text:
Peter

As blood dripped from his new American Apparel t-shirt, Peter wondered if he'd made a mistake. It would take an awful amount of time to get it out, it was cotton after all, and had cost him a dear amount of money. He remembered when he bought it, it was a hot, stuffy day and the cashier was a chubby lady called Vicky. His card had been rejected by the machine at least 5 times before he'd gotten it to work. He'd left rather irritated that it had taken so long but pleased that he'd bought a new shirt and some socks. He glanced down at his hand and the still warm Smith and Wesson revolver that rested in his gnarled palm. The smell of smoke from the barrel  and chamber made him screw up his nose in disgust. His father was a smoker, at least he had been till Peter had taken him into the back garden and caved the back of his skull in with a spade for shouting at him one too many times. He cast the revolver aside onto the now red carpet, and brushed himself down. He picked a particularly large piece of flesh from his midriff and held it up to his eyes. He studied it closely before deciding it must be ear, judging by the cartilagenous texture of the skin. He felt his own ear, it was cold to the touch, which was when Peter realised he was still standing in the open doorway of the house. He shut the door briskly and strode over the mangled corpse that lay before him towards the kitchen. He started the kettle, quickly realised it had not been filled, tutted, and then refilled it from the tap. He waited in silence for it to boil and placed a teabag with surgeon-like precision into the Thomas the Tank Engine mug he had taken from the shelf. He poured exactly 375ml of hot water into his mug, stirred six times and removed the teabag before adding a teaspoon of milk. He watched as the reddish brown of the water slowly turned into a more pleasing creamy colour. He returned to the hallway and looked down at the man he had shot in the head. He sipped his tea at regular intervals whilst he pondered this man's story. Had he known this was to be his last day on Earth? Did he know that just 12 and a haf hours after he had woken up and started breakfast that his frontal lobe would be resting on his hallway chandelier? Maybe he'd considered not going into work and just staying in bed, not caring whether or not his spreadsheet would be ready by wednesday. He wondered if this man knew that Peter had followed him home, before entering his house and watching Eastenders for a half hour and eating cheese and pickle on toast. Peter wondered if he should move the body from the hallway, but decided against it as he didn't want blood over any more of the house, that would be unsightly. Instead he walked back into the kitchen and set his empty mug into the wash basin, then ran the water over his fingers until it became warm. He moved the tap head over the basin, squirted some fairy liquid into the mug and began to wash it with a nearby washcloth. Once it was done he decided he may as well continue as not to waste water and took a dirty plate from the counter. He placed into the water and rubbed it clockwise in concentric circles, being careful to clear all crumbs or left over pickle from the china. Peter glanced around the kitchen, impressed by the cleanliness. It was not unlike his own home, the mantelpiece was well dusted and the potted plant, a small spider-plant, appeared to be in good health. There were also some cards stacked neatly on the shelf. Peter dried his hands on his ruined shirt and picked up the first card. It had a picture of a Chinchilla with sunglasses on the front with the caption 'Chinchilling'. Peter allowed a smile to play on his lips before rapidly dismissing it. He opened the card to find the words 'Happy Birthday Dad, we all love you very much - Amy and Jess' in childish scrawl. He placed the card back onto the pile carefully and thought about the two children, Amy and Jessica. He thought they must look like their Dad, but the corpse in the hallway wasn't proving very useful to his mental image so Peter entered the living room in search of a picture of the pair. Adverts droned on quietly from the  old Toshiba television which lit the room with a dim, pulsing glow. Peter's fuzzy shadow lay on the wall, as silent as he was. After a few minutes of searching, Peter recovered a photo of two smiling girls, aged around 3 and 6 and who he presumed to be their mother standing in front of Blackpool tower. Peter had been to Blackpool before with his schoolmates, he'd sat on the end of the pier fiddling with some blu-tak whilst the other children played on the rides or with the fairground games. Mr Hershaw, his science teacher, had approached him and tried to convince him to come and play with the others. Peter had sat in silence wishing Mr Hershaw would leave. Mr Hershaw's cat died the next week, which was unfortunate for him. He placed the picture back on the window sill and sat down cross legged on the floor. The adverts on the television had stopped playing and had been replaced by a loud, tall man with large teeth hosting a family oriented gameshow. Peter grimaced and flicked the tv off with the sauce-stained remote. He now sat in the dark, alone in a foreign house with corpse for his only companion. It was almost funny, Peter felt like laughing; but he didn't laugh. He simply stood up and walked back into the doorway, he didn't need light to navigate, he had already memorized the structure of the small house. He stepped back over the body and grasped the brass doorknob. It was cold and he withdrew his hand quickly. Peter decided it would be wise to leave in more than just his t-shirt. He rolled the man over on to his side, so as he wouldn't have to step back over him. Peter was a skinny man, he always had been, and so rolling over the man's rather hefty frame was no easy task. He scoured the house for a coat, but quickly realised that the cadaver was the only one sporting a jacket. He heaved at the hem of the jacket, pulling it from the body. He did not see any point in un-buttoning it first as there was no head to make removal particularly difficult. He pulled the bloodied Weird Fish coat over his head, it was still warm and had some weight to it. Peter rifled through the pockets and picked out a pair of keys and an embroidered hankerchief. The keys had the words 'Renault' etched into them, and so Peter concluded that they must be for the car that resided in the driveway. Peter considered taking the car rather than walking, it was cold and he was already beginning to hear sirens. He had realised shortly after pulling the trigger that a high calibre handgun was not the most silent of killing devices, and it seemed that someone had noticed.

title: 'Peter' - [unfinished]

question: What style is this story is written in?

answer: It is written in a third person narrative.

critique: It is omitted that the story is written in the present tense.

critique: The answer should mention the use of the present tense.

critique: It is also written in a stream-of-conscious style.

critique: There is no mention of Peter's story being written about in a third person narrative.

critique: The answer should mention the narrator's perspective.

question: Who are the kids in the story and what is their role?

answer: Peter is thinking about the two kids, Amy and Jess, when he finds a birthday card in the pile of cards on the shelf.

critique: The answer should mention that the girls are the daughters of the man Peter killed.

critique: The question asks about the kids in the story, not kids in general.

critique: The answer is not related to the question.

critique: While it is true that Peter thinks about Amy and Jess when he finds the birthday card, he is also thinking about them when he is searching for a picture of them.

critique: The answer should mention their relation to the man in the hallway.

critique: The answer should mention that the girls are the father's daughters.

text: The answer should mention that the girls are serving a narrative function to illustrate Peter's psychopathic nature.

question: In what way does the beginning of the story mirror the end?

answer: The beginning of the story is Peter wondering if he made a mistake. The end of the story is Peter wondering if he made a mistake.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The beginning does not mirror the end.

critique: The response misses to mention that Peter has killed someone.

critique: The answer could be phrased in a complete sentence.

critique: The answer could be more specific about "mistake" in this context.

critique: The answer is a bit misleading. Peter did make a mistake, but the question is about the beginning and the end of the story.

text: Peter isn't thinking about a mistake at the end, but he's reminiscing. That's the part similar to the beginning of the story.


split: train

text:
He slides around the corner, presses his back tightly against the wall, and they rush past him without noticing.  Resting hands on knees, panting and sweaty, he takes a moment to catch his breath. They are after him. He has been running through this building for hours.

Finding him has become a competition. We all want to be the one that traps the rabbit. He knows me from a time when I was on his side. I'm not sure if he will still trust me, but what's the worst that can happen?

I gesture towards my door offering sanctuary, mouthing, "Come on! They are right behind you!" He scurries over, and darts under my arm just as a team of officers turns the corner. I shut the door behind him, and brace myself as he tries to force it open.

"Hey, I found him! He's in here!"

He is trapped and knows it. His executioners walk in behind me. He sulks over to one of my desks. We shoot each other sideways glances as we take our positions. We nod silently saying, "Good game."

His case manager storms in followed by a suit. She immediately begins to deliver the lecture she has been waiting all day to give. I sit closest to him. He won't hit me... but her... none of us are too sure about her. The suit sits closest to the door, looking uncomfortable and annoyed.

He tries to explain why he ran, but she had hours of chasing to prepare this speech. There were no planned pauses for his input. He is fidgeting and looking around the room. He knows I won't hesitate to tackle him if he makes a play for the door. He and I have been down that road together at "the other place." He locks eyes with me and I see big tears welling up. I can hear him telepathically asking for help. I want to scream at her to,

 "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

but he must have been reading my mind too because he bolts up and yells it. The suit says in his best authoritative voice, "Kevin, stop."

I think to myself, "What's that bitch gonna do."

He and I lock eyes again and I ask, "So, are you taking any art classes this year?" He looks stunned. He wants another reason to yell but there isn't one. It dawns on him that I am throwing him an out and he grabs it with both hands.

"Not yet, but I want to."

In the background the lecture from Mr. & Mrs. Bitch continues, but we have entered into our own conversation bubble. In our bubble it is calm and quiet and the topic is art.

"You know there are a lot of great courses offered here."

We maintain intense eye contact because this reprieve is fragile.

"Is there a sculpture class? Remember when I made you...

POP!

I had heard it in the background too. The Bitch crossed the line. She is already at the phone and looking up the number for his mom.

He begins to shake. "You gonna call her so you can tell her more lies? Just like with that email you sent her." He is getting angry again and his eyes are darting around the room. He is starting to panic. "You know FUCK YOU BITCH! I've put up with fifteen years of abuse and you know that."

