Read the following passage carefully before choosing your answer:
The afternoon had stretched out like warm taffy, each hour marked only by the slow, rhythmic creak of the porch swing and the lazy buzz of cicadas in the maples. Margaret watched the dust motes drift through the shafts of golden light, feeling as though she were suspended in amber, untouched by the passage of time. Then, the telephone rang.
In an instant, the stillness shattered. She dropped her book, scrambled across the floorboards, and grabbed the receiver. Words tumbled out from the other end—urgent, fragmented, and loud. Before she could process the news, she was running down the gravel driveway, her boots kicking up small clouds of grey dust, her breath catching in her throat as she raced toward the station, desperate to catch the 4:15 train before the gates closed.
Based on the passage, how does the shift in narrative pacing between the first paragraph and the second paragraph function?
- It transitions from a slow, descriptive tempo to a rapid sequence of actions to emphasize the sudden urgency of Margaret's situation.Answer
- BIt details the chronological sequence of Margaret reading a book, answering the phone, and running to the train station.
- CIt signals that the events in the second paragraph are a flashback to an earlier, more chaotic day in Margaret's life.
- DIt reflects the author's personal distress and hurried writing style when composing this specific portion of the short story.
- EIt proves that Margaret is an unreliable narrator who is exaggerating the speed of the events to deceive the reader.