Question

the search partys find
by grant allen (excerpt)
in this excerpt from the beckoning hand and other stories, the
narrator, a surgeon, joins an arctic expedition to escape a broken
engagement. one of the expedition’s members is a man by the
name of lemarchant, who quickly becomes one of the team’s
most despised members. to the narrator’s horror, he learns that
lemarchant is now engaged to his former love. when
lemarchant learns this, he sets in motion a plan that has a
terrible consequence for both men.
(1) presently, i heard a noise again, and woke up quietly, without
starting, but just opened my eyes and peered about as well as
the dim light of the little oil-lamp would allow me.
(2) to my great surprise, i could make out somehow that
lemarchant was meddling with the bottles in the medicine-chest.
(3) at four i woke, as i always did, and proceeded to take one of
my powders. curiously enough, before i tasted it, the grain
appeared to me to be rather coarser and more granular than the
quinine¹ i had originally put there. i took a pinch between my
finger and thumb, and placed it on my tongue by way of testing it.
instead of being bitter, the powder, i found, was insipid² and
almost tasteless ...
(4) glancing accidentally to his place that moment, i was vaguely
conscious that he was not really sleeping, but lying with his eyes
3
select the correct answer
look at paragraphs 3–7. how does the pacing in paragraphs 3–7 create tension?
a. paragraphs 3, 4, and 6 are longer, more detailed paragraphs while paragraphs 5 and 7 are brief and allow the
reader to take in the shocking information more quickly which helps to pace the tension the reader feels.

b. paragraphs 4 and 7 provide clarification about whether lemarchant is or is not sleeping, which reduces the
tension felt by both the narrator and reader.

c. the incomplete statements in paragraphs 3, 5, and 6 are meant to slow the reader down and ease the tension
from one event to the next.

d. the longer portions of text in this part of the story only contain background information and do not contribute
to the tension or suspense in the story.
reset next

Explanation:

• Option A: Longer, detailed paragraphs (3,4,6) build up the situation and then shorter ones (5,7) quickly deliver shocking info (like Lemarchant's actions and the powder's taste). This contrast in paragraph length and detail - slow build - quick shock - effectively paces the tension.
• Option B: Paragraphs 4 and 7 do not reduce tension. Paragraph 4 shows Lemarchant is not sleeping (which could add to the narrator's unease as he is up to something) and paragraph 7 (assuming it's part of the tense sequence) would be part of the tension - building, not reducing.
• Option C: Incomplete statements would not ease tension. If anything, they might add to it (like a cliff - hanger). But in this case, the pacing is more about paragraph length and detail distribution.
• Option D: The longer portions are not just background. Paragraph 3 details the powder's strange texture and taste (a key tension - building element as it's related to Lemarchant's possible tampering).

Answer:

A. Paragraphs 3, 4, and 6 are longer, more detailed paragraphs while paragraphs 5 and 7 are brief and allow the reader to take in the shocking information more quickly which helps to pace the tension the reader feels.