He unclosed his eyes and saw again the water below him. "If I could free my hands." he thought, "I might throw off the noose and spring into

the stream. By diving I could evade the bullets and, swimming vigorously, reach the bank, take to the woods and get away home. My home,
thank God, is as yet outside their lines; my wife and little ones are still beyond the invader's farthest advance.
As these thoughts, which have here to be set down in words, were flashed into the doomed man's brain rather than evolved from it the
captain nodded to the sergeant. The sergeant stepped aside.

This passage comes at the end of part I in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Why does the author end part I this way?

A. to maintain suspense about what has happened to Farquhar
B. to make readers think that Farquhar has escaped
C. to show how delusional Farquhar is
D. to reveal that Farquhar has died

The correct answer is A. to maintain suspense about what has happened to Farquhar. This passage leaves the reader in uncertainty about the fate of the main character and builds anticipation for the next part of the story.