Question

To learn about pacing, Marcos is analyzing a famous short story, “The Gift of the Magi” by the author O. Henry. Marcos notices the varied pacing in the opening paragraph. Read the paragraph and then answer the question.
One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation [accusation] of parsimony [stinginess] that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

How did O. Henry vary the pacing in this paragraph?

A.
He wrote sentences of different lengths.
B.
He included a flashback about shopping.
C.
He described the money in extreme detail.
D.
He used reflection throughout the paragraph.

Answer 1

Answer:

A.) He wrote sentences of different lengths

Explanation:

When you have a period you have to stop. Thus, some of the sentences are shorter, meaning you have to stop pretty quick. However, there is one long sentence that runs on a bit, meaning that it takes a while before you reach that period. So having different lengths of sentences means the pacing in the paragraph will vary.

Hope this helps! :)