What is the difference between "suspension" and "suspense"?

[ivys]

Test No. incompl/inter-29 "Who has done it?", question 4

The idea is to keep the readers in a permanent state of ......... so that they never know what's going to happen next.

(a) suspense
(b) suspension
(c) suspending
(d) suspenders

Test No. incompl/inter-29 "Who has done it?", answer 4

The idea is to keep the readers in a permanent state of suspense so that they never know what's going to happen next.

Correct answer: (a) suspense

Your answer was: incorrect
The idea is to keep the readers in a permanent state of suspension so that they never know what's going to happen next.
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thanks could you please tell me why is not suspension? it is a noun too

[Mister Micawber]

.
Yes, they are both nouns; in fact, all the answers are nouns (if you consider suspending as the gerund).

In suspense: in a tense state; excitedly anticipating an approaching climax.

Suspension: a temporary debarment (from a privilege or position etc); the act of suspending something (hanging it from above so it moves freely); an interruption in the intensity or amount of something.

As you can see, the latter definitions do not fit the meaning of the sentence: the readers were tense because they didn't know what would happen next in the book.
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Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber