text:
The ALLIED MARITIME TRANSPORT COUNCIL (AMTC) was an international agency created during World War I to coordinate shipping between the allied powers of France, Italy, Great Britain, and the United States. The council (based in London[1]) was formed at a conference in Paris on 3 November 1917, in response to the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare earlier that year. The United States formally joined the AMTC only on October 1, 1918. The Transport Council existed until March 1919, when it was merged with the Supreme Economic Council. Its executive committees were disbanded.

Prelude

In January 1917 the Inter-Allied Shipping Committee was established with representatives from Great Britain, France, and Italy. However this body was ineffective lacking ministerial input for policy development or suitable officials to organise either shipping or supplies. Russia was not involved – shipping issues as regards this country being followed in a different basis. By the time the AMTC was established the Russian Revolution had occurred, and therefore Russia was not involved. However with the American entry into World War I on 2 April 1917 and increasing problems in handling supplies particularly in France and Italy made re-organisation essential.[2]

The system of control was based on that previously developed in the British Empire. Originally Italy had adopted a similar system by Royal Decree in 1915, where by ships were requisitioned for a period of time at a fixed rate of hire to carry Government cargoes. The owner was responsible for recruiting and paying the crew, with the Government paying the running expenses and managing the vessel. This was altered in January 1916 for a system whereby the ship owners were paid per tonnage delivered. However with 90% of the supplies consisting of cereals and coal this very soon led to shortages in both these areas and so the government returned to the requisitioning system.[3]

France had a more varied range of imports and did not face serious shortages until later. Some ships were requisitioned on a bare-boat basis – where the Government recruited and supplied the crew, a somewhat inefficient charter system with much trade continuing on a pre-war basis. However the British Time-charter requisitioning method was gradually introduced and the Minister of Commerce was exercising full control over French supplies by the time the AMTC was established.[4]

The USA introduced a requisitioning system in 1917, however paying increased costs. With the requirements which arose from shipping the Army to Europe, quite drastic steps were taken to organise control. Restrictions on imports were more exercised by policy decisions than control of shipping. In general the US did not face shortages, however public appeals were made for citizens to voluntarily reduce consumption so that goods could be sent to Europe. For example an appeal issued by the newly founded United States Food Administration for the public to eat more maize bread was successful, and more wheat could be exported to their European allies. Also the War Purchase and Finance Board was established with an American chairman. This met in Paris and London to arrange the allocation of credits for American purchases.[5]

Structure

The Council

Each nation appointed its respective ministers (or delegates) in charge of shipping to the council. The representatives were:

-   Robert Cecil and Sir Joseph Maclay for Great Britain;
-   Étienne Clémentel and Louis Loucheur for France;
-   Silvio Crespi and Salvatore Orlando, the latter replaced by Giovanni Villa in May 1918 for Italy;
-   Raymond B. Stevens and George Rublee (from July 1918) for the United States

The Council held six meetings:[6]

-   First Meeting of the Council, 11–14 March, 1918
-   Second Meeting of the Council, Paris, 23–25 April, 1918
-   Third Meeting of the Council, 29–30 August, 1918
-   Fourth Meeting of the Council, 30 September, 1918
-   Fifth Meeting of the Council, 1 February, 1919
-   Sixth Meeting of the Council, 10 March, 1919

The Committees

Main Executive Committee

The AMTC had a Main Executive Committee chaired by James Arthur Salter alongside Jean Monnet, (France), Bernardo Attolico (Italy) with the later addition of George Rublee.

Salter and Monnet called their business in the AMTC ‘international administration’. In more critical terms the Transport Council worked like a cartel, just run by states, trying to eliminate the economic and logistic competition between the partners. So the organization tried to hold prices down, pooled the allied tonnage and coordinated the allied logistics with substantial rationalization effects.

Their work was supported by three subcommittees, each responsible for reporting to the main committee

Tonnage Sub-Committee

The Tonnage Sub-Committee committee was responsible for implementing any decisions of the Council concerning the co-operative use or programming of tonnage. It also gathered information about the amount and disposition of the tonnage under the control of each Ally and examined any proposals made by them as regards any improvements made by them in this area as well as doing their best to see that any agreed improvements were carried out.

-   M. Revillon (France).
-   Lieut. Farina (Italy).
-   Mr. Shearman (U.S.A.).
-   Mr. Browett (Great Britain).

Imports Sub-Committee

-   M. Halgouet (France).
-   Bernardo Attolico (Italy)
-   Dwight Morrow (U.S.A.).

Statistical Sub-Committee

-   M. Seitert (France).
-   Signor Pardo (Italy).
-   Mr. J. A. Field (U.S.A.).
-   William Palin Elderton (Great Britain).

Bibliography

-   James Arthur Salter: _Allied Shipping Control_, Oxford:Clarendon Press 1921.
-   Jean Monnet: _Memoirs_, London 1978.
-   Marc McClure, “Earnest Endeavors: The Life and Public Work of George Rublee”, Greenwood 2003.

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title: Allied Maritime Transport Council

question: What was America's part in the construction of the Allied Maritime Transport Council?

answer: They introduced a requisitioning system in their country for their government to transport the army to Europe.

critique: The answer should mention that the USA was not involved in the council until October 1918.

critique: The AMTC was not created to transport the army to Europe.

critique: The answer is not related to the question.

critique: Doesn't mention their joining the council.

critique: The answer omits that the USA was also a member of the council.

critique: The answer should mention that the USA was not involved until October 1918.

critique: The reason for the American involvement should be mentioned.

critique: The answer omits the role of the USA in the AMTC.


split: train

text:
I traveled around the world to browse underground markets to buy and sell rare animals and mystical creatures. I currently held two in my inventory - a miniature giraffe and a gnome. I was also well known among the wealthy as I would help them buy these breathing gems for them to keep as pets.

My current trip had one purpose - to negotiate a deal to purchase a young elephant for the Kardashian family. This elephant was special. At 5 feet tall, it had trunks for each leg, making it look more like an octopus on land. In a pool house in Beverly Hills, I sat across the owner of the elephant, arguing over terms of the sale. The fat Kardashian then barged in in a panic, crying her eyes out because her boyfriend, Russell Brand, had been kidnapped. I didn't care, but was pissed that it got in the way of my deal. Hoping it would help my commission, I volunteered to help find Russell. Then, there I was, driving their Hummer all over L.A.

We stopped at a gas station. I insisted to pump gas while they all went inside. Suddenly, a red truck sped through the station and, from the bed, two men in black ski masks tossed over a 4' by 4' metal plate, engraved in Arabic, and peeled out. As soon as the smoke from their exhaust cleared everyone began to slowly crowd the mysterious plate. The middle eastern cashier shoved through the crowd and fixed his glasses as he read it. He translated it for us.

"We have your infidel. We will not negotiate or return him to you. There's no amount of money that will buy away the pleasure of watching him suffer."

The police came and an investigative team drove the the Kardashian family to their headquarters while I stayed behind, realizing I had no idea where I was at this remote gas station. Dusk was approaching, and across a mesquite field I could see a square building with an empty parking lot which lights were just turned on.

I don't know how or why I was lured into it, but as I approached the building, I just knew it was a museum about Islamic expansion. I entered and was greeted by the curator, an old Arab man. He guided me through his many exhibits, standing before each one as he further explained how Islam was the seed of western civilization. He then led me into a wing where they dealt with those that defiled the name of the Prophet. I cannot rationalize why I kept walking along without fear for my safety, but I followed anyway.

I was in awe. There were flat screens along walls with crowds of 4 or 5 young students in lab coats in front of each one, alternating their heads between tilting them upward to listen and downward to turn the pages in the pad they were writing copiously in. I pardoned myself from the curator and stood behind one crowd to watch what they were learning. The video showed how starved, naked women are skinned. It was a controlled and relaxed demonstration, starting with hanging them upside down, cleanly severing their jugular and draining them of their blood. The demonstrator calmly explained that doing this would avoid bruising and helped preserve their skin color. He would then dislocate her jaw, force his arm half-forearm-deep into her throat, and jerked it out with intestines following behind. After removing the rest of her organs, they'd remove the skin and muscle from the bones. The students looked on with a fixed curious gaze, devoid of any sympathy, jotting their notes.

This wing was full of such demonstrations, displays of devices, history of techniques, and so on. I joined the curator again and kept walking along and noticed that tourists were starting to walk in, curiously looking around as if what they were seeing weren't human beings in utter pain.

As the Arab curator explained the mechanics of one of the devices he invented, his face was interrupted by his own excitement as he just remembered that his latest technique would be demonstrated live that evening. It would be the first time a human spider would be created. Inspired by 'The Human Centipede,' he wanted to push the envelope by creating a beast: to one torso as the centerpiece (arms and head attached), he'd attach two hips on each side, with legs attached, knees bent upward. The head and arms would still function and the nervous systems of all five bodies would be merged. He asked if I wanted to see who had been chosen to be the center piece and, entranced by all of this, I agreed.

He then lead me into a dark room that I later realized was a stable. He turned the light on to shine on a scrawny man clothed only in hay. It was Russell Brand. Russell awakened and rushed to the bars of the door, reaching his arm through them towards me, beginning me to let him out. If only he knew the monster he was doomed to become. The human inside me knew that he needed to be saved, but the money-driven rare animal trader inside drooled at the idea of how much a Human Spider would be worth in the market. I sighed and smiled, patted the old curator on the back and said, "I'd love to stay and observe the demonstration." Russell's eyes teared up as he watched what he thought was a sensible human being turn into an idle observer of his impending transformation.

