Question

excerpt adapted from canyons of the colorado
by john wesley powell

the wonders of the grand canyon cannot be adequately represented in
symbols of speech, nor by speech itself. the resources of the visual arts are
taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its phenomenal beauty.
language and illustration combined must fail. the elements that unite to
make the grand canyon the most sublime spectacle in nature are many and
exceedingly diverse. the giant forms, which result from the sculpture of
tempests through ages too long for man to compute, are wrought into
endless details. to describe these forms would be a task equal in magnitude
to that of describing the stars in the sky or the abundant beauties of the
forest with its traceries of foliage presented by oak and pine and poplar, by
birch and linden and hawthorn, by tulip and lily and rose, by fern and moss
and lichen. besides the elements of form, there are elements of color. the
rainbow is not more replete with hues. but form and color do not exhaust all
the divine qualities of the grand canyon. it is the land of music. the river
thunders in perpetual roar, swelling in floods of music when the storm rains
play upon the rocks, and fading away in soft and low murmurs when the
infinite blue of the sky is unveiled. with the melody of the great tide rising
and falling, swelling and vanishing forever, other melodies are heard in the
gorges of the lateral canyons, while the waters plunge in the rapids among
the rocks or leap in great cataracts. thus, the grand canyon is a land of
song. mountains of music swell in the rivers, hills of music billow in the
creeks, and meadows of music murmur in the rills that ripple over the rocks.
altogether it is a symphony of diverse melodies. all this is the music of
waters. the adamant foundations of the earth have been wrought into a
sublime harp, upon which the clouds of the skies play with mighty tempests
or with gentle showers.

3
select the correct answer.
what is the author’s thesis?

a. the grand canyon can only be illustrated through visual elements such as form and color.

b. music provides a better description of the grand canyon than words or pictures.

c. it is easier to describe the grand canyon than it is to describe the abundant beauties of the forest.

d. a powerful river runs through the gorges of the lateral canyons that make up the grand canyon.

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Explanation:

The excerpt states that speech, visual arts, and even form/color fail to fully capture the Grand Canyon’s beauty, but repeatedly frames it as "the land of music"—comparing its elements (river, storms, streams) to musical sounds and calling it a "symphony of diverse melodies." This directly supports the idea that music better describes it than words or pictures. Other options contradict the text (A: visual elements are insufficient; C: describing the canyon is a "task equal in magnitude" to the forest; D: a minor detail, not the thesis).

Answer:

B. Music provides a better description of the Grand Canyon than words or pictures.