Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Types of Governement essays

Types of Governement essays There are many types government used to rule small and large bodies of people. Three types of governments that the founding fathers had extended knowledge of include a monarchy, republic and a democracy. Each of type of government has their strengths and weaknesses, and each have been used to govern a population throughout time. A monarchy is a form of government where the sovereignty is vested in one person, usually for life. The office may be elective, but is usually hereditary. A monarch who has unlimited power is an absolute power; one whose power is limited by custom or constitution is a constitutional monarch. In modern parliamentary democracies, a monarch is usually a non-party political figure and a symbol of national unity. An example of this is Queen Elizabeth in Great Britain. An advantage of a monarchy is that people may be united in their loyalty to a monarch, since there is no competition for trust. In addition, in an emergency, a monarch can act fast, no time is lost is discussion or debate. Disadvantages of a monarchy include that people are afforded little to no individual liberty; civil rights are trampled. In addition, decisions are made on a narrow base and often suit the needs of the monarch while the needs of others are neglected. The next form of government is a republic. A republic, by definition, is a form of government where the sovereignty is not a monarch and, today, is usually a president. Popularly, the idea of a republic includes the notion of elected representatives and democratic control by the people. Republics are seen as systems of governments that permitted direct or indirect control by the people over those who govern; many modern republics to not fulfill this condition, such as the Peoples Republic of China. I think republics are, by far the best systems of government because it allows people to be involved with their government without it becoming chaotic. A good example...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Minimize vs. Reduce

Minimize vs. Reduce Minimize vs. Reduce Minimize vs. Reduce By Maeve Maddox A reader feels there’s a difference between the words minimize and reduce: Writers often use minimize to mean reduce. To minimize something is to reduce it to the smallest amount or degree. To reduce something is simply to make it smaller. He offers two examples of perceived misuse of the word minimize and draws a distinction: This tactic could minimize in-study deaths and, if ineffective, clear the path for more rapid investigation of other interventions. (NY Times).† â€Å"[Y]ou can actually boost your returns while at the same time minimize your risk by incorporating some simple option strategies. (NASDAQ site.)† In each example, the recommendation reduces a negative consequence, but it doesnt necessarily minimize it, because other negative consequences might exist. This may seem like a nuanced distinction, but it makes a degree of difference! My two main dictionaries give these definitions: OED minimize verb: To reduce (especially, something unwanted or unpleasant) to the smallest possible amount, extent, or degree. reduce verb: to make smaller, diminish. Merriam-Webster minimize verb: to reduce to the smallest possible number, degree, or extent. reduce verb: to diminish in size, amount, extent, or number; make smaller. In certain contexts, such as losing weight, lowering a price, or bringing a liquid to a smaller volume, reduce is the only choice. In other contexts, however, minimize and reduce are synonymous. The Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus lists reduce among synonyms for minimize and minimize among those for reduce. The use of both words is tracked from 1800 on the Ngram Viewer, but minimize is rare until the beginning of the twentieth century. Reduce remains the more common word on the Viewer and in a Google search. Here are some other words and phrases that express degrees of diminishment: bring down contract [kon-TRACT] curtail cut, cut back decrease diminish keep down keep to a minimum lower make smaller narrow prune shrink shorten slim, slim down trim Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs PastThe Letter "Z" Will Be Removed from the English AlphabetCharles's Pen and Jesus' Name

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Business Proposal for custom shoe store called DECO HEELS Essay

Business Proposal for custom shoe store called DECO HEELS - Essay Example Currently, women are finding it difficult to get shoes of their choice because most of the stores are offering already designed shoes (Shaw and Onkvisit, 2008). Decor Heels will have an unmatched and extensive selection of high heel shoes for women. The model of the business is based on customer selection that will allow customers design their own high heels under the brand name of Decor Heels. Customers will be required to place an order and the company will make an invitation for the design of their selected high heel shoes (Moisander and Valtonen, 2006). The business aims a creating a competitive advantage in the first six months of operation through diverse selection. This will depend on the company’s management team especially the marketing team. It is the expectation of the business to capture at least 20 percent of market share and a profitability of more than $100,000 in the first three years of operation. 1.1 Success Factors There is one main success factor and that i s the ability of the business to enhance satisfaction for high heels among women. The business will achieve this by offering a wide selection of shoes as preferred by customers. 1.2 Business Objectives The objectives of the business are based on the first three years of operation and include: Establishing a retail store based on supplying high shoes that will satisfy customer needs beyond expectations Capturing 20 percent of the market share for female shoes by the unmet need for women to design high heel shoes Establishing a retail business that will grow on its financial performance 2.0 Business Description Decor Heels is a sole proprietorship business based in New York serving the unmet demand for customized high heel female shoes. The business aims at enhancing consumer satisfaction by offering the opportunity for customers to design their own high heel shoes under our brand name Decor Heels. Customers will be submitting their shoe design and the company will be making available the desired designs within a period of two days. Basically, Decor Heels will be keeping close contact with manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that the shoes are made available at the shortest time possible. In order to improve service delivery, the company will establish a total of ten retail stores at strategic locations within New York City and depending on its performance; the business will open more outlets in other cities within the first three years of operation. 3.0 Definition of the market 3.1 Industry Analysis The market for high heels is under the general market for shoes. Decor Heels is targeting the market for high heel shoes which has few market players. The market for high heel shoes is dominated by large departmental stores with other players including shoe-only stores and small retail stores. Departmental stores mainly sell everything with shoes being among their items for sale. They do not put their focus on shoes but all their products on sale. Shoe-only stores as the name suggests specialize in selling shoes only. Small retail stores engage in the sale of female shoes and clothes (Hill, 2011). 3.2 Market Segmentation The general market for female shoes has two population segments including female professionals and housewives. Professionals are defined by their responsibility of working on a full-time basis whereas