"I didn't lie in that email. It's not my fault if your mom didn't undesta..."

"It is your fault! I am back in that house now and I hate it. What happened over that email is YOUR FAULT."

She moves uncomfortably in her chair and looks away. She does feel the guilt. She changes her tone and softly says, "I am so sorry if you got in trouble because your mom didn't understand my email."

He senses her weakness and lobs into his verbal assault. He goes on about how she lies and how much she hates him.  He begins to make fun of her for the tears in her eyes when I turn my gaze back towards him.

"I know you don't like her, but do you know your brother hates ME?"  This phrase strikes him speechless. I have known him for years. I protected him from the bigger kids when we were at "the other place." He has cried in my arms more than once.

"It's true. I am the one that has to boss him around and he hates me for it. I was just trying to figure out what to do with him before we found out you were missing. He is worried sick about you right now."

He studies my face to for a tell. I hold his gaze and continue. "Did you hear her? What she said? She said she's sorry and that you're right. Do you think you can forgive her?"

His face twists with rage and tears stream down his cheeks. He looks at her and begins screaming again. I reach out and hold his hand.

"You know, all of the problems with your mom were there before her. You can't blame her for what your mom did."

And just like when he was small he sobs in my arms. On cue, his brother walks in. Kevin runs up and hugs him.

I would like to say he hugged Mrs. Bitch as well, but truth be told, as soon as she got him into the hall he took off running.

title: The Runner

question: What does the story say about the narrator's relationship with Kevin?

answer: The narrator used to be on Kevin's side, but he's not sure if Kevin will still trust him. The narrator offers Kevin sanctuary and Kevin runs into the room and hides under the narrator's arm. The narrator is responsible for Kevin's capture. The narrator is trying to help Kevin escape, offering him an out and talking to him. Kevin is terrified of his case manager, who is on the phone with his mother and talking about disciplining him. The narrator is trying to calm Kevin down, but he would rather run away.

critique: The narrator is not the one who captured Kevin. He is the one who offers Kevin sanctuary.

critique: The narrator is not responsible for Kevin's capture.

text: The response requires an edit for coherency such as removal of repetition.

category: coherence

question: What does the story say about Kevin's quarrel with the teacher?

answer: The teacher has been looking for Kevin for hours. She finally finds him in the narrator's room. Kevin is angry at the teacher because he thinks the teacher lied to his mother in an email. The teacher apologizes and tells him that his mom is worried sick. Kevin is still angry, but the narrator tells him that his brother also hates the teacher. Kevin runs away from the teacher after she gets him into the hallway.

critique: The teacher does not apologize to Kevin.

critique: The teacher is not a teacher, but a case manager.

critique: The answer omits that Kevin and the narrator are playing a game.

question: What does the story say about the narrator's family?

answer: No answer

critique: The story doesn't mention the narrator's family.

critique: The answer should mention that the narrator's family is not mentioned.

critique: The narrator's family is not mentioned in the story.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The story does not say anything about the narrator's family.


text:
Presented by Steve Rowley, CEO and Founding Partner, Acumen Partners
Hosted by Michael Campbell, President, Forward Thinking EDU
Co-hosted by edWeb.net and MCH Strategic Data

WATCH THE EDWEBINAR RECORDING

IF YOU ATTENDED THE LIVE SESSION, YOU’LL BE EMAILED A CE CERTIFICATE WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THE EDWEBINAR. IF YOU VIEW THE RECORDING AND WOULD LIKE A CE CERTIFICATE, JOIN THE EDUCATION MARKETING FOCUS COMMUNITY AND GO TO THE EDWEBINAR ARCHIVES FOLDER TO TAKE THE CE QUIZ.

Watch Steve Rowley, CEO and Founding Partner of Acumen Partners, and Michael Campbell, President of Forward Thinking EDU, to learn about the latest research from Acumen Partners and discuss strategies designed to utilize the commonalities and differences between individual ESSA state accountability plans to best achieve your marketing goals.

During this edWebinar, Steve and Michael provide:

-   An update and forecast on the DOE approval process for State Accountability Plans
-   The continued importance of “Evidence of Effectiveness” for vendors
-   The impact on marketing and sales when each state is playing by different rules
-   A unique approach to identifying the ESSA wins and pitfalls for your company
-   A review of the latest research from Acumen Partners on the education industry and the impact of ESSA

This edWebinar is of particular value for education vendors and service providers at all levels.

[Steve Rowley]ABOUT THE PRESENTER

With more than 20 years of experience in business management, Steve Rowley, CEO and Founding Partner of Acumen Partners, has had an illustrious career at the crossroads of business and education. Prior to igniting the flame that has grown to be Acumen Partners in 2012, Steve has engaged in principal leadership positions in leading organizations including Pearson, McGraw Hill, Master Teacher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and EdLights. His knowledge and experience in the education sector are unrivalled. He utilizes his experience to decode and resolve problem areas, meet the challenges of an ever-changing market and empower others irrespective of the industry. Prior to embarking on his mission to help his clients realize their own success through work at Acumen, and other educational solution companies, Steve obtained his BS in economics from Brigham Young University in 1994. He was a Wright Leadership Fellow and enjoyed being a member of the BYU marching band.

[Michael Campbell]ABOUT THE HOST

Michael Campbell’s passion for improving education through technology and digital literacy has facilitated private and not-for-profit organizations solutions support for the learning community. For over 20 years, Michael has held executive, marketing management and sales positions spanning the K-12, higher education, corporate training, technology and publishing industries. Currently Michael is the President of Forward Thinking EDU. Michael has held leadership positions in sales and marketing with Learning Bird, Acumen Partners, Follett Software Company, ETA hand2mind, Pearson, Cengage and McGraw-Hill Higher Education. In his spare time Michael enjoys volunteering at his daughter’s school district’s PTO as a member of their executive board, and supporting the Fox River Grove Memorial Public Library as a trustee and officer of the board.

JOIN THE EDUCATION MARKETING FOCUS TO NETWORK WITH EDUCATORS, PARTICIPATE IN ONLINE DISCUSSIONS, RECEIVE INVITATIONS TO UPCOMING EDWEBINARS, VIEW PAST EDWEBINARS, AND ACCESS FREE RESOURCES.

WATCH THE EDWEBINAR RECORDING

[Acumen Partners]Acumen Partners is a data-driven advisory firm committed to guiding leaders to more accurately gauge their market position, target key actions and achieve better-than-market results. Acumen works with companies at all points in their lifecycle, from seed to start-up to growth and beyond.  Acumen’s Dataslice® solution, using real-time, market data, enables our advisors and consultants to assess your company and provide a 90-day plan of action through a baseline index.  Acumen’s team of experienced advisors and consultants will insure your company is doing the right things in their day-to-day business operations, the right way and with the right people.  With Acumen Partners, companies are able to find their shortest path to strategic success.

[Forward Thinking EDU]As a leader in P–12 and Higher Education product marketing, we take pride in collaborating with educational companies and institutions to offer strategic sales and marketing, product management, and alliance building for you and your product or solution.

Share

question: What does the text say about how to watch the EdWebinar recording?

answer: To watch the EdWebinar recording, you must join the Education Marketing Focus community and go to the EdWebinar archives folder to take the CE quiz. If you attended the live session, you'll be emailed a CE certificate within 24 hours of the EdWebinar. If you view the recording and would like a CE certificate, you must join the Education Marketing Focus community and go to the EdWebinar archives folder to take the CE quiz.

critique: The second line of the response is incorrect as it mixes information pertaining to criteria to obtain a CE certificate.

critique: The second sentence is redundant and should be removed.

question: What does the text say about Steve Rowley?

answer: Steve Rowley is the CEO and Founding Partner of Acumen Partners. With more than 20 years of experience in business management, he has been involved in many companies. He is the CEO and Founding Partner of Acumen Partners. He employs his experience to decode and resolve problem areas, meet the challenges of an ever-changing market, and empower others irrespective of the industry. Prior to this, Steve obtained his BS in economics from Brigham University in 1994.

critique: The repetition of "He is the CEO and Founding Partner of Acumen Partners" should be removed.

critique: It is omitted that he was a Wright Leadership Fellow and enjoyed being a member of the BYU marching band.

critique: The answer should mention his previous positions.

critique: The answer should mention his career before Acumen Partners.

question: What does the text about Michael Campbell?

answer: Michael Campbell's passion for improving education through technology and digital literacy has facilitated private and not-for-profit organizations solutions support for the learning community. For over 20 years, Michael has held executive, marketing management and sales positions spanning the K-12, higher education, corporate training, technology and publishing industries. Currently, Michael is the President of Forward Thinking EDU. Michael has held leadership positions in sales and marketing with Learning Bird, Acumen Partners, Follett Software Company, ETA hand2mind, Pearson, Cengage and McGraw-Hill Higher Education. In his spare time, Michael enjoys volunteering at his daughter’s school district’s PTO as a member of their executive board, and supporting the Fox River Grove Memorial Public Library as a trustee and officer of the board.

critique: Remove the extra details about Michael's career.

critique: The answer should mention that Michael is the host of the edWebinar.

critique: The answer includes extraneous information not specifically relevant to the question. That should be removed.

critique: The answer should mention Michael's education.

critique: The answer is a copy-and-paste of the text.

question: What does the text say about Acumen Partners?

answer: Acumen Partners is a data-driven advisory firm committed to guiding leaders to more accurately gauge their market position, target key actions, and achieve better-than-market results. Acumen works with companies at all points in their lifecycle, from seed to start-up to growth and beyond. Acumen's Dataslice solution, using real-time, market data, enables their advisors and consultants to assess your company and provide a 90-day plan of action through a baseline index. Acumen's team of experienced advisors and consultants will insure your company is doing the right things in their day-to-day business operations, the right way, and with the right people. With Acumen Partners, companies are able to find their shortest path to strategic success.

critique: The answer could be more specific about what Acumen Partners does.

critique: The answer is a copy and paste of the text.

critique: The answer is more of a summary of the company than a description of it.

critique: Acumen Partners purpose is conveyed better than this answer.

critique: The answer should mention the presenter of the edWebinar.

critique: The last three sentences are not relevant to the question.


text:
    It was perhaps a sad thing to say that Sam was used to his friends dying. He has grown to know people who met unfortunate ends, like the man who seized in two inches of water while running a bath for his kid. He had not had that much to drink, but Sam patiently answered the questions of police officers who asked him how many beers he had drank that day and how long the man had been face down in the tub before he was found.

