Digital SAT® Practice Test 1: Reading and Writing Module 1: Question 8 Explanation

Digital SAT Reading and Writing Test 1 Question 8

What is the main idea of the text?

The speaker values how time can reshape every part of life.
The speaker suggests that short-lived humans prefer old pyramids to new ones.
The speaker reflects on whether time truly changes anything.
The speaker admires the pyramids as enduring symbols of time.

Answer:

Explanation

No, Time, thou shalt not boast that I do change:
Thy pyramids built up with newer might
To me are nothing novel, nothing strange;
They are but dressings of a former sight.
Our dates are brief, and therefore we admire
What thou dost foist upon us that is old,
And rather make them born to our desire
Than think that we before have heard them told.

Choice C is the best answer. The speaker starts by claiming that time does not bring any changes in him. Then, he goes on to explain that what time brings is nothing new and that it simply makes what is old look new. Overall, the speaker reflects on the authenticity of supposed changes that time brings.

Choice A: The speaker does not make any observation on how time can reshape every part of life.

Choice B: The poem is not about which kind of pyramids short-lived humans prefer.

Choice D: The speaker does not demonstrate any effort to establish a symbolic connection between pyramids and time.

✨ Expert's Tip ✨

Recognize the observations that the speaker makes on time and the changes it brings.