Historical present

"My first conscious direct memory of anything outside myself is not of Duckmore and its estates but of the street. I am adventuring out of our front gate and into the great world beyond. It's a summer's day — perhaps this is the very first summer after we moved in when I'm not yet three. I walk along the pavement, and on into the endless distances of the street — past the gate of No. 4 — on and bravely on until I find myself in a strange new landscape with its own exotic flora, a mass of sunlit pink blossom on a tangled rambler rose hanging over a garden fence. I have got almost as far as the garden gate of No. 5. At this point, I somehow become aware of how far I am from home and abruptly lose all my taste for exploration. I turn and run back to No. 3."

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Multiple Choice

In the previous excerpt, the objective of the historical present is:

• To talk about an anecdote

• To force an illusion

• To talk about a memory

So, I walk out of my house at about 8:45 AM and try to book an Uber to go to work.  After 10 minutes of trying in vain, I abandon the app and just start walking along my street to hail a taxi. That doesn’t work either. Half another later, after I realize that no one is willing to go to our locality, I just give up and start walking to work. 

And, that’s why I am late today. 

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Multiple Choice

In the previous excerpt, the objective of the historical present is:

• To talk about an anecdote

• To force an illusion

• To talk about a memory

There is a famous story of President Abraham Lincoln, taking a vote at a cabinet meeting on whether to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. All his cabinet secretaries vote nay, whereupon Lincoln raises his right hand and declares: 'The ayes have it.'"

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Multiple Choice

In the previous excerpt, the objective of the historical present is:

• To talk about an anecdote

• To force an illusion

• To talk about a memory