    “Listen, I just thought he got caught up in the bathroom or something. The water stopped running and he didn’t ask me to get him another beer or say anything for a while,” he said. “And then I see him face down in the tub and thought that I should probably call 911.” He rubs his hand over the smooth surface of his scalp and tries to smile through a grimace as he looks at me. I am younger and he thinks that I have not seen death.

    A year later the man handed the phone to another friend before leaving the scene of another death in the morning. “Listen, I’m not doing this again,” He said to the woman. A blue-lipped man who seemed to be asleep in the recliner in the corner, now absent of his lover, a half-awake woman across the room with shivers.  “I saw him and said, ‘oh, I think he’s dead’ and I left because I just didn’t want to talk to the police again. I just wanted to leave and they made me stay to answer all these questions.”

    His eyes dart in different directions and he finally stands from the squat he was pressing on the floor with his knees. He speaks as if he doesn’t understand how they could have had questions. “I had to wait while they spoke to me and to his mom and then to me again.” He watches me as I rise to meet him and shrugs more words off of his shoulders. His fingers dig into the coarse forest of his beard, which is still ginger despite his age.

    His eyes are bright and endearing. If he had not told us that he’d been in college when we all were born, we would not have thought it. “I did glass blowing but you know the economy—no one wants that anymore.” His clothes are always clean and fashionable; he has a penchant for what is unspoiled. His hands are not ragged despite years of making art. He has no tattoos and he is always impeccably groomed. “I think they’re cool, but they’re just not for me.” He tells me this because I mention that the design on his shirt is almost like the tattoo on my back. His glasses are never smudged and he owns his own bowling shoes. We invite him out with us and he says that he would love to come, especially if each beer is only a dollar like we tell him it is on Wednesday nights.

    In class, he holds a ten-for-a-dollar pen in one hand and a bright yellow highlighter clutched in the other. He leans forward on his elbows every class and we can tell that he wants to know; he sits on the edge of his seat. We tell him that we can help him study if he needs it and we know he does because of the expressions that cross his normally un-lined face when he receives his test grades. He asks if we have started the research paper and we say no. “I haven’t either,” and he sighs. Sam does not ask for help.

    Sam tells me that he shaves his head because after his hair began to grow again it was black and curly and he didn’t feel like himself, but I can see that his arms have grown strong like tree roots from the time between his last chemo treatment and now and I think that it must be nice. It must be nice to watch your body transform into something so strong. We all wonder how often Sam must shave his head because there is never a sprinkling of hair there. “I did the whole cancer thing when I was younger,” he said casually to an entire class full of strangers. We wondered if the reason his head was so smooth was because he was not finished with it yet.

    I tell him later, “I know that’s awful,” when he mentions to me what it was like to be sick all of the time. “It was awful for me and I wasn’t even the one going through chemotherapy.” He looks at me with what I think are knowing eyes and I would like to hold his hand. For just a second. He watches as I read the grotesque book in my hands that speaks about disease and squints every now and then. He watches as I stifle retch after gag. It is just a book.

    “What kind of coffee is that?” He asks during the first week of classes before I know him. I tell him that it is awful coffee, but it is just the regular black shit that is cheap and caffeinated. He nods when I say, “I hear that flavored coffees have a few of the same ingredients as a cigarette, but I smoke anyway, so I guess it doesn’t matter.” He takes the fedora from his head and places it gently on the notebook because then the professor enters the room. When he turns in his seat to look at me beside him, we are eye-level.  When he leans on his elbows, his body inching further from the blank white wall behind him, it is like he is taller. Sometimes on nice days, we expect him to sprout wings into that space and fly into the heavens, past the fluorescent hallway lights and into the unspoiled, cloudless sky.

title: Azrael

question: What was the cause of death of the man who had not had that much to drink?

answer: He was left in a bathtub by his friend and died.

critique: The response is missing the cause of death.

critique: The cause of his death is not mentioned directly.

critique: The man was not left in the bathtub by his friend.

critique: The man didn't die because he was left in the bathtub, he died because he had some alcohol in his system.

text: The man who had not had that much to drink was Sam. He is not the man who died by seizing in two inches of water.

category: accuracy

refinement: He was left in a bathtub by his friend and died.

question: How caused the second man's death

answer: It may be implied that his death was caused by illness or chronic problems.

critique: We are told this man is blue, which suggests he died from drugs or alcohol.

critique: It is not implied that his death was caused by illness or chronic problems.

critique: The second man's death was not caused by illness or chronic problems.

critique: The man's death was not caused by illness or chronic problems.

critique: The answer is not implied. It is stated that the man died of a heart attack.

critique: There is no evidence to suggest that the man died from illness or chronic problems.

text: The cause of the second man's death is not stated.

refinement: It may be implied that his death was caused by illness or chronic problems.

question: Describe Sam.

answer: Sam is a fifty-year-old ginger man with a beard who is currently undergoing chemo for cancer. He likes designer clothes. Sam  is on good terms with the narrator and his other classmates.

critique: The answer should mention that Sam is bald.

critique: The model's answer is not accurate. Sam is not fifty years old.

critique: "Sam is a fifty-year-old ginger man with a beard who is currently undergoing chemo for cancer. He likes designer clothes." - he's not fifty years old because he is five years older than them (but not in a creepy way). This description is complete wrong if you ask me.

question: Why is Sam bald?

answer: Sam was bald because of the chemo treatment he had as a kid.

critique: The answer should mention that Sam is bald because his hair grew back black and curly.

critique: The answer should mention that Sam is bald now.

critique: There's no evidence that Sam had chemo treatment as a kid.

critique: It is omitted that his hair grew back black and curly.

critique: The answer is incorrect. Sam is bald because he shaves his head.

critique: "Sam was bald because of the chemo treatment he had as a kid." - it wasn't clear if this was a boy or a girl.

question: Why is Sam attending college so late in life?

answer: It is unclear why he is attending college so late.

critique: It is not true that it is unclear why he is attending college so late.

critique: It is not unclear why he is attending college so late.

critique: The answer is not clear, but it is implied that Sam is attending college because he was sick.

critique: The phrase "It is unclear why he is attending college so late" implies that the reason Sam is attending college so late is unknown. This answer is in direct conflict with the explanation in the story (p.24). In the story, Sam is a cancer survivor who cured and survived cancer by spending years in chemo. When his hair grew back it was black and curly so he shaved his head and kept it shaved. The car in which he drove was a newly polished baby blue car. He also had disposable income to buy and maintain a house as well as buy an expensive bowling buddy's jacket.

critique: The answer is not unclear. It is stated that Sam is attending college because he did glass blowing but the economy is not doing well.

critique: The answer is incorrect and should be re-written.


text:
JESSE DREW is an American artist, author, media activist, and educator.

Biography

Jesse Drew was born at St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village, New York. He spent his early childhood in Queens, before the family moved to Hicksville, New York, home of Levittown. He became a teenage runaway at age 15, and lived on communes in Vermont and California. In 1974, he was a candidate for the State Legislature of Vermont on the Liberty Union Party ticket with Bernie Sanders. Because of his runaway status, he ran under the name of Jesse Clemens. In 1975, he was recruited by Fred Ross to work for the United Farmworkers Union in California. He was a boycott organizer in San Francisco before moving into industrial organizing in the San Francisco Bay Area[1]

In 1982, he moved to Paris, France with his wife and child and became involved in media production. Upon returning to the United States in 1984, he joined the nascent video collective Paper Tiger TV, and started a West Coast branch. At the same time, he began working as an electronics technician at several start-ups and then Dolby Laboratories. He worked with the 'zine collective Processed World as a writer, editor and collective member. In 1986, he helped to organize the first public access television network, Deep Dish TV and in 1989, formed Mission Creek Video with Carla Leshne in San Francisco's Mission District.

He is a professor in the Cinema and Technocultural Studies (CaTS) program at the University of California at Davis.

Media work

Drew has worked extensively on community media projects including the San Francisco Community Television and Paper Tiger Television. He has also been an advocate for Low-power broadcasting and helped found KDRT-LP radio, a low power FM station in Davis, California.[2][3] His work has shown at the 1993 Whitney Biennial, the Mill Valley Film Festival, Artists' Television Access, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, American Film Institute, and others.

