Question: (CNN) -- At first glance, they could almost pass for masterpieces by Monet or Renoir.

But these impressionist-style paintings -- which are changing hands for thousands of dollars -- were painted by a five-year-old girl who is unable to speak.

Meet Iris Halmshaw, an autistic child from Leicestershire, UK, who has been producing these striking artworks since she was three.

She has autism, a condition that has made her unable to communicate except through the medium of art.

"From the first painting, she filled the paper with color and it wasn't random -- it was considered and thought out," says her mother, Arabella Carter-Johnson.

"She was so excited and happy I knew that we had found a key into her world and a way of interacting with her."

Autism changed everything

The journey started when Iris was two. Carter-Johnson and her husband, Peter-Jon Halmshaw, realized that something was wrong: she had not picked up any words, and rarely made eye contact.

"We researched it ourselves," her mother recalls, "but as parents, you are always hoping that there was some other explanation."

Iris was officially diagnosed as a child with autism. According to Carter-Johnson, the doctor was "depressing" because he told them that very few therapies worked.

Not to be deterred, the couple embarked on "long nights of research", which led them to the idea of art therapy.

The little girl picked up painting techniques astonishingly quickly, and before long was spending much time at work on her canvases.

Remarkably for a child of her age, her sessions involved about two hours of consistent concentration. 1. Where does Iris live?
2. What was thought out?
3. who said this?
4. When did her parents start to think something was wrong?
5. why?
6. What did they do first?
7. Was she ever offically diagnosed?
8. with what?
9. were there a lot of options for help?
10. how did that make the parents feel?
11. Were they able to find a therapy?
12. what?
13. How did they find that?
14. How did Iris do with it?
15. How long were her sessions?
16. What type of paintings does she do?
17. Is she selling them?
18. for how much?
19. What could these pass for?
20. Does Iris speak? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. Leicestershire, UK,
2. her art
3. her mother
4. when she was two
5. she had not picked up any words, and rarely made eye contact.
6. research
7. yes
8. autism.
9. No
10. depressed
11. yes
12. art therapy.
13. long nights of research
14. The little girl picked up painting techniques astonishingly quickly,
15. 2 hours
16. impressionist-style paintings
17. yes
18. 1000's of dollars
19. Monet or Renoir.
20. no

Question: CHAPTER XIX. THE KNIGHT AND THE DRAGON

A telegram had been received in the morning, which kept Valetta and Fergus on the qui vive all day. Valetta was an unspeakable worry to the patient Miss Vincent, and Fergus arranged his fossils and minerals.

Both children flew out to meet their father at the gate, but words failed them as he came into the house, greeted the aunts, and sat down with Fergus on his knee, and Valetta encircled by his arm.

'Yes, Lilias is quite well, very busy and happy---with her first instalment of children.'

'I am so thankful that you are come,' said Adeline. 'Jane ventured to augur that you would, but I thought it too much to hope for.'

'There was no alternative,' said Sir Jasper.

'I infer that you halted at Avoncester.'

'I did so; I saw the poor boy.'

'What a comfort for his sister!'

'Poor fellow! Mine was the first friendly face he had seen, and he was almost overcome by it'---and the strong face quivered with emotion at the recollection of the boy's gratitude.

'He is a nice fellow,' said Jane. 'I am glad you have seen him, for neither Mr. White nor Rotherwood can believe that he is not utterly foolish, if not worse.'

'A boy may do foolish things without being a fool,' said Sir Jasper. 'Not that this one is such another as his father. I wish he were.'

'I suppose he has more of the student scholarly nature.'

'Yes. The enlistment, which was the making of his father, was a sort of moral suicide in him. I got him to tell me all about it, and I find that the idea of the inquest, and of having to mention you, you monkey, drove him frantic, and the dismissal completed the business.' 1. Where were they all day?
2. What held them there?
3. When did it arrive?
4. Was anyone distracted by something?
5. Whom?
6. How did Miss Vincent feel?
7. Is someone a new parent?
8. Do they have a lot of spare time?
9. Who was met at the gate?
10. How many kids were there?
11. Was someone acting in an ignorant way?
12. Who was it?
13. Did Jane think he was mean?
14. How did she feel about him?
15. Who had seen him?
16. Was someone putting something in order?
17. Who?
18. What was he organizing?
19. Who let him sit on their knee?
20. Was he holding anyone else?
21. Whom? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. on the qui vive
2. A telegram
3. in the morning
4. yes
5. Fergus
6. worried
7. yes
8. yes
9. their father
10. Two
11. yes
12. the poor boy
13. no
14. She thought he was a nice fellow
15. Sir Jasper
16. yes
17. Fergus
18. his fossils and minerals
19. his father
20. yes
21. Valetta

Question: Rebel-controlled northern Syria (CNN) -- Mohamed Rashid walked out of the gate of his house with a giant blood stain on his white T-shirt.

"This is the blood of a martyr! Of a hero! Of a lion!" he bellowed. "This is his blood. It is pure!"

Mad with grief, Rashid kissed his bloody T-shirt before being led away by worried relatives.

Just hours before, Rashid learned his son Abdul was killed in battle in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Housam Abdul Rashid was a 22-year-old defector from the army. He was also the fourth man from his small hilltop village to be killed fighting for the rebels.

The younger Rashid is one of the casualties of the five-day-old rebel offensive on Aleppo, the country's commercial capital. Another rebel, who asked only to be named "Khorshid" because his wife and children were still living in Aleppo, described how his comrade was killed by a helicopter gunship, while climbing onto a rooftop.

Syria: As al-Assad's grip loosens, what could come next?

"Housam's specialty was a sniper," Khorshid said. "He went to the roof, and a helicopter gunship killed him. Another fighter from Aleppo with him was also killed. I was just 4 meters away when it happened."

Khorshid said the rebels mounted their offensive on Aleppo last Friday, two days after a bomb killed four of Syria's top security officials.

Rebel commanders and fighters claimed they made gains, particularly in the neighborhood of Salahuddin. But they were also clearly suffering casualties.

What began 17 months ago as a peaceful protest movement has evolved into a full-fledged armed insurgency. 1. Who walked away from the residence with a blood stained shirt?
2. What had Rashid just recently learned?
3. Where did the incident take place?
4. How old was Rashid?
5. What city was Abdul killed in?
6. How long was the battle?
7. What was Housam known for?
8. How har away was Khorshid when a fellow rebel was killed?
9. CHow long ago did the resistance begin? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers:
1. Mohamed Rashid
2. learned his son Abdul was killed
3. in battle
4. 22-year-old
5. Aleppo.
6. five-day-old
7. sniper,"
8. 4 meters away
9. 17 months