Refer to explorations in literature for a complete version of this story. which statements best explain how the clock in “the masque of the red death” affects meaning? select each correct answer. poe uses his descriptions of the clock to paint a picture of the lavish décor and party experienced by the guests. the clock is a metaphor for how the prince abused and wasted his time. poe builds suspense by describing the fear each of the guests feels as the clock chimes. the clock symbolizes the passing of time and reinforces the theme that no one can escape death.

1if katina that the first day of her internship at harper and associates would be so disastrous, she would have called in sick. she'd chosen her clothes carefully that morning: katina had dressed in black slacks, a white shirt, a vibrant turquoise jacket, and matching turquoise shoes to create a youthful but professional look. on the bus ride to work, someone had bumped katina's arm, and she'd spilled her coffee down the front of her shirt. unfortunately, the jacket couldn't hide the stain, and katina knew that the senior partners had noticed it when they'd introduced themselves. 2 one of the third-year associates, greg, had shown katina around the office and explained her responsibilities. then, he'd taken her to the copy room, handed her an enormous box of legal briefs, and told her to start making copies. just when she'd almost finished, greg had returned to tell her that he actually needed two copies of every file. after lunch, greg had katina start filing the copies. she'd been filing for an hour when greg informed her that she'd put the files in the incorrect order. katina could only hope that tomorrow would be a better day. how does the author reveal katina's initial excitement about her internship? a) by showing how katina responds to conflict b) by describing how katina felt at the end of the day c) by showing how katina interacts with other characters d) by describing how katina selected her clothes with care