Question

Excerpt: "In a word, I should have set this man down as one of the safest of men to be employed in that capacity, but for the circumstance that while he was speaking to me he twice broke off with a fallen colour, turned his face towards the little bell when it did NOT ring, opened the door of the hut (which was kept shut to exclude the unhealthy damp), and looked out towards the red light near the mouth of the tunnel. On both of those occasions, he came back to the fire with the inexplicable air upon him..."

This excerpt BEST serves to:
A) Develop external conflict between the two characters.
B) Use the setting to disorientate the reader.
C) Characterize the narrator through his observations.
D) Create suspense and add to the rising action.

Answer 1

The excerpt best serves to create suspense and add to the rising action as it portrays the man's strange behavior, engaging the reader and building anticipation for future events. Correct answer is D.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the provided excerpt, the behavior of the man who 'twice broke off with a fallen colour, turned his face towards the little bell when it did NOT ring', adds to the overarching sense of suspense and contributes to the rising action within the narrative.

This behavior is unusual and foreshadows a potential problem or crisis, serving to engage the reader and build anticipation for what might occur next. Based on the context and the man's inexplicable actions, the best answer would be D) Create suspense and add to the rising action.