Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Political Party Logos - Republican Elephant and Democrat Donkey

Political Party Logos - Republican Elephant and Democrat Donkey Republicans have long been associated with elephants, and Democrats have embraced the  donkey for centuries in American politics. Related Story:  Why Republicans Are Red and Democrats Are Blue But where did those icons come from? And why have the elephant and donkey symbols stood the test of time? About the Democratic Donkey The Democrats use of the donkey has its roots in the presidential campaign of 1828, often described as one of the dirtiest political campaigns in U.S. history. Related Story: Do Negative Ads Work? President John Quincy Adams was being challenged by  Democratic Andrew Jackson, who had a colorful history that his opponents sought to capitalize on.  As 19th Century history expert Robert McNamara has written: For those who detested Andrew Jackson, there was a goldmine of material, as Jackson was famed for his incendiary temper and had led a life filled with violence and controversy. He had taken part in several duels, killing a man in a notorious one in 1806. When commanding troops in 1815, he had ordered the execution of militia members accused of desertion. Even Jackson’s marriage became fodder for campaign attacks. Jacksons political opponents took to referring to him as a jackass, a  derogatory term the candidate eventually embraced. Explains Smithsonian: Emboldened by his detractors, Jackson embraced the image as the symbol of his campaign, rebranding the donkey as steadfast, determined, and willful, instead of wrong-headed, slow, and obstinate. Related Story:  Print a Coloring Page Showing  the Donkey and Elephant The image of Jackson as a donkey stuck. In January of 1870,  Harpers Weekly political cartoonist and loyal  Republican  Thomas Nast began using the donkey to represent Democrats on a regular basis and the imagery stuck. The cartoon was titled  A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion. About the Republican Elephant Nast is responsible for the Republican elephant, as well. He first use an elephant to represent Republicans in a  Harpers Weekly cartoon in November of 1874. He would go on to use it many more times, though it remains uncertain why, specifically, Nast chose an elephant to represent the Republican Party. Wrote The New York Times: By the 1880 presidential election, cartoonists for other publications had incorporated the elephant symbol into their own work, and by March 1884 Nast could refer to the image he had created for the Republican Party as â€Å"The Sacred Elephant.†

Friday, November 22, 2019

How to become an OTR driver

How to become an OTR driver When you think of the phrase â€Å"truck driver,† you’re probably envisioning an over-the-road (OTR) truck driver: someone who drives a big rig long distances to deliver a load of freight. As opposed to delivery drivers, who typically have set local routes, OTR truckers can transport goods across the county, state, or even country. There’s something very appealing and old-school about the idea of hitting the open road- is it the right option for you? What does an OTR trucker do?OTR trucking (also known as long-haul trucking) is a type of driving that involves using large tractor-trailer trucks to haul freight of all kinds (including heavy loads of goods, machinery, or other equipment) long distances. Routes are typically across state lines, and may include parts of the United States and Canada- basically anywhere accessible by main roads and highways.This is definitely not your typical 9-to-5 job. These drivers work on demanding schedules and can be away from hom e for weeks at a time. These schedules may require driving nights, weekends, or holidays to meet unforgiving deadlines. It can also be a very solitary job, with drivers often traveling alone on long trips.What skills does an OTR trucker have?OTR truckers are masters of logistics and need to have a number of skills ready to go, on the road or not.Driving Skills:  This may seem like a no-brainer, but OTR drivers require some next-level driving skills. Drivers should drive with an eye on safety and their freight at all times. And in addition to a commercial driver’s license (CDL), a clean driving record is essential for scoring a job in OTR trucking.Mechanical Skills:  Out on the road, you may need to be your own mechanic, if something happens out of AAA range or a place where the nearest mechanic is miles away. OTR drivers should have a solid base set of mechanical skills to be able to troubleshoot minor mechanical difficulties along the way.Time Management Skills:  Nothi ng drives (pun mostly intended) a trucker’s world more than the delivery schedule. Truckers need to be able to manage their time independently and efficiently to make sure they’re delivering their freight on schedule.Self-Starter Skills:  Out on the road, you won’t have a boss looking over your shoulder to make sure you’re doing everything that needs doing or staying on task and on time. Truckers should be able to independently determine what needs to be done and develop a game plan for delivering the load on schedule and without major issues.What do you need to become an OTR trucker?The most essential step in becoming an OTR driver is getting your CDL certification. The licensing process may vary by state, but will involve a combination of a written test and a practical driving test. As with any driving test, you can go it alone and try to cram on your own, but there are many commercial driving schools that offer programs that train you, walk you throu gh testing, and prepare you for what life will be like as an OTR driver. The CDL focuses on the skills and mechanical know-how necessary to operate large tractor trailers. You can also get optional certification in specialties like transporting hazardous materials.How much do OTR drivers get paid?According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for delivery drivers is $41,430, or $19.87 per hour. This can vary pretty widely, depending on factors like the driver’s experience level, the type of freight being transported, and the distance. Some drivers are paid a flat rate for an entire trip, while others are paid by the mile.What’s the outlook for OTR drivers?This is a very steady field and will continue to be so. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that the OTR driving field will grow by about 5% by 2024.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

