Question

passage
as ruchira is packing her apartment while preparing to move in with her new husband, biren, she reflects on the first time he saw her artwork.
(1) hed moved close to the wall and was standing very still. (2) it took her a moment to figure out that he was examining her brush - strokes. (3) (but only artists did that. (4) was he a closet artist, too?) (5) finally he moved back and let out a long, incredulous breath, and it struck her that she had been holding hers as well. (6) \tell me about your work,\ he said.
(7) this was hard. (8) she had started painting two years ago, and had never talked to anyone about it. (9) even her parents didnt know. (10) when they came for dinner, she removed the canvases from the wall and hid them in her closet. (11) she sprayed the room with eucalyptus mist and lit incense sticks so they wouldnt smell the turpentine. (12) the act of painting was the first really risky thing she had done in her life. (13) being at the gallery, she knew how different her work was from everything in there, or in the glossy art journals. (14) her technique was crude - she hadnt taken classes and didnt intend to. (15) she would probably never amount to much. (16) still, she came back from work every evening and painted furiously. (17) she worked late into the night, light - headed with the effort to remember. (18) she stopped inviting people over. (19) she made excuses when her friends wanted her to go out. (20) she had to force herself to return their calls, and often she didnt. (21) she ruined canvas after canvas, slashed them in frustration and threw them into the dumpster behind the building. (22) she wept till she saw a blurry brightness, like sunspots, wherever she looked. (23) then, miraculously, she got better. (24) sometimes now, at 2:00 or 3:00, her back muscles tight and burning, a stillness would rise around her, warm and vaporous. (25) held within it, she would hear, word for word, the stories her grandmother used to tell.
from chitra banerjee divakaruni, the unknown errors of our lives. ©2001 by chitra banerjee divakaruni.
question
which of the following best describes what is happening in sentence 5 when biren releases \a long, incredulous breath\ and ruchira notices \that she had been holding hers as well\?
biren is shocked by the artwork, and ruchira is surprised by this unexpected response.
biren is bored by the display, and ruchira is disappointed in his reaction.
biren discovers ruchiras secret, and ruchira is upset it has been discovered.
biren admires the artwork, and ruchira realizes she has been nervous about his reaction.

Explanation:

Biren's long, incredulous breath suggests a strong reaction, likely positive as he closely examined the brush - strokes earlier. Ruchira holding her breath indicates she was nervous about his reaction. The text doesn't support negative reactions like boredom or shock, nor does it suggest she was upset about the secret being discovered.

Answer:

Biren admires the artwork, and Ruchira realizes she has been nervous about his reaction.