Question

Years passed by. Every spring when the roses began to bloom seven youths and seven maidens were put on board of a black-sailed ship and sent to Crete to pay the tribute which King Minos required. In every house in Athens there was sorrow and dread, and the people lifted up their hands to Athena on the hilltop and cried out, "How long, O Queen of the Air, how long shall this thing be?"

In the meanwhile the little child at Troezen on the other side of the sea had grown to be a man. His name, Theseus, was in everybody's mouth, for he had done great deeds of daring; and at last he had come to Athens to find his father, King Aegeus, who had never heard whether he was alive or dead; and when the youth had made himself known, the king had welcomed him to his home and all the people were glad because so noble a prince had come to dwell among them and, in time, to rule over their city.

–“The Cruel Tribute,”
James Baldwin

Why does the author allow years to pass between the making of the treaty with King Minos and the return of Aegeus’s son, Theseus? Check all that apply.

to emphasize how terrible the situation is
to prove that Aegeus is courageous
to make readers curious about Theseus’s role in the plot
to allow Theseus to grow and mature
to cause readers to lose interest

Answer 1

Choices 1, 3, and 4.

- to emphasize how terrible the situation is — yes: the repeated yearly tribute and "years passed" underline the long‑term suffering and dread in Athens.
- to make readers curious about Theseus’s role in the plot — yes: the gap builds anticipation about what the grown youth will do when he appears.
- to allow Theseus to grow and mature — yes: the text explicitly notes the child “had grown to be a man,” making his later actions plausible.

Not correct: proving Aegeus is courageous (the passage doesn’t show his courage) and causing readers to lose interest (that is not the author’s intent).