HW Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HW - Math Problem Example b. 1. What is the estimated adjusted mean difference in hourly wages for females as compared to males, adjusting for age, union membership, and job type? When age, Union Membership and type of job were taken into consideration, it was found that women earned approximately 1.9 dollars lesser per hour then men did in 1985. 2. Report a 95% confidence interval for this difference. The 95% CI for this difference ranges from -2.76 to -1.04. 3. Write a sentence interpreting both the adjusted mean difference and the corresponding confidence interval. When considering other variables like age, union membership and job type, women in 1985 earned approximately 1.9 dollars less than the men did; and 95% of the times, the actual values for this estimate would fall between 2.76 dollars to 1.04 dollars less then what the men earned on an average. 2. Comment on any disparities in the estimated mean difference in hourly wages between males and females in the four models whose results are listed above . Does it appear from these results that the wage/gender relationship in confounded by other worker characteristics such as worker age, membership in a union, and job type? Why or why not? Across the four models; it is evident that woman did earn lesser than men did per hour in 1985. This effect was seen regardless of the variables included in the study. Adjusting for age increased the discrepancy slightly; while adjusting for job type and union membership in addition to age decreased the discrepancy between the average wages of men and woman slightly. In spite of this, it is difficult to say that these variables play a very significant role; since the differences seen were quite small; and the confidence intervals for the four models overlapped quite a lot. It may be said that variable like age, union membership and job type did affect the discrepancy in the average wages of men and women; but this effect was quite small. 3. Use the results from Model D to estimate the mean differe nce in hourly wages for females, age 42, who are union members with manufacturing jobs, as compared to 42-year male union members with manufacturing jobs. (Note that you have already done this in a previous portion of the problem – I am just trying to â€Å"drill into you† how to interpret multiple linear regression coefficients.) After controlling for Union membership, type of job and age, it was found that women earned on an average, 1.9 dollars less than men in 1985. 4. 1. Does the given information allow you to assess whether the relationship between hourly wages and sex is modified by age? By itself, the data available is not enough to assess if the relationship between hourly wages and sex is modified by age. 2. If not, what additional results would you need to see? We would need information on the significance testing of the F values for the regression analyses in order to estimate whether age does truly affect the relationship between hourly wages and sex; or w hether the observed effect is simply a function of the sampled data. 2. Question two a) 1. What is the estimated adjusted association between Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) and

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Art Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Art Education - Essay Example Dancing is another form of art which emphasizes on the movement of the body in rhythm to the music. Dancing is used for expression of emotions, energy release, and being joyful of the movement itself. Riitta Pasanen Willberg introduces somatic choreography approach in relating the ideas of dancers with their choreographers on performances. Her aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercises on the dancers in order to assess if the goals of the choreography were attained. Somatic practices are intended to raise kinesthetic awareness and to listen to one’s physical sensations, unlike just focusing on the visual view, imitation, and repetition of movements. Theatre Arts is a form of art wherein the actions of the body particularly facial expressions and human voices are used by performers in interpreting and creating drama in a story. It uses several elements like the architecture, lighting, stage craft, and sound design. John William Sommers argues that theatre can stimulate changes in art, a belief that is contradictory to U.S. Cornerstone Theatre Company Artistic Director Bill Rauch’s idea that one cannot predict art changes. He introduces the term Applied Drama which involves an application of direct experiences to create changes. In his study, he concludes that change is possible through the creation of situations in which people will experience favorable conditions where changes in values, knowledge, and attitudes can happen. Visual Arts is another form