We walked away, back into the torture wing of the museum and it was now filled with more lay tourists. As the tourists noticed the curator was present, they welcomed him with cheers and applause. He politely excused himself from me and like a celebrity he was welcomed into the crowd with pats and handshakes. They were in love with him. Two white elderly women, with rosaries around their necks, begged him to be part of his experiments. He quickly yanked the rosaries from their necks and stood coldly in front of them, offended. The crowd was silenced. The women turned towards each other and started to giggle which later broke out into laughter. They fell onto their knees and began to undress themselves, still giddy and laughing. The curator reached into one of his displays and took out an antique knife. He held it above his head and rotated in place to be sure the audience could see what he had chosen. The women excitedly stretched out their throats, almost eager for the legend to slash their necks, as if it was an autograph. They still giggled while gurgling on their blood after receiving his autograph. As the gurgling and the sound of naked flesh slapping the cold tiles of their jerking arms subsided, the crowd erupted in cheer and elation.

title: The Human Spider - a dreamer's account

question: Summarize the tension in the story.

answer: The story opens on the narrator waiting to make a deal to purchase a young elephant for the Kardashian family. While they discuss the purchase, a 4' by 4' metal plate engraved in Arabic crashes through their window, revealing that their boyfriend, Russell Brand, has been kidnapped. The narrator is full of tension, a feeling that is only compounded when he realizes he has been led to a museum of sorts about Islamic expansion, full of demonstrations of torture, with the curator going to demonstrate a human spider. The tension only mounts as the curator cuts the throats of two women, who are giggling and happy to die.

critique: The answer should mention the narrator's inner conflict.

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

critique: The response is missing some details about the tension in the story.

critique: The answer omits the narrator's internal conflict.

critique: Rather than focusing on the micro details of the narrator's experience, they should state if there is a broader tension and a description of how this harms/helps the protagonist.

question: Summarize the main theme of this story.

answer: The main theme of this story is the human condition. The story is about a man who is driven by greed and money. He is willing to do anything for money, even if it means watching a man get tortured and killed. The man is also willing to watch a woman get tortured and killed for money. The man is also willing to watch a man get turned into a human spider for money. The man is willing to do anything for money.

critique: The answer should refer to the narrator as the subject.

critique: The man is willing to watch a man get tortured and killed for money.

critique: The story is not about a man who is driven by greed and money. It is about a man who is driven by money.

question: Summarize what factors in real life could have motivated the Islamic/Arab parts of this dream.

answer: No answer

critique: The response misses to mention that the story is a dream.

critique: There can be identified a few motivations through research.

question: Is this dream mostly positive or negative? Explain your answer.

answer: It is probably a negative one for women who were murdered for blood sport. It could also be negative for Russell Brand - that is if the dream chronicles human atrocities.

critique: The answer is not very clear. It would be better to say that the dream is mostly negative.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The dream is negative for the women who were murdered for blood sport.

critique: The response does not answer the question.

critique: The response is incorrect. The dream is positive for the narrator because it is a dream.

critique: The answer is incorrect. The dream is not negative for women who were murdered for blood sport.


text:
[]

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is out today. If you plan on going in to save some souls, here are a few things you might like to know before you start.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is out today, the third and final game in what we never would have expected to become a trilogy. Jumping in could be daunting even for those who played the prior games, so I've outlined a few things you might want to know before you get started. For more detail on what I thought of Lightning Returns, check out the Shacknews review.

YOU DON'T REALLY NEED TO KNOW THE STORY

As covered in previous reviews, the plot of the Final Fantasy 13 series is _absolute nonsense_. It would frequently throw out meaningless religious-sci-fi jargon to fill plot gaps, and character motivations were all over the map. The story in Lightning Returns is relatively straight-forward compared to the last few games, and doesn't really require that you be familiar with them. For the most part this story is disconnected from the others and stands on its own. Long-time fans will get the most out of seeing returning characters in this newly apocalyptic plot, but the game has enough brief interludes to keep newbies as familiar as they need to be for any new developments. However…

BEST TO KNOW THE COMBAT BASICS

Oddly, as much work as Lighting Returns does to catch up new players in its story, it more-or-less throws you in the deep end of combat. You get a few brief tutorial screens, but the battles start on the difficult end and stay at that level throughout. Veterans who have seen the combat evolve through three iterations will take to it like a fish to water, but new players might have a harder time adapting to the fast-paced approach. Equipment descriptions even occasionally refer to combat roles like "Ravager" or "Commando" from prior games, even though Lightning Returns doesn't use those terms.

SET YOUR DEFAULT SCHEMATA ACCORDINGLY

It's tempting to let the coolest-looking outfit be your default Schemata, especially since it will be the one used in cutscenes. But that default setting plays an important role in combat, since it defines your starting skills. A buff- or debuff-focused Schemata can be a great help to start out a battle, while one focused more on healing would be utterly useless. Especially in the case of tough bosses, let function win over fashion.

YOU CAN ESCAPE... FOR A PRICE

If you find yourself in a particularly tough battle, you can use a special skill to Escape. However, each time you use it, you'll burn an hour of time in the game clock, so excessive running away will cost you precious time to complete missions. The time penalty is removed in Easy Mode, but I found some benefit to having it around. Sometimes if I needed to pass an hour or two quickly to access time-sensitive quests, I could get into some battles and Escape rather than waiting around.

YOU MIGHT NOT FINISH, AND THAT'S OKAY

If my playthrough was any indication, this isn't a game that's very easy to finish in a single run. I spent so much time exploring and familiarizing myself with the world that my game clock ran out with only one of the five Main quests completed, and the others in various stages of completion or roped behind bosses I couldn't beat. Square Enix seems aware of this, and lets you start a New Game Plus even if your first playthrough was a failure. You'll keep your stat boosts and most equipment, making the second run much easier. That structure does mean you'll repeat some content, though, so if you want to finish in one run you might want to access a strategy guide or FAQ to keep you properly on-track.

CHANGE YOUR SCHEMATA OFTEN

Though the Stagger element is less emphasized here than in previous games, you'll need to know how to weaken enemies and render them staggered to deal serious damage--especially against tougher enemies and bosses. That will mean finding their weak spots, either by purchasing field guides or simply trying different spells and attacks until the weak points are added to your database. Once you know their weaknesses, engineer your Schemata to exploit them. If an enemy is very weak to a particular type of magic, just have that spell assigned to all three of your Schemata so you can swap between them and continue to using it while the other two recharge. Even the strongest enemies in the game are pussycats once you've staggered them, so stay focused on that aspect.

DON'T EXPECT TO "LEVEL UP"

Traditional Final Fantasy fans might find themselves surprised, but Lightning Returns has no experience bar or points, no victory fanfare when you level up, no equipment gated behind high levels. It throws all that away in favor of mission-based stat boosts. Completing a side-quest, for example, might gain you 10 extra HP or +5 to strength. Those boosts are permanent, even if you start a New Game Plus after failing to save the world. They also stack atop each other, so completing as many missions as possible will make you very powerful--albeit through a series of incremental steps.

TAKE SOME TIME TO READ THE SIDE QUEST PROMPTS

In a game overflowing with side quests and loot-gathering "Canvas of Prayers" missions, it's easy to succumb to the temptation to speed through the quest dialogue and just look for your mission goals. That would be a shame, though, as Square has hidden fun little nuggets inside the quests. From references to past Final Fantasy games to a wink at the short story, _The Gift of the Magi_, there's a lot of enjoyment to be found in the strange little tales Square cooked up.

BUT REMEMBER, MAIN QUESTS YIELD THE BEST REWARDS

If you're pressed for time and need to choose between progressing in the main quest and completing side missions, always prioritize the main quests. Not only do they gain you more days--which means more time to complete side quests before the final confrontation--but they also carry much bigger stat boosts than the side quests. Some of them even give you extra slots for recovery items or special abilities. It's best to plan out your "days" by prioritizing one story mission, and peppering in side quests here and there as you find them.

question: What does the text say about Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII?

answer: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XII is a third and final game in a trilogy. For newcomers, the narrator suggests that it's best to know the combat basics. The default setting is like using the coolest looking outfit in combat and it can leave you in a tough state to fight assailants. Warping (an ability that lets you escape total battles) plays an important role in making sure players can finish their quests within a certain number of days. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is out to day and is not an easy game to finish in a single attempt. Players can complete the game by having a strategy guide handy, talking to NPCs from time to time and finding the skills that work for them.

critique: This response does not mention the game's characteristics, the main point of the text.

critique: The answer is not relevant to the question.

critique: The answer is too long and contains irrelevant information.

critique: The default setting is not the coolest looking outfit. This is inaccurate.

critique: It misses to mention that having the coolest-looking outfit as the default Schemata will give you a disadvantage when it comes to gameplay.

critique: The answer contains extraneous information not related to the question.

critique: The answer is a jumbled mess. It is best to rewrite it.

critique: The narrator is not a character but an overview.

critique: The narrator is not a character in the game, but the text's author.

critique: The game is the third and final game in the series.

critique: The response has a partial answer as opposed to a fully accurate response to the question.

text: There is no "warping" mechanic or ability is mentioned in the article.

