What is the main idea of the passage?

People may remember an experience through its peak and ending more than a minute-by-minute average, though other factors also matter. (The passage explains the peak-end tendency, applies it, and limits it rather than presenting an absolute rule.)

Why does the author call endings “frames”?

An ending can organize how earlier moments are interpreted and later recalled. (The next sentence explains that endings organize what came before and become accessible retrieval points.)

What does “duration” mean in the second paragraph?

the entire length of time an experience lasts (The passage contrasts full duration with giving special weight to only the peak and ending.)

What problem occurs at the end of the first museum visit?

The exit is crowded and confusing. (The opening example ends the first visit at a crowded, confusing exit.)

The Ending That Changes the Memory: Level 3 Reading Comprehension Questions

Two museum visits last the same amount of time. During the first, a visitor enjoys most rooms, encounters one breathtaking painting, and finishes in a crowded, confusing exit. During the second, nothing reaches that same high point, but the final gallery is calm and satisfying. Which visit will the person remember more warmly?

Memory does not always average every minute equally. In some judgments, people give extra weight to an experience's most intense point and to its ending. Researchers often call this tendency the peak-end rule. The remembered evaluation can therefore differ from a total of pleasure or discomfort across the full duration.

The rule describes a tendency, not a machine that rewrites every memory. Expectations, later reflection, personal meaning, and the details being recalled can all matter. A terrible ending need not erase hours of joy, and a pleasant ending cannot repair every harmful event.

Still, endings often act like frames. They help people organize what came before and may become easy points of retrieval. In the museum example, the crowded exit could lower the remembered quality of an otherwise excellent visit. That possibility explains why a final moment can influence later judgment without literally changing the earlier moments.

Comprehension questions