How did the Swiss family Robinson build their second home?

After their initial home, the treehouse, is damaged, the Robinsons set about to build a dwelling in a cave. They go about it as follows:
They bring a cart full of supplies with which to dig and hew, such as spades, pickaxes, and hammers, and they head for a large piece of rock. They then set to work on carving through the rock. After ten days of hard labor, they work through the face of the mountain enough to detect an interior cavern that they can feel when they stick a long pole through the little bit of remaining wall.
They manage to break into this cavern but are not yet home free, for it is filled with poisonous gas. They finally get rid of the gas by firing dozens of signal rockets into the space. These purify the air.
The family is then able to occupy this new space, which is spacious, dry, and beautiful.

What is Lord Baltimore known for?

Lord Baltimore (also known as Cecil Calvert, the Second Lord Baltimore) established the colony of Maryland in colonial America. His father, George Calvert, the First Lord Baltimore, was secretary of state under King James I and later served under Charles I. He had become Catholic and had purchased land in Newfoundland (now part of Canada). James I had given him permission to establish a colony there called the Province of Avalon. He also wanted to establish a colony in the Chesapeake, but he died before he was able to do so.
Cecil Calvert, the Second Lord Baltimore, established Maryland by royal charter. He realized his father's dreams of making Maryland a place of religious tolerance. The 1649 Toleration Act granted religious freedoms to different types of Christians. It was the first law in colonial America to grant religious freedom. Lord Baltimore governed the colony for many years, and it became a haven for Catholics in colonial America.

What claim or position on an issue does Wollstonecraft make in her essay?

In Mary Wollstonecraft's essay, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," published in 1792, the author takes the position that women are more than those who were made to be both "docile" and "obedient" (chap 2, para 3). She argues that women are raised by their mothers to be weak and "soft." This softness makes a woman no better than a "domestic animal" (chap 2, para 4). Furthermore, Wollstonecraft goes on to lament the position of women in relation to that of men. That is, men view women as weak and subservient, and society believes a woman's role is to care for her physical looks and obey her husband.
The author believes that education, a woman's upbringing, is the key to a woman gaining independence. This education is one based upon reason and understanding. Until women gain this education, they will not be able to take their proper place in society.

Perhaps the most important position Wollstonecraft takes in this work, and the key argument she makes, is that women are fully capable of rational thought and are as deserving of education as men. Indeed, Wollstonecraft goes further to suggest that it is vital for women to be educated: only if they are educated can they be proper "companions" for their husbands. Moreoever, knowledge can not be fully advanced in society unless "truth [is] common to all." Wollstonecraft suggests that educated women are vital to ensure that children acquire knowledge as quickly and thoroughly as they should because women are the primary caregivers of children of both genders. As such, if young children are looked after by uneducated women they will be unable to fulfill their true potential. Additionally, women cannot serve as "companions" to men but serve rather a decorative function if they are ill-equipped to talk to their husbands due to a lack of equivalent education. As such, not only do women deserve an education because they are rational beings, society deserves to be comprised of educated women as well as educated men.

Please explain the impact of the carpetbaggers and scalawags.

"Carpetbaggers" and "scalawags" were insulting terms used by Southerners during Reconstruction. "Carpetbaggers" were Northerners who moved to the region after the war, and the name implied that they came with so few belongings that they could be fit into a cheap luggage bag made from carpet scraps. "Scalawags" were Southerners who supported the Republican Party or that supported rights for African Americans.
Carpetbaggers encompassed a very large group of people. Some were opportunists who came to the region from the North seeking to make a living in the South as it was rebuilt. Others were teachers, judges, and government officials with organizations like the Freedmen's Bureau who came to the region to open schools, help former slaves negotiate labor contracts, and administer justice. Still others were Union Army veterans who stayed in the region after the war. Many so-called "scalawags" were businessmen who sought to attract investment to the region by accepting the modernizing policies of the Republican Party. They were deeply resented by Southerners, who were especially angered because they formed a political coalition with African-American people.
Overall, these people were instrumental in implementing Reconstruction. As mentioned above, they formed the political coalition that allowed the Republicans to take control of most state legislatures. They served as sheriffs, postmasters, tax collectors, and other political posts. Some, like North Carolina governor William Holden, a "scalawag," rose to the highest political positions in their states. In fact, this was really why these people were so reviled. They helped many formerly enslaved people build new lives through education. In short, they did much to upset the old social order in the South, even many of the gains they made were overturned.
https://www.ncpedia.org/holden-william-woods-research

https://www.ushistory.org/us/35.asp

What are some quotes from The Maze Runner that show it's dystopian?

Let's start with a dictionary definition of dystopia. The following comes from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

An imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives.

That is a fairly broad definition, but various dystopian stories tend to have a few similar traits. The following list of traits isn't exhaustive, but it will help to relate quotes from the book to dystopian characteristics. First of all, information, freedom, and/or independent thought are often restricted or illegal in dystopias. Secondly, methods of surveillance are usually used to constantly monitor and control the population. Lastly, in many dystopias, citizens (in this case the Gladers) are taught to fear the outside world (the maze).
The following quote works well with the idea of the restriction of information:

And yet he didn't know where he came from, or how he'd gotten inside the dark lift, or who his parents were. He didn't even know his last name.

