Question

select the correct answer. how does the author use pacing to create tension and suspense in the excerpt? a. he introduces important information in a series of conversations. b. he relies heavily on dialogue to move the story along. c. he uses a mixture of regular text and dialogue to reveal key details. d. he only uses lengthy, descriptive paragraphs.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option in the context of pacing (how the author controls the speed of the narrative) to create tension/suspense:

• Option A: Introducing info in conversations relates to dialogue content, not pacing (which is about narrative speed/rhythm). Eliminate.
• Option B: Relying "heavily" on dialogue to move the story focuses on dialogue’s role in plot progression, not pacing (e.g., varying sentence length, scene duration). Eliminate.
• Option C: Using a mixture of regular text (narrative, description) and dialogue balances the flow: dialogue can speed up tension (quick exchanges), while text can slow it (detailed descriptions), creating suspense. This directly relates to pacing (controlling narrative speed via structure).
• Option D: Using only lengthy paragraphs would create a slow, monotonous pace, not tension/suspense (variety in pacing is key for tension). Eliminate.

Answer:

C. He uses a mixture of regular text and dialogue to reveal key details.