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Written Discourse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Written Discourse - Essay Example I would like to undertake more research in this area but with a large group of students and over a long period of research but for now I need to complete a simple experiment. Reading and writing are core skills taught and learnt within both first and second language classrooms and one cannot be considered as more important than the other. Reading however appears to have taken precedence over writing in recent years with numerous presentations and papers published in the area. In terms of teaching and learning of writing on the other hand, there appears to be very few papers in journals or presentations at major conferences, at least in South Korea. In light of this deficit this paper will focus on writing methodology and some of the research undertaken within the area in terms of a process approach and a product approach. From research it seems that although we teach writing formally within the classroom it does not naturally develop along a linear path but develops more in a circular or see-saw fashion, which is in line with the process approach. Literature also shows that early learners often develop their writing with the use of models, which adheres to the product approach. The lesson in this unit however, aims to combine the two approaches in an effort to both allow students to use their own initiative, trialing and feedback but at the same time provide a framework from which they can further develop their writing. Following a literature review this paper will present an experimental unit of writing comprising a series of lessons incorporating both process and product methods which was trialed in Korea. Justification for the selected activities used in the unit design will be provided along with reflection and evaluation of the trialed lessons. The â€Å"origins of the traditional product rhetoric are often said to be found in eighteenth-century Common

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Student Council Essay Example for Free

Student Council Essay To our honorable principal, Mrs. Dianne Derla Atlas, to our hardworking school administrator, Mr. Raymond Go, to our lovable Student Council Adviser, Mrs. Christine Campana Go, to our faculty and staff and to my fellow collegians, a pleasant afternoon to all of you. I’m Marichelle Lubigan, a III- St. Luke student, under the supervision of Ms. Marjorie Aspuria, and I’m running for the position of secretary under VOICE Party. I First started as the English Club secretary. Being new to this campus, I didn’t even know how to start writing the minutes of the meeting. But through the help of our Club President, I survived. When the year was about to end, my sister encouraged me to join the leadership training. Luckily, I passed the screenings and made it ‘till the Leadership training. When the announcement came, I wasn’t hoping that my name will be called. I knew that there are lots of students who are deserving for that positions. It was already summer vacation when Kuya Ron texted me to go to school. When I went to school, I was surprised when I was asked to replace the Filipino Club President. I’ve learned a lot from my experiences during my first year as an SC Officer. I found myself undergoing the leadership training again. I tried my best to prove myself again. Luckily I passed, but this time, I was included to the new batch of SC Officers. I ran as the Business Manager. I wasn’t competitive enough that i will win that time because my opponent is more popular than me, Marc Ryan Clamor. When the results came, I was surprised when I won, i told myself that i won’t waste the trust you’ve given to me and for my last year as a leadership trainee, I was quite nervous for Ms. Tin told us at the screening that there are lots of first year students who are really trying their best. Many of them spoke straight English and want the position of President. When the training came, i actively participated during lectures and group discussions. During the announcement, I felt really nervous because all of the trainees were really deserving to be chosen, that is why I didn’t go to school that day. When my sister told me that I was chosen to have another chance to be an SC Officer, I was really surprised and thankful. I’m actually running for the position of treasurer, but due to the encouragement of my party mates, I’ve decided to run for secretary. The secretary is the one responsible in keeping accurate records of meetings and student activities, programs, and sessions. The secretary also writes the minutes, and takes ideas from students during a meeting. Again, I’m Marichelle Lubigan, running for the position of Secretary under VOICE party. Im hoping that I convinced you to vote for me. Vote wisely. Vote straight, VOICE Party! A pleasant afternoon to all of you. Thank you. :D.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Ford Mustang Essay -- History, Sports Car

