Question

close read: analyze the text
identify the choice that best answers the question.
read the following stanza from \the raven.\
but the raven still beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
straight i wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust, and door,
then, upon the velvet sinking, i betook myself to linking
fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore-
5 what this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
meant in croaking,
evermore.\
which aspect of this stanza most clearly adds to the feeling of tension or dread in these lines?
a. the rhyme of \beguiling\ and \smiling\ in the first line and \sinking\ and \linking\ in the third line, suggesting a growing sadness
b. the series \bird, and bust, and door\ in the second line, suggesting a clear progression toward madness
c. the addition of a number of descriptive words to \ominous bird of yore\ in the fifth line, suggesting a growing frenzy
d. the use of the word croaking in the last line, suggesting a growing fear of the raven

Explanation:

In the fifth line, the addition of multiple descriptive words like "grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt" to "ominous bird of yore" creates a sense of growing frenzy. This repetition and accumulation of intense adjectives heighten the tension and dread. The other options do not effectively contribute to the feeling of tension or dread as much as this aspect.

Answer:

C. the addition of a number of descriptive words to "ominous bird of yore" in the fifth line, suggesting a growing frenzy