Question

suspense and horror: gothic writing across time
read the excerpt from a short story.
i thanked her again for the cake, and quietly retreated from the porch. a blast of air conditioning assailed me as i reentered our home and closed the summer heat behind me. placing the cake on the table with the others, i noted its carefully scalloped frosting with mourning sadness. clutching the doorknob, i suppressed a sob. the reality of our loss would wait.
which words from the excerpt convey the tone?
\assailed\ and
eentered\
\clutching\ and \suppressed\
\placing\ and \scalloped\
\thanked\ and
etreated\

Explanation:

To determine the words conveying tone, analyze each option:

• "assailed" (action) and "reentered" (movement) don't show emotion/tone.
• "clutching" (gripping in distress) and "suppressed" (holding back emotion) reflect sadness/grief, matching the excerpt's mournful tone.
• "placing" (action) and "scalloped" (descriptive) are neutral.
• "thanked" (polite action) and "retreated" (movement) are neutral.

Answer:

"clutching" and "suppressed"