Question

read the passage from \cruel tribute.\

ow then,\ said minos, \you shall hear my decree. athens has robbed me of my dearest treasure, a treasure that can never be restored to me; so, in return, i require from athens, as tribute, that possession which is the dearest and most precious to her people; and it shall be destroyed cruelly as my son was destroyed.\

\the condition is hard,\ said the elders, \but it is just. what is the tribute which you require?\

\has the king a son?\ asked minos.

the face of king aegeus lost all its color and he trembled as he thought of a little child then with its mother at troezen, on the other side of the saronic sea. but the elders knew nothing about that child, and they answered:

\alas, no! he has no son; but he has fifty nephews who are eating up his substance and longing for the time to

by placing this passage at the beginning of the story, the author builds suspense for the arrival of

Explanation:

Analyze the passage and the prompt

The passage is from "Cruel Tribute," describing King Minos of Crete demanding a cruel tribute from Athens for the death of his son. Minos asks, "Has the king a son?" King Aegeus of Athens trembles, thinking of his secret young son (Theseus) with his mother at Troezen. However, the elders of Athens, unaware of this child, answer that Aegeus has no son, only fifty greedy nephews.

Identify the narrative purpose and suspense

By placing this passage at the beginning of the story, the author introduces the secret existence of King Aegeus's son, Theseus, while the characters in the story (except Aegeus) remain ignorant of him. This builds suspense for the eventual arrival of Theseus in Athens to face the tribute.

Determine the missing blank text

The sentence to complete is: "By placing this passage at the beginning of the story, the author builds suspense for the arrival of ______."
The arrival of Theseus (Aegeus's son) is the central plot point that this passage foreshadows.

Answer:

By placing this passage at the beginning of the story, the author builds suspense for the arrival of <blank>Theseus</blank>.