What is the rising action?

• A. Man vs. Man, including Peak vs. Sun Jo; The clients vs. Peak; The climbers vs. Capt. Shek; Sun Jo vs. Capt. Shek; Peak's mom vs. Josh.
• B. Man vs. Nature, including Sagarmatha, weather, and flu/HAPE.
• C. An internal monologue about fear and doubt.
• D. A courtroom scene about the climb.

Answer: (A)

Rising action is the part of the plot where conflicts intensify and stakes rise, driving toward the climax. In this story, the tension builds through direct, escalating clashes among the people involved in the climb: Peak versus Sun Jo, the clients pressuring Peak, confrontations with Captain Shek, and strains in Peak’s family relationships with Josh and Peak’s mom. Each encounter raises the danger and tests motives and decisions, pulling the action toward a peak moment on the mountain. Internal fear and doubt can deepen a character, but they don’t propel external events forward as strongly as these ongoing, person-to-person conflicts. A courtroom scene, while potentially dramatic, isn’t part of this climb-focused action and wouldn’t represent the rising-action progression.