Question

question 5 of 10
imagine this scenario in a play:
martha is shy. she is asked to say something about her best friend josh at his graduation party.
what is the best way to write the stage directions?
a. martha looks bewildered when asked to speak. she takes a long pause before saying, josh. what can i say about josh?
b. martha (looking bewildered and taking a long pause before speaking) josh. what can i say about josh?
c. martha looks bewildered and takes a long pause before speaking: josh. what can i say about josh?
d. martha looking bewildered and taking a long pause before speaking josh. what can i say about josh?

Explanation:

Standard play stage directions clearly separate action descriptions from dialogue. Option A properly structures the character's actions as full sentences before introducing her spoken line, which follows formatting conventions for plays. The other options incorrectly merge action and dialogue without proper separation or use non-standard formatting for stage directions.

Answer:

A. MARTHA looks bewildered when asked to speak. She takes a long pause before saying, "Josh. What can I say about Josh?"