The author uses several techniques to convey the complex and multifaceted nature of memory. For example, the author uses a series of short, choppy sentences to create a sense of disorientation and confusion. Additionally, the author uses vivid imagery to show how memories can be both beautiful and painful. The author also uses the past tense to emphasize the sense of distance and loss that can be associated with memories.
SAT · English · previous-year question
- A.To suggest that the author is not fully in control of their memories.
- B.To highlight the contrast between the positive and negative aspects of memory.correct
- C.To illustrate the author’s belief that memories are always fleeting.
- D.To argue that memories are more powerful than emotions.
Answer
B. To highlight the contrast between the positive and negative aspects of memory.
Explanation
The phrase "both beautiful and painful" highlights the duality of memory. Memory can be both positive and negative, and the author is using this contrast to show the complexity of this experience.
Practice more SAT questions
Answer thousands more real SAT previous-year questions free, get graded instantly, and climb the global ranked leaderboard.
Practice SAT free →More SAT English questions
- Akira came directly, breaking all tradition. Was that it? Had he followed form-had he aske…
- Close at hand is a bridge over the River Thames, an admirable vantage ground for us to mak…
- \section{Passage 1}Follow the money and you will end up in space. That's the message from …
- Miss Grace Spivey arrived in Threestep, Georgia, in August 1938. She stepped off the train…
- In the early 1990s, textbooks acknowledged that humans had slow-conducting nerves, but ass…
- \section{Passage 1}Fellow-Citizens: It is a noble land that God has given us; a land that …
- Lady Carlotta stepped out on to the platform of the small wayside station and took a turn …
- At field sites around the world, Ken Dial saw a pattern in how young pheasants, quail, tin…