A highly popular muscle and sports car, the Ford Mustang functions as a daily driver, weekend warrior, and a show winning work of mechanical art. Whether someone just needs a basic transportation to get from point A to point B, an eight second quarter-mile beast, or a show stopping work of power and beauty, Ford has produced a Mustang for every need. The Mustang got its name from the World War II P-51 Mustang fighter plane (Harris). The â€Å"five generations† evolved each year model until, in response to the 1971-1973 models, Ford returned the car to its original size and concept in 1974 (Bowling). The first generation of the Mustangs appeared in 1964 and lasted through 1973. On March 9, 1964, the first Mustang, a Wimbledon white convertible with a 260 cu in V8 engine, rolled off the assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan. A month later on April 17, 1964, the Ford Mustang made its world debut at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York (Kelly). The first model Mustang the early 1965, or as many like to call it the 1964 and one-half Mustang, interests me the most because of its unique design and style. The rareness of this year’s Mustang fascinates me because so little are left; over the years people have either crushed or cut them up and made race cars out of them, which makes me sad to see these rare, fascinating cars go to waste. When the 1964 and one half debuted, only a coupe and a convertible could be purchased featuring a base 170 cu in six-cylinder engine with a three-speed floor shift transmission, also available with a 260 cu in V8 engine, in addition to a four-speed manual transmission or a three-speed â€Å"Cruise-O-Matic† transmission. The interior featured â€Å"wall-to-wall† c... ...e, but this year marked the release of the GT California Special package on GT premium models and the release of the Shelby GT and the Shelby GT 500, capable of producing 500 horsepower. The year 2009 marked the release of the GT 500 KR. The glass top was the only major change to the body style this year. In 2010, the Mustang featured a new redesign. The Mustang had more power and featured a revised interior and exterior (Jackson1). In 2011, Ford brought back the 5.0-liter engine in the new Mustang, because, once again, Ford listened to the consumers. The tail lamps, the only major change to the body style of the Mustang this year, set higher up on the car. The Ford Mustang always sticks to its heritage; many people have heard of it and no matter how fast or how new, it’s always noticeable with its American muscle car symbol, the galloping mustang.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Investigation in Microtubule Dynamic Instability

