Who wrote the short story 'The Killers'?

• A. Faulkner
• B. Poe
• C. Steinbeck
• D. Hemingway

Answer: (D)

Identify authorship from a famous short story by recognizing the author known for spare, precise prose and restrained dialogue. The Killers is Ernest Hemingway’s short story, crafted with lean, economical language and tight, understated dialogue that builds tension in a single, contained scene. Hemingway’s style often leaves much unsaid, inviting readers to infer deeper meaning from a brief moment—an effect readers associate with his iceberg theory. The other authors listed are known for different styles: one is associated with lush, intricate narrative forms; another with Gothic, melodramatic horror; another with social realism. The exact title and the distinctive Hemingway approach to dialogue and tension make him the best match.