Question

my mattress. i searched in my memory for all the practical jokes of which i ever had experience. and i did not want to be caught. ah! certainly not! certainly not! then i suddenly bethought myself of a precaution which i considered insured safety. i caught hold of the side of the mattress gingerly, and very slowly drew it toward me. it came away, followed by the sheet and the rest of the bedclothes. i dragged all these objects into the very middle of the room, facing the entrance door. i made my bed over again as best i could at some distance from the suspected bedstead and the corner which had filled me with such anxiety. then i extinguished all the candles, and, groping my way, i slipped under the bed clothes.
11 for at least another hour i remained awake, starting at the slightest sound. everything seemed quiet in the chateau. i fell asleep.
12 i must have been in a deep sleep for a long time, but all of a sudden i was awakened with a start by the fall of a heavy body tumbling right on top of my own, and, at the same time, i received on my face, on my neck, and on my chest a burning liquid which made me utter a howl of pain. and a dreadful noise, as if a sideboard laden with plates and dishes had fallen down, almost deafened me.
13 i was smothering beneath the weight that was crushing me and preventing me from moving. i stretched out my hand to find out what was the
1
select the correct answer.
look again at paragraph 12. how does this paragraph build on the tension developed in paragraphs 1--11?
a. it builds on the tension created by the narrators friends when they fire off their rifles as they hunt.
b. it builds on the main characters suspicion that his friends are going to trick him.
c. it builds on the narrators description of his friends as being \fond of practical jokes.\
d. it builds on the false sense of amusement created by the characters.

Explanation:

Paragraphs 1-11 establish that the narrator is paranoid his friends, who love practical jokes, will trick him, leading him to rearrange his bed to feel safe. Paragraph 12 delivers the payoff of this tension: he is attacked in his sleep, directly fulfilling his suspicion that his friends will prank him. Option A is incorrect as no rifle hunting is mentioned; Option C is a setup from earlier, not how paragraph 12 builds tension; Option D is wrong as there is no false amusement here.

Answer:

B. It builds on the main character's suspicion that his friends are going to trick him.