of art which focuses on presentations that are seen and appreciated by the naked eye. These presentations are in the form of paintings, sculptures, collages, etc. Terrence McCraw discusses about the distinction of arts from crafts. He provides one instance that explains the distinction. It was during the Reformation where embroidery became popular with more focus on the different designs. McCraw cites that the embroidery production created shared features with arts and crafts which made them similar. However according to him, the connotations of crafts in the modern period are still present in the embroidery works that were produced domestically which makes the point above confusing. III. RECOMMENDATION For music, the studies on musical therapy and the effects of music on the human brain function are significant topics that can be discussed and expounded in art education. For dancing, the study of somatics is also an interesting mechanism for effective body movement and coordination. In theatre arts the notion of Applied Drama is an essential tool for art change for versatility. Lastly, the distinction of arts from crafts is a good topic for debate when understanding the nature of art and its disciplines.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Carnival Cruise Lines Essay Example for Free

Carnival Cruise Lines Essay In the case of Kirby vs. Carnival, I hold Carnival Cruise Lines responsible for her injury. There are several reasons why, first the bartender is responsible for her overall consumptions of alcohol, there is a history of guests that have either fallen or jumped over board and finally there is the fact that carnival never took it upon themselves to call for air lift transportation to the nearest hospital. Bartenders at Carnival Cruise Lines rely on big tabs and tips to make their earnings. Since they need to build up their tabs, why not get an innocent guest just looking to have a good time – extremely intoxicated? I feel like the bartender encouraged the drinking by offering five-dollar certificates for the casino. The more she drank, the more free money for the casino she got. She was visibly drunk when she left the bar, the bartender should have asked a crewmember to escort her to her room and told her friend to keep an eye out for her as a simple standard of care. Carnival Cruise Line has a history of passengers falling off or jumping off their ships, about 30 incidents a year are reported. Some of those passengers have unfortunately passed away because of this. If Carnival Cruise Line knows this, then why don’t they go above and beyond for their own guest’s safety? They should have had more cameras, more detectors, and more employees that care enough about the passengers to not let them get so intoxicated. Finally, Carnival Cruise Line is negligent for not stopping immediately to rescue her. They left her in the middle of the sea for almost two hours. The longer you stay in the water, the worse your injuries get. When they finally get her back to ship, the independent contractor they hired as a doctor could not assist her since her injuries were of an emergency level. The only thing the doctor did was give her pain relief medicine, which of course will never work for these types of injuries. Also, Carnival Cruise Line should have air lifted her to the nearest capable medical facilities, even without her consent to pay. Carnival Cruise Line could have offered to pay for at least the air lifting services, it is the least they can do for her and her family after going through this entire trauma. In conclusion, I feel Carnival Cruise Line is guilty of standards of care and negligence on their part. They are the ones that in the industry, and should provide extreme safety procedures, especially after there is a history of passengers falling or jumping over board. Also the bartender is responsible for her overall consumptions of alcohol, particularly because Carnival Cruise Lines has total control of alcohol on their ships. They do not let guests bring their own alcohol; their consumption and alcohol intoxication solely rely on Carnival Cruise Lines to provide that for them. As a final point, Carnival Cruise Line never took it upon them to give her proper medical attention.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

First Exchange between Beatrice and Benedick being Greeted with Delight

The first exchange between Beatrice and Benedick is always greeted with delight in the theatre? Explain why this is so. Act one scene one of Much Ado About Nothing is always greeted with delight in the theatre for many reasons. It begins when Don Pedro and company enter a "golden world" in Messina where the women are already located. In this situation, people fail to take things seriously, causing the war of swords to soon turn into a war of words. Benedick and Beatrice are the main examples of male/female rivalry that converts into belligerent wordplay. The scene is greeted with delight because it is the first encounter between Beatrice and Benedick and Leonato has already explained the situation between them, stimulating the audience with the want to know more about the relationship between them. ?There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signor Benedick and her: they never meet but there?s a skirmish of wit between them.? Leonato explains the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick to the messenger. We also already know what Beatrice thinks of Benedict from her first line in the play whereupon she as ks ?I pray you is Signior Mountanto returned from the wars or no?? Here she makes a joke about Benedick?s arrogance as Signior Mountanto can be translated as Signior Stuck