Question

select the hyperbole in the passage. nations are possessed with an ambition to perpetuate the memory of themselves by the amount of hammered stone they leave. what if equal pains were taken to smooth and polish their manners? one piece of good sense would be more memorable than a monument as high as the moon. i love better to see stones in place.

Explanation:

A hyperbole is an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally. In the passage, "a monument as high as the moon" is an exaggeration because a monument can't actually be as high as the moon, used to emphasize that good sense is more memorable than an extremely tall (exaggeratedly tall) monument.

Answer:

a monument as high as the moon