TASK DEFINITION: Read the given story and classify it as 'imagined', 'recalled', or 'retold'. If a story is imagined, the person who wrote the story is making it up, pretending they experienced it. If a story is recalled, the person who wrote the story really experienced it and is recalling it from memory. If a story is retold, it is a real memory like the 'recalled' stories, but written down much later after previously writing a 'recalled' story about the same events. So, recalled stories and retold stories will be fairly similar, in that they both were real experiences for the writer. Imagined stories have a more linear flow and contain more commonsense knowledge, whereas recalled stories are less connected and contain more specific concrete events. Additionally, higher levels of self reference are found in imagined stories. Between recalled and retold stories, retold stories flow significantly more linearly than recalled stories, and retold stories are significantly higher in scores for cognitive processes and positive tone.
PROBLEM: While recently on vacation with friends, I was fortunate to be a part of a surprise engagement. We were out of the country and he proposer had purchased the ring prior to our trip. This was totally unexpected. I was fortunate to be able to hear the proposer ask the father for his permission. I felt a part of the event because I was asked to help the proposer with ideas and suggestions on how to make this special for everyone. He wanted us to be there to see it. Even though not exactly AT the dinner. It was exciting to help with this. It was totally unexpected to be asked to help him. His parents weren't there so I felt special. I enjoyed being able to input my ideas and thoughts into making this special and having his father there to witness it. I have only been dating her father for a few months and was very excited for the couple. Her father and I planned what food to have. We tried to get a band as well. We purchased an engagement gift.

SOLUTION: recalled

PROBLEM: To start off, I think I completely failed my geometry quiz, which I know I should've studied more for...my dad's not gonna be happy about that. :( Then, we had a pop quiz in history on the reading homework from last night, and I completely forgot most of what I read, which made me even more upset because I actually did the reading! But what really made me mad was the note that Sarah slipped into my locker during passing period. She said she was sad that I've been hanging out with Jane more lately and thinks that I don't want to be her friend anymore. I can't believe she thinks that, especially after talking with her on the phone for hours and hours last month while she was going through her breakup with Nick! Just because I've been hanging out with Jane a little more than usual doesn't mean I'm not her friend anymore. She completely blew me off at lunch, and when I told Jane, she thought that Sarah was being a "drama queen."This is just what I need! My parents are getting on my case about doing more extracurricular activities, I have a huge paper due for AP English soon, and I can't understand a thing in advanced Spanish! The last thing I need is for my best friend to think I hate her and barely text me back anymore. Uggh! I can't concentrate on anything right now because of it. I hope she gets over it!!!Sorry I didn't get to write last night! It was such a busy day, and I was too tired to write anything...I was right about Sarah not being okay. Yesterday, she barely spoke to me, and anything she did say was a "yes" or "no" answer. I tried so hard to get her to cheer up, but of course she just kept saying, "I'm fine, I'm fine." Uggh! I wish she would just be honest with me! I'm always honest with her! It's not fair!Jane also seemed mad all day because she could tell that Sarah was being fake nice to her. I hate being in the middle of all of this. What am I supposed to do? Sarah's been my friend since forever, and Jane is my new friend, and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings! But I think that Jane is right about Sarah. I think Sarah sometimes gets too dramatic about things. She's being kind of a brat about all of this, but I don't want to tell her that to her face, she'd never forgive me.

SOLUTION: recalled

PROBLEM: Last week, I was walking down the street and I saw a man that I usually see on my way to work. Today I noticed that he was crying and looking very down. Usually I just walked past him but today I felt like I needed to talk to him. I could feel that he was going through something terrible and needed some help. I slowed down, and I stood next to him and looked at him for a moment. Finally, I mustered up the courage to ask him what was going on. He told me that he and found out that he was ill and would not have long to live. He said that he had always felt like he could manage his life the way it was. He said that after he found out this news he felt that his life was worthless. He told me that he had not wanted to eat for days and that it was hard for him to eat anyway. Due to the fact that he had very little money and very little support it was hard for him to muster up the strength to fend for himself. I sat down next to him and spoke with him for a while about what he was going through and offered to buy him something to eat. He accepted, and told me that I was the only one who had stopped and talked to him in months. He told me that it was a very helpful and that he would try and pick himself up from here on out. I felt so grateful that I had made such a big impact on him. It made me feel like I wanted to do more to help people around me. Not only was I able to uplift his spirits but my own as well.

SOLUTION:
recalled