Question

read the excerpt from adams personal narrative.
i stepped into the tidal pool carefully, wishing i had brought my water shoes. \whats the matter, afraid of a few crabs?\ laura smiled. \it doesnt hurt that much when they pinch. theyre only little,\ she said. laura wasnt afraid of anything, or at least id never seen her get scared. she was the type to dive off a cliff and not even think about what was in the water below.
\but there are so many of them!\ i winced.
\i know, its so cool!\ she replied, scooping a crab into her hand to look at it more closely. i nearly screamed.
how does this paragraph develop the characters in the dialogue?
○ it explains to the reader where the characters are and what they are doing.
○ it shows that adam is afraid of what is in the water, but laura is fearless and likes to tease him.
○ it shows that adam is interested in learning more about the crabs, but laura is ignoring him.
○ it explains to the reader how long adam and laura have known each other.

Explanation:

• Option 1: Explaining location/action is about setting, not character development. Eliminate.
• Option 2: Adam is careful/wishes for water shoes, winces at crabs (shows fear of water creatures). Laura teases ("afraid of a few crabs?"), is fearless (dives off cliff, scoops crab). This matches character traits.
• Option 3: Laura isn’t ignoring—she replies and interacts. Adam’s reaction is fear, not interest. Eliminate.
• Option 4: The paragraph has no info about how long they’ve known each other. Eliminate.

Answer:

B. It shows that Adam is afraid of what is in the water, but Laura is fearless and likes to tease him.