Question

the adventure of the mysterious picture
by washington irving
as one story of the kind produces another, and as all the company seemed fully engrossed by the topic, and disposed to bring their relatives and ancestors upon the scene, there is no knowing how many more ghost adventures we might have heard, had not a corpulent old fox - hunter, who had slept soundly through the whole, now suddenly awakened, with a loud and long - drawn yawn. the sound broke the charm; the ghosts took to flight as though it had been cock - crowing, and there was a universal move for bed.
\and now for the haunted chamber,\ said the irish captain, taking his candle.
\aye, whos to be the hero of the night?\ said the gentleman with the ruined head.
\that we shall see in the morning,\ said the old gentleman with the nose. \whoever looks pale and grizzly will have seen the ghost.\
\well, gentlemen,\ said the baronet, \theres many a true thing said in jest. in fact, one of you will sleep in a room to - night—\
\what—a haunted room? a haunted room? i claim the adventure—and i—and i—and i\ cried a dozen guests, talking and laughing and
all this was half muttered to myself, as i hastily slipped on my clothes; which having done, i groped my way out of the room, and down - stairs to the drawing - room. here, after tumbling over two or three pieces of furniture, i made out to reach a sofa, and stretching myself upon it determined to bivouac there for the night.
what technique does irving use to build suspense in the excerpt?
the setting details are intentionally omitted
the word choice darkens the tone.
the outcome of events becomes uncertain.
the pace of the story quickens.

Explanation:

To determine the technique Irving uses to build suspense, we analyze each option:

• "The setting details are intentionally omitted": The excerpt has setting details (e.g., drawing - room, furniture), so this is incorrect.
• "The word choice darkens the tone": The excerpt has a mix of light - hearted (e.g., guests talking and laughing) and suspenseful elements, and word choice alone doesn't mainly darken the tone to build suspense.
• "The outcome of events becomes uncertain": The characters discuss who will sleep in the haunted room and who will see the ghost, making the outcome (who will encounter the ghost, what will happen in the haunted room) uncertain, which builds suspense.
• "The pace of the story quickens": The excerpt's pace doesn't seem to quicken; it has a more conversational and suspense - building through uncertainty rather than pace.

Answer:

The outcome of events becomes uncertain.