_Manifestoon_ is one of Drew's best known works. The film is a collage of classic cartoons edited to illustrate the narration: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' Communist Manifesto. When the clips are re-contextualized, the subversive nature of “the trickster” character in classic cartoons is presented in a new perspective. The video has been shown at large institutions such as Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and Barcelona Cultural Center and uploaded to web sites like the Internet Archive[4] and YouTube.[5] Nicole Brenez, the curator of Cinematheque in France listed Manifestoon as one of the top ten films of the 1990s.[6]

_Newe Segobia is Not for Sale_ was produced by Drew in 1993, documenting the land. struggle between Western Shoshone sisters Mary Dann and Carrie Dann and the BLM.

Writing

In 2013, Jesse Drew wrote the book “A Social History of Contemporary Democratic Media.” His work has been published in _Resisting the Virtual Life_ (City Lights Press) and _Reclaiming San Francisco: History, Politics, Culture_ (City Lights Press) as well as Processed World, and _Collectivism After Modernism: The Art of Social Imagination After 1945_ (University of Minnesota Press).

[1] “San Francisco Labor in the 1970s” in Carlsson, Chris, ed., _Ten Years That Shook the City_, City Lights Books, 2011

[2] Video Data Bank page on Jesse Drew

[3] Jesse Drew's bio

[4] Manifestoon at Internet Archive

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbTIJ9_bLP4

[6] http://cineticle.com/lists/105-90s/1060-nicole-brenez.html

title: Jesse Drew

question: Judging from the passage (his artistic and political contributions), what kind of political leanings does Jesse Drew have?

answer: Jesse Drew is a leftist.

critique: It is possible he is a leftist and it's possible he is a liberal.

critique: The answer is not specific enough. It should be mentioned that he is a media activist and educator, which is a leftist leaning.

critique: The article doesn't explicitly state that Jesse Drew is a leftist.

critique: "Jesse Drew is a leftist." - Drew is a Democrat.

critique: The article does not explicitly state this.


text:
Clinical, Evidence-Based Content for Each and Every Department

Ovid®, the world’s most trusted medical research platform, has been a vital part of healthcare for over 20 years.  Ovid’s flagship platform is the leading choice globally among clinicians, researchers, educators and students in the medical, scientific and academic fields.

Ovid delivers thousands of full text journal articles, ebooks, database resources and workflow tools in a single integrated solution. Ovid provides customizable solutions of high quality content fully integrated with best-in-class technology tools that enhance search precision and speed workflow, maximizing research productivity.

Supported by award-winning customer service available in over 20 languages, Ovid is a one-stop solution for anyone working in healthcare today.  We offer premier medical, nursing, and allied health content; clinical decision support tools; drug information and patient surveillance; structured documentation and coding; healthcare terminology, data management and systems interoperability solutions; precision medical research tools; and continuing medical education solutions.

Browse our Resources for...

[]

LIBRARIANS

As the world’s most trusted medical research platform, Ovid helps librarians in their efforts to improve the quality of health care, education and research.  Ovid’s comprehensive resources, including content from every major science publisher, are supported by an award-winning customer engagement team dedicated to training, configuration, and customization.

Resources for librarians include our Librarian Toolkit and  Knowledge Community. You can also learn more about the features of the Ovid platform on the Tutorials & Demos page.

[]

ADMINISTRATORS

Hospital administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of their facilities, including improving patient outcomes, maintaining fiscal responsibility and managing growth.

Key resources such as Ovid Discovery, Lippincott Solutions, Ovid Health Administration & Policy Journal Collection and the Ovid Health Administration & Policy Book Collection can help hospital administrators rise to these diverse challenges and prepare for the future.

[]

DOCTORS

Today’s physicians face many challenges including less time with patients, increased administrative workload, and difficulty finding the time and funding for research. Ovid fits into doctors’ workflow, providing customized clinical and research solutions designed to help improve patient outcomes, increase productivity, fuel new discoveries, and enable lifelong learning.

The Ovid Discovery platform enables a single-search, native language solution that allows doctors to get what they need accurately and quickly.

Resources such as Stedman’s Online and Ovid MEDLINE® provide physicians with the tools they need to inform and execute patient treatment. Also available on Ovid is Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews which combines several of the most trusted EBM resources into a single, fully-searchable database, providing physicians with the latest best practice research to inform decision-making at the point of care.

[]

NURSES

Ovid is uniquely positioned to offer nurses what they need at the point of learning, point of care, and point of reference. Together with Lippincott Solutions, Ovid offers a complete solution that will take nurses from the classroom to the bedside and beyond.

In addition to acclaimed journals such as the _American Journal of Nursing_ and the award-winning ‘Incredibly Easy’ book series, Ovid offers resources from Joanna Briggs Institute and the Emcare database for nursing and allied health, plus point-of-care resources like Lippincott Advisor and Lippincott Procedures.

[]

INSTRUCTORS

As the world’s largest and most trusted medical research platform, Ovid offers instructors access to material from more than 120 premier publishers, including over 6 million images, videos, and podcasts.  With easy simultaneous searching across all Ovid resources using a single query, instructors can uncover the latest research as well as materials for instructional use.

Tools such as the easy PowerPoint image exporter quickly allows images, charts, and graphs to be placed into presentations for instructional use.

Access journals such as Medical Education and The Journal of Physician Assistant Education as well as Acland Anatomy and Bates’ Visual Guide through the Ovid platform.

[]

_Subscribe to our Content, Tools, and Services Newsletter!_

-   About Us
    -   Wolters Kluwer Health

    -   Contact Us

    -   News & Events

    -   Frequently Asked Questions

    -   Customer Support

    -   Our Products

-    Solutions
    -   Ovid

    -   LWW Health Library

    -   Lippincott Solutions

    -   Anatomy Resources

    -   Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI)

-   About Us
    -   Wolters Kluwer Health

    -   Contact Us

    -   News & Events

    -   Frequently Asked Questions

    -   Customer Support

    -   Our Products

-   Solutions
    -   Ovid

    -   LWW Health Library

    -   Lippincott Solutions

    -   Anatomy Resources

    -   Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI)

-   Wolters Kluwer Health
    -   UpToDate

    -   LexiComp

    -   Health Language

    -   Nursing Education

-

[Ovid] [Ovid]

When you have to be right

question: What does the story say about how the medical research platform Ovid helps librarians?

answer: Ovid helps librarians in the efforts to improve the quality of health care, education and research by supplying comprehensive resources that include content from every major science publisher. Their resources are supported by an award-winning customer engagement team dedicated to training, configuration, and customization.

critique: The answer omits the Librarian Toolkit and Knowledge Community.

critique: The answer omits that Ovid offers a Librarian Toolkit and Knowledge Community.

critique: The answer omits the particular features of Ovid that support librarians.

critique: The answer should mention the Librarian Toolkit and Knowledge Community.

question: What does the story say about how the medical research platform Ovid helps doctors?

answer: Ovid helps doctors face many challenges including less time with patients, increased administrative workload, and difficulty finding the time and funding for research. Ovid fits into doctors' workflow, providing customized clinical and research solutions designed to help improve patient outcomes, increase productivity, fuel new discoveries, and enable lifelong learning. The Ovid Discovery platform enables a single-search, native language solution that allows doctors to get what they need accurately and quickly. Resources such as Stedman's Online and Ovid MEDLINE provide physicians with the tools they need to inform and execute patient treatment. Also available on Ovid is Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews which combines several of the most trusted EBM resources into a single, fully-searchable database, providing physicians with the latest best practice research to inform decision-making at the point of care.

critique: This is a summary of the entire text, not a response to the question.

critique: Grammar tweaks: 'fails to meet' not 'faces many challenges'; 'it's'; 'gently'; 'patient'; 'the'; 'you' >> 'you can'.

critique: The response includes information that is not useful for the task.

critique: The answer should mention the resources for nurses and instructors.

critique: The answer should mention the resources available for nurses.

critique: The answer should mention the tools available to doctors.

critique: The answer should mention the resources that are available to doctors.

text: The answer copies the relevant section of the text instead of summarizing it.

question: What does the story say about how many doctors and nurses use Ovid?

answer: No answer

critique: There is no direct evidence to answering this, but it can be implied that a lot of doctors and nurses use Ovid due to the approach used to describe its services - quite a few that appeals to doctors, nurses and administrators.

critique: There is evidence that doctors and nurses use Ovid.

critique: The article mentions that Ovid is used by doctors, nurses, and instructors.

critique: There's no answer because the article doesn't offer any numbers.