Title: Investigation in microtubule dynamic instability Introduction Microtubules are important for maintaining cell structure, intracellular transport, formation of mitotic spindle, as well as other cellular processes. Investigation of dynamics of microtubule assembly and disassembly allow us to understand the malfunction of mitotic spindle formation or other cellular processes. This experiment is divided into two parts; we are going to find out the critical parameters for achieving greatest average length of microtubules in part one and achieving the greatest number of microtubules in part two.Principle In this experiment, we used a simulation programme to explore how various factors change the way microtubules grow out from centrosome, and the shrink back. Growth rate, shrink rate, catastrophe rate, rescue rate, release rate, minus end end depolymerization rate, nucleation rate and nucleation site are the factors we can adjust to see how them affects the average length and number of microtubules. The simulation time acceleration is set to 5x real time. Each time a parameter is varied and others are controlled factors.The record is taken when the simulation has reached steady state and graphs are plotted. Results Part1 – How to achieving greatest average length of microtubules Fixed parameter| Shrink rate| Catastrope| Rescue Release| MED| Nuc rate| Nuc sites| Variable Growth rate| 0. 263| 0. 042| 0. 064 0. 024| 0. 8| 0. 02| 180| Result| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| Mean| 0. 14| 32. 9| 21. 12| 23. 93| 23. 95| 27. 54| 25. 888| 0. 16| 33. 19| 36. 82| 32. 5| 28. 83| 30. 15| 32. 298| 0. 18| 29. 79| 39. 11| 41. 19| 40. 8| 31. 54| 36. 486| 0. 2| 40. 77| 41. 19| 45. 94| 38. 28| 47. 66| 42. 768| 0. 22| 38. 6| 47. 49| 48. 53| 48. 55| 47. 96| 46. 238| 0. 24| 42. 25| 45. 31| 45. 25| 46. 81| 40. 95| 44. 114| Table1 Figure1 Fixed parameter| Growth rate| Shrink rate| Catastrop/ Release| MED| Nuc rate| Nuc cites| Variable Rescue| 0. 12| 0. 263| 0. 042 0. 024| 0. 8| 0. 02| 180| Resu lt| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| mean| 0. 084| 23. 76| 22. 77| 26. 56| 30. 78| 25. 12| 25. 798| 0. 104| 18. 88| 19. 07| 17. 82| 20. 08| 17. 55| 18. 68| 0. 124| 19. 96| 16. 69| 17. 37| 19. 37| 22. 38| 19. 154| 0. 144| 21. 34| 19. 53| 20. 54| 21. 44| 21. 95| 20. 96| 0. 164| 20. 65| 18. 76| 21. 76| 16. 33| 19. 73| 19. 446|Table2 Figure 2 Discussion Each free tubulin dimer contains one tightly bound GTP molecule that is hydrolyzed to GDP after the subunit is added to a growing microtubules. When polymerization is proceeding rapidly, tubulin molecules add to the end of the microtubule faster that the GTP they carry is hydrolyzed, and the microtubule growth. [1] Varied the growth rate and kept other factors constant, the average length of microtubules should always increase. However, the average length of microtubules rises as growth rate increase from 0. 14 to 0. 22Â µm/sec and stop increasing at 0. 2Â µm/sec. It tends to level off rather than increase at 0. 22Â µm/sec. It means the growth rate is no longer the limiting factor. Some factors other than growth rate, may be the rescue rate, limited the increase of the average length. Rescue rate is the rate at which a shrinking microtubule switches to growing state. We assume the greatest rescue rate, the more the microtubules undergo polymerization. So that the proportion of growing microtubules would increase and the average length rise. Instead of increase, the average length of microtubules drops from 0. 084 to 0. 104Â µm/sec.Increase the rescue rate may trigger the mechanism that lowers the average length of microtubules. It remains at around 20Â µm from 0. 104 to 0. 164Â µm/sec means that that there is no correlation between rescue rate and the average length beyond a point among 0. 084 and 0. 104Â µm/sec. Part2 – How to achieve the greatest number of microtubules Fixed parameter| Growth rate| Catastrop| Rescue Release| MED| Nuc rate| Shrink rate| Variable #nuc site| 0. 12| 0. 042| 0. 064 0. 024| 0. 8| 0. 02| 0. 263| Result| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| mean| 180| 47| 65| 42| 57| 68| 55. 8| 200| 70| 77| 66| 53| 68| 66. | 220| 71| 73| 86| 70| 68| 73. 6| 240| 82| 88| 85| 81| 84| 84| 260| 90| 93| 80| 81| 84| 85. 6| 280| 87| 107| 100| 97| 91| 96. 4| 300| 90| 101| 110| 92| 96| 97. 8| Figure3 Fixed parameter| Growth rate| Shrink rate| Catastrop| Rescue Release| MED| Nuc cites| Variable nuc rate| 0. 12| 0. 263| 0. 042| 0. 064 0. 024| 0. 8| 180| Result| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| mean| 0. 02| 62| 57| 49| 54| 50| 54. 4| 0. 04| 95| 107| 85| 80| 86| 90. 6| 0. 06| 103| 110| 107| 113| 114| 109. 4| 0. 08| 120| 99| 112| 113| 115| 111. 8| 0. 1| 124| 134| 126| 116| 113| 122. 6| 0. 12| 120| 131| 130| 119| 136| 127. | 0. 14| 136| 128| 127| 130| 136| 131. 4| Table4 Figure4 Discussion Centrosomes contain ring-shaped structures formed from ? -tubulin, and each ? -tubulin ring serves as the starting point, the nucleation site, for the growth of one microtubule. The nucleation site acts as a preexisting microtubule structure for -tubulin dimers assembly. [1] We assume the more the nucleation site, the more the microtubules present. According to table3, the number of microtubules is always increasing with the number of nucleation site. There is no sign of level off or decline of the curve.It always is the limiting factor of the number of microtubules. The nucleation rate is the rate at which new microtubules are nucleated at the centrosome. The number of microtubules should be raised if the nucleation rate increase since new microtubules generated. Indeed, the number of microtubules is raised as the nucleation rate increased. From 0. 02 to 0. 06Â µm/sec, the increase of microtubules is sharp and starts to slow down afterward. The trend shows that the curve would level off at certain level eventually. It means there are some factors other than nucleation rate control the number of microtubules.The number of nucleation site may be the limiting factor as all nucleation sites are occupied by the microtubules, so that n o new microtubules generated. Limitations In actual cell, the number of tubulin dimer is limited. This factor is not shown in this simulation programme. The temperature and the pH may affect the configuration and polymerization of the microtubules. There are some microtubules not attached to the centrosome, but present in cilia and flagella. It is not clearly stated by the simulation programme whether these microtubules is counted. ConclusionsBesides the growth rate, there are other limiting factors controlling the average length of microtubules. We cannot achieve the greast average length of microtubules by consider growth rate is the only factor. We found that we should keep the rescue rate at 0. 084Â µm/sec or below. Also, more information about the rescue rate below 0. 084Â µm/sec should be obtained. Both nucleation site and nucleation rate are the factors controlling the number of microtubules. But the nucleation site is more critical than the nucleation site. The above show the nucleation rate is restricted by other factors but the nucleation sites does not.We should examine another set of data by varying the nucleation rate with more nucleation site. If the plateau of new obtain curve is above the original curve, nucleation site is limiting factor of the number of microtubules. Similar experiment should be established with different combination of parameters in order to obtain the best curve. In short, there is not enough information for us to draw conclusion for how to achieve the greatest average length and greatest number of microtubules unless we obtain more data. Reference 1. Alberts et al,. (2010) Essential Cell Biology, 3rd Garland Science, p. 579-580

