a bottle then spitting it back into the container, then drinking it again and spitting it, again and again.

text: Pranks: "He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student’s answers before passing their exam forward."

text: False kindness and disgusting feats: "Sometimes he would bring the teachers flowers or candies, never out of kindness I’m sure. If he wasn’t playing pranks, then he was showing off with some outwardly disgusting act, like drinking the last sip of soda from a bottle then spitting it back into the container, then drinking it again and spitting it, again and again."

answer: Benji Kingsley was considered the most hated student because he was a prankster and a bully who would steal from others and frame them for the crime. He was also considered obnoxious and loathsome.

text: Pranks: "He would steal for the sake of stealing, never keeping anything he stole unless to frame someone else for the crime. He would alter another student’s answers before passing their exam forward."

text: False kindness and disgusting feats: "Sometimes he would bring the teachers flowers or candies, never out of kindness I’m sure. If he wasn’t playing pranks, then he was showing off with some outwardly disgusting act, like drinking the last sip of soda from a bottle then spitting it back into the container, then drinking it again and spitting it, again and again."

question: Why did the waitress accept the money Benji offered with guilt?

answer: The waitress likely accepted the money because she felt guilty for laughing at Benji when he was trying to apologize. Benji likely gave her the money to make up for the fact that she was laughing at him, and to show that he was sincere in his apology.

text: The waitress didn't laugh at Benji. And so, Benji didn't give her money to make up for anything. This answer should be rewritten.

refinement: Benji gave the waitress a lot of money, twice. The waitress might be feeling guilty because she felt like she didn't deserve it.

answer: It might be implied he requested that she did something unethical for a price, and she was conflicted about it.

text: The answer seems to be a stretch given that we don't see anything done by the waiter. It's more likely that the waiter felt guilty because she received a lot of money without doing something to warrant it.

refinement: It might be implied he requested that she did something unethical for a price, and she was conflicted about it. It's more likely that she felt guilty because she received a lot of money without doing something to warrant it.

answer: The waitress accepted the money Benji offered with guilt because she was not sure if he was giving her a tip or if he was trying to bribe her.

text: We don't see the waiter do anything, so the money being a bribe isn't highly likely. She might've felt guilty because she received a lot of money without doing anything to warrant it.

refinement: The waitress might have accepted the money Benji offered with guilt because she was not sure if he was giving her a tip or if he was trying to bribe her. It's more likely, however, that she felt guilty about receiving a lot of money without doing anything to warrant it.

answer: It is not stated.

text: While the waiter's discomfort isn't explicitly explained in the story, it can be inferred. The most likely reason is that she felt guilty because she got a lot of money without doing anything to warrant it.

refinement: It is not stated. However, the most likely reason is that she felt guilty because she got a lot of money without doing anything to warrant it.

question: What did Benji ask the waitress to do in the note he gave her?

answer: He asked her to get his friend another margarita and he would have a glass of ice water with lemon.

text: The answer talks about Benji's order, not the note. The story doesn't mention what was written in the note.

refinement: The note's content isn't mentioned in the story.

answer: Based on the passage, it seems that Benji asked the waitress to bring him another margarita and a glass of ice water with lemon.

text: The answer talks about Benji's order, not the note. The story doesn't mention what was written in the note.

refinement: The note's content isn't mentioned in the story.

answer: That information is not known.

text: While the question can't be answered, the answer should say so.

question: Why were the kids outside the cafe pointing and laughing?

answer: That information is not known.

answer: The kids outside the cafe were probably laughing at the man who had just apologized to the other man for all the wrongs he had done to him in the past. They might have been laughing because they thought the man was being ridiculous for apologizing for things that happened years ago, or because they thought the man was being overly dramatic in his apology.

text: The answer could've made sense if the children could hear Benji talk. However, that's not the case. As such, there's no information to answer this question.

refinement: There's no information about this in the story.

text: While the question can't be answered, the answer should say so.

refinement: There's no answer for this in the story.

answer: It is not stated.

question: Why was Benji in AA despite not being an alcoholic?

answer: He claimed to be on a twelve-step self-recovery program where he'd get to right his wrongs.

