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Information and IdeasHardCentral idea of a literary text

Information and Ideas practice question

The following text is from a novel. Hal had told the story of the storm so many times that it had worn smooth, like a step, and he could no longer find in it the night itself: the cold, the noise, the actual fear. What he had now was the telling, and the telling was a different thing, with a shape the night had never had.

Which choice best states the central idea of the text?

  1. A. Repeated telling has replaced Hal's memory of the storm with a polished story unlike the event.Correct
  2. B. Hal enjoys frightening his listeners.
  3. C. Hal has forgotten that there was a storm.
  4. D. The storm was not as bad as Hal says.

Answer: A. Repeated telling has replaced Hal's memory of the storm with a polished story unlike the event.

Worn smooth; the telling has a shape the night never had.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. Hal enjoys frightening his listeners.
Not suggested.
C. Hal has forgotten that there was a storm.
He remembers the story, not the night.
D. The storm was not as bad as Hal says.
The text is about memory, not exaggeration.

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