category: accuracy

refinement: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XII is a third and final game in a trilogy. For newcomers, the narrator suggests that it's best to know the combat basics. The default setting is like using the coolest looking outfit in combat and it can leave you in a tough state to fight assailants. Warping (an ability that lets you escape total battles) plays an important role in making sure players can finish their quests within a certain number of days. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is out to day and is not an easy game to finish in a single attempt. Players can complete the game by having a strategy guide handy, talking to NPCs from time to time and finding the skills that work for them.

question: What does the text say about the Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII's story?

answer:
Final Fantasy XIII:
One of the biggest criticisms players had about the story in the Final Fantasy XIII series was that the story was nonsensical and had no bearing on other plots. The story of the 3rd game does not even break away from this trend, despite the game overall not being too hard for newcomers.

critique: The response is missing a key point. The article clearly states that the plot story is not needed, despite being nonsensical.

critique: It's omitted that the story is relatively straightforward compared to the last few games.

critique: There is no evidence regarding the 3rd game's story.

critique: "One of the biggest criticisms players had about the story in the Final Fantasy XIII series was that the story was nonsensical and had no bearing on other plots. The story of the 3rd game does not even break away from this trend, despite the game overall not being too hard for newcomers." - this is not accurate and should be omitted.

critique: The response is vague in its meaning and does not adequately convey the details of the story.

critique: The story being hard or not is irrelevant to the question.

critique: The answer is not relevant to the question.

critique: The answer is not related to the question.

critique: The answer does not mention that the story of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is relatively straight-forward compared to the last few games.

critique: There is no evidence that the game is not too hard for newcomers.

critique: There is no evidence that the game isn't too hard for newcomers

critique: There's no mention of the story being nonsensical in the article.

text: The article notes that Lightning Returns' story often uses religious technobabble to fill plot gaps, and character motivations are confusing.

category: coverage

refinement:
Final Fantasy XIII:
One of the biggest criticisms players had about the story in the Final Fantasy XIII series was that the story was nonsensical and had no bearing on other plots. The story of the 3rd game does not even break away from this trend, despite the game overall not being too hard for newcomers.

question: What does the text say about Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII's gameplay?

answer: The author says that the game is not an easy one, and advice is given to newcomers on how to approach the game. Strategy is needed for the plentiful number of side quests. The author also says that this game does not have experience points, and the only way to get stronger is by completing quests. The author says that the best quests to game are the main quests.

critique: The game does not lack experience points, but it does not have experience points.

critique: The answer should mention that the game has no experience bar.

critique: The authors statements are similar but not exactly accurate to this set of statements.

critique: The answer should mention that the game has no experience points.

critique: The answer should mention the game's combat system.

critique: The answer is misleading in that it does not mention the Schemata system.

critique: It is omitted that Lightning Returns has no experience bar or points, no victory fanfare when you level up, no equipment gated behind high levels.

critique: The text says that the game is not easy, but it doesn't say that the game is easy.

critique: In one paragraph, the text states that the game's action work is not easy and time is lost when doing things; then in a different sentence, the text says "sometimes if I needed to pass an hour or two quickly to access time-sensitive quests, I could get into some battles and Escape rather than waiting around."

critique: The sentences don't flow together and are hard to understand

critique: The final three sentences are unnecessary

critique: The answer should mention the Schemata system.

critique: The author doesn't say the game is not easy, so this part of the response should be omitted.

question: Why does the text say that it would be okay not to finish the game?

answer: The game is not easy to finish in a single run, and giving up before completing the ludic (which is related in the text with finishing) arc is ok.

critique: Doesn't say anything about the ludic arc.

critique: The answer says that the game is not easy to finish in a single run, and giving up before completing the ludic (which is related in the text with finishing) arc is ok. This is not what the text says.

critique: The game is not easy to finish in a single run, and giving up before completing the ludic (which is related in the text with finishing) arc is ok. - this is not a valid answer.

critique: The answer is not related to the question.

critique: The question is asking why it is okay not to finish the game.

critique: The term 'ludic' is not used in the text.

critique: There's no difference between a single run and the ludic arc.

critique: There's no mention of a ludic arc in the text.


text:
[“Wonder Why My Parents Didn't Give Me Salk Shots?”, the cartoon for which Little received the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning] THOMAS “TOM” LITTLE (September 27, 1898 – June 20, 1972)[1] was an American editorial cartoonist. Working for _The Nashville Tennessean_, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1957.

Biography

Little was born in Snatch (now called Peytonsville) in an extremely rural part of Williamson County, Tennessee.[2][3] His father died when he was two, and his family lived with his grandfather, who taught Little to draw before he could even write. His first job was picking potatoes for 50 cents a day, but the next year he entered the news business at age nine by folding issues of the _Williamson County News_.[4]

Little studied at the Watkins Institute (1912–15) and the Montgomery Bell Academy (1917–18).[5] He joined the _Tennessean_ in 1916 and became a police reporter there in 1919.[6] His tenure at the paper was interrupted by service in the US Army (at 5'2", he was rejected by the US Marines for being underweight) and a year (1923–24) as a reporter and cartoonist at the syndicate of the _New York Herald Tribune_.[7]

Prompted by his mother's illness, he returned to the _Tennessean_.[8] He became city editor in 1931, but following a dispute with the publisher he left that post in 1937.[9][10] He began drawing editorial cartoons for the _Tennessean_ in 1934 and drew exclusively after abandoning editing and reporting in 1937. He had been tutored by fellow Pulitzer winner Carey Orr before Orr left for the _Chicago Tribune_ in 1917, but a stronger influence was the work of another winner, Dan Fitzpatrick of the _St. Louis Post-Dispatch_. His drawing style resembled Fitzpatrick's and the work of both men was noted for biting content.[11] For his part, Fitzpatrick disliked the resemblance and considered Little an “imitator”.[12] Little became one of the most influential and republished cartoonists in the US.[13] His Pulitzer-winner cartoon featured a young boy with crutches and leg braces watching other boys play football, and is captioned “Wonder why my parents didn't give me Salk shots?”[14][15]

In addition to the Pulitzer, Little won a National Headliner Award in 1948, a Christopher Award in 1953, and a Freedoms Foundation Medal in 1955 and 1956.[16][17]

Beginning in 1934, Little collaborated with Tom Sims (writer of _Popeye_) on a single panel comic strip for King Features called _Sunflower Street_, depicting the lives of rural African-Americans. Though well-intentioned, the strip was cancelled in 1949 for fear that the strip would be viewed as condescending and draw racially based complaints.[18]

Little married Helen Dahnke of Union City, TN (1900-1938) in 1927;[19] she was an editor for _The Nashville Tennessean_.

Little retired in 1970.[20]

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[19] “Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VNXV-MBP : accessed 01 Sep 2014), Tom Little and Helen Dahnke, 19 Oct 1927; citing “Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002,” Ancestry.com; p. 26, Obion, Tennessee, United States, State Library and Archives, Nashville.

[20]

title: Tom Little (cartoonist)

question: Summarize the beginning of Little's life.

answer: Tom was born in Snatch and was placed under the care of his grandfather, who taught him to draw. As a child, he worked for 50 cents a day harvesting potatoes. At the age of nine, he began to work as a newsboy. He joined the Nashvile Tennessean in 1916 and became a police reporter in 1919.

critique: "As a child, he worked for 50 cents a day harvesting potatoes. At the age of nine, he began to work as a newsboy. He joined the Nashvile Tennessean in 1916 and became a police reporter in 1919." - he wasn't a newsboy until later in the article. Completely delete this and relocate the line about when he joined The Tennessean.

critique: It is omitted that Little began drawing editorial cartoons for the Tennessean in 1934.

question: What point in this story showed some tension for Little?

answer: When he was a police reporter, he was suspended for writing an article that was critical of the police department.

critique: This is not a part of the story that shows tension for Little.

text: It is omitted that his rejection of the US Marines and his mother's illness can be titled as tension for Little.

question: Summarize Little's job experiences.

answer: He began working at the Williamson County News at age nine, folding issues. He became a police reporter at the Tennessean in 1919. He joined the US Army in 1923 and worked at the New York Herald Tribune in 1924. He returned to the Tennessean in 1931 and was promoted to city editor in 1937. He began drawing cartoons for the Tennessean in 1934 and drew exclusively after abandoning editing and reporting in 1937. He retired in 1970.

critique: The answer should mention that Little won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1957.

critique: The answer should mention his work on Sunflower Street.

critique: The answer should mention that he worked as a police reporter.

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

critique: It is omitted that Little won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1957.

critique: His first job was not folding the issues but picking potatoes.

critique: The answer should mention that he won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1957.

question: What role could Little play during his retirement?

answer: He could be a mentor to younger cartoonists.

critique: There is no evidence to suggest that Little was a mentor to younger cartoonists.


text:
"Whats with all this talk of training?" Boone asked Rex.
"You need to learn how to use your powers correctly, we don't want you out in the world causing a ruckus," Rex said back.

Boone looked confused but didn't know what to do. He was handcuffed and tied to a chair. He thought it was best to just stay quiet and observe. He looked straight towards the group of five and didn't quite understand, Rex was all in black, in a robe like style of clothing, while the other five, were all dressed normally.

"So, are you guys just, like, normal people?" Boone asked.

"I guess you could say that," one man laughed.

Boone was really starting to freak out. He thought maybe this was a big joke, set up by Chris or something.
One person came out into the front. It was the girl that talked before. Boone couldn't believe his eyes. She was one of the most beautiful women he's laid eyes on. Red hair, nice eyes, and a style of clothing that you wouldn't expect from a girl like her, a torn up red hoodie and a black skirt.