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The European Parliament

The Efficiency of the Decision Making Process of EU Parliament Last Name First Name Course Name Course Number 08 October 2012 The European Parliament is separated into two legislations, primary and secondary. The primary legislation are the ground rules and basis for all EU action. The secondary legislation involves decisions, directives and regulations which are based on the objectives and principle in the treaties (Bungenberg, 2011). How does the EU parliament make a decision? The standard decision-making process is called â€Å"Ordinary Legislative Procedure† or the co-decision.This presents the direct election in the EU Parliament that decides together in the EU legislation in the Council, both the EU legislation and Commission Drafts. The EU treaties is the foundation of the rule of law, this defines every taken action by the EU which is founded on treaties that have been decided on democratic and voluntary approval of the EU countries. This is the Treaty of Lisbon, which developed the policy number of areas where the co-decision is employed (Bermann, 2011) The UE parliament also has more control to disapprove any proposal in the Council.The directives, regulations and other acts are established to set new EU treaties which are obtained by different forms of legal decisions. These legislation involve opinions, recommendations, directives and regulations, Some are creating, others are binding, some can be implemented to all EU nations, others not. The combined decision-making process of the EU parliament has shared to develop the effectiveness of EU policy when it comes to the environmental legislation in EU countries. The parliament, as veto power with co-legislator in the procedure of co-decision, has been important to organizational actors.It is connected to the EU commission, which is a non-voted body, to delegate with its concern rights to the drafting of the election (Avbelj, 2011). Moreover, its informal institutions and interactions with othe r nations, the Council of Ministers, National Parliament and the EU Commission, have been specifically significant in creating more legitimate and appropriate benefits for the proper application of internalizing many environmental externalities, common policies (Campuzano, 2011).The decision making of the EU Parliament is efficient because they are guided by the objectives, cohesion and sustainable growth of the organization. References AVBELJ Matej, KOMAREK Jan (eds. ). Constitutional pluralism in the European Union and beyond. Oxford:  Hart,  2011. BERMANN George (et al. ). Cases and materials on European Union law. St. Paul, MN:  Thomson/West,  2011. BUNGENBERG Marc, GRIEBEL Jorn, HINDELANG Sreefen (eds. ). International investment law and EU law. Berlin:  Springer,  2011. CAMPUZANO DIAZ Beatriz (et al. ). Latest developments in EU private international law. Cambridge:  Intersentia,  2011.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Free Essays on Killer Angels

Killer Angels By: Brandon Killer Angels Wars have been fought for many different reasons through the years, and that holds true for the American Civil War (1861-1865). In Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Killer Angels, the reasons for fighting the war are brought about through the officers and soldiers at a famous battle site of the Civil War, Gettysburg. Gettysburg was one of the most documented battles of the whole war. It took place over a span of three days and can be viewed as a turning point from Confederate prominence to Confederate demise. The Union and the Confederacy each had their own views as to why they were fighting the war. The propaganda pitch the Union gave was they were fighting to free the slaves. This was not true! It was said Southerners were fighting to preserve slavery. This is also a false statement. In fact, there were a substantial amount of generals in the Union army that owned slaves themselves. In addition the constitution protected slavery. If the true is sue was to maintain slavery the South would not have seceded. There are many quotes from northern leaders that show clearly that the main purpose of the North was not the eradication of slavery, but subjugation of the southern people. Slavery was used to rally the northern population behind Abraham Lincoln’s war. It was an emotional issue, sure some Yankees joined and fought to â€Å"set men free†, but most were there to preserve the union. An interesting conflict of northern morals is discovered. The North is portrayed as wanting to set black men free, but they practiced economic slavery on the Southern states. The Civil War was really more politically complex with regards to Abraham Lincoln and his Republican Party’s actions. The South fought this war as the Second American Revolution. The Northern states' politicians were aggressively attempting to implement a monarchial form of government, which was precisely what the early ... Free Essays on Killer Angels Free Essays on Killer Angels Killer Angels By: Brandon Killer Angels Wars have been fought for many different reasons through the years, and that holds true for the American Civil War (1861-1865). In Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Killer Angels, the reasons for fighting the war are brought about through the officers and soldiers at a famous battle site of the Civil War, Gettysburg. Gettysburg was one of the most documented battles of the whole war. It took place over a span of three days and can be viewed as a turning point from Confederate prominence to Confederate demise. The Union and the Confederacy each had their own views as to why they were fighting the war. The propaganda pitch the Union gave was they were fighting to free the slaves. This was not true! It was said Southerners were fighting to preserve slavery. This is also a false statement. In fact, there were a substantial amount of generals in the Union army that owned slaves themselves. In addition the constitution protected slavery. If the true is sue was to maintain slavery the South would not have seceded. There are many quotes from northern leaders that show clearly that the main purpose of the North was not the eradication of slavery, but subjugation of the southern people. Slavery was used to rally the northern population behind Abraham Lincoln’s war. It was an emotional issue, sure some Yankees joined and fought to â€Å"set men free†, but most were there to preserve the union. An interesting conflict of northern morals is discovered. The North is portrayed as wanting to set black men free, but they practiced economic slavery on the Southern states. The Civil War was really more politically complex with regards to Abraham Lincoln and his Republican Party’s actions. The South fought this war as the Second American Revolution. The Northern states' politicians were aggressively attempting to implement a monarchial form of government, which was precisely what the early ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Expert Guide to the ACT Format What You Need to Know

