Memories - Test 4

C2 Proficiency · Essay · Cambridge English Proficiency 2, Cambridge University Press

Write your answer in 240–280 words in an appropriate style.

Use your own words throughout as far as possible, and include your own ideas in your answers.

Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points from both texts.

Memories are undoubtedly precious to all of us. We can get a huge amount of pleasure and reassurance from the simple act of sitting down with relatives or friends and reminiscing about past events, whether they are amusing incidents from our childhood, teenage adventures or turning points in our lives. Given this, it has to be said that we should be suspicious of any tendency in ourselves or others to fall into the trap of constantly comparing the present with the past. Surely it is better to be focused entirely on the here and now?

Looking back

Memories are more than merely a source of delight; on a more profound level they contribute to our sense of identity. All the experiences we have had make us the people we are today, and without our unique set of memories we would be utterly different. It should not be overlooked that memories can also be unreliable and inconsistent. After all, as the police are well aware, two or three witnesses will often remember the same event in ways that flatly contradict one another. Even close relatives such as siblings will usually have strikingly different memories of a shared family holiday.

Remembering how it was

Read the two texts below.

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