Question

read the excerpt from a short story.
the downy pillow covered his ears but did not mask the sound. sleep eluded him for hours, and he heard it still: a persistent scraping in the corner of his room. sitting upright at last, he peered into the darkness. it was as hed suspected. his uncles trunk, an old army footlocker, was the source of the sound. fine then, he could resolve this mystery. he swung his legs to the floor with conviction.
how does the excerpt exemplify the ideas king describes in danse macabre?
○ it allows readers to approach a \forbidden door.\
○ it provides a \single powerful spectacle\ for the imaginations eye.
○ it forces readers to \grapple\ with their own mortality.
○ it introduces an unlikely \dancing partner.\

Explanation:

Stephen King's Danse Macabre explores how horror media confronts readers with their own mortality by using suspenseful, unsettling scenarios. The excerpt builds tension through an unexplained sound, leading the character (and reader) to confront an unknown, anxiety-inducing situation that forces engagement with fears of the unknown and one's own vulnerability.

Answer:

It forces readers to "grapple" with their own mortality.