Scout harbors her own prejudices at the start of To Kill a Mockingbird. What are they and what teaches her to lose these prejudices?

At the opening of the book, Scout does indeed have her own prejudices; however, they could more appropriately be what Atticus later calls "blind spots." As a child, Scout sees the world in a very simple, rigid way and is ignorant of how things like race or class shape and influence the way people are viewed by others. For example, she becomes very angry with her teacher for reprimanding her after she goes into detail...

At the opening of the book, Scout does indeed have her own prejudices; however, they could more appropriately be what Atticus later calls "blind spots." As a child, Scout sees the world in a very simple, rigid way and is ignorant of how things like race or class shape and influence the way people are viewed by others. For example, she becomes very angry with her teacher for reprimanding her after she goes into detail about the Cunningham's financial situation. In Scout's mind, the Cunningham's poverty is simply a fact and it doesn't change the way that she feels about Walter or his father. This also influences the way that she views the conflict around Tom's trial and how it's changing Atticus' social standing. 

As one of the more prominent themes in the story, Scout's understanding of human complexity and contradiction changes over the course of the novel. Her first lesson in this comes when Atticus explains that Mr. Cunningham anonymously leaves goods in exchange for Atticus' services because he is ashamed of his inability to pay. Prejudice and bias are also essential to how the children view Boo Radley. In their mind, he is a mysterious monster or thrilling source of adventure. It never occurs to her to consider why she believes this or that he could be an emotionally fragile or mentally ill man.

Scout is repeatedly faced with situations in which her previously simple understanding of people is challenged. Each new situation, from confronting the crowd outside the jail to the conclusion of Tom Robinson's trial, brings her one step closer to a better-developed understanding of how complicated people can be.

It's never quite clear if Scout overcomes her own biases, but the final encounter with Boo suggests that she has changed. Although Boo has been a source of fear and excitement for the children throughout the story, by the end she unquestioningly accepts him and eventually walks him home. Her figurative embrace of Boo Radley suggests that even if she doesn't quite understand why people are different, she no longer feels the need to aggressively challenge that which she doesn't understand.

Rainsford killed General Zaroff in self-defense. Do you agree?

This is a great question.  It is debatable.  In my opinion, Rainsford had to do what he had to do.  In other words, he did not want to kill General Zaroff, but he realized that if he was going to survive, he had to kill him in self-defense. Here is my rationale. 

First, Rainsford wanted to get off the island right away when he realized that General Zaroff was hunting humans. 

"General," said Rainsford firmly,...

This is a great question.  It is debatable.  In my opinion, Rainsford had to do what he had to do.  In other words, he did not want to kill General Zaroff, but he realized that if he was going to survive, he had to kill him in self-defense. Here is my rationale. 

First, Rainsford wanted to get off the island right away when he realized that General Zaroff was hunting humans. 

"General," said Rainsford firmly, "I wish to leave this island at once."

Of course, General Zaroff would not let him.  In fact, Zaroff was very excited to hunt such a great hunter like Rainsford. So, we can say that Rainsford had no choice but to play.  The alternative would have been death. 

Second, as Rainsford is being hunted, Rainsford realizes that running away would be suicide. The only way to survive was to go on the offensive. Here is what he says to himself.

Rainsford knew he could do one of two things. He could stay where he was and wait. That was suicide. He could flee. That was postponing the inevitable. For a moment he stood there, thinking. An idea that held a wild chance came to him, and, tightening his belt, he headed away from the swamp.

The conclusion that Rainsford came to was kill or be killed. From this perspective, he was acting in self-defense. 

Why did George stop being cruel to Lennie?

In Chapter 3, George is telling Slim how he and Lennie travel together. This is odd according to Slim because it is rare. Usually, these types of workers traveled alone, moving from job to job as the opportunities arose. George explains that when Lennie's Aunt Clara died, Lennie just tagged along as George went to work. George admits that he used to play jokes on Lennie simply because he could. But George realized that Lennie...

In Chapter 3, George is telling Slim how he and Lennie travel together. This is odd according to Slim because it is rare. Usually, these types of workers traveled alone, moving from job to job as the opportunities arose. George explains that when Lennie's Aunt Clara died, Lennie just tagged along as George went to work. George admits that he used to play jokes on Lennie simply because he could. But George realized that Lennie would often not even realize a joke had been played on him. Lennie would do anything George would tell him. George even admits to beating Lennie up and Lennie would never retaliate. Then George tells Slim about the time he told Lennie to jump into the Sacramento River to make some other guys laugh. Lennie jumps in and nearly drowns. George pulls him out and thanks George for saving him. George felt so bad that he stopped pulling these kinds of jokes on Lennie. 

"I turns to Lennie and says, ‘Jump in.’ An’ he jumps. Couldn’t swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him. An’ he was so damn nice to me for pullin’ him out. Clean forgot I told him to jump in. Well, I ain’t done nothing like that no more." 

George adds that Lennie is a nuisance but they have gotten used to each other. George still yells at Lennie but this is the only way he knows to keep Lennie from getting into trouble. The other, mostly unsaid, reason that George is kinder to Lennie than he used to be is the friendship between the two of them. Without Lennie, George might become like most of the other traveling workers they have seen. George notes that there is a tendency for such workers to "get mean." 