Expert Guide to the ACT Format What You Need to Know SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you want to do well on the ACT, it’s not enough to just study test content. You have to know the test inside and out, including what questions to expect, what reading passages to anticipate, and what topic areas you’ll encounter the most. Being this familiar with the test will help you improve your score in a significant way - it’s much more effective than just focusing on test content. In this post, I’ll go over everything you need to know about how the ACT is written, including format, content, and question types. At the end, I’ll tell you exactly what you can do to successfully incorporate this knowledge into your ACT study plan. Why Is Familiarity With the ACT Format Helpful? The ACT is an incredibly predictable test. Although there have been a few recent changes, the test format has (in general) stayed pretty consistent over the past few decades. This works to your advantage for a few very important reasons: Familiarity with the test helps you focus on, and improve on, your weaknesses. The ACT is super predictable when it comes to test content and format, down to the number of questions that test a certain concept. If you’re familiar with the test format and structure as you study, you can narrow your focus to very specific question types and content areas that may be bringing down your score. It helps you improve your ACT strategy, which is just as important as preparing for test content. The ACT writes the test sections, questions, and answer choices in a very particular and consistent style. Familiarizing yourself with the basic structure and format of the ACT is like getting to know the test inside-out - if you can get inside the mind of a test writer, you’ll have a huge advantage on the test. The more experience you have with this style, the better you’ll be able to anticipate which answers are correct and incorrect on test day It helps you work on time management, an important part of succeeding on any standardized test. Knowing the general layout of the test, in addition to knowing what your own strengths and weaknesses are, is an integral part of ACT time management. If you can’t finish the questions on time, you won’t do well, no matter how well you know the material. Finally, the fewer surprises you encounter on test day, the better. When you know exactly what to expect when you take the ACT, you can focus on the most important part of the test: demonstrating what you know in order to get a great score. Knowing the test format and structure inside and out may help alleviate test-taking anxiety, a verycommon problem that impacts many students’ scores. The Basics: The Structure of the ACT The ACT has four mandatory multiple-choice sections which are always presented in the same order: (1) English, (2) Math, (3) Reading, and (4) Science. There’s also an optional (5) Writing section for a total of five test sections. The total test time without the Writing section is 2 hours and 55 minutes. The total test time with the Writing section is 3 hours and 35 minutes. Here’s what you can expect in terms of number of questions, time limit, time per question, and question type for each of the ACT sections: English Number of questions 75 Time limit 45 minutes Approximate time per question 36 seconds Question type Multiple choice with four answer choices Math Number of questions 60 Time limit 60 minutes Approximate time per question 1 minute Question type Multiple choice with five answer choices Reading Number of questions 40 Time limit 35 minutes Approximate time per question 52 seconds Question type Multiple choice with four answer choices Science Number of questions 40 Time limit 35 minutes Approximate time per question 52 seconds Question type Multiple choice with four answer choices Writing Number of questions 1 Time limit 40 minutes Approximate time per question 40 minutes Question type Essay prompt Content and Skills: What Does the ACT Test? The next step in familiarizing yourself with the ACT is knowing exactly what concepts, skills, and content will be tested on the exam. If you know what content will appear, and you know exactly how it will be tested, all of your bases will be covered (remember, the fewer the surprises on test day, the more you can focus on what’s important). The ACT is pretty transparent about test content. Here, I’ll go over what you’ll need to prepare for each section and what these sections will actually look like. English On this section you’ll be presented with passages. You’ll either have to choose the correct version of a sentence within the passage or will have to answer more broad questions about the construction of the passage itself (you’ll see a couple examples shortly). The ACT English section tends to heavily favor a few main grammar and style rules, and just lightly touches on the other minor ones. This means (unless you’re aiming for a very high score), you can focus primarily on these main rules as you prepare for the test. There are two main types of English questions: ones that test usage and/or mechanics, and ones that test rhetorical skills. Below you’ll find approximate breakdowns for the number of each question type you’ll see on the test. When it comes to Usage and Mechanics (about 40 out of a total of 75 questions), the main grammar rules tested on the ACT are: Correctly forming and joining sentences (20.5% of grammar questions) Correct use of commas, dashes, and colons (17.7% of grammar questions) Correctly using nonessential clauses and relative pronouns (9.6% of grammar questions) Correct verb tense and form (9.6% of grammar questions) When it comes to Rhetorical Skills (about 30 out of a total of 75 questions), the main rhetorical rules tested on the ACT are: Logical transitions (18% of rhetorical questions) Adding information (16.7% of rhetorical questions) Conciseness (15.5% of rhetorical questions) Replacing and re-wording information (15.5% of rhetorical questions) Most of the questions on ACT English test this content by asking you to choose the most correct version of a sentence within a passage - you’ll have to choose among four answer choices in this section. For example: A question where you choose the correct version of a sentence. Some questions are formatted a bit differently, and instead ask you about a passage as a whole. For example: For more information on this section, check out our ultimate ACT English prep guide. Math The math section is a little different from other ACT sections. Some math questions are stand-alone - they won’t be linked to any other questions in the section - whereas others are linked â€Å"sets.† You’ll have to choose from five multiple-choice responses instead of four (which obviously makes things more difficult). Math questions are also roughly arranged in order of difficulty. You can generally split the section into three zones: Questions 1-20: Easy Questions 21-40: Medium Questions 41-60: Hard Difficulty is determined by the amount of time you’ll need to solve a problem, the number of steps required, the number of math concepts you must employ, and the likelihood that you’ll be familiar with the material. Learn about how to take advantage of this organization of question by difficulty. Because they’re arranged by difficulty, these questions are also roughly arranged by content, with â€Å"easier† math concepts (i.e. ones you’ve spent more years studying) at the beginning of the section and â€Å"hard† concepts (i.e. ones you’re less familiar with) at the end. Generally, you’ll see more algebra questions toward the beginning and more geometry and trig toward the end of any ACT math section. Here’s a breakdown of the topics you’ll see on ACT math for a general overview: Pre-algebra: about 20-25% of questions Elementary algebra: about 15-20% of questions Intermediate algebra: about 15-20% of questions Coordinate geometry: about 15-20% of questions Plane geometry: about 20-25% of questions Trigonometry: about 5-10% of questions Read our more detailed guide to ACT math content for more information. Now, on to some examples. Most questions on this section are stand-alone questions, meaning they’re in no way related to any other question on the section. A stand-alone question may look like this: You might see some sets of math questions on the ACT where two or more questions are related to each other, or refer to the same figure. Here’s an example of what a prompt like that would look like: For more information on this section, check out our ultimate ACT math prep guide. Reading The ACT Reading test is made up of four different subsections. Each of these subsections has either one long passage or two shorter, paired passages. In this section, every question will ask you to respond to or interpret the passages. The Reading section will present you with one reading passage for each subsection, and the types of passages you’ll see will always be in the same order: Prose Fiction/Literary Narrative Social Science Humanities Natural Science The ACT tests this content with a variety of question types. Fortunately, we have a general idea of how often each question