"Okay, is it Boone? My name is Katie. I cast mental pain. I can send off high frequencies that can make ones head explode, but I can only send it to one persons brain. Look, here is a dummy, with a gelatin brain," Katie explained.

Boone looked straight at her, then to the dummy. In a matter of seconds, the dummy's head blew off. Boone tried to duck into cover but the chair just fell over.

"Fucking shit that hurt," Boone yelled out.

Katie looked at him and laughed, but Boone thought it was the cutest laugh he's ever heard.

"Enough showing off, Katie," a guy said.

A man that appeared to be around 20, came up and pulled her aside. He looked like he was a math teacher almost. He had a beard, a dark one, but wasn't fully grown, kinda like a 5 O'clock shadow. He was wearing a black polo, and beige khakis.

"Hey, Boone. I'm Daniel, and you may think this is crazy, but I can trick my mind into freezing time, and thinking about possible solutions in a sticky situation. Say, for example, there are three guys, who just stole from a gas station. I would approach them, and they took out guns, and they formed a circle around me. I would then tell my brain to shut down almost, and think about how I would do this. I do not know if the real world slows down, and can't test it out, because if it did slow down, then no one would know it did. Anyways, back to the example. I would try to figure out what I would do, and I have time to think, because the world is basically frozen in time. But after I think and I find a solution, I would do it. It usually works ninety percent of the time," Daniel said.

"I remember all the other ten percent of the times," a kid said.

He came up to where every else stood. He looked like a sixteen year old. He was skinny, but dress nicely. He looked a bit awkward, but I guess it was his first time speaking about his powers to a random kid.

"Hi, I'm Alex. I have X-Ray eyes. I guess its self explanatory, so I'm done. Next?" Alex said.

"I guess its my turn, just gimme a minute," a man with a deep voice said.

A big guy walked up to the same spot, but he sat down on another chair. He wasn't big like fat, but big with muscles.

"Lemme guess, you can turn into the Hulk?" Boone said sarcastically.

"I guess its kinda like that. So you've seen The Incredible Hulk, and I'm guessing you've seen Wolverine. Imagine merging both of those together, but there is no shift shaping nonsense going on. As fast as a wolf, as strong as a beast. Oh, my name is Ron," Ron said.

Boone didn't know what to expect of him, but didn't really listen. He was dazing off, staring at Katie.

"Alright, we'll start tomorrow. Get your rest, or don't. I know Boone had alot of rest on the way over here," Rex laughed.

Boone thought he saw another person at the beginning, but shook it off.

title: [FN] The Seven Powers [Part 2]

question: Summarize what kinds of powers the characters have.

answer: The fifth person on the revealed list was Katie, who has powers to cast mental pain. Alex, the sixth person in line, has X-Ray eyes. Daniel has powerful mental game and he says he can think about possible solutions to sticky situations. Ron can merge Hulk's traits with a wolf's.

critique: The answer should mention the seventh person.

critique: The answer should mention Katie's demonstration.

critique: There are two more people than the question asks for.

critique: The order of the list is wrong. Katie should be the third power, not the fifth.

text: References to the fifth and sixth persons in line are irrelevant as there was nothing mentioned in the story.

refinement: The fifth person on the revealed list was Katie, who has powers to cast mental pain. Alex, the sixth person in line, has X-Ray eyes. Daniel has powerful mental game and he says he can think about possible solutions to sticky situations. Ron can merge Hulk's traits with a wolf's.

question: Summarize the peculiarity Boone feels.

answer: Boone thinks everyone is either playing a joke with him regarding his powers or they are going to gang up on him, kill him, and make it look like an accident. For example, his power causes physical pain and people laugh about accidentally hurting him.

critique: Boone doesn't think they are playing a joke with him. He's confused.

critique: There is no evidence that the people gathered are going to kill Boone.

critique: This is not what Boone feels. He feels confused and out of place.

critique: The response is not related to Boone's feeling.

question: Summarize why Katie's power should not have worked that way.

answer: No answer

question: Explain why Boone is here, strapped to a chair, surrounded by people with special abilities.

answer: To teach him how to learn how to use his special abilities.

critique: The answer is not specific about what Boone's abilities are.

critique: "To teach him how to learn how to use his special abilities." - this is redundant.

critique: The answer is not clear about why Boone is learning how to use his special abilities.

critique: The question asks why Boone was BELTED to the chair, not "teaching him how to learn how to use his special abilities".

critique: This answer is a bit vague and should include more details about what Rex says to Boone.

text: "how to learn" - this is redundant and should be deleted.

category: coherence

refinement: To teach him how to learn how to use his special abilities.


text:
TL;DR monkey poo makes great pudding.

In the mid 1950s the New York philharmonic was one of the best Symphony Orchestras in the world. And conducting was Major Jorge Fillmore. George Fillmore was a WWII vet who loved music, and found that conducting helped him keep his PTSD at a minimum (although PTSD had yet to be understood by the medical community, let alone given a name). The flow of the notes soothed his soul and the power of conducting such a large group to produce something so beautiful reminded him of his time commanding his troops through the dangers of war.

On a cold December night, the New York Philharmonic was warming up for their Christmas performance. The upper class from all around poured into Carnegie Hall and greeted one another. Conductor Fillmore got ready in the back room and the orchestra was out on stage, behind the curtain, getting ready to play, and practicing their most difficult runs.

Then when the time came and everyone was seated, the first chair violinist came on stage to much applause. He tuned the orchestra and then out came Major George Fillmore, his coat tails flowing behind him like curtains in the brease, as he walked briskly to the podium. He turned and bowed deeply to the audience and then addressed the orchestra and motioned to start the first piece. The audience well acquainted with these pieces sat quietly, enjoying the soft notes of Mozart as they floated through the hall.

But as quickly as everyone had relaxed to the music, they were pulled from their stuppor by a loud gunshot. Then screaming. The orchestra all scrambled for the exits, trying to keep their instruments safe. As the smoke settled and everyone calmed down, they found a dead French horn player, and the smoking gun in the hand of none other than Major George Fillmore. The French horn player had flubbed a note in his solo and Major Fillmore had snapped and shot him.

Major Fillmore claimed that he thought the player was wearing something that resembled a swastika and had triggered a flash back and caused him to shoot the player. But the orchestra knew that he had been yelling at that particular horn player for several weeks when he had been unable to play the solo properly. In the following weeks, a large and publicized trial was held. Fillmore was stripped of his rank and sentenced to death by electric chair.

Following the trial, George was held in prison for several years as he tried to appeal and at least lessen his sentence but unfortunately after lots of trying, the day came that he was to be killed. As a kindness to those about to die, the prison allowed the prisoners to request anything to eat, within reason. As it was this time for George, they asked him what he would like for his last meal.

"well," said George, "I like bananas... So I guess I guess I would love a bunch of bananas."
So they brought him a bunch of bananas. And within an hour he had eaten every single banana in the bunch, and with that, he was lead to the chair. They strapped him in and connected all the leads, and after saying his final farewells, they threw the switch. The first pulse of electricity was used to kill the brain and make the victim unconscious. Then a second pulse is used to cause the internal organs to fail. However, George was barely phased by the first pulse, and then started to convulse slowly during the second phase. Then everything fell quiet.

"Was that it?" asked George.

"Umm.. That's a first." said one of the scientists that had helped develop the chair.

They decided to put George back in prison while they made a few modifications to the chair. They decided to pull more power from the grid and just pump more juice to the chair. Hopefully this would at least kill him, but it could be more painful. Once the modifications had been made, they brought George back.

The prison warden had some pity for him, so he allowed him to have a second last meal. When asked what he wanted to eat, George said that he loved the bananas he had had before, this time he would like two bunches of bananas.

Sure enough within the hour, George had eaten both bunches of bananas, and was lead right back to that chair. They strapped him in again and threw the switch. When the first pulse hit him he clearly went unconscious, and all the lights in the surrounding city block dimmed noticably. And then during the second pulse, the current and voltage was so strong that lightning covered most of his torso, arcing from the helmet to the back plate to his arm rests.

When the pulse was over, they pulled him from the chair and laid him on a gurney and they rolled him down the hallway toward the morgue. As they reached the morgue, suddenly George sat upright. He looked around and let loose a howling scream that was unlike any sound the doctors had ever heard. He then fell back to the gurney but kept breathing.

Several hours later, he woke up again and was perfectly fine. The scientists, puzzled, decided that they really needed to finish him off once and for all. They had the electricity from all the surrounding towns, re routed to the chair. There was more power going to this chair than the Las Vegas Strip. Sure that this time they would kill him, they brought him back from the hospital, and gave him what they were sure would actually be his last meal.

Again, curiously, he ordered bananas. But he ordered 3 bunches this time. And as with the last two times, he ate every single banana within an hour. They brought him in and strapped him in, and flipped the switch. This time lightning erupted from George and the chair, arcing across the room like a massive tesla coil. The man who flipped the switch, not realizing the danger, had been struck dead by the massive arcs and everyone else stood cowering in the viewing room waiting for it all to be over.

Once it was over, they carefully pulled him from the chair, his hair singed off and second and third degree burns all over his body. They carried him down to the morgue where they double checked that he was dead. But alas. His heart was still beating. The scientists, determined to find out how he had survived, asked that he be nursed back to health so that they could ask him how he had survived.

After several months, George Fillmore came out of his coma, and the scientists all gathered around and asked him,

"How did you survive the chair three times?!"

