Question

a night to remember
cassandra kicked the dirt under her feet with the toe of her right shoe. she had impatiently waited all week for the county fair to come to town with its bright lights, amazing rides, and the one feature she most wanted to experience—the roller coaster. her friends had agreed to come with her on this outing, but now all they wanted to do was play the arcades, eat cotton candy, and look for boys whom they knew from school.
“c’mon, guys. let’s use our tickets for some of the rides!” she urged.
“you’ve got to be kidding me, cas. those rides will mess up my hair,” her best friend retorted.
“i’m not here to look pretty. i’m here to have some fun. look at the coaster over there. think about plunging down the hills. who cares about hair? let’s have some excitement while we’re here!” cassandra argued.
“you do what you want. i’m here to see and be seen,” the rest of the girls nodded in agreement.
“i’m going to take some risks. i have my phone, and you have yours. call me when you’re ready to go. hopefully, i’ll have ridden it by then.” cassandra gave her friends one last chance to join her in this great adventure, sighed, turned, and then set off for the illuminated tracks.
cassandra kept her eye on the prize. anxious to ride before the attraction closed for the evening, she darted around young couples holding hands and parents anxiously searching for their wayward little ones. her quick step slowed, however, as she hesitantly approached the giant. she raised her head and followed the line of the steep steel tracks as they curved, looped, and twisted. this would be the highest roller coaster that she had ever experienced, and she would be doing it alone. this had been her quest for the entire evening but was she up for this challenge? with new determination, she once again set off at a trot.
by the time she made it through the crowd, the line was extraordinarily long. she joined the other thrill-seekers and scanned the faces around her. did she know anyone? was there a familiar face from school to join her for the ride?
she shifted her weight as she waited impatiently, determined to achieve her goal and watched the train climb the fast huge hill and then plummet down the track. she became mesmerized by the clank of the car as it broke free to fill the riders with laughter and screams.
“looks exciting, doesn’t it?” a voice behind her seemed to speak almost directly into her ear. with a start, she turned to see a boy about her age staring up at the track just as she had been doing. “i can’t wait to ride. like is a bit long though, don’t you think?” he smiled a lopsided grin.
“i guess we waited too long. i couldn’t convince my friends to come ride with me,” cassandra dejectedly confided with a pout.
“i’m alone too. you would think that with all of the people in front of us, we’d know someone.” he let his eyes leave the track and focus on her. “do you want to share a seat in the car? it’s more fun to have someone with you. i like to put my hands in the air as the train crests the hill. sometimes if i’m alone in the car, i slide around too much. i don’t mind coming off of the seat, but i don’t like sliding from side to side.”
cassandra weighed her options. her friends had left her alone with this challenge, but now she had someone else who was brave enough to join her. with a little grin, cassandra nodded her head in agreement.
waiting for the line in front of them to shrink, they shared what they liked about coasters and which ones they had ridden. they talked about the ones with the loops, those with wood versus steel tracks, and the angle of the hills and turns. this new friend seemed to know everything about roller coasters and how they worked.
cassandra began to believe that he might be one of the most interesting people whom she had ever met.
which of the following events from “a night to remember” contributed most to the suspense of the story?
a cassandra and her friends attend the county fair.
b cassandra leaves her friends to ride the roller coaster.
c cassandra and a new friend plan to ride the roller coaster together.
d cassandra’s new friend disappears when the roller coaster ride ends.

Explanation:

The story builds suspense by showing Cassandra's anticipation and actions. Option A shows her and friends arriving at the fair (a starting point). Option B is a common event (leaving friends). Option C is a normal plan. Option D, with a new friend disappearing at the end, creates a cliff - hanger, which is a strong suspense - building element.

Answer:

D. Cassandra's new friend disappears when the roller coaster ride ends.