What does pH measure? |

pH measures how acidic/basic water is at any given time. This scale ranges from zero having the most acidity, to fourteen having the most alkalinity. The neutral pH is right in the middle (7) and that is where milk lies on the scale. What determines where a liquid lies on this scale depends on how many free hydrogen or hydroxyl ions are in the water; an abundance of hydroxyl ions meaning the liquid is a...

pH measures how acidic/basic water is at any given time. This scale ranges from zero having the most acidity, to fourteen having the most alkalinity. The neutral pH is right in the middle (7) and that is where milk lies on the scale. What determines where a liquid lies on this scale depends on how many free hydrogen or hydroxyl ions are in the water; an abundance of hydroxyl ions meaning the liquid is a base, and likewise, an abundance of hydrogen ions meaning the liquid is acidic. As the pH of water is directly related to the chemicals in it, a change in pH is one indicator that the water is changing chemically. This is why pool owners test their pool water for the pH; so that they can ensure that the chemicals in the water are correctly balanced for safe swimming. Another important thing to note about pH is that the scale is logarithmic in that it increases by powers of 10. So, every time the pH goes up another number, it is ten times as strong as the previous number. This is why it is very crucial for pH to be in a certain range to support life and be safe for humans to swim in.

How did the Nile shape Ancient Egypt?

The river Nile played a critical role in ancient Egyptian civilization. The river flooded annually and deposited nutrient-rich silt on its banks that created an environment that supported agriculture. The Egyptians planted crops such as wheat, beans, and cotton, as well as built canals that sustained agriculture all year round. Agriculture was the bedrock of Egyptian civilization.

The annual occurrence of the Nile floods led to the belief in gods and establishment of a social structure. The Egyptians believed that as long as the gods were happy, the Nile would continue flooding and bringing along the abundant blessings. At the apex of the social structure were gods, followed by pharaohs, scribes, merchants, artisans, farmers, and slaves. Individuals in each social stratum had a specific responsibility to perform, although education made it possible for people from lower social strata to progress to higher ones.

What is the meaning of the last paragraph of "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield?

The last paragraph of "The Garden Party" has to do with the effect of death upon the consciousness of a person. After Laura "crosses the broad road" that divides her upper-class home from those at the bottom of the hill and visits the house of the man who was killed, she realizes that despite differing social classes, everyone shares a common humanity.

It seems that Laura's encounter with the dead Mr. Scott has a profound affect on her. While she is at first nervous about going down the hill and bringing the leftovers of the garden party to the poor Scotts, Laura is brought into the house by the sister of Mrs. Scott. Being rather uncomfortable in the presence of the grieving woman, Laura tells the sister, "Please, please don't disturb her. I - I only want to leave—"

Then, Laura tries to find the way outside, but instead walks into the room where the dead man lies. She feels that she should say something to Mr. Scott, who looks "so remote, so peaceful. . . He was given up to his dream. What did garden-parties and baskets and lace frocks matter to him?"

Laura apologizes for her black hat placed earlier on her head by her mother (a disguise, perhaps, against the outside world), and she departs. In the last paragraph of the story, Laura arrives home. Her brother, seeing Laura is emotional, tells her not to cry, but Laura insists that "it was marvellous," adding, "Isn't life?" When Laurie asks her to explain, she is unable. Laurie somehow understands, "Isn't it, darling?" Laura has an epiphany in her burgeoning understanding that although life is inscrutable, all people are tied together by common experiences, such as death.

Laura has been isolated from the outside world in her home and with her family's wealth, a fact suggested early in the narrative as she wishes that the "silly boys she danced with" were as friendly and nice as the workmen setting things up for the party. After the garden party, she leaves her family and "crosses the broad road" to the poor neighborhood where a young man has been killed. When she enters this man's home and sees him in the casket, Laura realizes she, Mr. Scott, and the "nice workmen" are all part of the same world, a world in which people live and die.