up. However there may be more to this than meets the eye, it is obvious that she cares about him otherwise she would not have asked but the covers this up with a snide comment bout the ego of Benedick. Here the audience has already established that both Beatrice?s verbal wit and dexterity and her apparent disdain for Benedick and what might be seen as her attempt to mask her true feelings and this is greeted with delight in the theatre. The clash of wit between ... ...and mistrust. He is grateful for his mother, but plans to have no other women in his life. Like Beatrice, by insulting the female gender, he is proclaiming the male gender as supreme. From this we see that Beatrice and Benedick are actually very similar. Both believe that they are joyous and pleasing, for example Benedick states ?I am merry? and is described as ?from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, he is all mirth?. Beatrice also states that she was ?born to speak all mirth and no matter? and is described as ?a pleasant spirited lady?. Beatrice and Benedick are also similar because of their desire to stay single. We see this in the comments, ?I will live a bachelor? by Benedick and ?She cannot endure to hear tell of a husband? by Leonato about Beatrice. This shows Shakespeare?s dramatic irony as they end up falling in love with each other at the end.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Benefits of Higher Education

The number of college graduates has recently been on the increase. Due to the increase of college graduates, there is a lot of competition in hunting for a Job. Many companies have been cutting back on hiring due to the slow down in the economy. When I think about what it takes to get a well-paying Job these days, one must be very knowledgeable about many different topics. This means companies are looking for people who can hit the ground running when they hire them.In addition to one's knowledge they possess, a college diploma is very important while Job hunting. According to the essay, â€Å"Are they really ready to work†, mfoung people need a ange of skills, both basic academic skills as well as the ability to apply these skills and knowledge in the workplace. At the high school level, well over one-half of new entrants are deficiently prepared in the most important skills – Oral and Written Communications, Professionalism/Work Ethic, and Critical Thinking/Problem So lving â€Å"(Casner-Lotto, and Barrington, 2006, p. 51). Generally, there is a limit to what students can learn until they graduate from high school. The time spent in high school is not enough time to gain sufficient knowledge or skill to get a well paying Job. Additionally, high school is place where one learns a little about a lot of different things, receiving a general education. On the other hand, even if students have a college diploma, they still lack some skills, such as writing in English, written communications, and leadership, but they are better prepared than high school graduates.Especially, at the college level, students can concentrate on areas that they think they would want to work in the future, so they can get specialized knowledge and technology. Why do we need adequate skills? The essay â€Å"Work and Workers in the Twenty- First Century' stated that â€Å"Automation will continue to displace low-skilled or unskilled workers in America's manufacturing firms and offices† (Judy, and Amico, 1997, p. 234). In the twenty-first century, there is increased use of computers, robots, and automation in the workplace.This mechanization certainly has brought production costs down, but has lead to fewer unskilled Jobs available in America. The lost of these unskilled Jobs makes it more competitive for the unskilled labors, with not all unskilled labors able to find adequate paying Jobs. Therefore, the companies now require us to have brains. In addition, the physical labors are moving to second and third world countries, in order to build the groundwork for these developing economies.Studying at a college or university in the US these days, could cost tens of thousands of dollars annually including the student's room and board cost. So after a 4 years of thousand dollars. These students must start paying their loans back shortly after they graduate. With employers not hiring and very limited Jobs available, these graduates have a difficult ti me findings Jobs paying the salaries required to pay their loans. Now, if tudents live with their parents, they do not have to pay for room, and board, but only tuition and material fees.Although the students college education is cost them less due to the fact that they did not have to pay for room and board, the cost of the education is still a big burden on most families. However, according to the essay â€Å"The Private Benefits of Higher Education†, there is a big difference between salaries for high school graduates and college graduates. â€Å"Among wage and salary workers between the age 25 and 34, median annual earnings were 58% higher for men who completed at least a achelor's degree than for men who completed only high school ($42,341 vs. 26,842), but 92% higher for women who earned at least a bachelor's degree than for women who earned only a high school diploma ($32,145 vs. $16,770; Perna, 2013, p. 451). † As stated above, men who received at least bachelor 's degree are able to earn more than one and half times more than the median high school graduate. Now as for woman, the numbers are even more pronounced than for the men with a women who earns a Bachelor earns about doubled than that of the median women with only a high school diploma.Research shows that parents with low income and no academic qualifications normally do not have a lot of information about how to get financial aid for their children. Job hunting is a highly competitive in the twenty first century. Moreover, mechanization and globalization narrow the workplace in the US. Therefore, although students have to pay a lot of money to go to a college or university, they still pursue college education. This is due to that higher education will be useful in order to find well-paying Job. In the next five years, college graduates will continue to increase more and more.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Pros and Cons of Using Microsoft Word

