Question

again seeks out the tree: though trembling still,

she would not fail his tryst; with eyes and soul

she looks for Pyramus; she wants to tell

her lover how she had escaped such perils.

She finds the place – the tree's familiar shape;

but seeing all the berries' color changed,

she is not sure.

—"Pyramus and Thisbe,"
Ovid

Read the passage. Which statement best describes how the pacing of events heightens tension?

The fast pace of the events does not allow the readers to think for themselves.
The fact that Thisbe sees Pyramus immediately makes the story more shocking.
The focus on the color of the berries makes the reader wonder if Pyramus is still alive.
The slow description of the search and surroundings builds anxiety in the reader.

Answer 1

The slow description of the search and surroundings builds anxiety in the reader.

Explanation: Ovid slows the action with detailed, tense images (her trembling, the careful search, the familiar tree, then the unsettling change in the berries), which stretches the moment and raises suspense about what has happened to Pyramus.