Question

Read the story summary:

A businessman comes to a private investigator and explains that he is
a victim of fraud. The private investigator gathers clues about the fraud
case, getting ever closer to the truth. In time, the private investigator
discovers that it was her assistant who was the fraudster all along.
She fires her assistant and decides to be a little less trusting in the
future.
What would the author need to change to give this story an in medias res
opening?
A. Begin with a scene of the private investigator reading minds,
which establishes her abilities.
B. Begin with a dialogue in which the private investigator reveals
secrets about her checkered past.
C. Begin with information about the private investigator's business
and who her usual clients are.
D. Begin with a scene of the private investigator in a fury, accusing
her assistant of breaking her trust.

Answer 1

To start a story in medias res, the author should open with intense action or a critical moment in the plot. Option D, a scene with the private investigator accusing her assistant, provides this immediate engagement.

Step-by-step explanation:

To give a story an in medias res opening, the author needs to start the story in the middle of the action, which immediately captures the reader's attention and sparks their curiosity. Out of the options provided, the best choice to achieve this would be:

D. Begin with a scene of the private investigator in a fury, accusing her assistant of breaking her trust.

This option thrusts the reader into the climax of the narrative conflict, thereby demanding the reader's attention and engagement. The reader will want to know what led up to this moment, and how things will be resolved, which is precisely the effect that an in medias res beginning aims to create.

Moreover, beginning with such a high-stakes confrontation would invert Freytag’s Pyramid, ensuring that the story opens with a part of the narrative that would typically be found later in a traditionally structured plot.