Read the excerpt from Heart of a Samurai. Goemon jumped up. “Agreed,” he said, jamming his “knife” into his sash and slashing at Manjiro’s “sword.” Their imaginary swords clashed and clattered as they lunged or leaped aside to avoid being hit. How does the author make the excerpt exciting? She changes the pace from slow to fast. She creates a conflict between two characters. She uses strong and precise action words. She changes the pace from fast to slow.