"well," said George, "I guess I'm just a bad conductor."

title: The deadly Symphony (x - post from /r/feghoot)

question: Explain the punchline

answer: The punchline is that George Fillmore is a bad conductor, and that's why he survived the electric chair.

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

critique: The punchline is a joke about the conductor of an orchestra.

critique: "The punchline is that George Fillmore is a bad conductor, and that's why he survived the electric chair." - is incorrect. He is a bad conductor because he is a conductor.

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

critique: The answer should mention that the conductor is a metaphor for electricity.

critique: The answer should mention that Fillmore is a conductor of electricity.

question: Why did the authorities have to keep increasing the power of the electric chair?

answer: Because George Fillmore was a bad conductor and was able to withstand the first two pulses of electricity.

critique: The answer is inaccurate. George was not a bad conductor, he was a bad conductor.

critique: The second sentence includes unnecessary information.

critique: The answer should be more specific regarding the reason they had to keep increasing the power.

question: Why did the condemned man keep ordering more and more bananas for his last meal?

answer: This part of the story does not give any explanation as to why he kept ordering more and more bananas.

critique: The answer is wrong. The story does give an explanation.

critique: The answer should be clear that it is not stated.

text: The answer misses the point that the bananas are there to distract the reader. This is a tactic often used in such jokes


text:
CORNELIUS INGRAM (born June 10, 1985) is a former American football tight end. He played college football and college basketball for the University of Florida. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft and spent three seasons with the team, appearing in no regular season games and spending much of his tenure on the team's practice squad. He spent time on the Detroit Lions' practice squad in 2011 after he was waived by the Eagles during final roster cuts before the start of the season.

College career

Ingram accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Ron Zook and coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football teams from 2004 to 2007. He practiced at quarterback on the scout team for the Gators but did not see any game action. He was the scout team “Player of the Week” vs. Arkansas. He joined coach Billy Donovan's Florida Gators basketball team October 15 for practice and played in 19 games as a true freshman on that squad as a shooting guard.

As a football redshirt freshman in 2005, Ingram played in two games in the season that saw him move from quarterback to tight end. He saw action at quarterback in the victory over Louisiana Tech, directing one offensive drive in the fourth quarter. He appeared in several offensive plays at wide receiver throughout the 2006 Outback Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Gators won 31-24. As a sophomore in 2006, he played a role in the Florida Gators' 2006 BCS National Championship. He finished the year with 30 receptions for 380 yards.

Following his 2007 junior season, Ingram was recognized as a second-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press and conference coaches. He was also a candidate for the John Mackey Award presented to the nation's best tight end. On August 6, 2008, Ingram seriously injured knee ligaments during fall practice. As a result, he missed his entire senior season.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Ingram was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round (153rd overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft on April 26, 2009, and eventually signed a four-year, $1.9 million contract.

Ingram tore his anterior cruciate ligament during Philadelphia's training camp in 2009. This was the same injury that kept Ingram from playing his senior season at Florida. He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2009. He was waived on September 4, 2010 during final cuts, but was re-signed to the Eagles' practice squad on November 11.[1] He was released from the practice squad on December 16.[2] He was re-signed to the practice squad on December 22. His practice squad contract expired after the conclusion of the season. He was re-signed to a future contract on January 11, 2011. He was waived during final cuts on September 2.

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions signed Ingram to their practice squad on September 7, 2011. He was placed on the practice squad/injured list on September 13 and was released with an injury settlement on September 28.[3]

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos signed Ingram to their practice squad on December 27, 2011. On January 16, 2012, Ingram was signed to a reserve/future contract. On August 31, 2012, Ingram was waived and did not make the final 53-man roster. On September 1, 2012, Ingram cleared waivers and was placed on the practice squad. On September 27, 2012, he was released by the Broncos.

Post-playing career

In December 2014, Ingram became the head football coach at his alma mater, Hawthorne High School.[4] He had previously served as volunteer coach there.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4] http://www.gainesville.com/article/20141216/ARTICLES/141219709

title: Cornelius Ingram

question: What does the text say about Ingram's professional football career?

answer: Ingram was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round (153rd overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft on April 26, 2009, and eventually signed a four-year, $1.9 million contract. He was waived on September 4, 2010 during final cuts. The Detroit Lions signed Ingram to their practice squad on September 7, 2011. He was waived by the Broncos on September 1, 2012.

critique: The answer should mention that Ingram was waived during final cuts on September 2, 2011.

question: What does the text say about Ingram's family?

answer: No answer

critique: The text doesn't say anything about Ingram's family.

critique: The text does not mention anything about Ingram's family.

critique: The text does not say anything about Ingram's family.

critique: The text does in fact answer this question. Change the response.


text:
Eugene was tired. It was four o'clock, Friday the 29th, and he had to post his rent by five. His scumbag landlord; a sweaty, short Italian named Leon was threatening to kick him out for the third time in as many months. Eugene was out collecting debts from customers. Eugene considered himself a modern businessman, pulling himself up by the bootstraps in the greatest place in the world, the city of New York. He loved New York, but the feeling wasn't mutual; He called himself an 'Entrepreneur', the City of New York preferred the term 'Drug Dealer'.

Eugene stood in the cramped, poky sitting room, trying not to move or breathe. Every available surface was covered in cats. Cat figurines on the small worn coffee table, cat pictures on the walls, magazines about cats, cat baskets, cat scratching posts, a cat clock on the wall, and of course an actual, real life cat. Though the moniker cat was loosely applied here: The thing was about as big as a dog, and as ugly as a sewer rat. It stared Eugene down with its one eye, almost daring him to move closer so it could pounce and sink its claws and teeth into him. He'd been on the wrong end of it before and still bore the evidence to prove it. He hated that bastard cat.

The cat leapt, and Eugene instinctively flinched, but it wasn't an attack, it instead landed in the lap of the old woman sitting on the frayed couch, settled in and began to purr, its eyes fixed again on Eugene and he tried to ignore it. A tiny withered hand appeared from within the purple shawls and layers and began to stroke it idly. The other hand held a slim cigarette, absent-mindedly shedding ash and embers like little snowflakes on the threadbare carpet. She exhaled like a death rattle, blowing blue smoke into the air where it hung like a thick fog and made Eugenes' nostrils burn and his eyes water.

"So, Ive got your order here, and well.." Eugene fumbled in his messenger bad and produced a little shoebox, pulling out the bag of weed, ".. its coming up to the end of the month and I think we should talk about your tab". He tossed the bag into the faded china bowl on the table (Cat shaped) and disappeared the box back into the messenger bag. The old woman pursed her lips and she sucked on the cigarette, a long draw burning it almost down to the filter, before discarding it in an ashtray on the arm and immediately lighting another.

"Ah, dah, dah, boy" she drawled in her rough slavic accent. "Is tough time for me and the little Pushkin" she scratched the cats ears and it let out a rumble of enjoyment.

"Many cold nights. Many bills for the heat and light, so the money is tight, yes?".

"Look, I get that, but I've got bills that need paying too, see?"

She pursed her lips and pulled on the cigarette again, avoiding Eugenes gaze, staring instead at the ancient television in the corner, its screen dulled by years of smoke and dust, as if simply refusing to acknowledge Eugene would make him disappear. He sighed, exasperated:
"Listen" he started, "I'm not leaving here without my money, ok? If you cant pay it all right away, thats fine, just give me something, anything, so I can get on my way and keep the wolves from my door." She scoffed, and mumbled something about Eugene not knowing what wolves at the door was really like, but he ignored it. The cat jumped down from the babushkas lap and skulked around the furniture, Eugene made a mental note to be worried, it looked like it was trying to flank him behind the couch. He side stepped around the coffee table to put some kind of barrier between him and it.

The elderly lady had lit another cigarette, and was studiously ignoring him. He bent down and picked up a small silver statuette of two cats playing with a ball of yarn from the end table. "How about this" he said, holding the figurine out for the woman to see, "Ill take one of these, and pawn it to cover your expenses, and we'll clear the rest of the debts, but from here on out, we deal in cash only. Upfront payment. Deal?"

The elderly woman leapt from the settee with speed and ferocity that startled Eugene, he stepped back, bumping into a musical box that plinked a few notes of an East-European folk tune. The elderly womans face was inches from his, eyes ablaze, and teeth bared. "You would take from me!? An old woman?! What could you take from that Stalin and his army did not?" Eugene backed away as she spat on the ground and hurled insults in her mother tounge. As he moved, he felt something soft brush against his leg and he remembered the cat as it launched its attack.

Tumbling backwards over the couch in a flurry of fur and arms, Eugene came up quick and bolted for the door. The elderly woman cut him off, blocking the door wielding a ancient and metal tipped walking cane. She let out a ferocious battle cry and swung the stick, he ducked, diving across the couch as the stick collided with a shelf, shattering the figurines and raining shards of glass and porciline down on him. He scrambled to his feet, right as the cat, who had positioned itself on the back of the couch, leaped into the air aimed at him.

In a panic, Eugene lashed out with his foot. He connected with the feline predator, punting it across the room, it sailed through the air, twisting in a panic as it tried to right itself, but its efforts were in vain. With a splintering crash, the cat burst through the small curtained window and disappeared into the void with an ear splitting howl. Eugene froze for a second. The apartment was deathly quiet, except for the low hum from the ancient television, and then he heard the faint

-thump-.

"Fuck."

