INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Use a tie that you won't be wearing anymore. The tie should be 100% silk. A tie made of any other material won't work. Choose a tie that has an interesting pattern. Dark purple, blue, and red ties work the best. It doesn't necessarily have to be a beautiful tie. "Uglier" ties sometimes make the most beautiful eggs. If you don't have any ties laying around, silk ties can be found cheap at most thrift shops. Be creative and give free rein to your imagination as you make more eggs.

SUMMARY: Find a silk tie. That's it!

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Loop a thick rubber band around a book and write on it while it's stretched out. Your writing will just look like a random design once it returns to its original size. Wait until no one is looking, then give the rubber band a tug and watch your notes magically appear. Make sure you write your letters nice and small. That way, no one will be able to tell what they are until you stretch out the rubber band. Remove the label from a bottle of water and scan it onto your computer. Open the file in an image editor and replace all the visible text with crib notes. Once you're done, print out the fake label and attach it to the bottle using a dab of glue. If you don't have a scanner or printer at your disposal, you can write on the inside of the label, then reattach it using a dab of glue. To make the most of the space you have, try to cover as much of the label as possible, including the areas where the product slogan, serving info, and ingredients list would usually go. Either scrawl the answers directly onto your desktop (if you have an assigned seat) or put them on a "blank" sheet of paper and keep it out during the test. They'll glow brightly when illuminated with UV keychain light, but will remain unseen to anyone passing by the rest of the time. You can buy invisible ink online or at most craft stores for around $10 a bottle. Another option is to shop around for a set of invisible ink pens. These often come with handy UV mini-flashlights built in. Sometime before your test, make a list of any items you don't understand and tag them on the wall of one of the stalls in the bathroom. If things go south during the exam, tell your teacher you urgently need to use the restroom and slip away to consult your secret treasure trove of knowledge. Leave your answers in out-of-the-way places where someone will be unlikely to spot and erase them. It's also a good idea to use pencil or washable marker to avoid getting in even more trouble if you happen to get busted.

SUMMARY: Turn a rubber band into a covert cheat sheet. Print your notes on a water bottle label. Write down the answers to the test in invisible ink. Graffiti a bathroom stall with test answers.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Avoid apologizing to your reader by saying you are not an expert on the two topics or your opinion does not matter. Don't lead with a phrase like, "In my humble opinion", or "I could be wrong, but I believe." Instead, you should move confidently in your introduction, keeping in mind your thesis statement and the essay outline you created. You should also avoid announcing your intentions in a straightforward and formal way. For example, skip statements like "In this paper, I will" or "The purpose of this essay is to". Instead, your reader should be able to perceive the purpose of your essay through the first two sentences in your beginning paragraph. A hook, or attention grabber, can help to engage your reader right away, especially if your topic is dry or complex. Try to create a hook using these starting points: An interesting or surprising example: This could be a personal experience of when a cat proved to be a better pet than a dog, or a scientific study that shows the differences between cats and dogs. A provocative quotation: This could be from a source you used for your essay or one that feels relevant to your topic. A vivid anecdote: An anecdote is a very short story that carries moral or symbolic weight. Think of an anecdote that might be a poetic or powerful way to start your essay. You can also look through your research for your essay for any note worthy anecdotes. A thought provoking question: Think of a question that will get your reader thinking and engaged in your topic. For example: "Did you always wish you had a cat but ended up with a dog when you were growing up?" Another technique is to write a temporary introduction, with your thesis statement, and then revise it or rewrite it once you finish your essay. If you feel stumped by the introduction, as you aren't sure what you are going to argue in detail or how your main argument is going to take shape, try writing your introduction last. The writing process can be an important way to organize your ideas, think through certain points, and refine your thoughts. Writing or revising the introduction once you are done your essay will ensure the introduction matches the body of your essay.

SUMMARY: Be assertive and clear. Create a hook for your first sentence. Revise your introduction once you complete the essay.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If your washer starts shaking during the spin cycle, pause the washing machine. Open the door to inspect the arrangement of your clothes. If there is an uneven pile, your drum may have simply bundled your clothes into an uneven ball. Spread your clothes out and resume your spin cycle. If your washer continues to shake, remove some of your clothes. You may have simply overloaded it. If your washer consistently causes your clothes to bundle together into an uneven ball, the drum is probably absorbing weight unevenly because it isn't level. You may be filling the drum with too many clothes when you use your washer, even if it doesn't seem like it. Only add clothes until the drum is half-full so that the clothes have room to move when the drum spins. For a front-loading machine, pile your clothes up higher towards the back of the drum and avoid leaving them near the door. Overfilling your machine will also keep your clothes from getting adequately clean. To see if your washer isn't level, put both hands on the top of your washer. Try pushing it side-to-side. If it wobbles or gives at all, your machine isn't level and the vibration from the drum is making the legs bang repeatedly into the floor. Find a more even section of flooring and move the washer to see if the problem stops. If your dryer is unlevel too, then it's probably your floor's fault. Try finding a flatter area of your home to set the machines or slide a sheet of plywood underneath them. Open a front-loading washer and try to press the bottom of the drum down. If it doesn't move at all, the delivery or installation crew probably forgot to remove the shipping bolts. Turn your washer on to its side. Look underneath the machine and behind it for plastic clamps that are shoved over the openings or bolts. The shipping bolts ensure that your drum doesn't move during delivery and installation. They will cause a machine to shake if they're left in. Depending on the make and model of your machine, the shipping bolts may be hiding behind the back panel. If your back panel simply slides out, lift it up to see if there are any plastic pieces latched to your drum. Remove the shipping bolts by squeezing the handle and pulling them. If the bolts are screwed into a panel, place a wrench over the bolt and turn it counterclockwise to loosen and remove them. Sometimes, you can simply unscrew the bolts by hand. The shipping bolts are usually brightly-colored so that they're easy to notice. They also tend to be made from a cheap plastic. They should look really out of place on your machine.

SUMMARY:
Move your clothes around in the middle of a spin cycle. Use smaller loads of clothes when filling your washing machine. Try rocking the machine when it isn't running to see if it tilts and move it. Look for shipping bolts on the back and bottom of a new washer. Remove the shipping bolts by hand or with a wrench.