Question

“The van Daans are going with us. There will be seven of us altogether.” Silence. We couldn't speak. The thought of Father off visiting someone in the Jewish Hospital and completely unaware of what was happening, the long wait for Mother, the heat, the suspense – all this reduced us to silence.

Which word best describes the mood of this excerpt?

tense
excited
angry
calm

Answer 1

The word best describes the mood of this excerpt is tense.

Answer 2

Tense

Step-by-step explanation:

In these lines, we can see that the mood the characters are experiencing is a tense one. They explain that they could not speak. The implication is that they are too worried and stressed out to come up with clear thoughts. We learn that the characters feel tension due to the fact that the father was visiting someone in the Jewish hospital, that he was unaware of what was happening, that they had to wait for Mother, etc. All these reasons increase the tension in the scene.