Question

Read the excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 5 of Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott.

"What in the world are you going to do now, Jo?" asked Meg one snowy
afternoon, as her sister came tramping through the hall, in rubber
boots, old sack, and hood, with a broom in one hand and a shovel in the
other.

"Going out for exercise," answered Jo with a mischievous twinkle in her
eyes.

"I should think two long walks this morning would have been enough!
It's cold and dull out, and I advise you to stay warm and dry by the
fire, as I do," said Meg with a shiver.

"Never take advice! Can't keep still all day, and not being a
pussycat, I don't like to doze by the fire. I like adventures, and I'm
going to find some."

Which best explains why Alcott begins the chapter with one character asking another character a question?
to develop one character in more detail than another
to help the reader visualize the characters’ appearances
to stimulate the reader’s desire to understand a character’s motives
to establish the setting for the characters’ conversation.

Answer 1

to stimulate the reader’s desire to understand a character’s motives

Starting with Meg’s question prompts Jo’s reply and reveals her restlessness and love of adventure, making the reader want to know why she acts that way.