Facial hair is patriotic. How so? It helped Abraham Lincoln win the election, for starters, and for fifty years after that, every single elected president rode Lincoln’s scruffy coattails...except McKinley. Real trailblazer, that one.

Winners of the ComputED Gazette's 25th Annual Best Educational Software Awards (BESSIES) and The Communicator Award's 25th Annual Communicator Digital Excellence Awards were recently announced, and wouldn't you know it...Shmoop won again. 

This year, Shmoop received the BESSIES award for best Multi-Subject Courseware. 

Below are four questions and answers taken from Shmoop's premium online courses. These questions are of varying degrees of difficulty. If you get stuck or want to learn more about the topic covered in the question simply click the associated link to go to the course.*

Light...is the greatest. Doesn't get enough press, in our opinion. Without it, we'd have sooo many more bedpost-related bruises on our knees. 

Below are some symbols of light found in literature or music that have been burned into our brains. We'll give you the rundown on eight of our faves and, uh...show you the light. 

Below are four questions and answers taken from Shmoop's premium online courses. These questions are of varying degrees of difficulty. If you get stuck or want to learn more about the topic covered in the question simply click the associated link to go to the course.*

As the school year winds down, everyone's starting to get antsy for summer. Which means it's harder than ever to focus—and easier than ever to fall down the internet rabbit hole. (Or an actual rabbit hole, if you're not watching your step.) And while we're sure you can find the perfect gif for any occasion without blinking an eye, do you know how the internet, um...works?

It's the second week of AP® exams, and your brain might be getting a little fuzzy from everything you're packing in there. As much as we love a good binge-watch session, we also encourage you to take a break from AP studying with something that won't dry up those learning muscles.

Below are four questions and answers taken from Shmoop's premium online courses. These questions are of varying degrees of difficulty. If you get stuck or want to learn more about the topic covered in the question simply click the associated link to go to the course.*

Greetings, soon-to-be grads! Throw those hats in the air like you just don't care! 

You’ve learned a lot in high school (hopefully), but there are still a few nuggets left to digest. Allow us to hit you with a good old-fashioned Top Ten list.