Question

Read the excerpt from Dominique’s narrative. 1 Tired of waiting for the bus, which was late for the fifth day in a row, I sat leafing through an old magazine I had stuffed in my purse the previous night. 2 It was terribly warm for a September afternoon, and the sun cast transitory shadows on the bus stop sign with each car that passed. 3 I fleetingly wondered when the weather would get cooler and when the new bus driver would start arriving on time. 4 It was about then that I first noticed the apparent agitation of the man sitting next to me. 5 Finally, the bus arrived and ambled to a gradual stop directly in front of the restless man. 6 The doors widened, and the bus driver greeted the man with his usual banter in his usual monotone. 7 "Good afternoon. How are you today?” Which sentence would best create a strong, descriptive image in the reader’s mind if it were added after sentence 4? He was casting quick, sideways glances in the direction the bus should be coming from, and his left foot beat a steady rhythm on the hot pavement. All of the man’s actions and mannerisms clearly indicated his distress, and I could not help staring at him while we waited for the bus to finally arrive. The man’s behaviors led me to guess that he was anxious about something, and I wondered if the tardy bus could have caused such upset in someone. In fact, he appeared to be so aggravated that I thought for a second that he would explode with anger, but then he just sat down and silently waited.

Answer 1

The correct answer is A 100%= 
He was casting quick, sideways glances in the direction the bus should be coming from, and his left foot beat a steady rhythm on the hot pavement.

Answer 2

The first option (He was casting quick, sideways glances in the direction the bus should be coming from, and his left foot beat a steady rhythm on the hot pavement) is the best because it directly gives examples of actions the man is doing. The other three examples are much more vague. They refer to his "actions and mannerisms", "behaviors", and appearance rather than specifically stating what those actions and behaviors are. If the author added the first sentence, which refers to specific motions of casting sideways glances and tapping his foot, the reader would be able to create a much more detailed image in their mind.