Question

which statement best explains why the author includes information about how the time of day affects a person’s perception of the grand canyon?
a. to show that people gain a truer understanding of sunlight in the grand canyon
b. to reinforce the idea that people cannot understand the grand canyon until they visit it
c. to emphasize that the grand canyon is interesting because of its complexity
d. to stress the significance of visiting the grand canyon for an extended stay

Explanation:

The question is about analyzing the author's purpose in including information about how time affects a person's perception of the Grand Canyon. Let's analyze each option:

• Option A: The text mentions "Few can grasp its vastness, its sublimity, and its grandeur, the canyon is unique and more than any one human mind yet has been able to comprehend within that distance, scale, or gamuts writers have attempted it and great painters have tried it, but all unable to imagine what actually coming into direct physical contact with it." This shows that a person's understanding (perception) of the Grand Canyon is limited until they experience it over time (by watching it in morning and evening, seeing the color transformations). So this option fits as it shows that a person's true understanding of the Grand Canyon (sublight here might be a typo or misnomer, but the idea of understanding) comes with time - related experience.
• Option B: The text doesn't say people cannot understand it until they visit, but that it's hard to fully comprehend even for those who try to represent it (writers, painters), and the time - related description is about how perception changes, not that understanding is impossible without visiting.
• Option C: The information about time affecting perception is not to emphasize the canyon's complexity for tourists, but about how one's perception (understanding) of its grandeur etc. changes with time.
• Option D: The text doesn't stress the significance of visiting for an extended stay, but about how time (morning, evening) affects the visual and perceptual experience.

Answer:

A. to show that people gain a truer understanding of sunlight on the Grand Canyon