PROS and Cons of Using Microsoft Word PROS and Cons of Using Microsoft Word Jordan Morris Lavetta Noel Word Processing November, 21 2012 Pros and Cons of Using Microsoft Word Word processing is one of the most widely used elements within the information technology family. Today instead of learning to type, which was what people did a few years ago, students are taught word processing and keyboarding. More mature users who have been in the workforce for some years have had to learn word processing as they go.In today’s society, whether in private life or professional, it is safe to say that people of all ages have encountered a word processing program at one time or another. Without a doubt word processing software has greatly improved efficiency in the office, allowed for users to more easily keep copies of documents that they prepare and has forced most of us to become just a little more tech savvy than we would have been using just a typewriter. Among the word processing tit les available in the market today, Microsoft Word is the number one choice.With its user friendly design and wide range of features, Microsoft Word is an essential tool for most computer users. Another benefit that Microsoft Word enjoys is its long life in the market place. Word has been the choice for many businesses for well over a decade, virtually ensuring that most people who use a word processing software package in their workplace have used Word, and are familiar with it at some level. As with all products there are benefits that are easy to enjoy, and there are also some elements which challenge most users.In most cases the significant challenges in using Microsoft Word are found in the features which are not regularly used. It is the lack of familiarity due to limited practice which creates these challenges. This paper will now review some of these challenges, along with some of the benefits. For the basic user, Microsoft Word is unquestionably a powerful word processing pa ckage. The basic formatting options are just a click away, the names and functions of these options are intuitive and easy to understand. Quick corrections, or even moving blocks of text around the document is extremely easy.Spelling and grammatical mistakes are pointed out immediately, bullets and numbers can be done automatically, aligning text takes just one click, images and figures can be attached and laid out easily, copying documents is fast and easy, there is a thesaurus feature when needed, there are templates for just about everything, and there is always the option to ask for help via the program. Listed here are only a very small portion of all the great features Microsoft Word has to offer. While Microsoft is indeed a very solid package, it is not without its challenges.More advanced formatting options can be difficult to find and use. Many times users will see documents and presentations and want to model their own output after these things, only to become very frustra ted at their own computer looking through countless menus and doing searches in the help directory. People can also become careless in terms of spelling and grammar, as they know if they make an error, Microsoft Word will come to the rescue. Unfortunately, these composition aids are not absolutely foolproof, and do let some word use and application errors go right on through to the final document without a moment’s protest.Other challenges include such things as when a format has been implemented and as a user one is unable to remove it. These formatting issues can extend all the way down to the appearance of a bullet pointed or numbered list in terms of the formatting rejecting user input in favor of an existing format. These types of challenges can be very frustrating when one has a very specific idea of the desired appearance of a document but a path just cannot be found within Word to make the correction.The temptation of plagiarism also exists due to the ease of using th e copy and paste feature from virtually any one source to another. These are just a few things about Microsoft Word. The list of the pros and cons of Microsoft Word could easily be expanded depending on the experiences of the individual. Unfortunately in order to have the level of functionality within Microsoft Word, it is impossible to avoid getting caught in formats and settings that can cause more frustrations than anything.What is important is for one to distinguish what works and what does not in relation to one’s needs and purposes while using the program. One path to improving the overall situation is a Microsoft word class, workshop, or seminar where one can learn about some of the advanced functions and better manage them. Bibliography Macinta, Timothy W. What's so Bad About Microsoft? 2012. 21 November 2012 ;http://www. kmfms. com/whatsbad. html;. Pilola, Melanie. What is Microsoft Word? February 2006. 21 November 2012 ;http://www. acpl. lib. in. us/ssh/Basic%20Word . pdf;.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Jewish Military

