This question is missing the excerpt. I've found the complete question online. It is as follows:
Read the excerpt from Heart of a Samurai. Goemon jumped up. "Agreed," he said, jamming his "knife" into his sash and slashing at Manjiro’s "sword." Their imaginary swords clashed and clattered as they lunged or leaped aside to avoid being hit. Which words contribute most to the excerpt’s pace?
A. "imaginary" and "aside"
B. "sash" and "swords"
C. "slashing" and "lunged"
D. "Goeman" and "Manjiro"
Answer:
The words that contribute most to the excerpt's pace are C. "slashing" and "lunged".
Step-by-step explanation:
When we think of pace, we think of rhythm, of moving fast, slow, with regularity, with cadence, etc. The words an author uses help readers feel the pace of what is being described more intensely. If the characters are acting or moving fast, or if conflicts are developing slowly, the only way for readers to visualize that is through the author's word-choice. In the case of the excerpt we are studying here, we can say the writer establishes a fast pace through the use of the words "slashing" and "lunged". Both words imply rapidity of movement, celerity, quickness and, for that reason, has the readers imagining the scene in a vivid, accelerated manner.