Question

read this passage.
excerpt from \the pit and the pendulum\
by edgar allan poe
so far, i had not opened my eyes. i felt that i lay upon my back, unbound. i reached out my hand, and it fell heavily upon something damp and hard. there i suffered it to remain for many minutes, while i strove to imagine where and what i could be. i longed, yet dared not to employ my vision. i dreaded the first glance at objects around me. it was not that i feared to look upon things horrible, but that i grew aghast lest there should be nothing to see. at length, with a wild desperation at heart, i quickly unclosed my eyes. my worst thoughts, then, were confirmed. the blackness of eternal night encompassed me. i struggled for breath. the intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle me. the atmosphere was intolerably close. i still lay quietly, and made effort to exercise my …
how does poe create suspense in this excerpt?
by having the narrator reach out and touch something unidentified
by suggesting that the narrator is reacting with an unrealistic degree of panic
by describing the narrator’s distress as he tries to figure out where he is
by indicating that a long time has passed since the narrator was sentenced

Explanation:

To determine how Poe creates suspense, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The narrator touching something unidentified is a minor detail, not the main suspense - creating method here.
• Option 2: The excerpt shows the narrator's extreme panic - like "wild desperation", "dreaded", "intolerable atmosphere" - which makes the situation feel unreal and builds suspense.
• Option 3: The narrator's distress is about fear of what's around, not figuring out location.
• Option 4: The time passed ("many minutes") is not the key suspense - creator; the focus is on the narrator's panicked state.

Answer:

B. by suggesting that the narrator is reacting with an unrealistic degree of panic