question: A mandolin (Italian: mandolino pronounced [mandolino]; literally "small mandola") is a musical instrument in the lute family and is usually plucked with a plectrum or "pick". It commonly has four courses of doubled metal strings tuned in unison (8 strings), although five (10 strings) and six (12 strings) course versions also exist. The courses are normally tuned in a succession of perfect fifths. It is the soprano member of a family that includes the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello and mandobass.

There are many styles of mandolin, but four are common, the Neapolitan or round-backed mandolin, the carved-top mandolin and the flat-backed mandolin. The round-back has a deep bottom, constructed of strips of wood, glued together into a bowl. The carved-top or arch-top mandolin has a much shallower, arched back, and an arched topboth carved out of wood. The flat-backed mandolin uses thin sheets of wood for the body, braced on the inside for strength in a similar manner to a guitar. Each style of instrument has its own sound quality and is associated with particular forms of music. Neapolitan mandolins feature prominently in European classical music and traditional music. Carved-top instruments are common in American folk music and bluegrass music. Flat-backed instruments are commonly used in Irish, British and Brazilian folk music. Some modern Brazilian instruments feature an extra fifth course tuned a fifth lower than the standard fourth course.
1. How many strings do the most common mandolins have?
2. How are they tuned?
3. Are there other string combinations?
4. How many strings in those?
5. Are there specialized styles of mandolins?
6. How many are common?
7. What are they?
8. Are they used specifically for different music?
9. What is the flat-backed used in?
10. What are the Neapolitan most used in?
11. What about the carved-top?
12. What is the mandolin called in Italian?
13. What does it mean literally?
****
answer: 1. 8 strings
2. in a succession of perfect fifths
3. yes
4. 10 strings and 12 strings
5. yes
6. four
7. the Neapolitan or round-backed mandolin
8. yes
9. Irish, British and Brazilian folk music
10. European classical music and traditional music
11. American folk music and bluegrass music
12. mandolino
13. small mandola

question: "Mister D'Arcy is not a policeman. He is, however, very wise. He knew the police would search his apartment. He also knew how police think. So, he did not hide the letter where he knew they would look for it.

"Do you remember how Germont laughed when I said the mystery was difficult for him to solve because it was so simple?"

Dupin filled his pipe with tobacco and lit it. "Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the police could not find the letter because D'Arcy had not hidden it at all.

"So I went to visit D'Arcy in his apartment. I took a pair of dark green eyeglasses with me. I explained to him that I was having trouble with my eyes and needed to wear the dark glasses at all times. He believed me. The glasses permitted me to look around the apartment while I seemed only to be talking to him.

"I paid special attention to a large desk where there were a lot of papers and books. However, I saw nothing suspicious there. After a few minutes, however, I noticed a small shelf over the fireplace. A few postcards and a letter were lying on the shelf. The letter looked very old and dirty.

"As soon as I saw this letter, I decided it must be the one I was looking for. It must be, even though it was completely different from the one Germont had described.

"This letter had a large green stamp on it. The address was written in small letters in blue ink. I memorized every detail of the letter while I talked to D'Arcy. Then when he was not looking, I dropped one of my gloves on the floor under my chair.

"The next morning, I stopped at his apartment to look for my glove. While we were talking, we heard people shouting in the street. D'Arcy went to the window and looked out. Quickly, I stepped to the shelf and put the letter in my pocket. Then I replaced it with a letter that looked exactly like it, which I had made it the night before.

"The trouble in the street was caused by a man who had almost been run over by a horse and carriage. He was not hurt. And soon the crowd of people went away. When it was over, D'Arcy came away from the window. I said goodbye and left.

"The man who almost had an accident was one of my servants . I had paid him to create the incident."

Dupin stopped talking to light his pipe. I did not understand. "But, Dupin," I said, "why did you go to the trouble of replacing the letter? Why not just take it and leave?"

Dupin smiled. "D'Arcy is a dangerous man," he said. "And he has many loyal servants. If I had taken the letter, I might never have left his apartment alive."
1. Was Mister D'Arcy a policeman?
2. Did he know much a about police?
3. What did Dupin fill?
4. With what?
5. What color were the eyeglasses?
6. Did they believe he needed the glasses at all time?
7. What did the glasses allow him to do?
8. What was on the letter?
9. What did he drop there?
****
answer: 1. no
2. yes
3. his pipe
4. tobacco
5. dark green
6. I explained to him that I was having trouble with my eyes and needed to wear the dark glasses at all times. yes
7. to look around
8. large green stamp
9. his glove

question: Latin America is a group of countries and dependencies in the Americas where Spanish and Portuguese are predominant. The term originated in 19th century France as "Amerique latine" to consider French-speaking territories in the Americas (Haiti, French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy) along with the larger group of countries where Spanish and Portuguese languages prevailed. It is therefore broader than the terms Ibero-America or Hispanic Americathough it usually excludes French Canada and modern French Louisiana.

Latin America consists of nineteen sovereign states and several territories and dependencies which cover an area that stretches from the northern border of Mexico to the southern tip of South America, including the Caribbean. It has an area of approximately 19,197,000km (7,412,000sq mi), almost 13% of the Earth's land surface area. As of , its population was estimated at more than floor(/1e6) million and in 2014, Latin America had a combined nominal GDP of 5,573,397 million USD and a GDP PPP of 7,531,585 million USD.

The term "Latin America" was first used in an 1856 conference with the title "Initiative of the America. Idea for a Federal Congress of Republics" (Iniciativa de la America. Idea de un Congreso Federal de las Republicas), by the Chilean politician Francisco Bilbao. In such conference, he called for the creation of a confederation of Latin American republics to better search for their common defense and prosperity, without political or economic barriers between them. In the same work, he also detailed the principles under which such a confederation should work.
1. what languages are dominant in the area covered in the article?
2. what is the area called?
3. when was the area first called that?
4. where?
5. what is it in French?
6. how many square miles in the region?
7. how much of the planet does it cover?
8. what year did people start calling the area Latin America?
9. where?
10. what was it titled?
11. who coined the phrase?
12. where was he from?
13. what was his occupation?
14. what did he do at the meeting?
15. why?
****
answer:
1. Spanish and Portuguese
2. Latin America
3. in the 19th century
4. France
5. Amerique latine
6. 7,412,000sq mi
7. almost 13%
8. 1856
9. in a conference
10. Initiative of the America. Idea for a Federal Congress of Republics
11. Francisco Bilbao.
12. Chile
13. politician
14. he called for the creation of a confederation of Latin American republics
15. to better search for their common defense