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Read the Essay That Follows, Written Without Proper Paragraph Breaks

question 29

Multiple Choice

Read the essay that follows, written without proper paragraph breaks, and then answer the question(s) by selecting the letter of the correct answer.
(1) Have you ever wanted a huge party, puffy dress, and sparkling tiara? (2) If so, you just may be one of the millions of girls counting the days until their quinceañeras. (3) A quinceañera is an over-the-top, dramatic, and even funny celebration that occurs when a Hispanic girl turns fifteen, but a quinceañera is also an important event in the girl's life, marking her entry into adulthood. (4) Each girl puts her own stamp on the celebration, as several examples will show. (5) One illustration of a memorable quinceañera was my cousin Cindy's three years ago. (6) She constantly said she wanted something different from other quinceañeras. (7) The first step was her custom-made invitations. (8) Another component of the party was more like a fairytale. (9) A wooden swan was constructed to lead her into the ballroom to perform her waltz. (10) Luckily, her dress wasn't as outlandish as the swan. (11) It was simple, but it was the centerpiece of the party. (12) Many quinceañeras are lavish parties like my cousin's, but others focus on the occasion's meaning. (13) My own quinceañera four years ago is an example. (14) Despite its simplicity, it was an experience I'll never forget. (15) My family came from far away to the event, and I felt special, knowing they were there to help me transition into adulthood. (16) Even more special were my uncles' sincere speeches and my mother's proud and happy words. (17) Yet, despite this joy, I felt a little sad: I was no longer a carefree girl as I would now have to take on some responsibilities. (18) I was scared I would fail, but having my family there showed me the help I would have along the way. (19) A third example is my little cousin, who is 11 years old but already halfway through planning her own quinceañera. (20) She has already designed her own dress for the quinceañera and picked the location. (21) So far, she feels relaxed, but knowing how I felt during the first few months of planning, I wish her the best of luck. (22) I plan on helping her. (23) I already promised her a spa day before her party, but I hope the meaning of the occasion is what she appreciates the most, not the dress or shoes. (24) As you can see, a quinceañera is a pivotal experience in a Hispanic girl's life. (25) She learns there is more to life than clothes and gifts. (26) It's the togetherness of the family and determination that she learns about, two things Hispanics value highly. (27) After the party, we begin our adulthood, our entrance into the real world. (28) Somehow, we still manage to laugh and smile along the way.
⎯ Diana Valtierra, Student
What is the thesis statement?

Definitions:

Z-statistic

A statistic that measures the distance in standard deviations of a sample mean from the population mean under the null hypothesis.

Rejection Region

The set of values for which the null hypothesis is rejected in hypothesis testing.

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The measure of how fast an individual can type, often expressed in words per minute (WPM), influencing productivity in many computer-related tasks.

Z-statistic

A statistical measurement that represents the number of standard deviations a data point is from the mean of a data set.