38 \can i catch her? i want to see if riley throws as hard as she hits a plastic hockey puck.\ 39 becca…

38 \can i catch her? i want to see if riley throws as hard as she hits a plastic hockey puck.\ 39 becca shrugged her shoulders at riley, who nodded. 40 alex brought his own softball that he threw to riley. when she looked down to find her grip, she noticed writing on it. she turned it over so she could read it. 41 will you go to prom with me? 42 when she looked up, alex was in front of her. \so, what do you think?\ 43 \seriously?\ riley said. 44 \serious as that fastball you throw,\ he said. 45 riley wrapped her arms around alex. \yes!\ how would structuring the story with a nonlinear plot — starting with alexs promposal and then flashing back — change the effect on the reader? a it would reduce suspense by revealing the ending too soon. b it would enhance rileys uncertainty about alexs feelings. c it would make rileys softball skills seem more significant than her emotions. d it would make the promposal seem like an unimportant detail.

38 \can i catch her? i want to see if riley throws as hard as she hits a plastic hockey puck.\ 39 becca shrugged her shoulders at riley, who nodded. 40 alex brought his own softball that he threw to riley. when she looked down to find her grip, she noticed writing on it. she turned it over so she could read it. 41 will you go to prom with me? 42 when she looked up, alex was in front of her. \so, what do you think?\ 43 \seriously?\ riley said. 44 \serious as that fastball you throw,\ he said. 45 riley wrapped her arms around alex. \yes!\ how would structuring the story with a nonlinear plot — starting with alexs promposal and then flashing back — change the effect on the reader? a it would reduce suspense by revealing the ending too soon. b it would enhance rileys uncertainty about alexs feelings. c it would make rileys softball skills seem more significant than her emotions. d it would make the promposal seem like an unimportant detail.

Answer

Brief Explanations:

A nonlinear plot starting with the proposal (the "ending") would reveal the outcome early. Suspense in a story often comes from wondering about the result. By showing the proposal first (Riley's acceptance), the reader knows the outcome right away. There's less mystery about whether Alex's proposal will be accepted. Options B - Riley's uncertainty is resolved in the original linear plot (she accepts). Option C - Softball skills are a minor detail compared to the emotional proposal. Option D - The proposal is a key moment; starting with it doesn't make it unimportant.

Answer:

A. It would reduce suspense by revealing the ending too soon.