Information and IdeasHardQuotation supporting a reading of an essay
Information and Ideas practice question
A student argues that the essay's author regards forgetting as useful rather than merely as a failure of memory.
Which quotation from the essay would best support the student's claim?
- A. 'A mind that discarded nothing would drown in its own records; forgetting is how we keep the channel clear.'Correct
- B. 'I forgot her name the moment she said it, and was ashamed.'
- C. 'Memory is the one possession no thief can take.'
- D. 'The archive kept every letter, and no one ever read them.'
Answer: A. 'A mind that discarded nothing would drown in its own records; forgetting is how we keep the channel clear.'
The quotation gives forgetting a job — keeping the channel clear — and treats total recall as a danger. That is forgetting as useful.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. 'I forgot her name the moment she said it, and was ashamed.'
- This presents forgetting as a shameful failure — the opposite of the claim.
- C. 'Memory is the one possession no thief can take.'
- This praises memory, saying nothing about forgetting.
- D. 'The archive kept every letter, and no one ever read them.'
- This is about an archive's unread letters; it hints at the theme but doesn't state the author's view of forgetting.
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