type shows up on the average Reading section - with this information, you can think more critically about question types that you may need to spend more time preparing. Here’s a typical section breakdown by question type: Question Type Average Number of Questions Percentage of Questions Big Picture 4 10% Little Detail 18 45% Vocabulary in Context 3 8% Development and Function 9 22% Inference 6 15% All Questions 40 100% The info above isn’t helpful if you can’t identify the sorts of questions you’ll see on the Reading section, right? Here are the main question types you’ll see on the English section, followed by examples: Big Picture - Deal with the main point of the passage or the narrator’s overall point of view. These types of questions require you to look at the passage holistically rather than focusing on one specific section. Little Picture/Detail - Ask about a small piece of factual information in a passage. They are the most straightforward questions because they’re so literal - you just have to find the correct information. Vocabulary in Context - Ask about the meaning of a word in the context of the passage. They may also reference something in the passage and ask you to choose a vocabulary word that best describes it. Development and Function - Ask about how a certain paragraph, sentence, or phrase functions in the context of the passage, how the argument in the passage was developed, or how the author structured the passage. Inference - Ask you to make inferences based on a logical extension of information found in a passage. Check out our guide to ACT Reading questions for more detailed information and examples. Science The ACT Science section consists of several â€Å"passages† where you’ll have to respond to short paragraphs, charts, graphs, tables, or some combination thereof - they’re not like the passages in the Reading section where you just respond to a wall of text. All of these passages are just different ways of presenting data for you to interpret. Because of the way the section is formatted, you’ll see sets of questions, like you sometimes see on Math, rather than stand-alone questions. The passages themselves may be on a variety of topics, including: Biology Chemistry Earth/space sciences Physics Just like with the Reading section, it’s not necessary for you to have specific background knowledge in these topic areas - you just need the skills to interpret the passages correctly. There are three main passage formats. Each format will present data in a different way - a set of multiple-choice questions after each passage will ask you to interpret and/or analyze this information. Here’s what to expect for each format: Format #1: Data Representation This format presents one or more sets of data in some sort of graphical representation. What you’re asked to do: understand, evaluate, and interpret information presented in graphs, tables, or charts Number of questions: About 15 (38% of total ACT Science questions) Here’s what a â€Å"passage† may look like in a Data Representation format: And here’s what a multiple-choice question may look like in response to the Data Representation format: Passage Format #2: Research Summaries This format presents the results of two or more experiments, usually with text in addition to graphs or charts. What you’re asked to do: understand, evaluate, and analyze one or more experiments Number of questions: About 18 (45% of total ACT Science questions) Here’s what a â€Å"passage† may look like in a Research Summaries format: Here’s what a multiple-choice question may look like in response to the Research Summaries format: Passage Format #3: Conflicting Viewpoints This format presents several different conflicting scientific hypotheses, usually in a text passage. What you’re asked to do: understand and evaluate conflicting viewpoints, theories, or hypotheses on a specific topic Number of questions: About 7 (17% of total ACT Science questions) Here’s what a â€Å"passage† may look like in a Conflicting Viewpoints format: Here’s what a multiple-choice question may look like in response to the Conflicting Viewpoints format: For more information and example questions on the ACT Science section, check out our ultimate prep guide. Writing The ACT Writing section is completely optional - that being said, I’d encourage you to do some research before deciding not to take it (as tempting as that may be)! Students have 40 minutes to plan, write, and edit an essay in response to one writing prompt. Prompts tend to address contemporary issues (e.g. the pros and cons of living in an increasingly automated society). So what exactly do these prompts look like? Well, students are provided with three diverse perspectives on a particular issue. After reading these perspectives, students are asked to develop their own take on the topic and explain the relationships between the original perspectives. Put simply, your jobs are to: Take a position on a topic (and defend it) Address all the diverse perspectives presented to you Explain the relationships between those three perspectives Here’s an example of what an ACT writing prompt looks like: Check out our complete guide to ACT writing and scoring for more information. Using ACT Formatting: How to Prep for the ACT Earlier in this post, I mentioned that familiarizing yourself with the ACT format can help you in a few important areas: Identifying your weaknesses Coming up with a strategic game plan Improving time management Alleviating stress that comes with surprises on test day Here, I’ll address exactly what you can do (in all four of these areas) to use knowledge of ACT format and structure to your advantage. Identify Your Weaknesses When you know exactly what will be tested on the ACT, and exactly how it will be tested, you can use your practice materials to hone in on sections, content areas, question types, and passage types that give you more trouble than others. This strategy only works if you invest a significant amount of time in working through and then analyzing ACT practice materials. Official ACT practice tests are the best for this - ideally, you’ll down under realistic testing conditions with an official practice test to get a baseline score. As you work through your practice material, keep careful track of where you’re losing points - doing a post-mortem on your work is the most important thing you can do to improve your score. I’d encourage you to set up a spreadsheet for easy mistake tracking. For each ACT practice section, for example, you’ll want to ask yourself: Which questions am I getting wrong? Which types of questions am I getting wrong? Do I lose more points on a particular type of passage? (E.g. perhaps Research Summary passages in ACT Science give you a hard time) Do I lose points at the end of a section because I run out of time? Do I lose points in a particular content/knowledge set area? (E.g. maybe you have trouble with absolute value in ACT math) Come Up With a Strategic Game Plan Once you have a better idea of where you need to improve, you can come up with an ACT study plan that’s catered to your weaknesses. If you have a baseline score, you’ll have a sense of how many points you’d like to bring your score up. Here’s a general guideline for how long you need to study based on your improvement goals: 0-1 ACT Composite Point Improvement: 10 hours 1-2 ACT Point Improvement: 20 hours 2-4 ACT Point Improvement: 40 hours 4-6 ACT Point Improvement: 80 hours 6-9 ACT Point Improvement: 150 hours+ Read more about putting together a study plan that works for you. Improve Time Management If you know what to expect on the ACT, you’ll be better able to work through the test on the fly. If you know what slows you down (e.g. a particular question type or content area) you can plan on doing speed drills during practice or skipping (and then returning) to those questions on the test. For example, reading passages - like the ones you’ll find in ACT Science and ACT Reading - tend to slow down a lot of students. If you know that this is a personal sore spot, you should read our guides to time management on ACT Science and ACT Reading. If you have an idea of what to expect, you’ll be that much better at navigating the stressful time limits of the test. Alleviate Stress Coming up against unexpected obstacles - especially when you’re in a time crunch - is pretty stressful for most people. By engaging in regular practice with official ACT prep materials, you’re doing yourself a huge favor by taking the stress of unexpected content and formatting out of the equation. For more info on alleviating stress, read our guide on what to expect and how to prepare for the ACT test day. What’s Next? Now that you have all this great information about the ACT and how it’s structured, you might be interested in learning more about some other logistical issues - like how it’s scored. Read first about the scoring system with our complete guide to ACT scores. Then, figure out what target score you should be aiming for. For expert tips, read our famous guide on how to get a perfect score on the ACT. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Saturday, November 2, 2019

