Question 24
ComprehensionJAMB 1987 Passage V: Record keeping
Developments in electronic science have transformed the art of record keeping the modern age. Traditionally, records of events were kept only in people's minds. It depended very much on the retentive power of the human memory. This was extremely dangerous as people either forgot events wholly or in part, or deliberately falsified details to suit their various interests. Interminable arguments were thus the order of the day. Even writing which replaced mental recording was not entirely free from these shortcomings as untruths could be written as true records either willingly or inadvertently. With the advent of the electronic memory, however, these dangers have been largely overcome. Recording on audio and video cassettes now show not what happened, but also who did or said what including how and when.
According to the author, human memory is unreliable because people
- A.die and we forget what they said
- B.forget events or tell lies
- C.do not always know when events happen
- D.do not always know who did what and when
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B (forget events or tell lies)
Explanation
People 'either forgot events wholly or in part, or deliberately falsified details', i.e. they forget or tell lies.