Answer:
The statement that best evaluates the author's use of pacing to enhance the narrative is:
D. The long sentences create a slow pace that effectively emphasizes the difficulty of a long mountain hike.
Step-by-step explanation:
The passage we are analyzing here is made up of long sentences. The author has chosen to use long sentences with the deliberate intention of slowing down the pace of the narrative. By doing so, this moment is stretched out. Readers can pause with the character, feel his exhaustion, consider along with him whether to give up or to keep on going. The difficulty of the hike is pondered before a decision is made. Though tired, he must keep on going.