What was the role of women in the English colonies?

Women in the English colonies had three primary objectives: to maintain their households for their husbands, to productively submit themselves to men, and to operate as the spiritual backbone of their home.

Girls were expected to assume the tasks of adult women when they turned 13 years old, and women were largely expected to marry by the age of 20. By doing so, they found some sort of legal identity through the representation of their...

Women in the English colonies had three primary objectives: to maintain their households for their husbands, to productively submit themselves to men, and to operate as the spiritual backbone of their home.

Girls were expected to assume the tasks of adult women when they turned 13 years old, and women were largely expected to marry by the age of 20. By doing so, they found some sort of legal identity through the representation of their husband. Otherwise, women had few legal rights; they could not vote or hold public office.

Thus, most of their work took place within and around the home; these tasks included churning, spinning, weaving, mending and cleaning clothes, making candles, dyeing cloth, gardening, tending to livestock, raising children, and preparing meals.

Acting outside of the appropriate gender roles could result in women being shunned by the rest of society or punished. With little to no formal education (outside of sometimes being taught to read the Bible) and the watchful eye of religious establishments, women had little choice but to stay strictly in line with tradition.

How does Amy Tan choose to develop Waverly Jong from beginning to end?

Amy Tan's short story "Rules of the Game" bears witness to the psychological growth and development of young Waverly Jong, who evolves over the course of three years from an ordinary six-year-old growing up in Chinatown to a nine-year-old chess prodigy with a mind of her own.

As a young girl, Waverly assumes the traditional role of a young Chinese girl under the fierce watch of her mother, Lindo Jong. Waverly must help her mother...

Amy Tan's short story "Rules of the Game" bears witness to the psychological growth and development of young Waverly Jong, who evolves over the course of three years from an ordinary six-year-old growing up in Chinatown to a nine-year-old chess prodigy with a mind of her own.

As a young girl, Waverly assumes the traditional role of a young Chinese girl under the fierce watch of her mother, Lindo Jong. Waverly must help her mother with chores, obey all the rules of the household, and fit the mold of "Meimei," the "little sister." She occasionally tests her mother's boundaries--like when she asks Lindo about Chinese torture--but is mostly attentive to the woman's instruction, particularly as it relates to "the art of invisible strength" and the uses of silence. 

Waverly changes dramatically once she begins to learn the rules of chess. After her brother Vincent receives a used chess board for Christmas, Waverly's interest in learning the "American Rules" is sparked. Waverly researches strategies and moves in the library and by practicing with old men in the park, and for the first time, she has an outlet for her intellectual curiosity. She begins to shed the stereotypes and gender roles of being a girl. Even her mother, who at first proclaimed that these wins are merely a matter of "luck," begins to take pride in her daughter's accomplishments. While Waverly is allowed plenty of free time to practice her chess strategies, her brothers must take on her chores. Waverly eventually becomes a national champion.

Despite this success, Waverly still struggles with her mother's habits, particularly her propensity for bragging about Waverly's wins as if they were her own. This prompts Waverly to tell her mother not to use her to "show off." Although Waverly tries to run off in order to assert her independence, it becomes very quickly evident that she won't be able to survive on her own. At the end of the story, it's clear that although Waverly has grown tremendously in her abilities, she is still at the mercy of Lindo's superior "invisible strength." 

What are two examples from Chapter 8 in Lord of the Flies that suggest that Simon might have epilepsy?

OxfordDictionaries.com defines epilepsy as "a neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain."

The first reference to Simon's condition is made in chapter one, with the arrival of Jack Merridew and the choirboys:

Then one of the boys flopped on his face in the sand and the line broke up. They heaved the fallen boy to the platform and let...

OxfordDictionaries.com defines epilepsy as "a neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain."