Thomas emerges from the elevator, and he knows next to nothing. The other boys present are equally clueless about the greater world at large. Their knowledge comes from previous experiences within the maze and the Glade. This next quote works well because it is just so full of questions:

How could a maze, with walls so massive and tall, be so big that dozens of kids hadn't been able to solve it after who knew how long trying? How could such a structure exist? And more importantly, why? What could possibly be the purpose of such a thing? Why were they all there?

The next quote works well for the surveillance trait of dystopias. Beetle Blades exist to spy on the kids:

Beetle blades—it's how the Creators watch us.

As for fear, a lot of quotes about the maze itself or the Grievers work well for this aspect:

"Grievers, we call 'em," Newt answered. "Nasty bugger, eh? Just be glad the Grievers only come out at night. Be thankful for these walls."
Thomas swallowed, wondering how he could ever go out there.

You are selecting an 8-character password using 26 letters and numbers 0 through 9. In how many ways could your password contain a) at least two letters b) at least two numbers c) at least two letters and two numbers

This is a question involve exponents and summations. The total number of possibilities for all 8 digits with no restrictions is as follows:
Assuming that repetition is allowed, we have (26+10)^8 = 2.8 * 10^12 possibilities. Now for the limitations, consider the possibilities as follows:
10^0∗26^8=208,827,064,576
10^1∗26^7=642,544,814,080
10^2∗26^6=864,964,172,800
10^3∗26^5=665,357,056,000
10^4∗26^4=319,883,200,000
10^5∗26^3=98,425,600,000
10^6∗26^2=18,928,000,00
10^7∗26^1=2,080,000,000
10^8∗26^0=100,000,000
Now for the limitations: If the password must include two letters, then we subtract the possibilities that involve fewer than two letters (100,000,000+2,080,000,000) so the answer is 2.8 x 10^12.
For part b.) we subtract the options that don't include two numbers (208,827,064,576+642,544,814,080) so the final answer is 1,969,738,028,800.
For part c.) we subtract both subsets involving possibilities without at least two of both numbers and letters (100,000,000+2,080,000,00) and (208,827,064,576+642,544,814,080) so the answer is 1.9 X 10^2.

How did your impressions of the organization shift throughout the book, from the chilling prologue to Peter Solomon's philosophical comments near the end?

My impressions of the organization went through an evolution that the author may have intended to approximate enlightenment: the journey from intellectual darkness to the light of understanding. A transformation of perception takes place in which the reader experiences the roles of the organization, Freemasonry, and the man determined to destroy it being reversed by the end of the novel.Initially, the author exposes us to some rather macabre and apparently sinister symbolism in a severed occult hand and a skull. The author uses these symbols to create a dark impression on the reader. Perhaps Freemasonry is as dark and sinister as its critics say. Perhaps the villain of the novel is actually the good guy, and the allegedly powerful Freemasons really are bad. The author takes up the theme of power and influence as we see the apotheosis of the Freemason George Washington depicted in the capital dome. Washington and other Masonic founders, like Benjamin Franklin, are now depicted as gods or at least consorting with gods over our nation's capital. What is going on?Robert Langdon, the protagonist, has made a scholarly study of the symbols of Freemasonry and acts as an intellectual guide to help us discern fact from fiction. We find out that the capital cornerstone was laid in a Masonic ceremony led by George Washington and that there are evocative geometric designs in the layout of the streets and monuments of Washington DC. The power and influence of the organization seem to be confirmed.We learn the foundations were laid at carefully selected times under the Virgo constellation to ensure auspicious beginnings. Gradually we learn that symbols like the skull have special meanings to Freemasons and that we should not project our own preconceptions onto them. For example, the skull represents brevity of life and certainty of death. Its contemplation is meant to encourage Freemasons to make good use of their time on earth. Memento mori, as the philosophers say. Nothing sinister there.As the novel progresses, we see that the intention of the founders was to create an enlightened republic where reason, science, and freedom would triumph over ignorance and tyranny. The sacred geometry is not Satanic, but ancient and philosophical. The all-seeing eye is simply a reminder that a providential God is watching all of our actions. The sacred geometry has philosophical and scientific meaning that has nothing to do with the lurid accusations of critics. By the end of the book, we have learned that Freemasonry developed its enlightenment ideals in secret, under the threat of persecution for heterodoxy. Its enemies misrepresent it because its enlightenment philosophy of seeking truth and light by science and symbol poses a challenge to traditional guardians of orthodoxy, such as the Catholic Church. By the end of the book, we take a much more philosophical view of Freemasonry. It now appears to us to accord more with Peter Solomon’s explanation as an organization that has managed to preserve some of the philosophical, astronomical, astrological, geometric, and other truths of the ancient mystery schools of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Its impact on our nation has been largely benevolent, and its critics are often competitors that misinterpret and mislead for their own reasons.