Read the excerpt from “the lottery.” "we're next." mrs. graves said. she watched while mr. graves came around from the side of the box, greeted mr. summers gravely and selected a slip of paper from the box. by now, all through the crowd there were men holding the small folded papers in their large hand, turning them over and over nervously mrs. dunbar and her two sons stood together, mrs. dunbar holding the slip of paper. what is the purpose of the descriptive language in the excerpt? it builds suspense as people prepare for the results. it shows how mean-spirited the people have become. it shows the indifference of the people toward the lottery. it causes readers to reflect on a time when they worried.