Question
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 mounting sadness. Clutching the doorjamb, I suppressed a sob. The reality of our loss would wait.
Which words from the excerpt convey the tone?
“thanked” and “retreated”
“assailed” and “reentered”
“placing” and “scalloped”
“clutching” and “suppressed”
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 mounting sadness. Clutching the doorjamb, I suppressed a sob. The reality of our loss would wait.
Which words from the excerpt convey the tone?
“thanked” and “retreated”
“assailed” and “reentered”
“placing” and “scalloped”
“clutching” and “suppressed”
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The words that convey the tone of the excerpt are “clutching” and “suppressed.” These words suggest a sense of anguish and emotional struggle, reflecting the mounting sadness and the character's need to hold back their emotions in response to the loss.
Read the excerpt from a short story.
I stood against the far wall of the shabby lobby avoiding eye contact with the doorman as my dad checked us in for the night. We’d hoped to make it as far as Scranton, but the weather had interfered, leaving us instead at an eyesore of a truck-stop motel. My ear buds were jammed in as far as comfort would allow in a vain attempt to block out the motel’s vibe. Still, I could not ignore the looming presence of the doorman. He stood in the dim portico, sweeping and re-sweeping a pile of lint on the floor, watching the parking lot with his watery eyes, and occasionally signaling to the whiskered clerk behind the desk.
What technique does the author use to build suspense in the excerpt?
The pace of the story quickens.
The word choice darkens the tone.
Odd characters are introduced.
The setting details are intentionally omitted.
I stood against the far wall of the shabby lobby avoiding eye contact with the doorman as my dad checked us in for the night. We’d hoped to make it as far as Scranton, but the weather had interfered, leaving us instead at an eyesore of a truck-stop motel. My ear buds were jammed in as far as comfort would allow in a vain attempt to block out the motel’s vibe. Still, I could not ignore the looming presence of the doorman. He stood in the dim portico, sweeping and re-sweeping a pile of lint on the floor, watching the parking lot with his watery eyes, and occasionally signaling to the whiskered clerk behind the desk.
What technique does the author use to build suspense in the excerpt?
The pace of the story quickens.
The word choice darkens the tone.
Odd characters are introduced.
The setting details are intentionally omitted.
GPT-4o mini
The technique the author uses to build suspense in the excerpt is that **the word choice darkens the tone.** The descriptions of the "shabby lobby," "eyesore of a truck-stop motel," and "watery eyes" contribute to a suspenseful and unsettling atmosphere, enhancing the sense of discomfort and tension in the scene.
Read the excerpt from "The Adventure of the Mysterious Picture."
All this was half muttered to myself, as I hastily slipped on my clothes; which having done, I groped my way out of the room, and down-stairs to the drawing-room. Here, after tumbling over two or three pieces of furniture, I made out to reach a sofa, and stretching myself upon it determined to bivouac there for the night.
What technique does Irving use to build suspense in the excerpt?
The pace of the story quickens.
The word choice darkens the tone.
The outcome of events becomes uncertain.
The setting details are intentionally omitted.
All this was half muttered to myself, as I hastily slipped on my clothes; which having done, I groped my way out of the room, and down-stairs to the drawing-room. Here, after tumbling over two or three pieces of furniture, I made out to reach a sofa, and stretching myself upon it determined to bivouac there for the night.
What technique does Irving use to build suspense in the excerpt?
The pace of the story quickens.
The word choice darkens the tone.
The outcome of events becomes uncertain.
The setting details are intentionally omitted.
GPT-4o mini
The technique Irving uses to build suspense in the excerpt is that **the outcome of events becomes uncertain.** The narrator's actions—hastily getting dressed, groping in the dark, tumbling over furniture, and ultimately deciding to stretch out on the sofa—create a sense of unpredictability and tension about what might happen next. This uncertainty contributes to the suspense of the scene.
Read the excerpt from a short story.
The downy pillow covered his ears but did not mask the sound. Sleep eluded him for hours, and he heard it still: a persistent scraping in the corner of his room. Sitting upright at last, he peered into the darkness. It was as he’d suspected. His uncle’s trunk, an old army footlocker, was the source of the sound. Fine then, he could resolve this mystery. He swung his legs to the floor with conviction.
How does the excerpt exemplify the ideas King describes in "Danse Macabre"?
It allows readers to approach a “forbidden door.”
It provides a “single powerful spectacle” for the imagination’s eye.
It forces readers to “grapple” with their own mortality.
It introduces an unlikely “dancing partner.”
The downy pillow covered his ears but did not mask the sound. Sleep eluded him for hours, and he heard it still: a persistent scraping in the corner of his room. Sitting upright at last, he peered into the darkness. It was as he’d suspected. His uncle’s trunk, an old army footlocker, was the source of the sound. Fine then, he could resolve this mystery. He swung his legs to the floor with conviction.
How does the excerpt exemplify the ideas King describes in "Danse Macabre"?
It allows readers to approach a “forbidden door.”
It provides a “single powerful spectacle” for the imagination’s eye.
It forces readers to “grapple” with their own mortality.
It introduces an unlikely “dancing partner.”
GPT-4o mini
The excerpt exemplifies the ideas King describes in "Danse Macabre" by **allowing readers to approach a “forbidden door.”** The persistent scraping sound and the character's anticipation of investigating the trunk create a sense of mystery and suspense, inviting readers to explore the potentially frightening unknown that lies ahead, similar to approaching a forbidden or ominous door.