Why does the poet consider the spring season mischievous in "Mending Wall"?

The spring is the mischievous time of year because the gaps in the wall are found during spring.

The poem is about two neighbors who have a wall between their land.  They have an agreement to meet once a year and maintain the wall, fixing any gaps that have developed in it over the course of the year.  The speaker finds this strange or at least unnecessary, but his neighbor wants to continue the practice because, as he says, “good fences make good neighbors.”

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,

And spills the upper boulders in the sun;

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.

It makes sense that you would not find the gaps in the wall until spring.  First of all, during the winter the wall is probably covered in snow and it is hard to look at it closely.  Also, in the springtime the plants grow wild.  It is this combination of erosion and plant intrusion that is likely causing the wall to fall apart, and this is the reason why it needs to be mended every year.

The gaps I mean,

No one has seen them made or heard them made,

But at spring mending-time we find them there.

So the spring is the most mischievous time of year, because between the rain, the snow melting, and the plants growing, the wall doesn't stand a chance!  There will be holes all over it.  They have to fix the wall every spring even though there are no animals on either farm.  This is why the speaker does not want to bother with it.  His neighbor thinks that having a good stable wall between them creates good boundaries in their relationship.  It is a metaphor.  It also does get them together once a year, which is more than some neighbors do I guess!

Differentiate between intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bond giving suitable examples.

Hydrogen bonding is a special case of bonding which involves hydrogen atom and a strong electronegative atom (such as oxygen, fluorine, nitrogen, etc.). Since hydrogen acquires a relatively strong partial positive charge when it bonds with an electronegative atom, such a bond represents a special case of dipole-dipole interactions. Another way to think about the reason behind the dipole-dipole interactions is the strong pull on the covalently bonded electron pair that is exerted by the electronegative atom.

If the hydrogen bonding takes place between the atoms of the same molecule (that is hydrogen bonding within a molecule), such a hydrogen bonding is known as intramolecular hydrogen bonding. An example is the hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl groups of ethylene glycol.

If the hydrogen bonding takes place between two different molecules, it is known as intermolecular hydrogen bonding. An example is the hydrogen bonding between ammonia and water (between a hydrogen from water and nitrogen from ammonia).

Hope this helps. 

What are the changes in all the characters of "The Outcasts of Poker Flat"?

After a secret committee has decided to rid Poker Flat of its wickedness, several of the residents find themselves abruptly cast out by an armed escort. The banished residents react in different ways to this exile, and, because of their experiences, they also undergo some changes in themselves.

Among the ostracized party of the sluice robber, the gambler, and the ladies of ill repute, one character who does not change is Uncle Billy. In fact, this drunkard and confirmed thief remains completely unconscionable. While all the others sleep at the end of the day of exile, he steals the mules on which they have ridden away, leaving the party in the snowstorm with no way of transporting themselves across the rugged terrain.

Another character who does not alter his basic nature is Mr. John Oakhurst, the gambler. He is described in the beginning of the story as "philosophic," and he remains so. His main offence in Poker Flat has simply been that he has won a great deal of money from men who resent losing and they retaliate.
On the second day of the group's ostracism, a young man named Tom Simson appears at the camp Oakhurst and the others have made near the mountain. Mr. Oakhurst tries again to help the young man from whom he once won an "entire fortune" of forty dollars and returned it. He advises Tom and his young wife to not delay with his party, but to continue on their way. However, Tom insists upon remaining. After the snowstorm of a few days that prohibits travel, Tom volunteers to go to Poker Flat for help. 
But, Oakhurst has sent the young man a day too late. So, if there is any change in him, it is his change from an effective leader to a failed leader. He also loses the courage to maintain hope. In despair, then, he walks out to the gulch, pins a "deuce of clubs" on a tree with his obituary written upon it that declares his having struck bad luck, so he has "handed in his checks."

It is, then, the Duchess and, especially Mother Shipton, who undergo major changes to their personalities as they move from petulant and self-serving women to motherly and self-sacrificing care givers.
When Oakhurst returns from his discovery of Uncle Billy's treacherous thievery, he finds Tom Simson's intended wife Piney sleeping peacefully beside Duchess and Mother Shipton, who tend to her as though she is their child. Then, in the days of waiting for a rescue party, Mother Shipton sets herself the task

of  amusing "the child" as she and the Duchess were pleased to call Piney.

Clearly, they have allowed their motherly instincts to be exercised.
Later, as Mother Shipton's health seems to fail, the Duchess cheerfully assumes the care of Piney. Days pass and it is discovered that Mother Shipton has gone without eating so that Piney will be fed well. Like a real mother who has sacrificed herself for her child, she calls Mr. Oakhurst over to her in order to give him her bundle of food that she has saved.

"You've starved yourself," said the gambler.
"That's what they call it," said the woman...as she lay down again and, turning her face to the wall, passed quietly away.

Also indicative of the motherly love of the Duchess, when the members of the rescue party arrive too late, they find her and Piney wrapped in each other's frozen arms because they could find no more kindle for the waning fire.

Describe two developments of industrialization that positively affected American lives or the United States in general.

Two developments that were positive for Americans as a result of industrialism were transportation and communication improvements. As companies moved to mechanizing operations, they became more profitable and grew larger in scope. As a result, improvements in transportation were needed to get goods to distant markets. Industrialism was directly tied to the expansion of the railroads and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Canals were built for the same reason, as was the interstate highway system later in history. All of these improvements in transportation made America smaller and unified the distant regions of this country.