text:
	There was no more time, he thought desperately, running down the darkened corridor of the station. Music from the performance perforated the hallways, accenting the urgency of his steps. The situation was bad and getting worse with every measure. Speaking into his sleeve, his eyes scanned the hallway in front of him, “Cole, what’s he doing?”
	“Still enjoying the show sir,” was the whispered reply.
“Good, let me know if he moves, I’m still looking,” turning the corner, he headed down the next corridor of the theater; this one lined with windows that looked down on the surface of the moon. Alert for any sign of movement he went about rehashing every bit of information that had led to this moment.
	Over the past few weeks petty crime at the ferry station had all but ceased, which to most constables meant some relaxation was warranted. To men like Reager it meant the little fish had cleared out as the shark had come around. Not a day later the theatrical premiere of the best zero gravity opera troupe was announced to open for the summit on the new trade accords and the pieces started falling together. The finishing touch was the supplier, a gun runner who got caught on his way off planet. Luckily for Reager, he’d squealed for a better deal.
	The scum had spilled about a very lucrative deal for what could only be a high level job. The buyer had requested antique projectile weapons, very illegal and extremely hard to find, much less get to Earth without being discovered. Days of endless analysis conducted by the Ministry of Security informed them that the target was most likely the newly elected senior trade ambassador, who publicly favored the new accords in the face of serious opposition.
	Back on the station, Reager could feel their man was here.
	The problem was they’d secured the spaceport entirely while the ambassador travelled, eliminating all opportunity for an assassin to act. That left him getting aboard the station to get the job done, a feat not easily accomplished
	Finishing his patrol of the last level of the theater Reager paused and looked out toward some box seats, beyond it, the dancers were swinging lithely in the zero gravity demonstrating a beauty that was inherently alien. Looking up toward the panoramic windows in the ceiling, the stars seemed to add to the lighting of the stage. A sudden startling thought occurred to him.
	“Cole, what’s the evacuation plan for the station?”
“Security teams from the shuttles below clear the station deck by deck and secure VIPs, civilians and staff head to life boats at the top level.” Backing into the hall, Reager started jogging for the stairs, building on his hunch.
	“How did the boats get here?”
“Wait one,” finding the stairs he opened the door and started climbing, following the evacuation directions, reaching the top deck he looked down the long row of shuttle doors.
	“Boss, they got here two weeks ago, officially installed by the station managers but sub-contracted out for delivery, that’s why our systems didn’t flag it.”
	“I’m at them now, the log says one has been opened, someone’s been here, must have stowed away when they went out for delivery,” he said sweeping the suspect vessel’s interior with his pistol.
	“Should I secure the Ambassador?”
“Not yet,” opening a maintenance tube he crawled out above the performance searching, as the zero gravity took effect, and he braced himself to avoid floating away. Scanning the balconies below he saw one of the box sections was uninhabited. Crawling slowly around the catwalk toward it, floating inches above the walkway in the dark, he never dropped his gaze, “Top box seats, opposite the ambassador, who bought them?”
	“Several different dignitaries and celebrities, who purchased tickets months ago, why?”
“It’s empty, I’m moving in, tell the ambassador he needs to pee right now,” Reager was meters away from the section now.
	“Will do,” in the background he could hear whispering as she executed his command, “he’s not happy but we’re on the move.”
	“Good, me too,” directly above the box and still floating, now below the catwalk, he could see his target. Three rows back, rifle resting on the first row of seats trained to shoot through the railing down toward the VIP area. He almost admired the planning, but someone had to lose this one.
	The man stood, dressed in perfect attire the event and walked to the edge, casually observing the ambassador’s sudden absence, slowly; he turned to return to his perch. Pushing off, Reager flew silently towards the man and when the lights from the spectacle below him flashed brilliantly, he fired his pistol twice.
	Right before he passed out of the field.
Falling the last three meters, he hit the hard box seat floor and rolled over to find a thoroughly unconscious assassin, silenced pistol tucked in his belt.
	Groaning the constable sat up, “Status?” Agent Cole asked from below.
“Clear, I need a security detail to my position. Tell the ambassador to enjoy the show.”
	In minutes a security team arrived and took the gunman away silently while Reager watched, they were gone in moments and he was alone. Sitting down in one of the plush red seats, he breathed a sigh of relief. Another day in the constabulary, reclining he took in the show, watching the dancers play with physics. The pay wasn’t spectacular, but sometimes the job had its perks.

title: [SF] The Opera and the Constable

question: How did the main character feel about the opera?

answer: No answer

critique: It is implied that the main character liked the opera.

critique: The story itself doesn't go into the protagonist's emotional state. I'd accept a guess but it would have to be plausible- which means the contract wouldn't go here.

critique: The answer is wrong. Reager enjoyed the opera.

critique: The narrator could be assumed to be interested in the opera and the show.

critique: At one point the main character does say he’s enjoying the show and it is another perk of his job. Needs to rework and include these details.

critique: The main character does not go to the opera.

critique: There is an answer. He enjoyed the show.

critique: While he did not express a personal opinion, his statement of "I’m moving in" to the empty box seats indicates he was enjoying the show.

critique: There is a mention of the main character feeling overwhelmed by the show.

question: What would have happened if Reager had been caught?

answer: Info can't be found

critique: The question is about a different topic than the answer.

critique: It is omitted that the answer can't be found.

critique: It would be likely that Reager would be outnumbered

critique: It is implied that he would have been shot.

critique: The answer is a correct conclusion but not logical.

critique: There is evidence, and it is implied that he would be killed

critique: The answer is not stated in the passage.

critique: It's blatantly false. It's implied that the person who would have caught Reager would have killed him/her.

critique: The answer should cover what happens if Reager had been caught shooting the assassin in the theater.


text:
Okay Reddit. First time I'm posting something to an audience outside of my small circle of friends. Hope you like it. I'm from India so you have the references here and there. Shouldn't stop you from getting it, though. Hope you like it :)

This story formed itself on three separate occasions and was finally written on a cold winter day on a Lutyens' Delhi building's terrace. It became more special after I recited it to someone immediately after its completion. Not very often do I get to read stories out but for the one time I did, it sure feels good. This story for me (like the others) is like winter. Cold, numb fingers and dull aches, but some warmth inside, and just about enough. I hope you like it :)

"Do ghosts live on Peepul trees?" I ask, peering across the terrace into the hazy silhouette of a clump of trees far away. The winter sun trying its best to warm my bones against the chilly wind that plays with my messy hair. "Ghosts and Gods both." says my aunt knowingly as she pours me yet another cup of strong, milky tea. A mug, rather. I warm my numb fingers on it. I am cold. I'm in a village for all practical purposes. My phone does not work here, buffaloes sit lazily basking in the faded sun, children quarrel over a game of marbles, and a twenty-year-old misfit sips tea sitting on a cot.

Needless to say, this is not my natural habitat. For one, I can see the sky in all its sprawling, blue glory. Two birds skip off the draft and dive one after the other to swoop onto some unknowing prey. Somewhere, a rooster crows, which is quite odd for two o clock in the afternoon. Also odd for this time of the day is the cold that seeps through to my bones. I tell my aunt about life in the city. She listens wide-eyed. She cannot fathom the coldness of it all, the steel and glass prison that I work in, the dreadful fact that I know exactly how each day is going to be. She does not understand how free I feel here without my cell phone chaining me like an invisible umbilical cord, how clear the air here is without a thousand conversations riding the airwaves form tower to tower. All is well in my world though, as she pours me yet another cup of tea. I smile. Family.

As the clock strikes four, children start pouring into the terrace. My cousin sister, all of nineteen, is the neighbourhood teacher, a prestigious title earned through months of reading aloud the alphabet, teaching children to dot their i's and cross their t's and much red ink spread over her soft palms. The children eye me suspiciously. After a while they decide I'm no threat and a couple of them greet me. "Good Morning, Sir!" they say in that sing song chorus I used to be a part of, long back. I smile again.

This class is quite different from any I have seen. The children, aging from five to ten, do not sit still. They laugh and cry freely. They sing their lessons. Some are struggling to hold pencils while some are proud to be old enough to wield pens, prized possessions no doubt for those little fingers. It is, in a way, like an overgrown garden. Disordered and chaotic but oh, so beautiful.

One little boy stands out, though. There's something strange about him even in this scene which is none too familiar to me. He takes and exceptionally long time to write. I kneel next to him and peer into his notebook, bound with thread. All the words are misspelt, the letters are fractured,misshapen little creatures, and the boy's face is a mixture of confusion and terror. I look at my sister with concern. She nods silently and tells the class to write numeral to a hundred. She walks over to me and looks into his book. Then she looks at me, her eyes full of exasperation and silent despair. "There's something wrong with him." she says, the winter haze making its way into her voice. "He's just slow to learn. He's not too rich. His father was supposed to come see me today." She looks at him with sadness. He merely smiles as he squints into the sun. "Take care of him will you?" she says and leaves me with him.

I am now a helpless subject of the boy's scrutiny. he squints at me face, the winter sun giving me a halo. I try to smile, but it falters. This will not go well, I think. I need something to say, to engage his mind, so much more free than mine. "Do you like aeroplanes? I ask him , finding my saviour in a flash of supposed brilliance. "Planes." he says after a couple of seconds of incomprehension, his face lighting up. "Planes!" he says again, his hands tracing a flight path, cutting through the cold air. "Let's make one!" I say with poorly disguised relief and I tear out two pages from his notebook and give him one. I make the first folds quickly, my fingers using their own memory saved from eons ago when I used to fly. He sits there confused, his fingers not grasping the movements, ever so slightly out of his control. I repeat slowly. He follows this time. He laughs clearly as he does and the air is warmer, if only by a fraction.

As his small hands struggle to give life to the piece of paper, I see him deep in penance, wanting nothing more to bend the paper and his own limbs to his will. Ages pass by with me lost in the slow dance his fingers play with the paper, becoming more and more refined until he makes the final fold with all the grace of a finishing pirouette. As we walk to the boundary I silently pray that it flies well, to some unknown tree-dwelling deity, lord of planes and the winter wind.

The child blows into the paper plane in a ritual he is sure will lend it magical wings, and jumps slightly as he releases it into the vast, cold expanse of air.

