Question

read this passage: once victor put his new hook in the water, everything happened so fast. the catfish snapped at the barely visible 10-pound-test line trailing from the brand-new rod his cousin eduardo had given him for his 16th birthday. the fish bit down and began to flail in a way victor had only seen on television fishing shows and in a way only an animal can flail; then victor gave a hard tug, summoning all the strength his diligent routine of free weights and cardio had produced. as he tugged, he reeled in the line with tremendous speed until there it was, rocking back and forth like a pendulum ticking off the time between victory and defeat: an empty hook. he looked around in every direction, but the clever catfish was nowhere to be found. which statement best evaluates the authors use of pacing in the passage? a. the authors use of pacing is not effective, because the long, complex sentences slow down the action. b. the authors use of pacing is not effective, because important information — such as victors 16th birthday — is skipped over too quickly. c. the authors use of pacing is effective, because the description of the birthday and workout routine help to fill lulls in the action. d. the authors use of pacing is effective, because the interjection of background events creates suspense and anticipation.

Explanation:

To determine the best evaluation of the author's pacing, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The passage's action (fishing, fish flailing, reeling in) is described with long sentences, but they don't slow the action—they build tension. So A is incorrect.
• Option B: Victor’s birthday is background info, not key to the action, so "skipping it too quickly" isn’t a pacing flaw. B is wrong.
• Option C: The birthday and workout routine aren’t "filling lulls"—the action is continuous (fishing, fish escaping). C misinterprets their role.
• Option D: Background events (birthday gift, workout routine) are interjected into the fishing action. This builds suspense (will he catch the fish?) and anticipation (what happens next?), making pacing effective.

Answer:

D. The author’s use of pacing is effective, because the interjection of background events creates suspense and anticipation.