A Ton of Crap (55 page)

Alphabets
Due to such a complex history full of conflict, the Belarusian alphabet is actually a combination of two influences, Cyrillic and the Latin alphabet. Old Belarusian was originally written in Cyrillic, and during the sixteenth century, with the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, Belarusian began appearing in the Latin alphabet. By the nineteenth century, Belarusian was written in both alphabets, and spelling became an issue of controversy, as some wanted words spelled like Russian and others wanted words spelled like Polish. When the Soviets came to power, Cyrillic became the official alphabet; however, when Belarus gained independence in 1991, efforts were made to return to the Latin alphabet.

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

A New Republic
On September 22, 1792, the French First Republic was founded by the National Convention. The National Convention abolished the monarchy, created a new constitution, and a day later, declared France to be a Republic. The Republic would only last fourteen years, however, before Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power and established the First French Empire.

DEVELOPING A PARAGRAPH

When to Start a New Paragraph
There are a couple of ways you know you need to start a new paragraph. The most obvious is when you begin discussing a new topic or a new idea. Similarly, if the material contrasts to the material before it, that should be a new paragraph. Even if the idea of your content is continuing, however, if the paragraph goes on for too long, it can make it hard to read. Use another paragraph to give the reader’s eyes a break. Lastly, you want a new paragraph when beginning your introduction and your conclusion.

BASIC ALGEBRA

Rearranging Formulas
Rearranging formulas is essentially taking all that you have learned, and working backward. It is very similar to the last lesson where you solved for
x
, only you are not limited to just one number. You can solve any part of the problem. For example, if you have a formula that states 2
b
 = 
c
, and then you are asked to solve for
b
, you can just divide both sides by 2. So,
b
 = 
c
/2.

CHEMICAL FORMULAS

The Hill System
Another system of writing chemical formulas is called the Hill system. With the Hill system, you first indicate the number of carbon atoms, then hydrogen, and then you go down the list of elements alphabetically. For example, uranium oxide in the chemical formula is written as U3O8. In the Hill system, it appears as O8U3. This system is commonly used for databases.

BELARUSIAN

Useful Belarusian Phrases
Here are some helpful phrases to use when traveling to Belarus. Note that these are written phonetically.

Hello.
Vitayu.

How are you?
Jak spravy?

Pleased to meet you.
Pryiemna paznajomicca.

Good morning.
Dobray ranitsy.

Good evening.
Dobry vechar.

Good night.
Dabranach.

Cheers!
Za zdarou’e!

I don’t understand.
Ne razumeyu.

Where’s the toilet?
Dze tualet?

Goodbye.
Da pabachen’nya.

1. Which major event of the French Revolution signified that the authority of the king had effectively been ended and a balance of power toward the common folk was beginning?
   

