Question

the search partys find by grant allen (excerpt) in this excerpt from the beckoning hand and other stories, the narrator, a surgeon, joins an arctic expedition to escape a broken engagement. one of the expeditions members is a man by the name of lemarchant, who quickly becomes one of the teams most despised members. to the narrators horror, he learns that lemarchant is now engaged to his former love. when lemarchant learns this, he sets in motion a plan that has a terrible consequence for both men. (1) presently, i heard a noise again, and woke up quietly, without starting, but just opened my eyes and peered about as well as the dim light of the little oil - lamp would allow me. (2) to my great surprise, i could make out somehow that lemarchant was meddling with the bottles in the medicine - chest... (3) at four i woke, as i always did, and proceeded to take one of my powders. curiously enough, before i tasted it, the grain appeared to me to be rather coarser and more granular than the quinine i had originally put them. i took a pinch between my finger and select the correct answer. look at paragraphs 3 - 7. how does the pacing in paragraphs 3 - 7 create tension? a. the incomplete statements in paragraphs 3, 5, and 6 are meant to slow the reader down and ease the tension from one event to the next. b. paragraphs 4 and 7 provide clarification about whether lemarchant is or is not sleeping, which reduces the tension felt by both the narrator and reader. c. paragraphs 3, 4, and 6 are longer, more detailed paragraphs while paragraphs 5 and 7 are brief and allow the reader to take in the shocking information more quickly which helps to pace the tension the reader feels. d. the longer portions of text in this part of the story only contain background information and do not contribute to the tension or suspense in the story.

Explanation:

In paragraphs 3 - 7, the varying lengths of paragraphs contribute to tension. Longer paragraphs (3, 4, 6) with more details build up tension while shorter ones (5, 7) allow for quick absorption of shocking information, pacing the tension. Option A is incorrect as incomplete statements usually heighten rather than ease tension. Option B is wrong since the clarification about Lemarchant sleeping does not reduce tension. Option D is false as the longer text portions do contribute to tension.

Answer:

C. Paragraphs 3, 4, and 6 are longer, more detailed paragraphs while paragraphs 5 and 7 are brief and allow the reader to take in the shocking information more quickly which helps to pace the tension the reader feels.