Question

read the excerpt from ovids \pyramus and thisbe\.
and when he had found
the bloodstained shawl, he cried:
ow this same night
will see two lovers lose their lives: she was
the one more worthy of long life: its i
who bear the guilt for this. o my poor girl,
its i who led you to your death; i said
you were to reach this fearful place by night;
i let you be the first who would arrive.
o all you lions with your lairs beneath
this cliff, come now, and with your fierce jaws feast
upon my wretched guts!
which statement best describes how the pace of the
excerpt creates tension?
○ pyramuss quick action hurries the plot to his tragic
death.
○ pyramuss quick action hurries the plot to reveal his
crime.
○ pyramuss long speech slows the pace to prolong
suspense.
○ pyramuss long speech slows the pace to taunt the
lioness.

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, analyze the excerpt and options:

• Option 1: Pyramus acts quickly (finding the shawl, deciding to die) to move the plot to his tragic death, creating tension as his hasty action leads to the tragic outcome.
• Option 2: Pyramus has no crime; he blames himself for a misunderstanding, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: His speech is not prolonging suspense (he's acting to die, not delaying), so this is wrong.
• Option 4: His speech is not taunting a lioness; he's calling lions to eat him, and the pace from his quick action (not the speech's slowness) creates tension, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

A. Pyramus's quick action hurries the plot to his tragic death.