Question

Read this excerpt from "A Drop in the Bucket."

Diane's mother, Dolores, has come along for the trip and watches, wide-eyed, as her 40-year-old daughter walks into their room. Diane is carrying a brain in a bucket in one hand, holding up baggy gym shorts with the other, and reeking of an odor not found in nature.

How does this excerpt create a sense of momentary suspense or tension?

The reader does not understand why Diane is dressed in gym clothes.
The reader does not know why Diane's mother is present.
The reader does not understand why Diane's mother is confused.
The reader does not know why Diane is carrying a brain.

Answer 1

The reader does not know why Diane is carrying a brain.

Step-by-step explanation:

Suspense or tension in a story is when the readers are unsure about what the events in the story will be like. The feeling of not knowing what will happen, along with the eagerness to see what will happen is known as suspense.

In the given passage from "A Drop in the Bucket", the reader knows that Diane's mother is in the room. This story is about Diane France, a famous forensic anthropologist who deals with bones to specify and determine their causes of death. So, when she returned to the room with the brain in the bucket, we, along with her mother, are shocked to actually see a brain in a bucket. It may be common for Diane to deal with these things but it certainly isn't for us and her mother. And the suspense is further heightened when we don't know why she is carrying a brain like it is nothing unusual.

Thus, the correct answer is the last option.