Read the excerpt from Heart of a Samurai. A bird! He sat up and shook his friend. "Goemon-chan!" he said. "A bird!"

Goemon opened one eye. "It's a bird, that is true:" Goemon closed his eyes again. "Ahodori-fool bird . . ."

"But, Goemon-chan!" Manjiro shook him again. "Doesn't a bird mean there could be land nearby?"

"Yes," Goemon sighed. Suddenly his head popped up. "Did you say land?"

The two boys shook the others, and they all stared over the side of the boat at a small, dark line on the horizon. As the boat drifted toward it, the dark line grew into a tall, looming shape: an island.

Which best states how the excerpt keeps readers interested in the story?

It creates suspense.
It explains a past event.
It describes a conflict.
It quickens the story’s pace.