Part a

how does ezra's behavior after his mom and his aunt leave affect the story?

it creates tension by revealing, for the first time, how nervous ezra is about going out with juliana.

it creates mystery by revealing, just moments before the date, how little ezra really knows about juliana.

it creates humor by showing ezra realizing that his mother and aunt were only pretending to be wary of lending him the car.

it increases the suspense by subtly foreshadowing that ezra may not be focused enough on driving the new convertible.

part b

which evidence from the text best supports the correct answer in part a?

ezra worries that juliana might think that driving a car that "had cost as much as a small house" is foolish because he barely knows her.

ezra lets out a "hoot" because he is so nervous about going on a date with juliana, whom he has liked for years.

ezra realizes that his mother and his aunt want his date with juliana to go well just as much as he wants it to go well.

ezra thinks more about how impressed juliana will be, her parents' surprise, and how fine he'll look driving the car than he does about driving safely.