Read the following passage: In the year of our Lord seventeen hundred and twelve, at
the village of Christchurch, the members of our
congregation were first visited by the spirits.
Which statement best explains the relationship between the author's choice
to begin the story this way and the effect it has on the reader?
A. The inclusion of a supernatural element leads the reader to
recognize this story as being concerned with spiritual matters.
B. The inclusion of a specific location leads the reader to suspect
that the story will be a social critique.
C. The tone of the language leads the reader to understand that the
story will be relayed by a figure of authority.
D. Beginning the story with something that happened in the past
leads the reader to assume that he or she will be familiar with the
events to come.