Common Core quiz question No. 2: eighth-grade English



Post your answer in the comments below this story, and come back Wednesday for the results -- and those of our celebrity panel: Dillard University President Walter Kimbrough, Pierre the Pelican, restaurateur Susan Spicer and columnist James Varney of | The Times-Picayune. 

UPDATE, 3/26 9 a.m.: Here's the answer and an explanation.

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Read the excerpt from "Call of the Wild" by Jack London, below, and answer these questions: 

Part A: What does the word placatingly mean as it is used in paragraph 2?

a. in a warning tone
b. in an annoying manner
c. in an attempt to be agreeable
d. in a way that expresses discomfort

Part B: Which phrase from the passage provides the best clue to the meaning of placatingly as it is used in paragraph 2?

a. "bristling and snarling"
b. "a whiff of warm air"
c. "squirmed and wriggled"
d. "a bribe for peace"