   1. The National Convention
      
   2. The September massacres
      
   3. The storming of the Tuileries Palace
      
   4. The Women’s march on Versailles
      

2. In French society, the Third Estate represented:
   

   1. The king
      
   2. Nobles
      
   3. The upper class
      
   4. The common people
      

3. When is it appropriate to start a new paragraph?
   

   1. When starting a new idea
      
   2. When the paragraph is too long and the reader needs a break
      
   3. When beginning your introduction and conclusion
      
   4. All of the above
      

4. Which of the following is an example of a supporting sentence?
   

   1. A sentence that analyzes and cites information regarding the topic
      
   2. A sentence that introduces a new topic
      
   3. A sentence that introduces the conclusion
      
   4. A sentence that introduces the topic of the paragraph
      

5. If x + 4 = y, then what does x equal?
   

   1. x
      =
      y
      +4
      
   2. x
      =
      y
      – 4
      
   3. x
      = 4
      
   4. x
      =
      y
      /4
      

6. What does x4(x + 7) equal?
   

   1. 2
      x
       + 7
      
   2. x
      5 + 7
      
   3. x
      5 + 7
      x
      4
      
   4. 5
      x
       + 7
      x
      4
      

7. Which of the following is an example of an ion?
   

   1. Na
      ⁺
      
   2. H
      ²
      O
      
   3. CO
      ₂
      
   4. ²³⁵
      U
      

8. Which of the following is an example of a polymer?
   

   1. ²³⁵
      U
      
   2. CH
      ₃
      (CH
      ₂
      )
      ₅₀
      CH
      ₃
      
   3. Na
      ⁺
      
   4. H
      ²
      O
      

9. Which of the following is true about Belarusian?
   

   1. The South-Western dialect is characterized by a harder “s” sound, and the North-Eastern has a softer-sounding “s.”
      
   2. The South-Western dialect is characterized by a harder “g” sound, and the North-Eastern has a softer-sounding “g.”
      
   3. The South-Western dialect is characterized by a harder “r” sound and the North-Eastern has a softer-sounding “r.”
      
   4. The South-Western dialect is characterized by a harder “p” sound, and the North-Eastern has a softer-sounding “p.”
      

10. How do you say “Pleased to meet you” in Belarusian?
    

    1. Za zdarou’e.
       
    2. Da pabachen’nya.
       
    3. Dobry vechar.
       
    4. Pryiemna paznajomicca.
       

ANSWER KEY: d, d, d, a, b, c, a, b, c, d

HISTORY:
The Civil War
Secession from the Union, First Battle at Bull Run, The Battle of Shiloh, The Emancipation Proclamation, The Gettysburg Address, The Surrender of Robert E. Lee

LANGUAGE ARTS:
Virginia Woolf
About Virginia Woolf, The Bloomsbury Group,
The Voyage Out
,
Mrs. Dalloway
,
To the Lighthouse
, Virginia Woolf’s Death

MATH:
Linear Algebra
What Is Linear Algebra?, Linear Equations, Matrices, Vector Space, Complex Numbers, Useful Theorems

SCIENCE:
John Dalton
About John Dalton, Color Blindness, Atomic Weights, Atomic Theory, Dalton’s Law, Impact of the Atomic Theory

FOREIGN LANGUAGE:
Czech
The Origins, The Fifteenth Century, The “Peasant Tongue,” Czech and Slovak, Dialects, Useful Czech Phrases

THE CIVIL WAR

Secession from the Union
Before Abraham Lincoln even took office as president of the United States, the state of South Carolina perceived his election as a threat and called all state delegates to a meeting. The delegates voted to remove South Carolina from the United States in December of 1860. Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas followed South Carolina’s move, forming the Confederate States of America on February 4, 1861. Four more states, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina would join the Confederate States of America.

VIRGINIA WOOLF

About Virginia Woolf
Born Adeline Virginia Stephen in 1882, Woolf was educated at home by her father, who wrote
Dictionary of English Biography
. Woolf suffered from depression and severe mental illness all of her life. Her first series of nervous breakdowns started after her mother’s death when she was just thirteen. When her father died in 1904, she had to be hospitalized. Her writing is considered to be some of the best feminist and modernist work.

LINEAR ALGEBRA

What Is Linear Algebra?
Linear algebra is a field of mathematics that studies the theory of linear equations and linear transformation. A problem in linear algebra begins in geometry, dealing with lines, space, and vectors, and it is then translated into an algebraic equation so that it can be solved. Once solved, the results go back into the geometry. Linear algebra is essential to modern mathematic and scientific applications.

JOHN DALTON

About John Dalton
It is because of the work of John Dalton that chemistry is a separate science. Dalton was born September 6, 1766, to a Quaker family in Cumberland, England. Dalton grew quite interested in meteorology and began keeping a diary recording weather conditions like atmospheric pressure and temperature. He maintained the diary until his death, a total of fifty-seven years.

CZECH

The Origins
Czech is a West Slavonic language that was known as Bohemian until the nineteenth century. The earliest written documents in Czech date back to the eleventh century, and they were written in the Latin alphabet. Due to geographical location and a turbulent political history, the Czech language is greatly influenced by German and has grammatical and phonetic features of both German and Slavonic.

THE CIVIL WAR