Question

i become aware for the first time today of the immense silence in which i am lost. not a silence so much as a stillness—for there are a few sounds: the creak of some bird in a juniper tree, an eddy of wind which passes and fades like a sigh, the ticking of the watch on my wrist—slight noises which... exaggerate my sense of the surrounding, overwhelming peace.... if i look at the small device strapped to my wrist the numbers, even the sweeping second hand, seem meaningless, almost ridiculous. no travelers, no campers, no wanderers have come to this part of the desert today and for a few moments i feel and realize that i am very much alone. from edward abbey, desert solitaire. copyright 1968 by edward abbey which best shows that the author’s purpose is to describe how it feels to be in a desert wilderness? the author discusses why silence is not the correct term to use. the author includes sensory details like the creak of some bird to help the reader imagine the scene. the author uses formal language, such as small device.

Explanation:

To determine the author's purpose of describing the feeling of being in a desert wilderness, we analyze each option:

• The first option (discussing why "silence" is incorrect) focuses on terminology, not the feeling of the desert wilderness.
• The second option: Including sensory details (like the bird's creak, wind eddy, watch ticking) helps readers visualize and feel the scene, directly supporting the purpose of describing the desert wilderness experience.
• The third option (using formal language like "small device") is about language style, not conveying the desert wilderness feeling.

Answer:

The author includes sensory details like the creak of some bird to help the reader imagine the scene.