The first reference to Simon's condition is made in chapter one, with the arrival of Jack Merridew and the choirboys:

Then one of the boys flopped on his face in the sand and the line broke up. They heaved the fallen boy to the platform and let him lie. Merridew, his eyes staring, made the best of a bad job. “All right then. Sit down. Let him alone.” “But Merridew.” “He’s always throwing a faint,” said Merridew. “He did in Gib.; and Addis; and at matins over the precentor.”

We know that this refers to Simon because we later read:

... the choir boy who had fainted sat up against a palm trunk, smiled pallidly at Ralph and said that his name was Simon.

Simon's condition patently differentiates him from the others, and Ralph at one point remarks: ‘“He’s queer. He’s funny.” Jack nodded, as much for the sake of agreeing as anything ...’ Ralph also calls him 'batty.'

The second, and more significant, reference to Simon experiencing an epileptic episode is found in chapter eight, as per your question. In this instance, the text suggests a clear link between Simon's hallucinatory state and the onset of an attack. The heightened electrical activity in his brain may be what causes him to imagine that the sow's head on a stick (The Lord of the Flies) is conversing with him.

Simon’s head wobbled. His eyes were half closed as though he were imitating the obscene thing on the stick. He knew that one of his times was coming on. The Lord of the Flies was expanding like a balloon. “This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you’ll only meet me down there—so don’t try to escape!” Simon’s body was arched and stiff. The Lord of the Flies spoke in the voice of a schoolmaster.  

Simon gradually loses consciousness.

Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was blackness within, a blackness that spread. “—Or else,” said the Lord of the Flies, “we shall do you? See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?” Simon was inside the mouth. He fell down and lost consciousness.

This experience precedes Simon's discovery that what the boys believed to be the beast was actually a dead parachutist. He resolves to inform the others about his discovery.

The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible. 

It is unfortunate and tragically ironic that he never gets the chance to deliver his message, for he is killed by the frenzied boys when he appears from the forest and is mistaken for the beast.

In "A Rose for Emily", what does Emily Grierson have engraved at the jeweler's?

Part IV of "A Rose for Emily" is very telling.

We learn that Emily's relationship with Homer Barron is not taken very well by the people. The minister, his wife, and even Emily's cousins from Alabama, try to make sense into her by telling her that her relationship with Homer should end.

While the neighbors waited to see what would happen now that the Grierson clan was once again together, this time to persuade Emily...

Part IV of "A Rose for Emily" is very telling.

We learn that Emily's relationship with Homer Barron is not taken very well by the people. The minister, his wife, and even Emily's cousins from Alabama, try to make sense into her by telling her that her relationship with Homer should end.

While the neighbors waited to see what would happen now that the Grierson clan was once again together, this time to persuade Emily to leave Homer Barron, they also learned (presumably from word to mouth gossip) that Emily had been to the jeweler's. What did she have engraved there? Emily had the jeweler engrave her purchase of a silver men's toiletry set; the engraving was Homer Baron's initials: HB. This engraving added elegance and the signification of ownership and exclusive relationship to Homer's new comb and brush set.

I included a picture of a typical, early 20th century man's toilet set in silver. As "head of household", the man of the house would be given an expensive set like this, as a wedding gift. This is a way to show that he is held in high esteem, giving him the finest tools to make himself socially presentable to everyone. An expenditure of this kind was a serious matter. It is a sign that there is definitely a solid relationship established where two people will share a household together. Therefore, the town assumed that the two had secretly married.

Granted, the people were rooting for Emily; they were happy that she had apparently found a mate in Homer Barron. They also expressed a deep dislike for the cousins. 

 We learned that Miss Emily had been to the jeweler's and ordered a man's toilet set in silver, with the letters H. B. on each piece. Two days later we learned that she had bought a complete outfit of men's clothing, including a nightshirt, and we said, "They are married." 

 When Emily's cousins finally left her household a week after this, Homer was seen again. The problem was that, after he was let in the house that night, Homer was never seen again. We know why at the very end of the story, when the door of Emily’s room is opened and the secret finding is finally uncovered.