Jewish Military The existence of any society is highly dependent on security. Since antiquity civilizations have been exploited and/or decimated due to incapability's of providing for their own security. For centuries, the Jewish people, whether in the contemporary state of Israel or in the Diaspora have been victims of .persecution by superior empires and denied the right to their own sovereignty. Historically, world Jewry has experienced humiliation, persecution and at times decimation. Rejecting the Jews is best illustrated by observing Jewry under the most powerful and merciless of empires. The Romans, who ruled during the origins of Christianity, have been the most effective when it came to the persecution of Jews. The Roman Empire was responsible for the destruction of the holy city of Jerusalem including the Temple while ruling over Judea. In the later centuries of Roman rule, the empire forced Jewish conversion to Christianity and transformed Jewish synagogues into churches (The Jew in the M edieval World: Source Book, 2000).Israel Eldad (Scheib) (1910-1996), Israeli indepen...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Free ACT Practice Tests Massive Collection of Online Sources

Free ACT Practice Tests Massive Collection of Online Sources SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips When you’re trying to prepare for the ACT, the last thing you want to worry about is finding ACT practice tests. To help make the process a little less stressful for you, we’ve compiled this huge list of sources for free ACT practice tests and questions. Not all practice tests are created equal, though. For each test source, I’ll talk about how you can best use the practice material to best prepare for the ACT. Why Do You Need ACT Practice Tests? You, of course, understand that in order to prep for the ACT, you need practice material. Ultimately, though, you may need more practice tests (and more supplementary materials) than you’d expect. Let’s talk about the three key reasons why you’ll need an arsenal of tests and questions to go into the ACT 100% prepared. Real Practice One of the most stressful parts of taking any standardized test is sitting through potentially uncomfortable testing conditions. You have to stay focused and alert for several hours with few breaks, and you have to jump from section to section without breaking your stride. Taking officialACT practice tests under realistic testing conditions helps prepare you for test day. This means sitting through an entire test in one go while carefully timing how long you spend on each section For this type of preparation, you should really only use official ACT tests. Content Practice This component of ACT prep is about building your knowledge of all the content that’s actually tested on the exam. If you’re working on specific subject prep, you’ll need materials that test (and teach) understanding of subject-specific content. Official ACT practice questions are the ideal for this sort of practice, but they’re limited in number and should really be saved for â€Å"realistic† practice and/or strategy prep. Unofficial or supplementary materials can prepare you well when it comes to brushing up on content, even if they’re not in strict, official ACT format. Strategy Prep ACT questions follow a very particular set of rules when it comes to style and logic. Although unofficial practice tests try to recreate this with their practice questions, it’s rare to find an unofficial source that does a good job. Official practice tests are important when it comes to familiarizing yourself with strategy required to do well on the â€Å"real† ACT. The more comfortable you are with the various types of ACT questions, the more efficient and the more confident you’ll be on the actual test. Where to Find Official ACT Tests Now that you know why (and how) ACT practice materials are important, let’s talk about where you can find the gold standard of ACT prep material: official ACT tests. In this section, you’ll find both recent and older ACT tests. You should focus on the most current ACT recent for your practice although older tests will definitely be helpful if you need extra material. The good news is that the format of the ACT hasn’t changed that much over the past few decades, so older exams will still give you a good idea of what to expect on test day. I'm not kidding when I say that official practice materials are the gold standard in ACT prep. Free Official Tests These free ACT practice tests are great for officialpractice - those study sessions where you sit down under realistic testing conditions and finish an entire exam. I’d recommend using one as a diagnostic test towards the beginning of your study plan. Be careful not to use these up all at once - these are the only free official tests available. The newest official ACT(2015-2016) is the only one that reflects the test's most recent changes: paired reading passages and a new essay. Other than these updates, however, the ACT's overall content and format has remained pretty consistent. ACT Practice Test and Answers (2015-2016) – form number 72C ACT Practice Test and Answers (2014-2015) – form number 67C ACT Practice Test and Answers (20-2012) – form number 64E ACT Practice Test and Answers (2008-2009) – form number 61C ACT Practice Test and Answers (2005-2006) – form number 59F Free Official Practice Questions The ACT also publishes official practice questions (separate from the official practice tests) on its website. These questions are great for working on strategy and content prep. 75 ACT English questions 60 ACT Math questions 48 ACT Reading questions 40 ACT Science questions 1 ACT Writing prompt ACT Question of the Day Other Official Practice Materials There are other