text: The answer should clarify that Benji utilizes the AA structure and support system to make up for his past wrongs even though he doesn't drink.

refinement: He claimed to be on a twelve-step self-recovery program where he'd get to right his wrongs despite not drinking.

text: Benji says, "it’s become a way to redemption for me," proving that he's trying to atone for his past mistakes.

text: There's no answer. Benji says he joined the AA not because he drinks but because he wants to utilize the program to make up for his past mistakes.

refinement: Benji says he joined the AA not because he drinks but because he wants to utilize the program to make up for his past mistakes.

answer: According to the passage, Benji was in AA because it was a way for him to "redemption." He was trying to make amends for all the wrongs he had done in the past.

text: Benji says, "it’s become a way to redemption for me," proving that he's trying to atone for his past mistakes.

answer: He was in AA for the past year and was on the step that required him to personally confront everyone he had wronged and apologize.

text: The answer should clarify why Benji is in the AA while elucidating his drinking status since the question explicitly asks for it.

refinement: He was in AA for the past year and was on the step that required him to personally confront everyone he had wronged and apologize. He says he doesn't drink but uses the program to atone.

text: Benji says, "it’s become a way to redemption for me," proving that he's trying to atone for his past mistakes.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Benji Kingsley is a prankster who is always last one picked for a team for Battleball. He is also a good prankster. He has been in a twelve step recovery program for the past year and has decided to apologize to everyone he has wronged. He meets up with a former classmate and tells her about his program. He pays for her drink and leaves.

text: The answer fails to elucidate Benji's past misdeeds for which he's atoning. That information should be included instead of mentioning him being chosen last for Battleball and being a prankster.

refinement: Benji Kingsley is a menace who plays embarrassing pranks and does disgusting stunts at school. He has been in a twelve step recovery program for the past year and has decided to apologize to everyone he has wronged. He meets up with a former classmate and tells her about his program. He pays for her drink and leaves.

text: The answer should be clearer that Benji's misdeeds were in the far past.

refinement: Benji Kingsley was a menace who plays embarrassing pranks and does disgusting stunts at school when he was a kid. He has been in a twelve step recovery program for the past year and has decided to apologize to everyone he has wronged. He meets up with a former classmate and tells her about his program. He pays for her drink and leaves.

text: Last for Battleball, and a prankster: "Bengji Kingsley was the kid who was always last one picked to a team for Battleball. Not because he was slow or fat or grossly incompetent, which he was, but because he was a loathsome, obnoxious scoundrel. He was a prankster and a good one, too."

text: Recovery: "Over the past year I’ve been a part of a twelve step recovery pro[gr]am"

answer: The protagonist meets up with an old school bully, Benji Kingsley, who has since turned his life around and is now sober. Benji apologizes for his past behavior and offers to pay for the protagonist's drink. The protagonist is skeptical but accepts the apology, and leaves feeling good about the change in Benji. However, the protagonist notices that some kids are laughing at him, and wonders if they are laughing at him because of his interaction with Benji.

text: The answer is wrong about the protagonist and Benji meeting. Benji happens upon the protagonist and approaches to talk.

refinement: The protagonist stumbles upon an old school bully, Benji Kingsley, who has since turned his life around and is now sober. Benji apologizes for his past behavior and offers to pay for the protagonist's drink. The protagonist is skeptical but accepts the apology, and leaves feeling good about the change in Benji. However, the protagonist notices that some kids are laughing at him, and wonders if they are laughing at him because of his interaction with Benji.

text: Benji is not a drinker. He's in the 12-step program for making his past wrongs right.

refinement: The protagonist stumbles upon an old school bully, Benji Kingsley, who has since turned his life around. Benji apologizes for his past behavior and offers to pay for the protagonist's drink. The protagonist is skeptical but accepts the apology, and leaves feeling good about the change in Benji. However, the protagonist notices that some kids are laughing at him, and wonders if they are laughing at him because of his interaction with Benji.

text: Benji's atonement: "Over the past year I’ve been a part of a twelve step recovery pro[gr]am"

text: Feeling good about Benji: "Leaving the café feeling quite good, happy to know that even the worst kind of guy can turn things around"

text: Laughing children: "I couldn’t help but notice some kids through the café’s window, pointing and laughing. I felt they might be laughing at me, but I quickly dismissed it because the window was probably mirror-tinted on the inside."

