Question

Read the excerpt from chapter 7 of Obasan by Joy Kogawa.


I hurried behind her as she marched ahead to the car.


"What a conference! You should have been with me, Nomi,” she said. "There was so much to learn. I had no idea how much I still hurt. Just read some of these papers.” She flung open her briefcase and took out a bundle of conference notes and papers as I searched for the car keys.


"Ever read this?” she asked, punctuating the air with a pamphlet entitled "Racial Discrimination by Orders-in-Council.”

Which phrases help develop the energetic mood of the text?

“took out a bundle” and “searched for”
“flung open” and “punctuating the air”
“‘Just read some of these papers’” and “‘Ever read this?’”
“‘You should have been with me,’” and “‘I had no idea how much I still hurt.’”

Answer 1

“flung open” and “punctuating the air” — those verbs create vivid, energetic physical action and help establish the lively mood.