Which best explains why Irving sets "The Adventure of the Mysterious Stranger" in a land of "masks and gondolas"?

A. The setting is symbolic of the idea that a life of quiet study is the ideal pursuit.
B. The setting is symbolic of the idea that innocence cannot be outgrown.
C. The setting is symbolic of the idea that ease and affluence are available to all.
D. The setting is symbolic of the idea that appearances can be deceiving.

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Read the lines from "The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls."

"Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;"

The imagery in these lines evokes a sense of:

A. laziness
B. fear
C. mystery
D. despair

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Solve for x.

3x = 6x - 2

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Some companies who produce armaments have:

A. benefited from the wars in Iraq.
B. lost workers to the armed forces.
C. imported goods from those countries more cheaply than before.
D. been able to import oil more cheaply.
E. started production facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan.