Read the passage.

Rescue Mission

What is the effect of the author's choice to tell this story in the present tense?

A.) The present tense allows the author to describe the events of the story more accurately.

B.) It makes the story seem more emotional.

C.) Using the present tense makes the descriptions of the setting more vivid.

D.) It gives the story a sense of immediacy and urgency.

The correct answer is letter C. In the passage from "The Rescue Mission", the author has chosen the present tense to make the narrative appear more vividly by assimilating it to the here-and-now of the speech act. This use of the present tense is also called Conversational and Narrative Historical present. It describes the past as if it is happening now. These sentences are clear examples of this use in the setting: "I've got the clips, bungee cord, vests, and basket, and the rest of the equipment is onboard."; "I have to get my head in the zone because this chopper is heading into stormy conditions, and it will feel as though things are happening at supersonic speed when we get to the site."