Read the excerpt from The Awakening, and look at the diagram. “I have a letter somewhere,” looking in the machine drawer and finding the letter in the bottom of the workbasket. “he says to tell you he will be in Vera Cruz the beginning of next month,”—”and if you still have the intention of joining him”—bang! clatter, clatter, bang!

“Why didn’t you tell me so before, mother? You know I wanted—” Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Which best explains this excerpt’s purpose in the novel’s plot structure?
a. The excerpt establishes the setting as part of the exposition.
b .The excerpt builds suspense as part of the rising action.
c. The excerpt forms the point of greatest tension and acts as the climax.
d. The excerpt provides background information on a character as part of the exposition.