"I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin’ to fight all the time." 

What minerals from volcanoes can eventually become rock? What kinds of rock can those materials become?

When one stops to think about it, all the rocks we encounter in the earth's crust had as their starting point the minerals produced from hot, molten magma in the earth's mantle.

There are a lot of minerals and elements that come from volcanic eruptions and activity that can become rocks. 

Gold veins and deposits are found worldwide, particularly around areas that have volcanic activity.  Diamond deposits are also found in areas that are...

When one stops to think about it, all the rocks we encounter in the earth's crust had as their starting point the minerals produced from hot, molten magma in the earth's mantle.

There are a lot of minerals and elements that come from volcanic eruptions and activity that can become rocks. 

Gold veins and deposits are found worldwide, particularly around areas that have volcanic activity.  Diamond deposits are also found in areas that are formed from volcanic activity.  Bauxite is aluminum ore, the same aluminum used widely in drink cans, aluminum foil, you name it.  Nickel is an element used to make stainless steel, found in various volcanic deposits around the world called kromatiites.  Obsidian is a type of glass formed from the silicone in the volcanic lava flows.  The different colors are indicative of the multiplicity of minerals that are dissolved in the lava content. Bauxite is a rock that can form from basalt, which has silica content.

Volcanic rocks are named according to their chemical composition. Basalt is a very common volcanic rock with low silica content. (volcanodiscovery.com)

Is Pammy Gatsby's child with Daisy?

There is really no indication in the novel that Pammy is Daisy's child with Gatsby. Even though Daisy says, "She doesn’t look like her father...She looks like me. She’s got my hair and shape of the face," she does not indicate in any way that the father is someone other than Tom (Chapter 7).

As well, Nick describes Gatsby's reaction to meeting Pammy for the first time, saying, "Afterward he kept looking at the child...

There is really no indication in the novel that Pammy is Daisy's child with Gatsby. Even though Daisy says, "She doesn’t look like her father...She looks like me. She’s got my hair and shape of the face," she does not indicate in any way that the father is someone other than Tom (Chapter 7).

As well, Nick describes Gatsby's reaction to meeting Pammy for the first time, saying, "Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don’t think he had ever really believed in its existence before" (Chapter 7).  The existence of Pammy is one crack in Gatsby's argument to Daisy that you can repeat the past.  He wants for Daisy and himself to start back where they ended 5 years ago, but Pammy is a very real reminder that they cannot.

What literary element is at work in this quote in Shakespeare's "Macbeth": "...for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth"?

This statement is an example of equivocation, meaning that it can be interpreted in two contradictory ways. Equivocation is an obsession in “Macbeth” as it was in England at the time; English courts were hashing out what it meant and whether it was different from outright lying. Catholics who feared persecution or who were plotting to overthrow the English government often used equivocation as a way of avoiding having to lie under questioning by answering...

This statement is an example of equivocation, meaning that it can be interpreted in two contradictory ways. Equivocation is an obsession in “Macbeth” as it was in England at the time; English courts were hashing out what it meant and whether it was different from outright lying. Catholics who feared persecution or who were plotting to overthrow the English government often used equivocation as a way of avoiding having to lie under questioning by answering in a way that would be technically true but also deliberately misleading. The witches tell Macbeth something true – he will not be harmed by anyone of woman born – and Macbeth assumes that he must therefore be invincible. But the prediction can be interpreted in another way, which Macbeth misses – a baby who is saved in utero after the death of the mother could plausibly be said to be “not of woman born” because the mother was not actually alive. An unusual circumstance, but anyone rescued as an infant in that way…could certainly harm Macbeth. Is there someone out there who fits that description? We’ll find out in Act 5.

Choose one major event from the novel and rewrite it from the perspective of a different character.

In order to write this you will need to choose both a character and an event that you would feel comfortable with. Choose an event you know well and understand. Choose a character whose point of view you feel you understand well.

Because the book is written from Scout's point of view, you will want to choose a scene that might be significant to someone else for a different reason than Scout's. For example, if...

In order to write this you will need to choose both a character and an event that you would feel comfortable with. Choose an event you know well and understand. Choose a character whose point of view you feel you understand well.

Because the book is written from Scout's point of view, you will want to choose a scene that might be significant to someone else for a different reason than Scout's. For example, if you were to choose an event that was significant to both Scout and Jem for similar reasons and then told it from Jem's perspective, it would be different, but perhaps not significantly so.

An example of an event you could choose to write about from another perspective might be the mob scene from Ch. 15. In that chapter, Atticus goes to stay outside of the jail to protect Tom Robinson from what he has heard might be a group of men wanting to hurt Tom. Scout intervenes and diffuses the very tense situation. If the scene had been told from the perspective of Atticus, it would be very interesting to know how he felt sitting there. Was he scared? Was he confident? Did he have a plan if the mob showed up and were armed? What did he think about his children showing up in the midst of it and Scout jumping into the middle? All of these answers could help you to write this event from his perspective.