Porter's narrative technique in Rope substitutes traditional action for

• A. Omniscient narration
• B. Flashback
• C. Metaphor
• D. Unmarked dialogue

Answer: (D)

This item tests how a narrative can replace physical action with dialogue to sustain tension. In Rope, the suspense comes from unmarked dialogue—speech presented without explicit speaker tags or heavy narration—so the words themselves carry the pace and psychological clash. When lines flow directly from one character to another without clarifying who is speaking, readers infer who is speaking from context, tone, and reactions, and the exchange itself becomes the engine of the scene. This keeps the focus on character intention, power dynamics, and moral tension rather than on visible action, making conversation the vehicle that drives the drama. The other approaches would change the method: an all-knowing narrator would add commentary rather than let dialogue carry the suspense; a flashback would shift temporal focus; a metaphor would substitute symbolic imagery for direct speech. Unmarked dialogue aligns with Rope’s effect by letting sustained, immediate exchanges replace kinetic action.