Question

ow does the structure of the play—particularly the use of flashback and shifts in setting—affect the development of the plot?


It creates suspense by delaying the explanation of Eli’s frantic behavior until after the audience sees the park bench scene.


It emphasizes Josie’s perspective by showing her thoughts through monologues before Eli’s story begins.


It limits the audience’s understanding by keeping the old man’s identity hidden until the very end of the play.


It speeds up the resolution by presenting all three wishes in chronological order without interruption.

Answer 1

It creates suspense by delaying the explanation of Eli’s frantic behavior until after the audience sees the park bench scene.

Explanation: the play opens in the present with unexplained action, then uses flashbacks and setting shifts to reveal what led up to that moment. That non‑chronological structure with past scenes gradually filling in missing information heightens mystery and suspense rather than emphasizing Josie’s monologues, hiding the old man until the end, or speeding the plot by presenting events in strict chronological order.