THOUGH YOU may not have realized it, you have already learned the fundamental principle of our memory system. You are now ready to put it to work. The first five key words are ready in your mind to help you remember something else entirely. Let us start with something fairly simple—say, the five biggest cities in the world.

In order of size, the five biggest cities are London, New York, Tokyo, Berlin, Moscow. Filing each one on its proper hook, we get:
1. Alarm clock—London
2. Trousers—New York
3. Chair—Tokyo
4. Table—Berlin
5. Newspaper—Moscow

Our object is to associate each of these cities vividly with
its key word and therefore with its number. Let me explain at
once that the following associations are offered merely as suggestions, to help you get started in forming your own mental images. If some other picture occurs to you which you feel is a stronger association, don't hesitate to use it. Every mind is different, and the best association is the one that works best for you.

1. London (alarm clock). Towering over London is the biggest clock in the world, Big Ben. Picture yourself climbing up the tower in order to wind up the clock for the night, setting the hands to one o'clock. The word London is written across the dial of the clock in Old English letters. London —alarm clock.

2. New York (trousers). How are you going to associate New York with trousers? Well, you bought your new trousers in New York. The trousers are made in New York by a New York tailor. (Although in general it is better to try to associate the item to be remembered with the key word rather than the number, in this case you can further strengthen the image by remembering that New York is two words.) New York—trousers.

3. Tokyo (chair). See a Japanese in a toque sitting on the chair. His big toe is stuck in the neck of a bottle of Tokay wine, and he is yelling, "Oh, my toe! It's in the Tokay— oh!" His toe is cut off and lying on the chair, but his toe is OK. Tokyo—chair.

4.Berlin (table). A group of burly Germans are sitting about a large German table, with a swastika painted on it. They are drinking German beer and singing songs written by Irving Berlin. Berlin—table.

5. Moscow (newspaper). Your newspaper, the Five-Star Final, is covered with moss, and a cow is lying on top of it, chewing at the moss and eating up the paper. This is a moscow. The headline on the newspaper reads FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR MOSCOW. Moscow—newspaper.

Reread these associations, adding to them any details that make the images more vivid. Then reach for your pencil and fill in the following spaces.

Third city is 
Second city is 
Fifth city is 
First city is 
Fourth city is ...