And it flies majestically, circling us and riding a draft into a slow dive reminiscent of the two birds, then stalling, then diving again and continuing its graceful pirouette as the boy's wide eyes follow it in flight, even as he dives and stalls with the plane, no longer bound by his form, and having lived its short life with the grace of a dying star, the plane lands on a buffalo sitting some distance away. The animal merely grunts and goes promptly back to chewing its cud, a business more important than all the machinations of this world.

I look at him. He is laughing. He is in fits. "You did well." is all I can muster. I ruffle his hair gleaming brown in the sun, and he nods with twinkling eyes. I turn around to see an old man, whose eyes tell me he is the father. "He did well." I say weakly to him. He merely nods, other gestures being foreign to him. He picks the child up into his arms, never too weak for his son. Then he looks at me with a smile and moist eyes. I cannot look away. They are too deep for me to swim away.

My mind goes back five years when I had returned with my examination results to my father. "You could have done better." was all he had said. I remember sitting there under the same sun with the result sheep in my hand, a piece of paper that would never, ever fly.

I look at the child and his father again. It's not cold anymore. The wind stands still as if in respect, and for a moment the sun shines brighter.

Then it hits me .

The boy isn't broken.

I am.

I walk away silently and gaze across the open fields into infinity until my eyes are moist.

Perhaps it is just the cold wind.

Perhaps.

title: Broken

question: Describe how the boy's laugher leads to the narrator's revelation.

answer: The boy is laughing because the plane he made has fallen to the ground. The narrator tries to console him by telling him he did well, but the boy's father seems to be moved. The narrator's father was never pleased with his son's performance in anything, and the narrator realizes that he is the one who is broken.

critique: The narrator's father was never pleased with his son's performance in anything, and the narrator realizes that he is the one who is broken. - this is irrelevant and can be deleted.

critique: The boy is not laughing because the plane has fallen.

critique: The narrator's father was never pleased with his son's performance in anything, and the narrator realizes that he is the one who is broken. - this is irrelevant and should be removed.

critique: Refutess the main point that the boy's laugher, not his father's reaction, leads the narrator to his realization.

critique: The narrator's father is not mentioned in the story.

question: Name three themes in this piece and describe where they come into play.

answer: Family experiences a severe loss are brought up. It includes one mentioning the importance of family in light of the child's father coming over. The boy herself is not broken, but the author is.

critique: The theme of family is not brought up. The boy is not broken but the narrator is.

critique: The response includes inaccurate information.

critique: The response includes extraneous information not useful for the task.

critique: The theme of family is not brought up in the story.

critique: The second sentence is redundant and should be removed.

critique: The response contains inaccurate information.

critique: This is false, the boy and the man are not mentioned.

text: The question asks for three themes, add two more. Also, correct the pronoun usage for the last sentence.

category: coverage

question: Explain the symbolism of the plane that the little boy flies.

answer: The plane is a symbol of the boy's potential. He is able to make the plane fly, and it is a testament to his potential. The plane also represents the boy's father, who is able to pick up his son and carry him.

critique: The plane also represents the boy's potential.

critique: The plane is not a symbol of the boy's potential. It is a symbol of the narrator's potential.

critique: The plane is not a symbol of the boy's potential. It is a symbol of the boy's father.

critique: The plane is not a testament to the boy's potential. It is a testament to the narrator's potential

critique: The plane is a symbol of the boy's potential. He is able to make the plane fly, and it is a testament to his potential. The plane also represents the boy's father, who is able to pick up his son and carry him.

critique: While the plane flying well is a testament to the boy's potential, it doesn't have to crash-land to symbolize the boy's potential.

critique: The plane is also a symbol of the narrator's potential.

question: What do you think the narrator will do after they come to understand that it is they who are broken?

answer: It is not stated.

critique: The answer is not stated, but it is implied that the narrator will leave the boy and his father.

critique: It is quite clear the narrator will dwell on the past.

critique: The answer is not stated but it is implied that the narrator will be on their way back to the city.

critique: It is a reasonable guess that the narrator will leave the scene.


text:
TALLEY BEATTY (22 December 1918 – 29 April 1995) was born in Cedar Grove, Louisiana, a section of Shreveport, but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He is considered one of the greatest of African American choreographers, and also bears the titles dancer, doctor, and dance company director. After studying under Katherine Dunham and Martha Graham, Beatty went on do solo work and choreograph his own works which center on the social issues, experiences, and everyday life of African Americans.[1] Beatty and his technique and style of dancing were both praised and criticized by critics and dancers of his day.

Dance background

Beatty began studying dance at the age of fourteen with Katherine Dunham. He learned her style of dancing, which was heavily based on her African and Caribbean studies of dance in the West Indies. He was a part of Dunham’s company and performed in several shows with them. He also trained under Martha Graham in the 1940s.[2] He left the Dunham troupe in 1946 to continue his studies in New York City. He took ballet lessons in New York, but because he was African American he was forced to attend dance classes in the early mornings or late nights in a dressing room while classes were going on in an adjacent studio.[3]

Beatty continued his work as a solo artist and choreographer. He explored a variety of different dance roles and styles.[4] He appeared in films such as Maya Deren's _A Study in Choreography for Camera_ (1945) and stage shows such as Helen Tamiris’s revue _Inside U.S.A._ (1948). He danced in Broadway musicals such as _Cabin in the Sky_. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 1977 for choreography for the Broadway show _Your Arms Too Short to Box with God_ (1976).

He also danced in nightclubs, for musical theater, and on the concert stage.[5] He even did a minstrel ballet titled _Blackface_.[6] Beatty also choreographed for a variety of choreographers including Ruth Page, Lew Christiansen, George Balanchine, and Syvilla Fort.[7] He choreographed over fifty ballets[8] and did work in America and Europe.

Dance technique

Many dancers and critics described Beatty’s dance style as a mix between jazz and ballet. “His self-described style is a mixture of Graham connective steps, Dunham technique, and a little ballet with Louisiana hot sauce on it”.[9] His choreography is also described as “fast, exuberant, [and] explosive,”[10] Beatty explored movement that extended outward from the extremities such as leg extensions and back arches.[11] Dancers in the documentary film _Talley Beatty: Conversations with Contemporary Masters of American Modern Dance_ state that his choreography is very physically demanding and technically challenging and that in order to dance in one of his works a strong knowledge in at least four different disciplines, including ballet and modern dance, is needed.

Criticisms

John Martin, a famous white dance critic during the early to mid-1900s, criticized Beatty’s dance style as too much ballet during this particular time period, in which there was much racism and stereotyping, ballet was thought of as a “high art” that was reserved for white dancers. Other critics such as Margaret Lloyd praised Beatty's technique in her work _The Borzoi Book of Modern Dance_. Lloyd wrote that she found his leaps “phenomenal, a sort of universal wish fulfillment to navigate the air”.[12]

Themes in choreography

Beatty’s work explored themes around the struggles and everyday life of African Americans. Many of his pieces focused on his own “personal statements about alienation, racial discrimination, and the hardships of urban life”.[13] In the film _Conversations with Contemporary Masters of American Modern Dance_[14] Beatty talks about some of his more well-known choreographic works. According to Beatty _Southern Landscape_, a five-part dance, is a description of the time right after the Reconstruction period in the South. The dance explores an event in history described in Howard Fast's novel _Freedom Road_.[15] The plot centers around a group of black and white farmers who had happily formed a community together before being literally destroyed by the Ku Klux Klan. After the slaughter, people went into the fields at night to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones. The most well-known and famous solo section of the dance, titled _Mourner’s Bench_ is about a man returning from recovering a body, and reflecting on the ideas of hope and strength.

[1] Maleaney P. White-Dixon, “Beatty, Talley”, in _International Encyclopedia of Danc_ Vol. 1, ed. Selma Jeanine Cohen (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998),396.

[2] Teren Damato Ellison, “Beatty, Talley,” in _International Dictionary of Modern Dance,_ ed. Dan McDonagh (Detroit: St. James Press, 1998),47.

[3] Douglas Rosenberg, dir., _Talley Beatty: Conversations with Contemporary Masters of American Modern Dance_ (American Dance Festival,1993).

[4] "Talley Beatty,” Biography, American Dance Festival and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 1[v],(accessed 22 March, 2008).

[5] Teren Damato Ellison, “Beatty, Talley,” 48.

[6] “Talley Beatty,” Biography, American Dance Festival and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts https://www.pbs.org/wnet/freetodance/biographies/beatty.html],(accessed 22 March, 2008).

[7] Teren Damato Ellison, “Beatty, Talley,” 48.

[8] Maleaney P. White-Dixon, “Beatty, Talley,” 395.

[9] Teren Damato Ellison, “Beatty, Talley,” 48

[10] Maleaney P. White-Dixon, “Beatty, Talley,” 396.

