Here are the formatted responses for the tasks provided:

1. 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.

2. 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

3. Solve for x.
- 3x = 6x - 2

4. Salary and percentage increase from starting salary to mid-career salary for the 20 college degrees with the highest mid-career salary.
- Degree: Starting Salary, Mid-Career Salary, Percentage Increase
- Aerospace Engineering: [tex]$59,400, $[/tex]108,000, 82%
- Applied Mathematics: [tex]$56,400, $[/tex]101,000, 79%
- Biomedical Engineering: [tex]$54,800, $[/tex]101,000, 84%
- Chemical Engineering: [tex]$64,800, $[/tex]108,000, 67%
- Civil Engineering: [tex]$53,500, $[/tex]93,400, 75%
- Computer Engineering: [tex]$61,200, $[/tex]87,700, 43%
- Computer Science: [tex]$56,200, $[/tex]97,700, 74%
- Construction Management: [tex]$50,400, $[/tex]87,000, 73%
- Economics: [tex]$48,800, $[/tex]97,800, 100%
- Electrical Engineering: [tex]$60,800, $[/tex]104,000, 71%
- Finance: [tex]$47,500, $[/tex]91,500, 93%
- Government: [tex]$41,500, $[/tex]88,300, 113%
- Information Systems: [tex]$49,300, $[/tex]87,100, 77%
- Management Information Systems: [tex]$50,900, $[/tex]90,300, 77%
- Mathematics: [tex]$46,400, $[/tex]88,300, 90%
- Nuclear Engineering: [tex]$63,900, $[/tex]104,000, 63%
- Petroleum Engineering: [tex]$93,000, $[/tex]157,000, 69%
- Physics: [tex]$50,700, $[/tex]99,600, 96%
- Software Engineering: [tex]$56,700, $[/tex]91,300, 61%
- Statistics: [tex]$50,000, $[/tex]93,400, 87%