Read the excerpt from "the tell-tale heart.”

i smiled,—for what had i to fear? i bade the gentlemen welcome. the shriek, i said, was my own in a dream. the old man, i mentioned, was absent in the country. i took my visitors all over the house. i bade them search—search well. i led them, at length, to his chamber. i showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. in the enthusiasm of my confidence, i brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while i myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.

the officers were satisfied. my manner had convinced them. i was singularly at ease. they sat, and while i answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things.

read the excerpt from "the black cat.”

upon the fourth day of the assassination, a party of the police came, very unexpectedly, into the house, and proceeded again to make rigorous investigation of the premises. secure, however, in the inscrutability of my place of concealment, i felt no embarrassment whatever. the officers bade me accompany them in their search. they left no nook or corner unexplored. at length, for the third or fourth time, they descended into the cellar. i quivered not in a muscle. my heart beat calmly as that of one who slumbers in innocence. i walked the cellar from end to end. i folded my arms upon my bosom, and roamed easily to and fro. the police were thoroughly satisfied and prepared to depart. the glee at my heart was too strong to be restrained. i burned to say if but one word, by way of triumph, and to render doubly sure their assurance of my guiltlessness.

which statement best compares these two excerpts?

a. the arrival of the police officers adds a supernatural element to the narratives.

b. the arrival of the police officers increases the tension and suspense in the narratives.

c. the arrival of the police officers increases the element of horror in the narratives.

d. the arrival of the police officers adds an unexplained event to the narratives.