The old woman erupted in a moan that escalated to a wail, and then full blown howling agony as she crossed the room, her gnarled hands framing her face, to look out the window. Eugene took this moment of distraction to make his exit. He tried to not look at the tangled lump of silk and fur that sat on the pavement outside the apartment building, from the corner of his eye it looked like the cat was snugly wrapped in a blanket, and sleeping in the afternoon sun. He hurriedly limped towards the subway station, his hands clutching the small silver figurine of the two cats playing with the ball of yarn. He promised himself he would get the old woman a new cat, and he made a mental note to clear her debt entirely. Behind him on the pavement, the silk curtain stirred slightly.

title: The Cat and the Dealer

question: What does the story say about why Eugene hated the elderly woman's cat?

answer: Eugene hated the elderly woman's cat because it was as big as a dog and as ugly as a sewer rat. The cat would pounce and sink its claws and teeth into him. He hated that bastard cat.

critique: The answer should mention that the cat attacked Eugene before.

critique: The answer should mention that the cat attacked Eugene.

critique: It misses to include that Eugene had been bitten before by the cat.

critique: The answer should point out that the cat attacked Eugene twice.

critique: The response is missing the part where Eugene has been on the wrong end of the cat before.

critique: The answer should mention the old woman's reaction to Eugene's request.

question: Summarise what ensued between Eugene, the elderly woman, and her cat when the woman refused to pay for the drugs.

answer: Eugene tried to reason with the woman, but she was adamant about not paying him. She was also adamant about not letting him leave her apartment. Eugene tried to reason with her again, but she was not having any of it. She then attacked him with her walking cane. Eugene retaliated by kicking the cat, which caused it to fly through the window. The woman was now howling in pain. Eugene took this opportunity to make his exit.

critique: The woman's walking cane did not cause Eugene to retaliate by kicking the cat.

critique: "She was also adamant about not letting him leave her apartment." - it was never established if the woman locked the door. Eugene was the one who tried to leave.

critique: Eugene merely kicked the cat, the elderly woman flung it through the window.

critique: The model's answer is a bit too long. The model should try to keep the response brief.

critique: The response inaccurately mentions that Eugene tried to reason with the woman.

critique: The woman was not adamant about not paying him. She flat out refused to pay.

critique: The woman was not adamant about not paying him. She was adamant about not paying him in cash.


text:
[Gracie Brown, gay news, Washington Blade]

GRACIE BROWN says she came out to her foster daughter within a few days. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Uno night isn’t just a game for Gracie Brown and her family. It’s an all out war filled with food and laughter that the family looks forward to enjoying. A neighbor who knocked to see what all the ruckus was about was even invited in to join the fun.

“It’s serious,” Brown says. “We keep score and it’s hardcore. If somebody loses, they have to eat. That’s our bond, all three of us.”

Brown’s family is a little different than most. It includes her 13-year old foster daughter and her partner of one year. Brown’s three adult sons also stop by for Uno nights occasionally. It’s the kind of family she had been waiting eagerly to have.

Brown, a crossing guard for the District of Columbia Public Schools, decided to become a licensed foster parent through Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) in 2013. She had plans to foster a younger child, but after CFSA needed immediate placements for a teenager last November, Brown decided to fulfill the role.

The child became her first. Brown, who lives in Southeast Washington, believes that fostering a teenager works best for her. She enjoys it and thinks it’s easier to handle than a younger child who requires more attention.

“For one, I don’t have to worry about a babysitter,” Brown says. “We can do a lot of things together. I’m now allowing her to catch the bus home. They can understand me and I can understand them.”

Things weren’t easy right from the start. Brown had to spend some time coaxing her foster daughter out of her shell. Brown admits that the child was very quiet at first and Brown had to do some detective work to figure out how to get the child to open up and connect with her.

Brown found the answer through connecting with her foster daughter’s television shows.

“She would say maybe two words, ‘Yes ma’am.’ Nothing else. The third day I said how am I going to get through to her? So I started talking about what she liked on TV,” Brown says. “So I said I like that too. I didn’t, but I didn’t know what else to say. Then maybe after seven days she started talking, she was just so excited. And we build and build.”

Brown’s efforts to reach out to her foster daughter didn’t end there. Although the child is a model student, an eighth grader on the 11th grade level, there was still the shyness factor that Brown hoped to overcome.

She found her answer when she discovered her foster daughter wanted to be an actress when she got older. Brown decided it would be the perfect idea for them to take acting classes together.

Brown enrolled them in a class at the Shakespeare Theatre. The adults and children have classes separately and at the end they do a play together. They even practice role playing at home.

A typical day for the two begins with getting her foster daughter up for school and occasionally having her make breakfast for herself. When she drops her foster daughter off for school, they hug and tell each other they love one another. While her foster daughter is at school she sometimes texts to let Brown know how her day is going. Then afterwards, Brown picks her up and they tell each other about their days and make dinner together.

Brown’s other challenge was disclosing she was a lesbian to her foster daughter. She had introduced her partner to her foster daughter but would only refer to her as a “my friend.” Brown refused to keep it a secret from her for long and decided after about three days to bring it up.

She put on a children’s DVD that discussed the issue and waited for her foster daughter’s reaction.

“I was like, ‘What do you think about parenting and lesbians and gays?’ She said, ‘Oh they talk about it at school all the time.’ She said, ‘You are?’ ‘I said, ‘Yes I am, do you have a problem with that? Does that make you uncomfortable?,’” Brown says.

Brown’s foster daughter’s reply made her feel much more at ease.

“She said, ‘No, you’re beautiful and you make me feel so at home.’ She said, ‘Is Miss so-and-so who you …?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and she said, ‘Oh that’s really neat.’ She’s pretty comfortable.”

Her foster daughter even made a poster for school about “people are who they are for a reason” after learning about Brown’s sexuality. Brown’s partner, who has raised five children including girls, also helps Brown with her foster daughter. Brown acknowledges she needs the help sometimes because her experience of raising boys is different than raising a girl.

The three of them spend time together going to the movies, most recently going to see “Selma,” going out to eat and even making jewelry. Besides their infamous Uno night, they also have pizza nights where they make their own pizzas and Brown teaches her foster daughter how to make it on her own.

CFSA looks out for homes like this that can provide a stable and loving environment for foster kids in need. In fact, according to CFSA, LGBT families make up about 12 percent of foster care placements in the District.

“We find great parents in every walk of life,” says Regina Lawson, supervisory social worker in CFSA’s Foster and Adoptive Parent Recruitment Unit. “The number of LGBT foster homes in D.C. is growing and we greatly value these relationships.”

Brown’s experience has been so positive that she has plans to foster more children in the future. She also wants others to know how important LGBT foster care placement families are for the community.

“You can’t judge a book by its cover. We have a lot of love to give and share and commitment. If we’re given a chance we can show through the caring of our child that we just want a kid in our life and we can give them the happiest home ever if given the chance to.”

question: Describe the relationship between Gracie Brown and her foster daughter.

answer: Brown and her foster daughter are very close. They do a lot of things together, including acting classes. Brown is very open with her about her sexuality.

critique: The answer should mention that Brown's foster daughter is a teenager.

critique: It's omitted that Brown's foster daughter is a model student.

question: Summarize how Brown told her foster daughter about being a lesbian.

answer: Brown decided to put on a children's DVD that discussed the issue and asked for her foster daughter's reaction. She said that her foster daughter's reaction made her feel much more at ease, and that the foster daughter even made a poster for school about "people are who they are for a reason" after learning about Brown's sexuality.

critique: It's omitted that Brown referred to her partner with the pronoun "she" for a few days before disclosing.

critique: The answer should mention that Brown's foster daughter was fine with it.

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

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

critique: The response misses to mention that the foster daughter's reaction was that she was comfortable with Brown being gay.

critique: The answer should clarify that the DVD was about being a lesbian.

question: Summarize the activities that Brown and her foster daughter do.

answer: Brown and her foster daughter are involved in various activities during the day, including eating breakfast together. They also go to a class to learn about acting. Brown also has pizza nights with her foster daughter.

critique: It's omitted that they also spend time together going to the movies, and going out to eat.

question: Would Brown's foster daughter be interested in fostering children in her future?

answer: It is not mentioned.

critique: It is not mentioned, but it is implied that she would be interested.

critique: The passage does not mention that the answer is not mentioned.


text:
HAN MEILIN (; born December 26, 1936 in Jinan, Shandong[1][2]) is a Chinese artist most recognized today for his creation of the Fuwa dolls for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[3][4] Han is also known to have lived through hard times during the Cultural Revolution.[5]

Biography

In 1955 he was admitted to the Central Academy of arts and design (), now part of Tsinghua University. In 1960 he graduated.[6]

Han is also known to have been tortured in the past. In a 2008 interview, Han admitted his tendon was cut during the Cultural Revolution. His thumbs became useless until later repaired by doctors.[7]

Career

In 1979, he was elected to the China Artists Association (). He has also published influential work such as _Baoguo Sanwen_ (, _Bāoguò Sǎnwén_). In 1980, he was in the United States, holding art exhibitions in 21 cities including Boston and New York City. He was given the key to the city of San Diego as an honorary citizen and the city of Manhattan declared October 1, 1980 as Han Meilin Day. In 1983 six of his work were printed on Christmas cards issued by the United Nations. He also gave lectures at Harvard University.[8][9]

In 1986, he was selected as a delegate to the Sixth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).[10]

In 1989, he held three art exhibitions at the Crown Art Center in Taipei. From 1991 to 1994 he had solo art shows in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, followed by Malaysia, Hong Kong and India. He spoke at Yale University in 1999.[11]

