Read the passage from "Cruel Tribute.” Years passed by. Every spring when the roses began to bloom seven youths and seven maidens were put on board of a black-sailed ship and sent to Crete to pay the tribute which King Minos required. In every house in Athens there was sorrow and dread, and the people lifted up their hands to Athena on the hilltop and cried out, "How long, O Queen of the Air, how long shall this thing be?" In the meanwhile the little child at Troezen on the other side of the sea had grown to be a man. His name, Theseus, was in everybody's mouth, for he had done great deeds of daring; and at last he had come to Athens to find his father, King Aegeus, who had never heard whether he was alive or dead; and when the youth had made himself known, the king had welcomed him to his home and all the people were glad because so noble a prince had come to dwell among them and, in time, to rule over their city. In this excerpt, the sequence of events creates suspense by
Answer
A
slowing down the plot to focus on an important character.
B
starting the story in the middle of things.
C
speeding up the plot to move the story forward and build tension.
D
describing a setting that causes anticipation.
Explanation
The passage summarizes several years in a few sentences: each spring, seven youths and seven maidens are sent to Crete, while Theseus grows up and eventually arrives in Athens. This quick movement through time brings the tribute’s repeated danger and Theseus’s arrival together, building tension about what will happen next. Choice B, speeding up the plot to move the story forward and build tension, best describes this sequence.
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