Question

how are tension and suspense different?
a. tension is the sense that something is going to happen to the characters, while suspense presents the reader with a character’s unresolved conflict.

b. tension is the climax or the moment of greatest excitement in the story, while suspense is the action leading up to a plot’s climactic moment.

c. tension is an event explained early in a plotline that introduces conflict to the story, while suspense is a hint that something is going to happen.

d. tension is the feeling writers create when introducing conflict into a plot, while suspense is the feeling of wanting to know what happens next in the story.

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Incorrectly defines tension and suspense. Tension isn't just about something happening to characters, and suspense isn't about a character's unresolved conflict.
• Option B: Tension is not the climax; the climax is a separate story element. So this is wrong.
• Option C: Tension isn't an event explained early, and suspense isn't just a hint. This misdefines both.
• Option D: Tension is created by conflict in the plot, and suspense is the reader's desire to know what happens next. This matches the correct definitions of tension (a feeling from conflict) and suspense (curiosity about future events).

Answer:

D. Tension is the feeling writers create when introducing conflict into a plot, while suspense is the feeling of wanting to know what happens next in the story.