[11] Maleaney P. White-Dixon, ‘’Beatty, Talley,’’ 396

[12] Teren Damato Ellison, “Beatty, Talley,” 47

[13] Maleaney P. White-Dixon, “Beatty, Talley,” 396

[14]

[15]

title: Talley Beatty

question: What does the text say about break dancing?

answer: No answer

critique: There is no mention of break dancing in the text.

critique: The text does not mention break dancing.

critique: The text doesn't say anything about break dancing, which is inferred through the question.

critique: The text does not mention anything about break dancing.

question: What does the text say about Talley Beatty?

answer: Talley Beatty was born in Cedar Grove, Louisiana, but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He is considered one of the greatest of African American choreographers. He studied under Katherine Dunham and Martha Graham. Beatty went on to do solo work and choreograph his own works which center on the social issues, experiences, and everyday life of African Americans.

critique: The last sentence could be more specific.

critique: Beatty also studied under Katherine Dunham and Martha Graham.

critique: Beatty's work is centered on the social issues, experiences, and everyday life of African Americans, not the center.

critique: The answer should mention his dance technique.

critique: Beatty's work is not just centered on the social issues, experiences, and everyday life of African Americans. It also centers on the social issues, experiences, and everyday life of African Americans.

critique: The answer should mention his dance style.

critique: The answer should mention his work in nightclubs, musical theater, and on the concert stage.

critique: The response misses to mention that Beatty was also a doctor and dance company director.

question: What challenges did Beatty face while he was studying dance?

answer: Beatty was forced to attend dance classes in the early mornings or late nights in a dressing room while classes were going on in an adjacent studio because he was African American.

critique: The answer omits the racial discrimination Beatty faced.

critique: The answer omits Beatty's ballet lessons.

critique: "Beatty was forced to attend dance classes in the early mornings or late nights in a dressing room while classes were going on in an adjacent studio because he was African American." - this is inaccurate. He attended dance classes in the early mornings or late nights in a dressing room while classes were going on in an adjacent studio because he was African American.

critique: The answer omits Beatty's struggles with racism.

critique: minorities did not face the same expectations that's in this response. change the response.

critique: It is omitted that he was also criticized for his dance style.

critique: The answer should mention the criticism of his dance style.

question: What were the main themes in Beatty's work?

answer: Beatty's work explored themes around the struggles and everyday life of African Americans. Many of his pieces focused on his own "personal statements about alienation, racial discrimination, and the hardships of urban life".

critique: The answer should mention Southern Landscape.

critique: The answer omits that Beatty's work explored themes around the struggles and everyday life of African Americans.

critique: The answer should mention the plot of Southern Landscape.

critique: Saying "African Americans" twice is redundant.

critique: The answer could be clearer in its pronoun use.

critique: It's omitted that Beatty's work explored themes around the struggles and everyday life of African Americans.


text:
You're working at a corner store during the summer to save money for when you have to go back to college in August. It's not a hard job. Ring items up. Put them in a bag. When it's time to go home you turn off the lights and lock up the store. It's not much but it's a job.

You're not quite an adult, not quite a boy. Sure, you're legally an adult, but you don't pay bills. You're really only working at this place so you can afford to have fun when you go back to school. You have about an hour left on your shift, and you're spending it watching soap operas you can't understand and eating candy bars you haven't paid for. That's when he walks in the door.

This is the guy that made your childhood a living hell. He's not quite an adult, not quite an child, but he's more of an adult than you. He's the same age as you. Same grade. You haven't seen him in years, but you've heard some things. You know he got married out of high school, and was divorced soon after. You know he has a kid that he struggles to support. And just looking at him you know you're far better off than him. Finally.

You see this guy in front of you. The reason why you chose to walk three miles to school instead of take the bus. The reason why you faked sick so many days back in middle school, and the reason you ditched so many classes in high school. You see this guy in front of you, and you can't help but be a little happy. You can see the gap of time from when you last saw each other hasn't been kind to him. He's fat now. He looks dirty. His clothes are the same ones that he wore in high school only worn down with time. He still has hair only now it just sits in a tangled heap on top of his head. He has a beard that looks like it's there because he can't afford to shave. And even his voice sounds like it's degraded. If you hadn't known him before now you might have mistaken him for a bum wandering in the store for some alcohol.

Which isn't too far off.

This man that made you kneel in dog shit in elementary school. This guy who used to take your lunch money. This guy who would make fun of you until you cried is walking up in down the aisles of the store. He makes his way to the alcohol section and starts combing over the different selection of beers.

He's taking a while so you let your mind wander for a bit. You think of those women in those soap operas you can't understand. How you wouldn't mind having women like *that* at your school. You think about what it would be like to act on one of those shows. You think about how you used to love acting in school plays when you were younger until this homeless looking guy looking for beer in your store harassed you about it. How he'd call you a faggot or queer. How he caused you to have such bad anxiety when you tried to act that you simply couldn't do it anymore. You think of nervous you felt when he was around that he caused you to stutter. Which of course only led to more insults.

This guy who used to beat the shit out of you anytime he could. This guy who told all your friends that they were losers for hanging out with you finally chooses his beer and brings it to your cash register. And of course it's one of those bad beers. Six beers for six dollars. And of course it's beer.

Cheap beer.

High school beer.

And as your ringing him up you think of how much fun you used to have at parties until he started showing up. Until he held you under his arm and poured beer over your head in front of the whole party. You think of how many parties you must have missed because of that incident.

And this guy who made you the self-conscious, self-loathing wreck you are today asks for a pack of cigarettes too. Of course he wants cigarettes. And as you ring him up you can smell the quality of his life. Cigarette smoke, alcohol,  and body odor. His smell is his life. And as he goes to reach in his wallet you can't help, but notice a couple of his fingers are missing. Partially. The last joint on his index and middle finger. The second joint on his ring. Gone. And of course he can't help but notice you noticing.

Construction accident.

These words he mutters under his breath before he collects his things and turns to leave. And for a moment you feel bad for him. You pity him. He makes you hate him more, because you can't really hate him. And as he turns to leave he asks you a questions that takes away all the pity you just had for him.

*Do you have any jobs available?*

This man who made cry most nights out of fear during elementary school. This guy who is the reason your parents wanted to sign you up for therapy. This guy who made you contemplate ending your life in high school is asking you for a fucking job. Your fucking job.

And you take a moment to take it in. A thousand different responses flood your brain, but it's difficult to select the right one. So you decide to answer his question with a question.

*Do you know who I am?*

You ask wanting a response, but not expecting an answer. And the man pauses for a moment before answering. He looks at your face. Into your eyes. He looks at you with a blank expression on his face before answering no.

title: Bully

question: What does the story say about the school the narrator goes to?

answer: No answer

critique: The narrator is not asked a question about the school they go to.

question: What does the story say about the narrator?

answer: He is working at a corner store so he can afford to have fun while he is still in school. The narrator sees his bully, a man who had made his childhood hell but whom he hasn't seen in years, walk into the store. The narrator thinks how his bully has gotten fat and dirty since high school. He thinks how his bully used to make fun of him and beat him. The narrator rings up his bully. The bully asks for a pack of cigarettes and a job when he sees the narrator is working at the corner store.

critique: The answer should mention that the narrator is a college student.

critique: The narrator's name is not mentioned, so it should be omitted.

critique: The narrator is not the one who is working at the corner store.

question: In what ways did the bully negatively affect the narrator's childhood?

answer: The bully made the narrator's childhood a living hell. He made the narrator kneel in dog shit in elementary school, took the narrator's lunch money, made fun of the narrator until he cried, and caused the narrator to have bad anxiety and stutter.

critique: It's omitted that the bully made the narrator self-conscious and self-loathing.

question: How does the narrator's sentiment towards the bully change over the course of the story?

answer: Initially, they feel a sense of satisfaction that their bully has been beaten down and sees things from their perspective. The narrator's pity for the bully turns to anger when they realize the bully is asking them for a job.

critique: The narrator's pity for the bully was never mentioned.

critique: There is no evidence that the narrator's pity turns to anger.

critique: The narrator's pity for the bully is not the reason for their anger.

critique: The narrator's pity is not expressed in anger.

critique: It is not stated that the narrator felt content. The feelings the narrator shared with the bully are not mentioned.

critique: The narrator doesn't feel satisfaction that their bully has been beaten down.

critique: The narrator's pity for the bully is not the turning point of the story.

text: The narrator's current feelings towards the bully, whether it be pity or anger, is never explicitly states in the passage.


text:
"It's time to begin! This is it..." The lyrics pounded in my head as I stuck my head out the window feeling the wind in my hair. I breathed in smelling the world around me. I feel amazing. Brilliant, infinite, every word in the book. This is where I belong, traveling around, seeing the world. I have grabbed my two best friends, Jr and Katie and have set off for adventure. Don't ask me why, I'm still trying to figure that out myself. Jr seems content with doing this, he's always said that he wanted to see what's outside of this town and Katie...well Katie will take any excuse to get out of her hell of a home. Parents arguing, little sisters being manics, the minute I proposed this idea, she was on bored. This was our time. We were ready. And holy shit, we were scared.
It's four weeks after we have left and we have had some major highs and lows. At of this time, we have brought Katie's cousin, Ty along with us. He said he's coming to "protect us," but I know that he just wants out. He's quite the mystery. We started out in California and we're are still in California. It's talking longer than we thought. We have just entered San Fransisco and I'm in Heaven. I love it here. The smell, the sounds, the sights. I knew that going on this trip wasn't a mistake. We were stopping at every thing that seemed interesting and there was a lot. Pier 39, curvy streets, and spy shops. Yes. Spy shops.  Katie and Ty are having the time of their lives. I've never seem Katie hold a smile for that long and Ty just looks like a new person. This really is changing us
Seven weeks in and we're in Colorado. This is when shit really started going down. Jr got sick and couldn't drive so Ty had to take the wheel and Katie started to bicker with Ty and I had to help Jr not puke. (We're in a trailer home.) We were in some random town that I don't even know the name and everyone was feeling the heat. Katie was laying down and Ty came up and started to scream her down for not telling her.
"I can't fucking believe that you didn't tell me! I had to call your mom! How could you keep this from me? Is that why you were so aggravated with me?"
"Ty. Drop it. It's nothing." She responded, with her voice shaking.
"What's nothing?" I said, fearing the answer.
"Katie is doing drugs-"
"I was doing drugs, dumbass!" Katie interrupted him.
"Oh! And she's having withdraw! Isn't that just fucking great!?" Katie looked ashamed and I was just shocked. Katie was such a innocent girl. Always flinching at the word of anything dirty or illegal but here she is doing drugs.
"Um..Umm.." I was stuttering so bad, "We'll deal with it later. We need to get to New York."
"Okay." They both agreed, Katie seeming relieved while Ty still seemed furious. In the back of the trailer I heard Jr yell, "CAN YOU SOME OF BITCHES SHUT UP?" I wasn't sure if he was being serious or just trying to break the tension
Weeks and weeks past. The times we ran out of gas: Too many to count. Times Jr puked: 7. Times I had to pull Ty and Katie apart before they got into a full brawl: 3. But here it was. New York. Throughout all four of our lives, we have wanted to see this city and we were...amazed. Everyone seemed so busy, so important. We seemed so small compared to the skyscrapers. I started to have this anxious feeling in my stomach and I couldn't help but marvel at the crowds of people. It was all so huge. We rolled in and we blasted the music, we pulled our windows down and started to blast, "We are Young" by Fun. We felt amazing. We felt alive. We felt infinite. This was our time and we would fucking make it.