A Small Network Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

A Small Network Design - Essay Example The costs of the local area network have also been included by providence of possible prices for the devices. Requirements The company requires a local area network to ensure efficient and effective communication, administration of the branches and it users. The main requirements here then are the devices to implement a local area network without concentrating on wide area network requirements. Some of the devices for a LAN include: routers for communication between branches, switches; for communication between devices in a LAN, cables; to interconnect devices, connectors; which ensure end to end connections between a cable and a device and of course office automation devices like servers e.g., file servers, mail servers and printers for storing and downloading files, for mail exchange and for installing printing software respectively. The company also will require software for their customized uses; the software might be outsourced or in-house. The company also requires operational staff software e.g., word processing. Other devices, which the company is ought to have includes telephony system such as using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and installing VoIP phones. VoIP is IP based and convergent, but use of other implementations like ISDN is possible. The company also requires mail servers e.g. ... The company wants a general LAN design, and it might also decide to include wireless LAN, which uses connectionless media for devices to communicate but not advisable because it is prone to network intrusion such as phishing and spoofing. Almost all computers come with connectors like RJ45 for Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) connection. The main cable type, which will be used, is Unshielded Twisted Pair which are used for LANs. It has several categories according to performance. For this company, the ideal one is Category 5e Ethernet (cat5e). It has a jacket and an outside sheath. Cat5e is an extension of category 5 which has extra features to minimize cross-talk and signal interference, its speed is 125Mbps unlike Cat5 which is 100Mps. Depending on the number of users and need for fast connectivity the company might opt to use Category 7 of UTP. This is also called SSTP (shielded screen twisted pair). It has a data rate of 600Mps. Computers The company requires computers to carry out all the automated work in the company and also to install software for communication. It needs desktop computers for basic office automation software like word processing, emailing and accessing the internet. For software, which require more memory and processing power such as design software and working on graphics, the company will require work stations. Laptops also can be used for both small office work and also large software, a Core i5 laptop can be as powerful as a work station and some can be termed as mobile workstations. Switches Switches are intelligent devices, unlike repeaters and hubs and are suitable for computers in the LAN of the company to