It was winter night like any other night. and i didn't have my chemistry done either. but the way the moon silvered the twigs and the snow-drifts, i just could not stay inside. the skating rink isn't far from our house—you can make it in five minutes if the side walks aren't slippery, so i went skating.

from “sixteen,” maureen daly

the passage above is best viewed as a description of which element of a short story?

a. theme
b. conflict
c. character
d. setting