He has also fought the sale of illegal art activities in Beijing, saying most of the paintings sold in auction fairs are not real.[12]

Throughout his career, he has published painting albums as _Meilin's Paintings_, _Art Works of Han Meilin_, _Mountain Flowers in Full Bloom_, _Still on the Earth_, _100-chicken Paintings_, _Painting Collection of Han Meilin_ and _Selection of Arts and Crafts Works of Han Meilin_. He was once the art designer of paper-cutting cartoons such as _Fox Capturing Hunter_, _Fox Sending Grapes_ and _Hide-and-seek_. He also designed the pig postal stamps for China in 1983, panda stamps for 1985 and the phoenix logo for Air China.[13]

He also designed the Five-Dragon Clock Tower sculpture for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. He also finished the Group Tiger for the city of Dalian in Liaoning Province, No.1 Bull for Jinan and Cock Crows to Herald the Break of Day for Zibo in Shandong Province, Sacred Bull for Shekou, a bronze bull with luminous pearl and the King of Western Chu (Xiang Yu) made of stainless steel for Shenzhen in Guangdong Province.[14] More recently, he designed the 2008 Olympics mascots, the Fuwa, and the symbols that represent each Olympic sport. However, he has since disowned the Fuwa and did not include them in his museum.[15]

In 2015, on October 15 at the UNESCO Headquarters, he was named the UNESCO Artist For Peace. “In recognition of his long-term commitment to promoting art and artistic education in China, his support to providing quality education to young people, notably through projects led by the Han Meilin Art Foundation, and his dedication to the ideals and aims of the Organization.” He has also announced plans to donate a 7-meter-tall bronze statue entitled Guardian of Peace, to UNESCO on the occasion of the Organization’s 70th anniversary.[16]

He was also involved in the design of the colossal statue of Guan Yu in Jingzhou, Hubei.[17]

[1] Hanban.edu. “Hanban.edu.” _Profile of the artist._ Retrieved on 2008-04-27.

[2] Xinhuanet. “Xinhuanet.” _韓美林作品選(圖)._ Retrieved on 2008-04-27.

[3]

[4] Chinadaily. “Chinadaily.” _Han Meilin, designer of the Fuwa._ Retrieved on 2008-04-27.

[5] ATV news interview with Han Meilin. 04-27-2008.

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12] CCTV. “CCTV.” _Most Paintings Auctioned in Beijing Are Unreal._ Retrieved on 2008-04-27.

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16] https://en.unesco.org/news/han-meilin-designated-unesco-artist-peace

[17]

title: Han Meilin

question: What does the text say about Meilin in the 1980s?

answer: In 1980, Meilin was in the United States, holding art exhibitions in 21 cities including Boston and New York City. He was given the key to the city of San Diego as an honorary citizen and the city of Manhattan declared October 1, 1980 as Han Meilin Day. In 1983, six of his works were printed on Christmas cards issued by the United Nations. He also gave lectures at Harvard University. In 1986, he was selected as a delegate to the Sixth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In 1989, he held three art exhibitions at the Crown Art Center in Taipei. From 1991 to 1994, he had solo art shows in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, followed by Malaysia, Hong Kong, and India. He spoke at Yale University in 1999.

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

critique: Meilin's art exhibitions are irrelevant to the question.

text: Information regarding Meilin in the 1990's needs to be omitted, as it's irrelevant to the question.


text:
She knew the day would not go her way from the sounds stirring up out of the garage. A few dings, a couple of bangs, that was typical. Not like this. This sounded like something gone wrong. Kat pushed up off the couch, wandered her way to the door connecting the house to the garage, and leaned in the frame of it.

There was Vincis, standing in front of a car; its hood was up and he was staring into it’s guts as if it had verbally accosted him, as if it had offended him, personally.

Kat frowned just a bit. She didn’t know who the car belonged to, but she did know it was some high roller, someone who could possibly make Vincis’ day a little less pleasant, if he so felt like it. And why not, right? Why not heap more issues on a guy that was already so high strung, they could use him for the telegraph?

Quietly, she stepped into the garage - but not quietly enough. This was, after all, Vincis’ domain, and nothing happened in here without his knowledge. She got about halfway to him when he turned his head, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Impossibly bright and blue, eyes he got from his father, much to his dismay.

“H-Hey,” he said, a hint of a smile trying to make it across his features. It didn’t quite make it, but she noticed the attempt. It was enough in her book. “I’m s-sorry. Was I m-making t-too much noise?”

She smiled at him, shaking her head. “Nah, not too much.” Soon she was right beside him, and neatly checked him with her hip. “What are you working on?” And instantly, she could see the way Vincis’ features, which had just started to relax, tighten up again. He turned back forward, gesturing with his hand to the car before them, lips dipping into a frown.

“I c-can’t figure out wh-what’s wrong with it. I’ve tried everyth-thing.” Here, he reached up, running his hand through his hair - something Kat knew he only did, especially with greasy hands, when he was truly upset. Vincis tended to view cars as puzzles - and if he couldn’t fix one….well.

This was his talent. If he were incapable of fixing a car, he generally thought it to mean that he was incapable of performing and from there, things just went downhill. It was the little things that always bothered Vincis, not the big things. Launch an idea at him that might terrify another man, and he handled it like a champ. Give him a car he couldn’t fix?

He tended to take that poorly. Add in the fact that the car happened to belong to some big-wig, and Kat was pretty sure that all was not well upstairs.

The slim, delicate line of her hand reached out, long fingers coiling around his bicep. “How long do you have?” she asked, the dark line of her brow arching.

“Until the end of the w-week.”

And with that, she smiled. “You’ve got plenty of time, baby. You’re the best mechanic in town - you’ll figure it out.”

“But w-what if I’m not the b-best mechanic in town?” he suddenly snapped - and if his flinch was any sign, a little harder than he meant to. Kat wasn’t so much as phased, though.  She just smiled at him, that same lazy, easy smile, the one that had charmed his socks off from the start.

“Well, he doesn’t know that, now does he?” she asked. “And he can damn well wait, just like any other person can.” Vincis’ features crumpled a bit, looking from her to the car.

“I…I j-just don’t w-want to be a s-screwup. N-not in my w-work and…and n-not w-with you,” he muttered, gaze shifting downwards - only to be pulled around when she took his chin, turning his face to her.

“Hey…Vincis, I don’t love you because of the parts of you that I like.”

Briefly, the red-head looked completely, utterly baffled, totally not understanding just what the hell that was supposed to mean.

The ex-prostitute clarified it for him: “I love you for the parts about you I don’t like.”

title: [Short Story][Fiction] Flawed - 707 words

question: Summarize what made Kat thinks Vince might be upset about something?

answer: He was making too much noise.

critique: She noticed he was upset because he was working on a car and was unable to figure out what was wrong with it.

critique: "He was making too much noise." - Kat's concern was not the noise that Vincis was making. It was the banging and dings that she heard coming from the garage.

critique: It is omitted that the cause of the noises is the mechanic voicemate of Vincis.

text: Vince is a quiet man who is making a lot of noise in the garage.

question: How did Kat and Vincis meet?

answer: They met through work and as friends.

critique: This response is false. Kat and Vincis do not. The two were unattached to each other.

critique: It is not stated that they met through work and as friends.

question: What are Vincis most obvious insecurities?

answer: That he might not be the best mechanic in town.

critique: The answer should be a complete sentence.

critique: The answer should mention his fear of screwing up with Kat.

critique: "That he might not be the best mechanic in town." - he already knows he's not the best mechanic in town and that's why he's anxious. Replace with Vincis' other insecurities.

critique: He also mentions that he is not good enough for Kat.

critique: That he might not be the best mechanic in town. - that he might not be the best mechanic in town is one of Vincis' insecurities, but it's not the most obvious one.

critique: It is omitted that he is also insecure about his relationship with Kat.

critique: That he might not be the best mechanic in town is not his deepest issue (obviously).

question: Does Vincis really think he is the best mechanic in town?

answer: Yes.

critique: The answer should be a complete sentence.


text:
He sat silently in his bedroom with the shades pulled down and the lights switched off. It was afternoon, so this failed to create the effect of complete darkness. Rather, it caused a bluish dimness to permeate the room. How dramatic, he mused, but it soon passed from his mind, replaced by a shade of some other train of thought.

It was only a shade because he had never truly had a fully formed thought about it. ‘It’ was an emotionally destructive event that had happened only a day prior. The thoughts he had had about it weren’t full in that they lacked any amount of emotion; they were totally logical, totally reasonable.

He was no stranger to such a thing; this had happened to him a number of times before in similar situations, but an emotional shock had always come a few hours later. Not this time. The fact that it had been a full day and nothing of the sort had transpired was enough for him to know the shock would never come.

The event was that his girlfriend had broken up with him. Naturally, the few people he had informed had given him plenty of advice on the matter. “There are other fish in the sea”; “Don’t give up! You can get her back!”; “Don’t be too sad”.

‘There are other fish in the sea’ was entirely obvious. The boy knew he would eventually find someone else, forget about his old girlfriend, and be happy. He knew that there was no such thing as “the one”.

‘Don’t give up! You can get her back!’ was foolish: no he couldn’t. The only way she would want to be with him again would be if she made the decision of her own accord. People were stubborn. Unwavering. Illogical. Their minds could not be changed on these matters.

