Answer the questions after carefully reading the passage:
Being a memory trainer, I meet hundreds of people from different professions and lifestyles who are constantly complaining about memory problem. Some people complain that they have a very bad memory and are not able to remember anything while others say that they face a problem recalling phone numbers but are good at recalling names and faces. And then there are those who remember phone numbers, but cannot remember the names of the people they wish to call. Some people are fast at memorizing things but cannot retain it for long whereas there are a few others who though take a long time to memorize but can retain that information for a long time. They often ask me to give them some tips on how they can improve their poor memory.
Let me first tell you that there is no such thing as a poor memory. This may come as a shock to those of you who have used your supposedly 'poor' memory as an excuse for years. But, I repeat, there is no such thing as a poor memory. There is only trained or untrained memory. Trained memory means that we can learn to remember things in a simple and definite way just as we have learnt to speak, walk, and eat. With the use of some smart memory techniques, we can remember much more information for any given length of time, and all this in a very systematic way. The good news is that by training our memory, we all can have a very good, quick, and retentive memory for almost anything.
What is retentive memory?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Memory that can be retained for long.
Retentive means able to keep or hold something; a retentive memory keeps information for a long time. The passage contrasts people who memorize fast but "cannot retain it for long" with those who "can retain that information for a long time", and promises that training gives a "retentive memory".
Example: Her retentive memory helped her recall every date in the history book.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Memory that hesitates to recall — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: hesitating to recall describes a slow or weak memory, not one that holds information well.
Option 3: Tentative memory. — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: Tentative means not certain or not final. The words look alike, but a tentative memory would be an unsure one.
Example: We have made tentative plans for the trip.
Option 4: Memory that remember for short time. — Incorrect. Opposite meaning: it describes a memory that keeps information only for a short time.