Question

read the text.
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 authors purpose is suggested by the text?
to convince readers that the desert is a beautiful place
to describe how it feels to be in a desert wilderness
to describe desert animals and plants to readers

Explanation:

• Analyze the first option: The text focuses on the author's personal experience of stillness and aloneness in the desert, not on convincing readers the desert is beautiful. So this is incorrect.
• Analyze the second option: The text describes the sounds (or lack of dominant sounds), the stillness, and the author's feeling of aloneness in the desert wilderness, which matches "to describe how it feels to be in a desert wilderness".
• Analyze the third option: The text only mentions a bird in a juniper tree briefly, not to describe desert animals and plants. So this is incorrect.

Answer:

to describe how it feels to be in a desert wilderness