title: Hiya c: Here's a story. I like stories :D

question: What does the story say about where the adventure takes the characters?

answer: The adventure started in California, moved on to Colorado and then to New York.

critique: The answer should mention the specific places the characters visit in California.

critique: The answer should mention the places the characters visit on the way to New York.


text:
If you aspire to career growth, you can’t be complacent. Where you are today is a reflection of the education and skills that you brought to your current position. The question is, where do you want to be tomorrow? You won’t get there by coasting on what you already know.

The key to your future can be found in an ongoing commitment to learning, also known as professional training and development. By getting better at what you do and expanding the boundaries on what you understand, you become ever-more valuable to your team, customers, and company. In fact, you become a bigger player in your entire industry, which widens your world to new career opportunities as well.

Why is continual learning so important? Because the world is moving so fast now that people who stand still will be passed by. Knowing more than the next person has become a major competitive advantage in every industry. As Joyce A.E. Russell wrote in _The Washington Post_: “With today’s more complex business environment, learning is not just a nice thing to do—it is essential for staying on top of things...None of us can afford to remain stagnant in our knowledge.”

Yet despite these realities, many people feel stuck when it comes to increasing their professional knowledge base. They’re swamped at work, overwhelmed at home, and unclear on how they might manage to squeeze the extra hours needed out of their already full schedules to make time for additional learning.

The secret lies in realizing two things. First, with the easy accessibility of today’s technologies and mobile options, it’s no longer necessary to learn in a classroom—you can bring training tools with you wherever you go. Second, because you don’t need to carve out a big block of time to attend a live class in person anymore, you can approach learning on your own terms and in your own timeframe.

If you don’t have a solid hour to devote to picking up new skills, how about sparing 10 minutes? A couple of shorter stints composed of smaller time units can quickly add up—and mobile technologies make it almost a shame _not_ to learn on the fly or between other activities.

Here are 12 painless ways to train on your own time—picked up from our own customers—that will help grease the wheels for your next big opportunity:

1. Pick Your Poison

No matter what industry you’re in, you can use online learning resources to learn on your own schedule. To get started on your professional development, you simply need to choose a platform and gain access to it. The point of a platform is to provide you with easily accessible training materials that allow you to learn a lot in small chunks of time. An online training library of courses can do this (we have a tech and creative training library at Pluralsight), and so can an online book service. Even popular blogs and podcasts can fulfill this function if they’re targeted at your line of work and you refer to them regularly.

2. Shift Gears on Your Breaks

How would you rather spend your work break: catching up on Facebook again, or doing something just as engaging that can help you land your next promotion? Take advantage of your breaks to watch a training video on your smartphone, iPad, or laptop. Devoting a 30-minute lunch break to learning a few times a week can quickly add up to hours of professional training a month, without needing to change your schedule. Even short breaks in the morning or later afternoon can offer enough time to pick up some new skills and ideas.

3. Hold a Brown-Bag

Since the whole team benefits when everyone knows more, consider organizing a regularly scheduled group brown-bag session with your colleagues. You can share courses from your own training library and watch them together, or let others take the lead on training topics on different days.

4. Capture Your Commute Time

Driving to work presents the perfect setting to absorb a podcast, audiobook, or other training tool that you can listen to while you commute. If you take a bus or train, you can add video to the experience, watching entire courses while you ride. If you travel an hour a day to your job and back, that’s potentially 10 hours a week of focused learning time.

5. Project it on the Big Screen

Why watch trash TV in the evening when you can use the same equipment to learn? Many online training courses can play through Xbox and Apple TV just as well as videogames can. So crack open a soda, turn up the surround sound, and enjoy the show on your big-screen TV as you get smarter all the while.

6. Carve Out Time on Weekends

While you don’t want to spend your whole weekend on work-related activities, finding moments here and there for professional growth can help break up the workweek while providing inspiration for Monday. Can you find an hour to learn a new technology online or listen to a podcast that can help you solve problems at the office?

7. Learn While the Cat’s Away

Weekends can be particularly effective times for learning when others in your household are out and about, and you have a quiet moment. Whether your spouse is traveling or your kids are at soccer practice, it’s the perfect opportunity to pull up your platform and dig into some educational material.

8. Park It

There’s no rule that says professional training must take place indoors—and with today’s technologies, there’s no need for it. Get a breath of fresh air and go to a park with your iPad or smartphone, and watch a course while sitting under a tree. Being out in nature will lift your spirits, and the course content will elevate your mind.

9. Travel Smarter

Travel time presents some of the best stretches to enhance your professional skillset. In addition to time during flights or train travel when you’re free from everyday interruptions, you may also be able to take advantage of evenings in the hotel and lulls between work events, where you can turn lost time into learning.

10. Maximize Parental Leave

While most people expect to fall behind at work during maternity or paternity leave, when approached differently, your leave can push you ahead. One of our customers in Sweden chose to watch dozens of Pluralsight courses relating to her business while recovering during her leave, and came back to work ahead of her peers.

11. Double-Dip During Downtime

Whether you’re home sick, waiting in line, or on the sidelines at a swim meet when your child isn’t swimming, you can recoup lost minutes or hours by pulling up your platform of choice on your mobile device. It’s the ultimate form of multi-tasking.

12. Bone Up at the Gym

Most any workout can lend itself to learning. It’s as easy to listen to the audio of a professional course while you run or bike outdoors as it is to listen to music. If you’re on the treadmill or stationary bike at the gym, you can prop up your iPad and watch a course or read on your Kindle while you exercise. With a waterproof smartphone case, you can even learn while you swim!

Accessibility has made everything possible when it comes to professional development. Learning platforms have evolved toward online options that transform wasted time into valuable opportunities.

If you make the most of mobile technology, you can take 10 minutes several times throughout the day for online learning as opposed to waiting to find the hour you think you need. Tomorrow’s best leaders will use the wide range of opportunities that come up in daily life to move their training, and their individual development, continuously forward.

More From Inc.

-   Become a Master Negotiator in 4 Easy Steps
-   Why Good Leaders Fire People
-   3 Tips From America’s Top Entrepreneurship College

question: According to the article, why should people continue to learn?

answer: Learning is important because of how fast the world is moving - it is vital to keep up in this instance

critique: The answer could be clearer in its pronoun use.

critique: The answer should give a more general reason for the importance of continued learning.

critique: The answer should mention the competitive advantage.

critique: The answer omits the impact of the fast-moving world.

text: The answer should mention that people who do not learn will fall behind and that knowing more than the next person has become a major competitive advantage.

question: How should we fit learning into our busy daily schedules?

answer: With mobile technology, we can choose to learn on our own terms, on our own timeframe, and catch up on what we missed while stuck in traffic.

critique: The answer should mention the importance of learning on the go.

critique: The answer should mention the importance of taking advantage of small chunks of time.

critique: The answer should mention the importance of learning in small chunks of time.

critique: The article also suggests that we should use our breaks to learn.

critique: The article states that it is no longer necessary to learn in a classroom.

critique: The article says we can learn in small chunks of time.

critique: "While stuck in traffic" is a bit unclear and possibly should be soundbites from audio books, podcasts, and other sources in order to learn more.

text: The answer should mention more specific suggestions such as learning while commuting, travelling, or at the gym.

question: What subjects should adults consider for their ongoing training?

answer: They should consider computer programming, finance specific to the industry they work in, and the business side of their industry.

critique: The article doesn't mention any specific subjects.

critique: The article does not suggest any particular subjects.

critique: The article doesn't mention any specific subjects that adults should consider for their ongoing training.

critique: 'They should consider computer programming, finance specific to the industry they work in, and the business side of their industry.' - is misleading. The subjects are just suggestions (at best) because all learning opportunities are aplenty today. Pluralsight actually has a tech and creative training library.

critique: This is not a correct answer and needs to be re-written.

critique: The article doesn't mention the specific subjects that should be considered.

critique: The article does not mention computer programming, finance, or the business side of their industry.