What is the best way to sustain the reader's interest in an essay?

Read this excerpt from "the light of gandhi's lamp" by hilary kromberg inglis, in which she describes driving to the police station where her sister is being detained. to avoid looking at the blackened windows at the top of the building and thinking about the history of who had died or been tortured there, i always looked instead at the little chinese restaurant on the opposite side of the road. how does this passage affect the text? it conveys, with great subtlety, the conflict she felt over having a sister who would break the law and end up in the custody of the police. it conveys, without any implied moral judgment, that those who fought against apartheid considered themselves to be soldiers in a just war. it conveys, with an extended metaphor, the idea that being detained by the police in this society was regarded as a badge of honor. it conveys, with direct language, the view held by many anti-apartheid activists that the police often acted in brutal and unlawful ways.

Read these paragraphs from the story. i told him my address. it would take an hour’s quick walk to get back home. “it’s like this,” he said. “we’ll look at the matter straight. if you go back home tonight, you take your chance of accidents. a cart may run over you, and there’s always banana skins and orange peel, to say nothing of fallen ladders.” he spoke of the improbable with an intense seriousness that would have been laughable six hours before. but i did not laugh. what does this interaction between the two men reveal about james? james is skeptical and thinks mr. atkinson is overreacting to the situation. james is dismayed by the things mr. atkinson says and begins to feel uncomfortable. james is surprised by mr. atkinson's solemnness and thinks there is value in what the man is saying. james is appreciative of mr. atkinson's concern and wonders if he should hurry home. the correct answer is; "james is surprised by mr. atkinson's solemnness and thinks there is value in what the man is saying." i am not putting this up so someone can answer but so when people search this they will know the correct the correct answer is not; "james is skeptical and thinks mr. atkinson is overreacting to the situation." everyone said that was the right answer but its your

What task did the surveyors do? a. they studied the landscape to determine the most direct route for building a road. b. they designed treadmills that lifted blocks of stone to where they were needed. c. they dug trenches and filled them with sand, concrete, and large blocks to form a road.