How does the flashback in Paragraphs 4 and 5 affect the story? *It begins a second plot by introducing a character—the dog—who will play an important role later.

*It creates suspense by leading the reader to wonder whether Jason and his father will ever make peace.

*It creates surprise by showing Jason's father acting in a way that is different from the negative way Jason views him.

*It creates tension by implying that Jason is right to be suspicious of his father.

A Long Car Ride
Jason was excited to begin his junior year of high school. However, he first had to spend the last couple weeks of his summer vacation traveling with his dad to see his Aunt Kenia in Chicago. He hardly knew his aunt and, to be honest, felt like he hardly knew his dad these days, either. As if it weren’t bad enough having to spend six tedious hours in a car to visit an aunt Jason hasn’t seen since he was much younger, his mom wasn’t traveling with them. She could not leave their family’s Japanese restaurant for that long, so Jason was alone on the trip with his father. Ever since his dad had started his new job two years before, he was hardly around anymore. He spent most of his time traveling for work or hiding in his home office. Jason did not think his father even realized that Jason worked part time at the animal shelter or that he wanted to be a veterinarian one day. On the drive, Jason’s dad gave up on trying to make small talk after the first thirty minutes. Now all they were doing was tuning in to new radio stations each time they lost a broadcast on their long road trip. As Jason listened to the oldies station his dad had just switched to, he tried to recall the last time he and his father were alone in a car, just the two of them, for this long. It had been two years. They had been driving down Main Street, in the busiest part of town, when a stray dog ran in front of the car. Jason’s dad swerved to avoid hitting it, but the poor pooch suddenly stood frozen in the middle of the street, too petrified to move. Jason made his dad stop the car in traffic, and they both jumped out and rescued the dog. There were a lot of mad people in the roadblock they caused. Jason and his father then brought the dog to the animal shelter, where an owner was found for the dog not too long afterward. As Jason reminisced about that day, he realized that it was his first time at the animal shelter. It seemed a little crazy to him, now that he had spent countless hours working and volunteering there. Jason realized that that day was when he decided to spend the rest of his life rescuing animals. Did his dad even know how important that day was to him, or how much he loved animals? No, Jason’s dad was too busy with work. Finally, when Jason thought he couldn’t take one more 80s power ballad, they pulled into a parking spot outside Aunt Kenia’s Chicago apartment. They walked into the apartment, and Jason was greeted with a massive, pregnant dog. Jason did not even know his aunt had a dog. After Jason greeted his aunt, she explained that she had rescued the dog off the street. The veterinarian had asked whether Aunt Kenia could foster the dog until it had its puppies. When Aunt Kenia had told Jason’s father about the dog, he had said that Jason was wonderful with animals. Jason’s dad had then offered to make the long road trip and take time off work so Jason could help care for the dog and the puppies when they were born. Jason’s dad explained to Jason that he knew how important helping animals was to him. Jason’s dad thought this was the perfect opportunity for Jason and him to bond over Jason’s love of animals. Maybe Jason’s dad did know how important that day a couple of years ago had been to him after all. How does the flashback in Paragraphs 4 and 5 affect the story? It begins a second plot by introducing a character—the dog—who will play an important role later. It creates suspense by leading the reader to wonder whether Jason and his father will ever make peace. It creates surprise by showing Jason's father acting in a way that is different from the negative way Jason views him. It creates tension by implying that Jason is right to be suspicious of his father.