official ACT materials available for purchase: The Real ACT Prep Guidecontains five full official practice tests, which amounts to about 20 hours of study material. This book is awesome for strategy prep and officialpractice, but it will not be much help at all if you need to review test content. It costs about$15 on Amazon. The ACT Online Programcontains two full practice tests or about eight hours of study material. The â€Å"prep† that comes with the program isn’t particularly useful, though, so we advise you to skip that and just use the full tests. It costs about $40 on the ACT website. Where to Find (and How to Use) Unofficial ACTs As you may have noticed, there aren’t unlimited official ACT tests available for practice. If you’re planning on studying for 50+ hours, you’ll need to find supplementary sources. There are so many unofficial sources for ACT tests and practice questions, but these really vary in quality - you don’t want to use just any practice questions you find online without vetting them first. To help you find reliable sources for supplementary materials, I’ve compiled a list of resources here. There may be many other good sources out there, but this should get you off on the right track. Free Online Practice ACTs From Test Prep Companies You should be especially careful with using free prep from test companies since the quality of the material is often questionable. That being said, some companies offer practice tests or questions that may prove to be really helpful as supplementary materials. Just be especially mindful (if you choose to work with these materials) about not treating these practice questions as you would official prep - that means not relying too much on them for strategy or real test practice. Sophia.org Sophia.org offers 2-3practicetests each for ACT math, science, reading, English, and writing. Each practice test has about 60 questions and comes with an answer key and scoring guide. You need to make an account in order to access the (free) tests, and you need to opt in to making your profile private. The site encourages you to treat the practice tests like official practice, but (as you know by now) it's best to use these materials for content review. An example of a Sophia.org practice question Prepfactory.com You can access freematerials with this siteif you make an account. There's a social media-esque functionalitywhere you can test your skills against those of other students. I'd avoid this, however, and just focus on improving your own weak skill areas - it won't be helpful to compare yourself to others while you're studying. You can access practice questions through quizzes for different themed modules. The modules' content study material is a bit disjointed and cursory, so I would skip it and just focus on working through the practice questions. An example of a Prepfactory.com practice question Ivy Global Ivy Global offers both sample ACT questions and a full (unofficial) ACT practice test on its website. You can download their full ACT practice test without making an account or providing any personal information (a big plus). Ivy Global did make a real effort to put together a test that's very similar to the official ACT. I still wouldn't encourage you Ivyglobalfor official practice, but it might come in handy if you run through all of the free official ACT materials listed earlier in this article. An example of an Ivyglobal practice question Varsity Tutors Varsity Tutors has a ton of free material - it seems like there are thousands of practice questions available - but this company isn’t particularly careful about creating questions in the style of the ACT.You should be careful about not putting too much stock in the types of questions you use from this site. Another con - you really can't work through the questions until you register for an account, and you're pressured pretty hard to pay for their tutoring services. That being said, you might find Varsity Tutors helpful if you need access to a ton of material (i.e. if you plan on studying for 50+ hours), and/or if you're a high scorer and want toanalyze official ACT vs. non ACT questions. An example of a Varsity Tutors practice question Union Test Prep Union Test Prep offers one free practice test which is administered online. Each question is presented (and graded), which is very different from what you'll encounter on the actual ACT - the format of the exam reminds me more of the GRE than any college entrance exam, to be honest. You don't have to register with Union Test Prep to access these questions. An example of a Union Test Prep practice question Albert.io Albert.iooffers hundreds of practice questions for ACT Math, ACT Science and ACT Reading. You must create an account to answer questions, but you get 100 free credits, which you can use to answer up to 100 questions. The questions are all clearly tagged, so this can be a great resource for targetingspecific skills. An example of an Albertpractice question Kaplan If you register with Kaplan, you can sign up for a free ACT practice test. They have them scheduled in advance, so this will only work if one of their ACT test times fits within your schedule. I expect these practice tests to be similar to their prep book (which I'll get to shortly) - good for an introduction to the test, especially for low scorers, but not so helpful for students who are already familiar with the exam or are already getting relatively high marks. Princeton Review Princeton Review has a system that's pretty similar to Kaplan's - you can take a free ACT online demo and test if you register with the site. Princeton Review has a reputation for writing questions that are(conceptually) easier