Problem: CHAPTER XX

A MOMENT OF PERIL

"This is the life!"

"That's right, Tom. This kind of touring suits me to death," returned Sam Rover.

"Tom, how many miles an hour are you making?" broke in his wife. "Remember what you promised me--that you would keep within the limit of the law."

"And that is just what I am doing, Nellie," he answered. "But it's mighty hard to do it, believe me, when you are at the wheel of such a fine auto as this. Why, I could send her ahead twice as fast if I wanted to!"

"Don't you dare!" burst out Grace, who sat in the tonneau beside her sister. "If you do I'll make you let Sam drive."

"He's got to let me drive anyway after dinner," said the youngest Rover boy. "That's the arrangement."

It was the second day of the tour, and Valley Brook Farm, and in fact the whole central portion of New York State, had been left far behind. The weather had turned out perfect, and so far they had encountered very little in the way of bad roads. Once they had had to make a detour of two miles on account of a new bridge being built, but otherwise they had forged straight ahead.

Tom and his wife, with Grace and Sam, occupied the first automobile, the remaining space in the roomy tonneau being taken up by various suitcases and other baggage. Behind this car came the one driven by Dick Rover. Beside him was his wife, with Mrs. Stanhope and Mrs. Laning behind them. Some distance to the rear was the third machine, a brand-new runabout, containing Chester Waltham and his sister Ada. Waltham had at first wished to take the lead, but had then dropped behind, stating he did not wish to get the others to follow him on any wrong road.
1. Who was driving?
2. How many people was he with?
3. Did he make any promises?
4. What was it?
5. Who did he promise that to?
6. Did he keep it?
7. Was it hard?
8. Why?
9. How was the weather?
10. Any problems on the trip?
11. Were they travelling with any other cars?
12. Who took the front position initially?
13. Did he change his mind?
14. Why?
15. Did the construction cause a delay?
16. For how long?
17. What else was in the car?
Answer: 1. Sam Rover
2. Three
3. yes
4. keep within the limit of the law.
5. his wife
6. yes
7. yes
8. when you are at the wheel of such a fine auto as this
9. perfect
10. no
11. yes
12. Waltham
13. yes
14. he did not wish to get the others to follow him on any wrong road.
15. yes
16. two miles
17. various suitcases and other baggage

Problem: Unlike the Spanish milled dollar the U.S. dollar is based upon a decimal system of values. In addition to the dollar the coinage act officially established monetary units of mill or one-thousandth of a dollar (symbol ), cent or one-hundredth of a dollar (symbol ), dime or one-tenth of a dollar, and eagle or ten dollars, with prescribed weights and composition of gold, silver, or copper for each. It was proposed in the mid-1800s that one hundred dollars be known as a union, but no union coins were ever struck and only patterns for the $50 half union exist. However, only cents are in everyday use as divisions of the dollar; "dime" is used solely as the name of the coin with the value of 10, while "eagle" and "mill" are largely unknown to the general public, though mills are sometimes used in matters of tax levies, and gasoline prices are usually in the form of $X.XX9 per gallon, e.g., $3.599, sometimes written as $3.59910. When currently issued in circulating form, denominations equal to or less than a dollar are emitted as U.S. coins while denominations equal to or greater than a dollar are emitted as Federal Reserve notes (with the exception of gold, silver and platinum coins valued up to $100 as legal tender, but worth far more as bullion). Both one-dollar coins and notes are produced today, although the note form is significantly more common. In the past, "paper money" was occasionally issued in denominations less than a dollar (fractional currency) and gold coins were issued for circulation up to the value of $20 (known as the "double eagle", discontinued in the 1930s). The term eagle was used in the Coinage Act of 1792 for the denomination of ten dollars, and subsequently was used in naming gold coins. Paper currency less than one dollar in denomination, known as "fractional currency", was also sometimes pejoratively referred to as "shinplasters". In 1854, James Guthrie, then Secretary of the Treasury, proposed creating $100, $50 and $25 gold coins, which were referred to as a "Union", "Half Union", and "Quarter Union", thus implying a denomination of 1 Union = $100.
1. Whats a $20 coin called?
2. When did they stop making it?
3. How much was a half union worth?
4. When was the Coinage Act?
5. When did they consider calling $100 a Union?
6. What's a dime's value?
7. What system is the US dollar based on?
8. Were any Union coins ever made?
9. Was thee any paper money worth less than a buck?
10. Which is worth more? Coins or bullion?
11. Did they make a pattern for the $50 Union coin?
12. Paper currency worth less than a buck is called?
13. What was it also sometimes called?
14. Are Eagle and Mill widely known by the public?
15. Does the Spanish milled dollar use the decimal system?
Answer: 1. "double eagle"
2. 1930s
3. $50
4. 1792
5. 1854
6. 10
7. decimal system
8. unknown
9. yes
10. coins
11. yes
12. "fractional currency"
13. "shinplasters"
14. no
15. no

Problem: Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador (, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; ), is a representative democratic republic in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Ecuador also includes the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific, about west of the mainland.

What is now Ecuador was home to a variety of Amerindian groups that were gradually incorporated into the Inca Empire during the 15th century. The territory was colonized by Spain during the 16th century, achieving independence in 1820 as part of Gran Colombia, from which it emerged as its own sovereign state in 1830. The legacy of both empires is reflected in Ecuador's ethnically diverse population, with most of its /1e6 round 1 million people being mestizos, followed by large minorities of European, Amerindian, and African descendants.

Spanish is the official language and is spoken by a majority of the population, though 13 Amerindian languages are also recognized, including Quichua and Shuar. The capital city is Quito, while the largest city is Guayaquil. In reflection of the country's rich cultural heritage, the historical center of Quito was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Cuenca, the third-largest city, was also declared a World Heritage Site in 1999 as an outstanding example of a planned, inland Spanish-style colonial city in the Americas.
1. What is the official language of Ecuador?
2. How many different languages are recognized?
3. What is the capital?
4. Is it the largest city?
5. What is?
6. What declaration was made about it?
7. When was Ecuador colonized?
8. By who?
9. When was independence achieved?
10. What happened in 1830?
11. Is it diversely populated?
12. What ethnicity is the majority population?
13. What is its official name?
14. What does it mean?
15. Are any islands a part of it?
16. Which ones?
17. What is the third largest city?
18. What was it declared?
19. When?
20. What is it an example of?
Answer:
1. Spanish
2. 13
3. Quito
4. No
5. Guayaquil
6. declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site
7. the 16th century
8. Spain
9. 1820
10. emerged as its own sovereign state
11. Yes
12. mestizos
13. Republic of Ecuador
14. Republic of the Equator
15. Yes
16. Galapagos Islands
17. Cuenca
18. a World Heritage Site
19. 1999
20. a planned, inland Spanish-style colonial city