Communication improvements had the same effect on the United States in terms of making the nation more unified. Companies needed to connect to various operations. The telegraph and telephone did just that. In general, industrialism was responsible for a variety of technologies that improved the lives of Americans.

Can you suggest some tips which I can use to write a good essay for a competition?

When writing an essay for any purpose, being sure to start writing well before your due date is a good idea. If you can, try to set aside time to work on developing and editing your essay on a regular basis. 

A great way to get started is to brainstorm! If the essay competition has a theme, try to make some notes related to this theme. If you get to write on a subject of your choice, choose something you are passionate or knowledgeable about. During this brainstorming session, feel free to write down any ideas that come into your mind! What do you already know about the subject? What do you want to know about the subject? Have you already come up with a thesis or main idea for your essay? If not, no worries! You can create one after writing the body of your essay. Take this opportunity to write down as much as possible without being too worried about spelling or grammar- what's important is that you explore the ideas you might convey in your essay.

The next step is to do any necessary research. Having narrowed down what you already know and what you want to know, go forth and look it up! Try to find academic, reliable resources for your information.

When you feel you have written a sufficient amount about the general subject of your essay, you can begin to form an outline. What are the important points you want to focus on in your essay? Try to limit these main points to three- any more might become a challenge to write or read. Is there a chronological element to your subject? If you are writing on something that has happened in history, you could describe the events and their implications or affects on society. 

After your brainstorming and creating an outline with the main ideas of your essay, you can begin writing a draft. The introduction of your essay should do two things: tell us your thesis statement and introduce us to what your essay will be about! If you still aren't sure of your thesis, move on to writing the body. This is where you can really elaborate on those main ideas you've narrowed down. (Your thesis should be the overarching idea or lesson of the smaller "main ideas" of your essay.) Finally, your conclusion should wrap up any "loose ends" or ideas you did not resolve in the body of your essay. It should also refer back to the thesis statement, which you have supported in the body of the essay.

Now, step away! After writing your first draft, take a little time to process the ideas in your essay. I really recommend you sleep on it- take a nap or re-visit your paper the next day. Don't forget to take a break about every forty-five  minutes while writing, to give both your brain and body a chance to refresh. Taking a break or getting some sleep between periods of writing work helps your brain to synthesize and retain information. 

When you read through your paper to edit, try this: read through it once without making any changes, just to see how the paper "flows." Next, read through again and feel free to make any changes in spelling, grammar, or wording you feel necessary. Reading through once before making edits helps you keep the big picture of your essay in mind rather than focusing on individual components. You may like to try reading your paper aloud to hear how it sounds. Asking a friend, parent, or teacher to read through it can also be a great way to get some feedback.

Remember that whenever you work on your paper, try to make sure your space is free of distractions. Turn off your cellphone, avoid listening to music, and choose a quiet, well-lit space to work. (Libraries are ideal!) 

With good preparation, avoiding distractions, and making sure not to over-work your brain, I think you will create some top-notch writing!

Best of luck to you!

What contributions did Montesquieu and Rousseau make to the structure of American democracy

With Montesquieu's belief in divided government and Rousseau's construction of the general will, both thinkers contributed to the structure of American democracy.  

Rousseau once argued that “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”   The desire to avoid this reality was one of his most important contributions to the structure of American democracy.  Rousseau advocated a political structure that would recognize the "general will." The general will emphasized that people would embrace a vision that would overcome personalized or partisan interests.  The general will was a communitarian expression that should guide political decisions. Rousseau's idea of the general will heavily influences the structure of American democracy.  It guides how the framers of the Constitution viewed popular sovereignty and also how a government predicated upon republicanism should function. When citizens vote for their representatives, Rousseau's general will is the guiding framework through which decisions are made. Rousseau believed that true freedom is only evident when the general will, not personalized interests, is the structure that guides our political decision making.

Montesquieu's primary contribution to the structure of American democracy was his zeal for divided government. He believed that political power is best displayed when it is spread out over different branches of government.  This led him to embrace a structure of government built upon a separation of powers. Montesquieu's separation of powers can be seen in American democracy when the framers created the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government.  Each branch is vital to the business of governing, but each one holds different responsibilities. They must work in tandem with one another in order for government to function properly.  Montesquieu's contribution to the structure of American democracy helped to avert a state of political tyranny where one branch of government displays too much power over the others.

How do I cite a website in my MLA formatted paper? And how do I put it in my MLA works cited page?

To create an entry for your Works Cited page, you will need to know a few key pieces of information. If any of this information cannot be found, it is acceptable to leave it out—there should be enough information from the rest of your citation in case your teacher wants to visit this resource. The format of your Works Cited entry should be as follows:

• Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.

Note the use of italics for the name of the website. Your actual Works Cited entry may be much shorter depending on the information available to you. This information comes from the Purdue OWL website's MLA style guide, so I will create a sample Works Cited entry to show you what it ought to look like when one cites a webpage.

• Tony Russel, et al. MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications). Purdue Online Writing Lab, 6 July 2015. Web. 21 March 2016.

For an in-text citation from a webpage, put the first part of the corresponding Works Cited citation into parenthesis. (For my above example, this would be "Tony Russel, et al.") This citation should come directly after the material you have referenced. If you are using a quote, put your parenthetical citation directly after the quote. If you are paraphrasing, it can go at the end of the sentence or paragraph. When your citation comes at the end of a sentence, don't forget that the period should fall outside of the parenthesis.

You may also be interested in the website Citation Machine, which allows you to enter the necessary data for your citation and will format it for you. If you're not sure if you've formulated your citation properly, this is a good way to double-check until you get the hang of things.