than what you'd see on the test, so this might not be the best option for high-scoring students who are looking to push up their scores. ACT Prep Books Unofficial ACT prep books can be helpful when it comes to content review and practice. The ACT is pretty transparent about what concepts they actually test on the exam - if you have weak areas, instructional books and practice questions (even if they’re not similar to ACT questions) can help you develop a better grasp of the material. One of the downsides to ACT prep books is that they aren’t free. You may be able to find these books at your public or school library if you’d rather not purchase the materials. If you’re looking for a more exhaustive list of the most helpful ACT books, especially for books by subject, check out our guide to the best ACT prep books. Best Non-Official ACT Book:The ACT Black Book A great book for strategy, the Black Book teaches you to think about the ACT as a predictable, standardized test. It offers alternative strategies for students who may not understand all concepts in the same way. If there's a downside to this prep book, it's that you have to be pretty self-motivated and self-driven in order to useit effectively. It costs about$17 on Amazon. Best Book for High Scorers:Barron's Barron’s books are very thorough and cover a lot of content. They’re good options if your score is already high, but you’re aiming for perfect (or close to perfect). Some of the questions can be unrealistically (and unhelpfully) difficult. It costs about$12 on Amazon. Best Book for Low Scorers:Kaplan This is an all-in-one book that covers all ACT sections. It includes practice tests and answer explanations in addition to basic ACT strategies. This book is not helpful if you’re pretty motivated to study and are serious about improving your score - this is really a bare-bones book It costs about$20 on Amazon. Making a Plan: How to Study for the ACT If you want to make the most of all these ACT materials, you’ll want to make a plan for using them strategically. The major steps you’ll need to take to make a plan are below, although you can get more detailed info if you check out our guide on how long you need to study for the ACT. These materials will be most helpful if you come up with a road map for using them before diving in. Get a Baseline: Start With a Diagnostic ACT Test Take one of the recent, official ACT tests to get a baseline score. Unofficial diagnostic tests won’t help you understand where you’d need to improve on the actual ACT. Checking out target schools (and their correlating target ACT scores) will give you a goal score range to aim for. Practice Strategy and Review Content With Supplementary Materials If you’re weak in strategy skills or content knowledge, you should primarily use unofficial supplementary materials to study and improve in those areas. You can use these practice questions to drill skills or test knowledge without worrying about wasting official prep material. Once you’ve spent some time learning new skills and content, you may want to really test your performance with the official ACT practice questions (not the full tests). Use Official ACTs As Full-Length Practice Tests You can always find more unofficial prep material, but there’s a limited number of official ACT practice tests. Use these official resources as full-length practice tests under real testing conditions. You shouldn’t stop there, though. Get everything you can out of those tests by carefully analyzing your answers and mistakes, so you know which skills and content areas you should focus on next. Remember to save one or two official tests for the end of your study program so you can familiarize yourself with a full-length exam before you take the actual ACT. What's Next? Now that you have a ton of material to work with, you might want to start thinking about putting together a (more detailed) study plan and ACT strategy. First, figure out how long you should plan on studying for the ACT. Next, determine what your own ACT score goal should be - what's a good score? A bad score? An excellentscore? If you don't have too much time to study but still want to prepare as best you can, download those official ACT tests and check out our guide to a 20 hour prep program. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Capital Investment decision making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Capital Investment decision making - Essay Example Due to the nature of these services, the organization plans to purchase specialized facilities and to recruit several therapists who will be providing these services to outpatients at their homes (Baker & English, 2011). Among the decisions that the organization will have to make before the investment are the effects of this venture on the organization’s culture. The investment should work to motivate the organization’s staff. Another decision that the organization will need to make is how the desired quality of services will be achieved and be maintained. The organization will further have to make ethical considerations before commencing on the project. Among the main kinds of information needed to evaluate this project include capital budgeting models. The organization will have to choose a capital budgeting model that best suits its operations (Cumming, 2010). During this decision making process, the organization may experiences challenges when choosing on a capital budget model that works well for its operations. Deciding on methods of performance evaluation may also be challenging due to the wide variety of these methods. However, the organization can hire financial analysts who can assist in making these decisions (Serfas,