answer: The narrator is reading the sports section when Benji Kingsley, a kid who was always last one picked to a team for Battleball, comes up to him. The narrator is surprised to see him looking so different. Benji apologizes for all the pranks he played on the narrator and the narrator accepts the apology. The narrator leaves the café feeling good.

text: The narrator tries to hide while faking that he's reading the newspaper.

refinement: The narrator acts as if he is reading the sports section when Benji Kingsley, a kid who was always last one picked to a team for Battleball, comes up to him. The narrator is surprised to see him looking so different. Benji apologizes for all the pranks he played on the narrator and the narrator accepts the apology. The narrator leaves the café feeling good.

text: The most important point about Benji's past is that he was a menace. Not that he was chosen last for Battleball.

refinement: The narrator acts as if he is reading the sports section when Benji Kingsley, a kid who was a menace, always playing damaging pranks, comes up to him. The narrator is surprised to see him looking so different. Benji apologizes for all the pranks he played on the narrator and the narrator accepts the apology. The narrator leaves the café feeling good.

text: Feeling good about Benji: "Leaving the café feeling quite good, happy to know that even the worst kind of guy can turn things around"

text: Benji's atonement: "Over the past year I’ve been a part of a twelve step recovery pro[gr]am"

answer: The narrator ran into Benji, an obnoxious classmate from school who looked a lot different from how he'd remembered him. Benji appeared courteous and friendly toward the narrator and told him his plans to right his wrongs. Before leaving the cafe, he paid for the drinks he ordered for both of them and handed the waitress a note with a hundred dollar bill. Afterwards, when the narrator was on his way out, he noticed some children pointing and laughing through the window, although he wasn't sure he was the subject of their humour.

text: Feeling good about Benji: "Leaving the café feeling quite good, happy to know that even the worst kind of guy can turn things around"

text: Benji's atonement: "Over the past year I’ve been a part of a twelve step recovery pro[gr]am"

text: Laughing children: "I couldn’t help but notice some kids through the café’s window, pointing and laughing. I felt they might be laughing at me, but I quickly dismissed it because the window was probably mirror-tinted on the inside."

text: Obnoxious classmate: "Bengji Kingsley was the kid who was always last one picked to a team for Battleball. Not because he was slow or fat or grossly incompetent, which he was, but because he was a loathsome, obnoxious scoundrel."


text:
He looked up as Dr. Sun walked into the office. He was nervous; his wife hadn’t been the same lately. He could see that something was wrong. At first he thought nothing of it, but once the quakes started happening he knew she needed to be taken in to see the doctor.

“I’m afraid I have negative news to report to you sir. She’s very ill. She appears to have some sort of parasites on her. They are incredibly destructive. At first her body didn’t recognize them, but now that it has, it’s trying too hard to fight them off.  You may have noticed this. I’m sorry Mr. Neptune, she has a very slim chance of living. She is still very contagious. Try to keep yourself and your family protected.”

 He began to weep, thinking about his family. Together they had six children and a dog, how would he cope without her. He walked into her room and looked at her. Her big beautiful green eyes looked dead, only her salty tears confirmed she was still alive.

title: Mother

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What is the sickness of the wife?

answer: The wife has some sort of parasites that are causing her to become ill. She has slim chances of living.

answer: It is not stated.

text: The sickness is described in the story.

refinement: The doctor explains she has 'parasites that her immune system is trying too hard to fight off.'

answer: She has parasites of some sort and the medicine isn't working.

text: There is no mention of medicine in the story.

answer: The wife has a parasitic sickness that has caused significant damage to her vital organs.

text: There is no mention of vital organs, though this can be inferred, it is not stated.

refinement: The wife has a parasitic sickness that has caused significant damage.

answer: A dangerous parasitic infection that could be lethal and is said to be very contagious.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

Who is the main character?

answer: The narrative is centered around Mr. Neptune

answer: The main character is Mr. Neptune.

answer: The main character is Mr. Neptune.

answer: The main character is Mr. Neptune.