‘Don’t be too sad’ was the most curious. Its stupidity and uselessness aside, the boy seemed to be following it of his own accord with his aforementioned lack of emotional thoughts. He had felt no rush of sadness, of helplessness or of desperation. His sadness had been private, internal. Its effects on his behavior were nothing more than some tiredness, and perhaps a tendency not to laugh as hard at jokes. Anyone who was unaware what had happened would assume he was just low on sleep; not that an event of immense consequence had just occurred in his life. Quiet sadness.

The boy knew from experience (both personal and of others) that ‘getting over a breakup’ typically involves a feeling of superiority, of maturing, of scorning your former partner. This was foolish, he felt. It was natural, and he had nearly given into it, but he had stopped himself. Perhaps he was above her, but not by all that much. He tried his best not to think any lower of her than she objectively deserved.
The silhouette of a tree outside his window shone through the shades. He stared as it danced in the wind for half a minute, then blinked.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the words ‘stupid bitch’ entered his mind, but he shook them off. There it is again, he thought; that unrelenting desire to show himself that it didn’t matter. That she was inconsequential, and that the prior event had been a fortunate one. But it hadn’t been. And he knew that he could never truly ‘get over her’ unless he accepted that it had indeed been a bad occurrence.
And she truly was not a stupid bitch. She was a wonderful, intelligent girl, who had been nearly perfect for him. And yet, she possessed a select few qualities that made the two of them incompatible. It was a terrible shame.

At that moment, his mother opened his bedroom door, bringing in light from the hallway, “There you are, sweetie. I’ve been looking for you. What are you doing in here all by yourself?”

“Nothing, Mom. I was just going to go mow the lawn.”

She smiled, nodded and left the room. The boy followed a few moments later, and went to get the mower.

title: Quiet Sadness

question: Summarize the narrator's responses to his friends' advice.

answer: The narrator's friends give him advice on how to get over his breakup. The narrator knows that he will eventually find someone else and forget about his old girlfriend. He knows that there is no such thing as "the one". He knows that he can't get his girlfriend back. He knows that he shouldn't be too sad. The narrator knows that he shouldn't feel superior or mature. He knows that he shouldn't scorn his former partner.

critique: The narrator's response to the advice is not relevant to the question.

critique: The narrator doesn't know that he shouldn't feel superior.

critique: The narrator's response to the advice to not feel superior or mature is omitted.

critique: "He knows that he can't get his girlfriend back." - is inaccurate. He knows that he can't get her back on his own.

critique: The narrator doesn't know that he shouldn't feel superior or mature.

text: The answer should identify which parts are the narrator's friends' advice.

question: What does the text say about the reasons contributing to the breakup?

answer: No answer

critique: The response misses to provide an answer to the question.

critique: The text does not explicitly state the reasons for the breakup, but it does mention that the boy and his girlfriend were incompatible.

critique: The text says that the boy and his girlfriend were incompatible.

critique: The boy had mentioned that his girlfriend broke up with him. He feels he cannot get her back, even though she would be open to it. They were incompatible. However, the boy has no confidence about getting her and there's no way for him to get her back.

critique: The text does not explicitly state the reasons for the breakup.

question: What does the text say about the narrator's ex-girlfriend?

answer: The narrator's ex-girlfriend broke up with him, and the narrator feels that she's a wonderful, intelligent girl who was nearly perfect for him. Despite this, the two of them are incompatible. The narrator feels that it's a shame that they broke up.

critique: The narrator's emotions toward his ex-girlfriend are omitted.

critique: The narrator doesn't feel that it's a shame that they broke up.

critique: "The narrator's ex-girlfriend broke up with him" - this is incorrect. The narrator's ex-girlfriend broke up with him, not the other way around.

critique: It's omitted that the narrator thinks he's above her due to being separated.

critique: The narrator's ex-girlfriend is not named.

question: Summarize the primary source of tension in the story.

answer: The primary source of tension in the story is the narrator's girlfriend breaking up with him. He is sad about it, but he is also logical about it. He knows that he will eventually find someone else and be happy. He knows that there is no such thing as "the one". He knows that he can't get her back. He knows that he will eventually get over her. He knows that he can't get over her unless he accepts that it was a bad occurrence.

critique: "He knows that he will eventually get over her. He knows that he can't get over her unless he accepts that it was a bad occurrence." - redundant.

critique: This is redundant. It should be omitted.

text: The narrator doesn't feel the emotional weight of what happened. The answer implies otherwise.


text:
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Hint… Don’t Forget It! (It’s This Friday)

Employee Appreciation Day is one of those relatively new holidays we aren’t quite sure how to celebrate.  But just because traditions have yet to be established for March 3rd doesn’t mean we should ignore it like Ear Muffs Day (March 13th) or Tweed Day (April 2nd).  Liken it instead to one of those random Facebook holidays that give you an excuse to drink and snack before 5 pm (looking at you, World Whisky Day — May 21st).  However, tread carefully when deciding how to show your employees you care about them.  As easy as it is to impress them and brighten their Friday, you can just as easily make everyone upset, uncomfortable, or underwhelmed.

Here’s how to avoid making an otherwise joyous day into another ho-hum, itchy Tweed Day.

DON’T FORGET

Thanks to Facebook, it’s impossible to overlook any National Watermelon, Donald Duck or No Socks Day.  You best believe your employees know about any holiday that caters to them, with or without socks.

There’s no need to blow the roof off the office with a DJ and an open bar, but make sure to acknowledge the day and what your team means to you and how essential they are to the company.  Something as simple as a sincere, hand-written note can go a long way.

DON’T TRY TO GET TOO PERSONAL…BUT BE SINCERE

There’s an undeniable allure to showing your people how much you know about them with personalized tokens of appreciation.  But what happens when you clearly know some better than others, or even worse, have bad information? Just imagine giving a 6-pack to your old happy hour buddy just to find out he’s now a recovering alcoholic.  Awkward.

Opt for a team lunch, relevant office supplies, or extra time off.  All of those options will be welcomed and accepted as equally beneficial to everyone.  Whatever the token or gift be sure your words and actions are sincere.  Your words are what will matter most when backed with actions to suite.  Which brings us to the next not-to-do…

DON’T DISCOUNT EVERY OTHER DAY

Having a designated day to go above and beyond to recognize your employees is great, but it shouldn’t stop there.  It’s crucial to give your people regular recognition to make sure they realize their impact on the business and how much it means to you personally.  Because, let’s face it, if it weren’t for them you may not be where you are.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the top reason people leave their jobs is because they “do not feel appreciated.”  Also backing that point, 37% of polled employees in an O.C. Tanner study said the most important thing their company does to cause them to do great work is “recognize me,” compared to 7% who answered, “pay me more.”  If you forget to give sincere appreciation and recognition on every day except this Friday your team will know it’s just for show.

So with Employee Appreciation Day on the horizon, thoughtfully pause now to determine how you’ll recognize those who work hard for you every other day of the year. But don’t mess it up.

Luckily, once it’s over you can focus your attention on preparing for May 3rd — National Lumpy Rug Day – or on what to do every day that it’s not Employee Appreciation Day.

_Want to really go above and beyond this Employee Appreciation Day? Create a custom leadership experience for your team!  The gift of leadership development won’t be soon forgotten._

Related Posts

question: What does the passage say about how to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day?

answer: No answer

critique: It is omitted that you should go beyond Employee Appreciation Day and recognize your employees every other day.

critique: The answer should mention the main points of the passage.

critique: The answer should mention the author's advice.

critique: The passage does give some advice about how to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day.

critique: The article has some advice on how to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day.

critique: The article does give some advice on how to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day.

critique: The passage does give some advice on how to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day.

question: What does the passage say about new random holidays?

answer: The author says that Employee Appreciation Day is one of those random holidays that are relatively new and that we are not sure how to celebrate. The author says that we should not ignore it. The author says that Employee Appreciation Day is like Ear Muffs Day (March 13th) or Tweed Day (April 2nd).

critique: The answer should mention the random Facebook holidays.

critique: The author says that Employee Appreciation Day is like Ear Muffs Day or Tweed Day. The answer should reflect this.

critique: The answer should mention some of the random holidays.

critique: The author says that Ear Muffs Day and Tweed Day are not celebrated.

critique: The answer omits that the author says there are many such holidays on Facebook and that some are easy to overlook.

critique: The analogy is for new holidays in general, not just Employee Appreciation Day.

critique: The answer omits that the author says there are random holidays on Facebook that are easy to celebrate.

question: What does the passage say about the importance of appreciating the employees?

answer: The U.S. Department of Labor says the top reason people leave their jobs is because they do not feel appreciated. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the top reason people leave their jobs is because they “do not feel appreciated.” Also, 37% of polled employees in an O.C. Tanner study said the most important thing their company does to cause them to do great work is “recognize me,” compared to 7% who answered, “pay me more.”

critique: The first line of the answer is a repetition of the same sentence.

critique: O.C. Tanner study quote is repeated twice

question: What does the passage say about the origin of Employee Appreciation Day?

answer: No answer

critique: The article mentions the origin of Employee Appreciation Day.

critique: The passage does not say anything about the origin of Employee Appreciation Day.

critique: The passage does not mention the origin of Employee Appreciation Day.

critique: The correct answer can be found by reading the last sentence of the passage.

critique: The article does not mention the origin of Employee Appreciation Day.

critique: The passage does not have any information on the origin of Employee Appreciation Day.

critique: The article mentions the history of the day but doesn't go into detail.