How does the swallow die?

The swallow is a bird who needs to migrate to a warm climate in the winter months. The swallow in this story instead chooses to stay with the Happy Prince in order to fulfill the prince's request for the swallow to peel all the gold leaf off the statue and distribute it to the poor, so that their lives can be made better. The swallow does this until there is no gold left on the statue, but when the Prince asks if now is the time for him to go to Egypt, the bird says he will not leave the Prince. But it is too cold in the kingdom now for the swallow, and soon he recognizes that he will shortly be going to "the House of Death." For a while, he struggles against this, flapping his wings to keep warm, but in his heart he knows it is no use.
The swallow kisses the Prince on the lips and then dies in that moment, having fulfilled his purpose, which causes the lead heart of the Prince to crack in two.

Why where Americans encouraged to grow their own food in victory gardens?

During World War II, the United States mobilized for a massive war effort. Many men from the agricultural sector were going off to war, meaning it would be difficult to do as much planting and harvesting. Further, trains and truck that had been used to transport food to grocery stores were being diverted into the war effort—and the gas that fueled trucks was being rationed. Finally, and most importantly, soldiers going overseas needed to be fed, and fed well, so that they would in the best possible form to fight. They received top priority during the war in terms of the US food supply. Food for average civilian American was therefore strictly rationed.
In order to avoid demoralizing food shortages, the US government strongly encouraged people who had any lawn space to plant vegetable and fruit gardens to supplement their diets. The government also offered classes in gardening and canning. More than 20 million people did plant victory gardens, so called as they were expected to be part of the push for an Allied victory. Beyond providing more food, the gardens helped people back home to feel a part of the war effort.
It is also important to note that food was a more pressing concern before World War II than now. It was not until after the war that scientists engineered the widespread use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and the genetic food engineering that significantly increased crop yields per acre and, therefore, world food resources. Hunger was a very real threat during times of war in the early 1940s, and the government responded robustly.

Who was the better president: George H. W. Bush or George W. Bush?

This is a difficult question to answer, because it is very hard to compare presidents. Unfortunately, all of their accomplishments or failings are surrounded by different events, economic climates, and political crises—not to mention the difficulties faced when there is a different controlling interest in Congress.
I will say that, overall, the first George Bush is generally less reviled than his son. Many people complain that George W. Bush made rash decisions when it came to foreign policy and that the United States intervened too quickly in the Middle East. Some of this resentment may be fueled by the growing political divide between the two major parties; in George H. W. Bush's time, there was much more cross-party cooperation.
George W. Bush did manage to get reelected, while his father failed on that end.
In the end, both of them had their successes and failings, but for several reasons George W. Bush will be remembered less fondly than his father.

Give examples of how both Angel AND Alec show an elitist approach to the poor/have pre-conceived notions of those socially and financially lesser than themselves.

The most glaring example, which dominates the entire novel, is Alec’s attitude toward Tess and her family. Secure in his position as an elite Stokes-d’Urberville, Alec assumes that he is entitled to sexual access to any female on his family’s estate. In later years, when Tess is a social outcast, he offers to help her and her family, at the cost of her sexual subordination. His contempt for her family is shown by his blatant exploitation of her sexuality.
Angel Clare, in contrast, is shown to be basically a good man whose virtues include the determination to work hard and make his way in his chosen vocation. In being impressed by Tess’ alleged heritage as a d’Urberville, however, he reveals his class snobbery. In addition, while he holds himself superior to Tess when she tells him of her lost virtue, he also shows his hypocrisy by confessing of his own earlier sexual activity.

What passage or passages in the book describe or show imagery?

Imagery is defined as the use of sensory details (descriptions that appeal to the five senses) in order to create a picture in the reader’s mind.
In S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, imagery is not a hallmark of the author’s character-driven style, but through the narrator Ponyboy Curtis, Hinton does use simplistic imagery.
The first example of imagery is found in the first line of the novel, in which Ponyboy describes stepping “out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house.” This example is used to show the contrast between Ponyboy’s inner and outer life. While he is rather unassuming on the outside (his Greaser style notwithstanding), Ponyboy has a rich inner life as a keen observer.
A stronger, more poetic example of imagery is used when the church catches fire. As Ponyboy observes the fire from within the church that he believes he is partially responsible for, he notes, “The cinders and embers began falling on us, stinging and smarting like ants.” This example shows that Ponyboy is somewhat in awe of the beauty of something so deadly. The twinge of pain that he feels also mirrors the slight guilt he feels.
A final example comes in the last few pages of the book after Johnny has died. Ponyboy discusses how he finally decided to stop fighting so much with Darry. He describes the night on which he and Darry had this conversation:

The moon wasn't out but the stars lit up everything. It was quiet except for the sound of our feet on the cement and the dry, scraping sound of leaves blowing across the street.

This example of imagery portrays a peacefulness that Ponyboy finally feels, even if just for a moment. All of the turmoil, hurt, and loss has wounded him, but this serene description shows that he still has hope that things will be all right.

What happens in part 1 of "The Woman Who Rode Away"?

In the first part of the short story, the reader learns about an unnamed woman—originally from Berkely California—who is tired of her life on a ranch. She thought her marriage to a rich businessman would be an adventure, but instead she is forced to stay at home while her husband goes on business trips. He occasionally takes her out, but he tells her she can't go out by herself because it is dangerous.
One day, one of her husband's visitors piques her interest by discussing what exists behind some hills they can see from a distance from the house. Her husband tells him that "there's plenty of game, if you want to shoot. And Indians." He thinks that some of the Indians are friendly, but "some of them are quite wild. They kill a missionary at sight. And where a missionary can't get, nobody can."
While her husband is away, the woman shocks her servants and children by taking a horse and riding out into the wilderness towards the hills. Her goal is to get to "the Chilchuis, living in a high valley to the south, who were the sacred tribe of all the Indians."
After travelling a few days, she meets some Indians, who—despite being shocked that she is by herself and that (as she tells them) she voluntarily left her family—agree to take her to the Chilchuis. At the end of the first part, she says she was "aware that she had died."

How much faster does a helium atom travel than a nitrogen molecule at the same temperature?

The speeds of the two kinds of particles are related by the requirement that at the same temperature, their kinetic energies are equal. Strictly speaking, it is the average kinetic energy of two samples of the two gases that are equal, but we can find the answer by limiting ourselves to two particles and setting their kinetic energies equal.
Kinetic energy is related to mass and velocity by the equation
E_k = 1/2 mv^2
where Ek is kinetic energy, m is the mass of the particle, and v is its velocity. Your class may use different symbols for these quantities.
Your question—how much faster does a helium atom travel than a nitrogen molecule at the same temperature—can be answered by finding the ratio of their speeds at constant temperature. We will do this by writing the equation showing the equality of the two kinetic energies, and then performing some algebra to get the ratio we want.
Thus,
E_k(N_2) = E_k(He)
1/2 m_(N2)(v_(N2))^2 = 1/2 m_(He)(v_(He))^2
So,
(v_(He)/v_(N2))^2 = (m_(N2)/m_(He)) or
v_(He)/v_(N2) = (m_(N2)/m_(He))^(1/2) .
The mass of an average nitrogen molecule is about 28 amu, and the mass of the average helium atom is about 4 amu, so this evaluates to the square root of 28/4 or the square root of 7, which is about 2.65 according to my calculator app.
I have not said much to distinguish velocity (a vector) from speed (a scalar), but the square of velocity is a scalar quantity, so when we take the square root, we actually end up with the scalar speed.