answer: Mr. Neptune

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

Describe Mr. Neptune's relationship with his wife.

answer: They have six children and a dog together.

answer: It seems Mr. and Mrs. Neptune may be married and they have six children and a dog.

text: 'Seems' is the wrong word since it is definitely confirmed that his wife is the one who is sick. Inferences are unnecessary where certainties are stated.

refinement: Mr. and Mrs. Neptune are married and they have six children and a dog.

answer: Mr. Neptune loves his wife very much. He is deeply saddened by the news that she is very ill and has a small chance of survival. He walks into her hospital room and looks at her face, trying to see that she is still alive within her. His wife is everything to him and his world without her would feel empty. He relies on her strength and love to carry on each day.

text: Unnecessary information should be removed.

refinement: Mr. Neptune loves his wife very much. He is deeply saddened by the news that she is very ill and has a small chance of survival. His wife is everything to him, he relies on her strength and love to carry on each day.

answer: Mr. Neptune loves his wife deeply. He misses her already and worries about how he will keep his family together without her. He feels deeply upset and heartbroken that his wife is dying from a deeply destructive illness.

answer: He loves her very much and has made a family with her (6 children). He is in despair thinking about how lost he would be without her.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

How is Mrs. Npetune doing?

answer: She seems to be dying.

answer: Mrs. Neptune is very ill; she has parasites that are destroying her body. She has a very slim chance of living.

answer: Mrs. Neptune is very ill and is likely dying.

answer: She is very ill

answer: She is still alive, but the sickness is bad enough to make her green eyes look dead.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Mr. Neptune hears terrible news about his wife's sickness. Dr. Sun has said that it is an infectious parasite and she could die soon. Mr. Neptune worries about how he and their six children will cope with the loss.

answer: Mr. Neptune sits distraught in the doctors office awaiting the news about his sickly wife. Dr. Sun tells Mr. Neptune he has bad news, his wife appears to have destructive parasites, which are so destructive that her body is not recognizing them. Mr. Neptune does not know how he can keep himself and his family protected.

text: Requires an edit for clarity.

refinement: Mr. Neptune sits distraught in the doctor's office awaiting the news about his sickly wife. Dr. Sun tells Mr. Neptune that his wife appears to have destructive parasites and that she has a very slim chance of living. Mr. Neptune does not know how he can keep himself and his family protected.

text: 'Mr. Neptune does not know how he can keep himself and his family protected.' should read differently.

refinement: Mr. Neptune sits distraught in the doctor's office awaiting the news about his sickly wife. Dr. Sun tells Mr. Neptune that his wife appears to have destructive parasites and that she has a very slim chance of living. Mr. Neptune worries about how he and his family will cope without her.

answer: Mr. Neptune bring his wife into the doctor because she was ill. She appears to have parasites that are extremely destructive to her, causing her body to try too hard to fight them off, which in turn made her very sick.

text: 'Bring' should read 'Brings'.

refinement: Mr. Neptune brings his wife into the doctor because she was ill. She appears to have parasites that are extremely destructive to her, causing her body to try too hard to fight them off, which in turn made her very sick.

text: Tense should remain consistent.

refinement: Mr. Neptune brings his wife into the doctor because she is ill. She appears to have parasites that are extremely destructive to her, causing her body to try too hard to fight them off, which in turn has made her very sick.

text: The answer should mention how Mr. Neptune feels about losing his wife.

refinement: Mr. Neptune brings his wife into the doctor because she is ill. She appears to have parasites that are extremely destructive to her, causing her body to try too hard to fight them off, which in turn has made her very sick. Mr. Neptune worries about how his family will cope with her loss.

answer: The father has heartbreaking news for the mother - she is dying from some sort of parasite infection and has a very slim chance of survival. He weeps for his family and tries to comfort her.

text: The description requires an edit for accuracy.

refinement: Dr. Sun has heartbreaking news for Mr. Neptune - his wife is dying from some sort of parasitic infection and has a very slim chance of survival. He weeps for his family and tries to comfort her.

answer: The protagonist's wife is very ill with parasites. She has a slim chance of survival and seems to be near death. The protagonist mourns for the family he will have to raise without her.