Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

A shire is a traditional term for a division of land, found in the United Kingdom and some other English speaking countries. It was first used in Wessex from the beginning of Anglo-Saxon settlement, and spread to most of the rest of England in the tenth century. In some rural parts of Australia, a shire is a local government area; however, in Australia it is not synonymous with a "county", which is a lands administrative division.

The word derives from the Old English "scir", itself a derivative of the Proto-Germanic "skizo" (cf. Old High German "scira"), meaning care or official charge. In the UK, "shire" is the original term for what is usually known now as a "county"; the word "county" having been introduced at the Norman Conquest of England. The two are nearly synonymous. Although in modern British usage counties are referred to as "shires" mainly in poetic contexts, terms such as Shire Hall remain common. Shire also remains a common part of many county names.

In regions with so-called rhotic pronunciation such as Scotland, the word "shire" is pronounced or . In non-rhotic areas the final R is silent unless the next word begins in a vowel. When "shire" is a suffix as part of a placename in England, the vowel is unstressed and thus usually shortened and/or monophthongised: pronunciations include , or sometimes , with the pronunciation of the final R again depending on rhoticity. In many words, the vowel is normally reduced all the way to a single schwa, as in for instance "Leicestershire" or "Berkshire" . Outside England, and especially in Scotland and the US, it is more common for "shire" as part of a placename to be pronounced identically to the full word, as a result of spelling pronunciation.

1. What is a shire?
2. For what?
3. Where is the word found?
4. When was it first used?
5. When?
6. Is it used outside of England?
7. Where?
8. Anyplace else?
9. What word does it come from?
10. Which is what language?
11. Meaning?
12. Does it mean the same as county?

Numbered answers:

A: 1. a term
2. a division of land
3. in the United Kingdom
4. in Wessex
5. the beginning of Anglo-Saxon settlement
6. Yes
7. in Australia
8. no
9. "scir"
10. Old English
11. care or official charge
12. yes

Question: That median is the value separating the higher half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. For a data set, it may be thought of as the "middle" value. For example, in the data set {1, 3, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9}, the median is 6, the fourth largest, and also the fourth smallest, number in the sample. For a continuous probability distribution, the median is the value such that a number is equally likely to fall above or below it.

The median is a commonly used measure of the properties of a data set in statistics and probability theory. The basic advantage of the median in describing data compared to the mean (often simply described as the "average") is that it is not skewed so much by extremely large or small values, and so it may give a better idea of a "typical" value. For example, in understanding statistics like household income or assets which vary greatly, a mean may be skewed by a small number of extremely high or low values. Median income, for example, may be a better way to suggest what a "typical" income is.

Because of this, the median is of central importance in robust statistics, as it is the most resistant statistic, having a breakdown point of 50%: so long as no more than half the data are contaminated, the median will not give an arbitrarily large or small result. 1. What is of great importance in robust statistics?
2. The median is a measure of what?
3. A data set within what?
4. What is the advantage of the median?
5. Skewed so much as what?
6. What other helpful measure does it give?
7. What can skew a mean?
8. In robust statistics, is the median is the most resistant statistic?
9. For a continuous probability distribution, how do you explain a median?
10. For a data set, how could you describe the median?
11. In robust statistics, the median has a breakdown point of what?
12. And can't have more than half the data, what?
13. Then what will happen? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. The median.
2. The properties of a data set.
3. Statistics and probability theory.
4. It is not skewed so much.
5. Extremely large or small values.
6. It may give a better idea of a "typical" value.
7. By a small number of extremely high or low values.
8. Yes.
9. The value such that a number is equally likely to fall above or below it.
10. The "middle" value.
11. 50%:
12. Contaminated.
13. The median will not give an arbitrarily large or small result.

Q: (CNN) -- Wednesday night's CNN debate lands at a critical moment in the Republican race.

This season, each debate has set the tone for the primary to follow. Newt Gingrich's savaging of the media helped propel him to victory in South Carolina. Mitt Romney's savaging of Gingrich helped him to clinch Florida. The current uncertainty about the race, and the extraordinary elasticity in the polls, is partly due to the fact that we haven't had a debate for a whole month.

It's important, then, for each of the candidates to make a powerful impression in this last confrontation before Arizona and Michigan vote on February 28. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich will compete over who is the most conservative, and Ron Paul will push his unique brand of libertarianism. Same old, same old. But we might see something new from Mitt Romney: a glimmer of humanity.

The latest CNN/Time/ORC International Poll shows that Santorum is closing the gap on Romney in Arizona, but it's probably in Michigan that he stands the best chance of scoring an upset. A week ago, polls put Santorum as much as 10 points ahead in the Great Lakes State. But now they call it a statistical dead heat between him and Romney.

So it would serve Santorum well to hit Mitt hard in the debate. This is Rick's natural style -- he gets a thrill out of counting the flaws of his opponents. But Santorum also probably recognizes that the only way he'll win Michigan is by reminding voters of the doubts that they have about Romney's conservatism. That's what he's been doing in the western part of the state all this week, where he has hit out repeatedly at Romney's "well-oiled weathervane" stance on issues like abortion and Iran.

1. Wednesday
2. CNN
3. no
4. Republican
5. Newt Gingrich
6. savaging of the media
7. Mitt Romney
8. savaging of Gingrich
9. month
10. 10
11. Great Lakes State
12. Michigan
13. CNN/Time/ORC
14. yes
15. Arizona
16. Michigan
17. 28
18. libertarianism
19. Ron
20. flaws of his opponents

Numbered questions:
1. On what night was the debate?
2. On what network?
3. Was the debate Democratic?
4. What party was it related to?
5. Who won in South Carolina?
6. To what was his victory attributed?
7. Who won in Florida?
8. What was his victory attributed to?
9. How much time had passed since the last debate?
10. How many points ahead was Santorum in one of the polls a week ago?
11. In what state?
12. What is the actual name of that state?
13. What outlets were associated with the international poll?
14. Are there states holding a vote in February?
15. What is the first state?
16. And the second?
17. On what day in February?
18. What branch of politics is Paul associated with?
19. What is his first name?
20. What does Santorum like counting regarding his opponents?