Answer and explanation:
The purpose of using dashes in this excerpt is to set off an appositive sentence that contains commas. An appositive sentence is a structure that offers further information on something mentioned before it. Appositives can usually be set off by commas but, when they are long and present commas in their own structure, they are set off by dashes.
In the excerpt we are studying here, the appositive "-so-called because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true, okay, as opposed to other things are, like, totally, you know, not-" is a very long one and full of commas. It is supposed to offer further information on what declarative sentences are.
The two words Bradbury uses repeatedly in this scene are "The beetle". The repetition adds to the suspense of the scene. Each time "the beetle" is repeated the reader can feel the car getting closer and closer. Because the sentences are very short and similarly structured, they speed up the pace of the scene just like the car is picking up speed.
Answer:
d. summarizes the essay's main points
Explanation:
The topic sentence of a body paragraph summarizes the essay's main points. The topic sentence is basically the sentence that introduces the topic/the main points.