Question

read the excerpt from a short story.
i thanked her again for the cake, and quietly retreated from the porch. a blast of air conditioning assailed me as i reentered our home and closed the summer heat behind me. placing the cake on the table with the others, i noted its carefully scalloped frosting with mounting sadness. clutching the doorjamb, i suppressed a sob. the reality of our loss would wait.
which words from the excerpt convey the tone?
○ \thanked\ and
etreated\
○ \assailed\ and
eentered\
○ \placing\ and \scalloped\
○ \clutching\ and \suppressed\

Explanation:

The excerpt centers on suppressed sadness and grief. "Clutching" shows a tight, distressed hold, and "suppressed" directly refers to holding back a sob, both conveying the somber, grieving tone. Other pairs include neutral or unrelated words: "thanked/retreated" are polite/neutral actions; "assailed/reentered" describe sensory/neutral movement; "placing/scalloped" are neutral actions about the cake.

Answer:

○ "clutching" and "suppressed"