Which word best describes the tone of this passage?
i imagine a day when i can wake up, eyes clear and untroubled. wake up and think, what should i do today? the sad reality is that i feel this urge, an invisible clock ticking, spurring me to action. i wonder if it's just me. what of the countless others i see, rushing about with hurried steps and harried faces? are they pursued by the invisible hand of time too? they, i know, are its slaves, just as much as i am.
meditative
outlandish
desperate
sarcastic

Read this excerpt from "the all-american slurp." i pulled the strings out of my stalk. z-z-zip, z-z-zip. my brother followed suit. z-z-zip, z-z-zip. to my left, my parents were taking care of their own stalks. z-z-zip, z-z-zip, z-z-zip. suddenly i realized that there was dead silence except for our zipping. looking up, i saw that the eyes of everyone in the room were on our family. mr. and mrs. gleason, their daughter meg, who was my friend, and their neighbors the badels—they were all staring at us as we busily pulled the strings of our celery. what story element does the author develop in this excerpt? a) lot details about the party b) characterization of the lins c) characterization of the gleasons d) setting details about the gleasons’ house