Answer:
The author's word choice help to express the tone of the excerpt since The negative connotations of the words "tensely," "clutching," and "sizzled" give the excerpt a tone of nervousness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The use of the words "tensely," "clutching," and "sizzled" are indeed giving a more powerful meaning to the general idea of this excerpt, if this moment had been written without using any of this strong words, the level of tension on Louise Carpenter could not have been almost tangible to the reader as they create expectation and an increment of stress.