HSA 2008 English Item 16

Read the essay “The Architecture of a Soul.” Then answer the following item.

What is the most likely reason the author begins her essay with a list of names of shells?

1. The shells are important to the author’s work as a naturalist.
2. The author values the shells because they are all that remain of her childhood.
3. The shells represent the memory of the author’s grandmother and the time they spent together.
4. The author uses the shells to suggest the abundance of life forms that can be found in the sea.