Question

read the excerpt from adams personal narrative.
i stepped into the tidal pool carefully, wishing i had
brought my water shoes. \whats the matter, afraid of a
few crabs?\ laura smiled. \it doesnt hurt that much
when they pinch. theyre only little,\ she said. laura
wasnt afraid of anything, or at least id never seen her
get scared. she was the type to dive off a cliff and not
even think about what was in the water below.
\but there are so many of them!\ i winced.
\i know, its so cool!\ she replied, scooping a crab into
her hand to look at it more closely. i nearly screamed.
how does this paragraph develop the characters in the
dialogue?
○ it explains to the reader where the characters are
and what they are doing.
○ it shows that adam is afraid of what is in the water,
but laura is fearless and likes to tease him.
○ it shows that adam is interested in learning more
about the crabs, but laura is ignoring him.
○ it explains to the reader how long adam and laura
have known each other.

Explanation:

• Analyze Option 1: It focuses on setting/action, not character development. Eliminate.
• Analyze Option 2: Adam is cautious ("stepped carefully", "winced", "nearly screamed") about crabs; Laura teases ("afraid of a few crabs?") and is fearless (scoops crab, dives off cliffs). This matches character traits.
• Analyze Option 3: Laura isn't ignoring Adam; she replies and interacts. Eliminate.
• Analyze Option 4: The paragraph doesn't mention their acquaintance duration. Eliminate.

Answer:

B. It shows that Adam is afraid of what is in the water, but Laura is fearless and likes to tease him.