What is the effect of the short sentence 'Nobody hurried here.'?
By August the allotments had turned into a patchwork of greedy green. Runner beans scrambled up their canes and flopped over the top in a tangle of scarlet flowers, while the marrows sprawled across the path as if they owned it. Mr Bell's shed, its roof patched with a political poster, leaned slightly to the left. Bees drifted lazily between the sunflowers, and the air smelled of tomatoes, warm soil and the bonfire smoke that always seemed to drift from somewhere. A radio crackled with cricket. Nobody hurried here. Even the watering cans seemed to move more slowly, their spouts dripping silver into the dust.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. It slows the pace and highlights the unhurried mood
- Step 1: The sentence is very short in a paragraph of longer ones.
- Step 2: It slows the pace and states the key idea of the scene directly.
Answer
It slows the pace and highlights the unhurried mood.
Why not the others: It introduces a sudden danger that interrupts the peaceful scene of the allotments: Nothing dangerous follows. It shows that the allotments are empty: People are present, as the radio and Mr Bell's shed show. It makes the description more detailed: A short sentence adds emphasis, not extra detail.
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