"and then death went his way without a word. he's killed a thousand in the present plague."
this excerpt provides an example of which of the following?
a. the author's use of verbal irony to illicit a feeling of dread.
b. the author's use of simile to create imagery and establish tone.
c. the author's ability to create suspense to advance the plot.
d. the author's ability to relate a literary work to an historical context.